In this circa 1922 photo, we’re looking along the Santa Monica pier from the shoreline out toward the Pacific. It looks like there was plenty of diversion for Angelenos. The ornate building with the cupola was (and still is) the Looff Hippodrome which had (and still has) a carousel. To its immediate left is a ride called the Aeroscope, which spun you around in circles as you sat in a gondola. And that wooden roller coaster was called the Blue Streak Racer that operated from 1917 to 1923, and was the first one on the pier. And when you were done with that, you could take a long stroll to the end of the pier to enjoy the fresh sea air. (Source: Water & Power Associates)
This is roughly how that view looked in March 2019.
Sure looks to be missing many of the rides in the current photo. I liked the way it looked in The Sting.
Martin, Didn’t they also film They Shoot Horses Don’t They at that pier as well?
I believe so, yes. I double checked it on IMDB and the Santa Monica pier is listed as a shooting location.
Martin, being a child of the 70s, one thing to be sure is they filmed lots of cop shows there. How many times we saw that beautiful pier on Mannix, back in the day. Mike Connors wrestling the bad guys on the beach! On Cannon, remember Cannon? William Conrad had several boats, and many scenic episodes were filmed there. Also Harry O, starring David Janssen, although, according to Warner Brothers, they also shot down in San Diego, so did William Conrad. James Garner (Rockford Files) had that old trailer on the beach, remember? All those tv memories for all us kids back in the day, but good PR for Santa Monica.