Category Archives: Uncategorized
The then-new headquarters (aka “temple”) for the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks next to Angels Flight, Olive St, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1909
Yesterday’s photo of Hamburger’s department store sent me down an Elks fraternity rabbit hole, which took me to this photo. It was taken the same year – 1909 – which was when Elks Lodge No. 99 opened its new headquarters … Continue reading
Hamburger’s department store lit up at night, 801 S. Broadway, downtown Los Angeles, 1909
I was recently sent this photo asking if I could confirm it was Hamburger’s department store at 801 S. Broadway in downtown Los Angeles in 1909. Using Google image search and TinEye, I could find it posted nowhere else. Hamburger’s … Continue reading
Color view of Los Angeles City Hall from Union railway station, downtown Los Angeles, 1954
There are certain iconic LA buildings that I never get sick of seeing: Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood sign, Richfield building, Garden of Allah Hotel. On that list is also the Los Angeles City Hall because it’s a landmark that proudly … Continue reading
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Tagged Color photo, Downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles City Hall
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Crowds of Angelenos pack both sides of Broadway to see President Franklin D. Roosevelt, downtown Los Angeles, 1938
We’re looking north up Broadway in downtown Los Angeles from 7th Street. According to the caption for this photo, those crowds of Angelenos packing both sides of the street came to see President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was 1938, which … Continue reading
Color photo looking south along Beverly Drive where it crosses Sunset Blvd, Beverly Hills, circa 1950s
Although there’s not a lot going on in this color photo, it does, nevertheless, feels like a quintessential shot of 1950s Beverly Hills. We’re looking south along Beverly Drive where it crosses Sunset Blvd. And that means the landmark Beverly … Continue reading
Looking north up Culver Blvd at the Culver Hotel, 9400 Culver Blvd, Culver City, California, 1938
In this photo, we’re looking north up Culver Blvd at the Culver Hotel at the intersection with Washington Blvd. This photo was taken in 1938, and we can see how the 6-story triangular-shaped hotel must have stood out. So I’m … Continue reading
Cover reveal for book 2 in the Hollywood’s Greatest Year trilogy by Martin Turnbull
Back in June 2024, I released the first book in a new trilogy set against what many (including myself) would argue was the greatest year that golden-age Hollywood experienced: 1939. (You can read a list of movies that came out … Continue reading
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A packed Cocoanut Grove nightclub at the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Blvd hosts the 12th Academy Awards on the night of February 29, 1940
Click on the photo for a bigger version. On February 29, 1940 (a Leap Year Day!), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held the 12th Academy Awards presentation at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub at the Ambassador Hotel on … Continue reading
Aerial shot of Howard Hughes’s aircraft, the Spruce Goose, undergoes final assembly on Terminal Island, Long Beach, California, 1947
In June of 1947, Howard Hughes was finally ready to transport the massive hull and two wing sections of his H-4 Hercules aircraft – aka the Spruce Goose, but don’t call it that when Hughes was around! – from his … Continue reading
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Tagged Airports Aircraft Airlines, California, Culver City, Long Beach
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Color photo of the front lawns of the Ambassador Hotel, Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles (undated)
These days, it’s unlikely that you’d find a big-city hotel with so much lawn around it—land is too valuable! But back in the early 1920s, when the Ambassador Hotel was being built on Wilshire Blvd (between Mariposa and Catalina, it … Continue reading