I love this atmospheric night shot of Du-par’s Restaurant. Part of the Du-par’s chain of diners, it stood at 12036 Ventura Blvd, Studio City in the San Fernando Valley near what was then known as Republic Studios (now the Radford Studio Center.) I don’t know when this shot was taken, but the restaurant opened in 1948, so I’m guessing not long after that. With its inky night sky and ‘40s cars parked on the side, it could be a shot from some film noir crime drama.
David G. says: “Less known is that it was built in front of a 1930s motel/studio apartment cluster interspersed with pepper trees. That was there until the adjoining lot and restaurant just to the east (The Tahitian, at 12010 Ventura) were all demolished around 1980 to build the strip mall that is there now.”
After 70 years, this Du-par’s closed on January 1, 2018. It is now a Sephora’s makeup store. This image is from February 2023.
One of the most photographed buildings in Hollywood was the NBC Studios on the northwest corner of Hollywood Blvd and Vine St. And with good reason, too. It was a prime example of Streamline Moderne architecture on a prominent corner. But 99% of photos taken of it are of the main entrance. I like this photo because we get to see how the studios took up the whole block to Argyle St. Those rounded corners and parallel lines give the complex and smooth, sleek look. Going by the cars driving down Sunset, I’d say this photo is circa 1950s, but if anyone can narrow it down for me, I’d love to hear from you. Also, I assume those mustard-and-red banners stretched across Sunset meant something. Does anybody know about them?
Here’s an airport parking nightmare story in the making: An aerial photograph of LA International Airport and its vast parking lot in 1968. I can only assume that savvier travelers made a careful note of where they parked their Studebaker so that when they returned from their business trip to Cincinnati, they didn’t have to spend the next two hours wandering around thinking “I’m sure I parked it on the 8th row from the Theme building…”
Here we have several Hollywood icons all in one photo. This is Grauman’s Chinese Theatre during the 6-week run of 20th Century-Fox’s CinemaScope production of “The Seven Year Itch” in June and July of 1955. The shot of Marilyn Monroe in her white dress must be 20 feet tall! I wonder how Marilyn felt when/if she saw that huge picture of herself considering filming that famous subway scene spelled the end of her marriage to Joe DiMaggio (helpfully assisted by Walter Winchell.) But this was also a time when Grauman’s still had that awning from its front doors to the curb, you could still park out front of the theater, and there were convenient parking lots on both the west and east side of the theater.
When I first saw this photo, I spotted the shield-shaped sign on the corner building to the left and assumed it was for the Union Pacific railway. But on second glance, I saw the sign says Union Stage Depot, which I’d never heard of before. According to my friend, Al D., Union Stages were a direct competitor to Greyhound buses, and in fact Greyhound’s depot was only a block away from this location, which was at the corner of 5th and Los Angeles Streets in downtown Los Angeles. I could find scant information on Union Stages so I don’t know when they went out of business, but this photo is circa mid-1920s.
When this photo was taken some time in 1914, it’s quite possible that the motorists seen here were driving across the Colorado Street Bridge for the first time. The bridge opened on December 12, 1913, making it easier to get in and out of Pasadena, so maybe they were all Sunday drivers out for a joy ride. On the other hand, it could well be that this was taken at peak hour—but did LA even have a peak hour back in 1914? Somehow I doubt it. Either way, I think this is a gorgeous image.
I don’t know who decided that vermilion was the right color to paint the two stations of the Angels Flight funicular railway at the corner of Hill St and Third in downtown LA, but they knew what they were doing. As we can see in this circa 1950s Kodachrome shot, it helped to make the station really stand out. As we can see by the surrounding background, by the 1950s, downtown was starting to look worn and weathered. In the 60s, all those buildings would be torn down and Angels Flight moved half a block down Hill St, so I’m glad we’ve got images like this to remind us how things were 70 years ago.
In this wonderfully atmospheric shot, some quick-minded photographer captured a streetcar running through the intersection of 6th and Hill Streets in downtown Los Angeles. Those trees behind it are in Pershing Square, and behind them is the Biltmore Hotel. The hotel opened in October of 1923, so we know the photo dates to at least then. But in general, the photo screams 1920s, especially the hats on the ladies, and I love it that reason alone.
Imagine flying over Los Angeles and this is the view you see when you look down. This is the area known as Century City but back in 1924, when this photo was taken, it was still a brand new development with only a handful of homes scattered among the freshly laid roads. That’s Pico Blvd near the bottom of the photo with Wilshire Blvd running along the top with all that vacant land laying to the north of it. A few years later, 20th Century-Fox studios would become the central draw for this area.
Not every film is made by a major studio and stars famous actors, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get a big premiere. Well, a medium-sized one, anyway. In this shot, we’re seeing the premiere of a movie called “Troopers Three” put out by a minor outfit called Tiffany Productions. This all happened on March 26, 1930, which was also the night that the Fairfax Theatre at 7907 Beverly Blvd opened its doors. Tiffany sent along the movie’s three stars – Rex Lease, Dorothy Gulliver and Slim Summerville – to appear in person and the theatre mounted a big neon sign advertising “Any Seat 30 Cents Any Time.”
