Clifton’s was a mini chain of cafeterias that opened in Los Angeles in 1931 at the depth of the Depression. At first glance it might seem that opening a restaurant at a time when people could barely afford to feed themselves might sound crazy, but Clifford Clinton opened the first of his cafeterias shown here at 618 S. Olive Street (this one was called “Pacific Seas” and had a wild façade) with a “pay what you wish” policy, including eating for free if you had no money. Clinton realized that people may not have much, but they still had their dignity and wanted to pay their way if they could, even if it meant handing over one single penny. Many Angelenos may have starved had it not been for this generous man. This photo is dated 1960.
Color postcard showing the exterior of Clifton’s Pacific Sea’s Cafeteria:
It really must have been a sight to see in person!
Electric palm tree inside Clifton’s Pacific Sea’s Cafeteria:
Postcard of Clifton’s Pacific Seas Cafeteria,
When a building like the Los Angeles City Hall becomes an iconic part of a city’s skyline, it can be easy to forget what came before it. This building, which stood on the southwest corner of Main and Temple Streets in downtown Los Angeles, was demolished in the mid 1920s to make way for the gleaming white skyscraper we all know. I love how the biggest sign on the building says “Painless Dentistry.” This photo was taken in 1920, so I’m not sure how painless it really was—unless he knocked you out first with a baseball bat.
It looks like Californians were out in force doing their Christmas shopping on Pine Ave in Long Beach when this photo was taken. The blue car in the foreground is a 1949 Chrysler, so I’m guessing this was taken in the early 1950s, but you’ve got to love how the vivid color photography makes the Chrysler’s blue pop! Does anybody recognize these buildings? I’d love to be able to narrow down the location.
It’s hard to imagine that downtown Los Angeles ever had as much character as this. As a city grows—especially one that expanded as quickly as L.A. did in the first half of the 20th century—so does the demand for space, so it can be unrealistic to wish that things never changed. But gosh oh my, wouldn’t it be lovely if Main Street in downtown L.A., seen here looking north from Fifth Street, still had those lovely trees, stately homes, and interesting Victorian architecture? Oh yes, and room for those horses and carriages, too.
This 1914 photo looking north up Vermont Avenue from Hollywood Blvd reminds us that once upon a time the streets of Los Angeles were wide and quiet and unpaved, and you could park pretty much wherever you like because there was no competition for parking spaces. And look at the license plate on the car to the left: four numbers. These days it’s a combination of seven numbers and letters, and therefore harder to remember. (Or am I the only who can’t remember the license plate of the car he’d driven for the past 20 years?)
There’s something about a well-framed night shot that reeks with atmosphere, isn’t there? This is the Hollywood Palladium nightclub at 6215 Sunset Blvd in 1946. The draw that week was Buddy Rich, a virtuoso jazz drummer who led his own orchestra after serving with the U.S. Marines during WWII. You can tell how big of a draw he was by the size of that vertical banner—it’s almost as big as the blade neon sign spelling out “PALLADIUM.”
This must have been a sight to see: a Japanese submarine captured at Pearl Harbor. I don’t know why it was set up out front of CBS Columbia Square studios at 6121 Sunset Blvd in Hollywood in 1943, but I sure would have been one of those people lined up to take a peek inside. (I’m surprised the line wasn’t longer.) I don’t know the context of what was going on here. Was the sub on tour? Was this the only place it was shown? Where did it end up? That booth on the left probably has some answers but the writing is too blurry to read.
Where would Hollywood movie premieres be without powerful searchlights needling the night sky? This shot was taken at the premiere of Fanny Brice’s movie debut, “My Man” at the Warners Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. The movie opened during the messy transition from silents to talkies, so this movie had a silent debut (December 1928) and a talkie debut (January 1929) – this shot was taken on the night of the silent version. The neon blade sign on the far right intrigues me: “Postal Telegraph.” Was that a certain sort of telegraph, or is the sign advertising two different services?
Quite honestly, it amazes me that they can chop a house in two, lift it up on a truck, and drive it to some other location where they can set it down again. But I can’t even begin to imagine how they do that when the route involves going up Marmont Lane behind the Chateau Marmont Hotel near the start of the Sunset Strip. It’s is a narrow street, barely two cars wide, so how this truck managed negotiate it with a load like that beyond me. I imagine it was done very slowly and very carefully. This photo is from 1950, and I’m glad somebody thought to take it, otherwise I never would have believed it.
While the new Los Angeles City Hall (destined to be the tallest building in L.A. until 1964) was under construction in 1927, this golfer and his (I’m going to assume reluctant) caddy (not to mention the brave photographer) climbed high onto the structure to hit a few balls. Or at least the one we can see. In the background, we can see the four-turreted tower of the L.A. Times building, which stood on the northeast corner of 1st Street and Broadway (until it was demolished in 1938.) I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere near the construction site when that golf ball came flying back to earth.