All you have to do is look at this photo and you can hear the screams of all 18,700 people. The Beatles played the Hollywood Bowl in August 1964 to a sold-out audience who had each paid between $3 and $7 for the privilege of losing their minds. I wonder if anybody actually heard the music?
The Beatles took to the stage at 9.30pm and performed 12 songs:
This circa 1935 nighttime view of Sardi’s restaurant at 6315 Hollywood Boulevard must have been very late at night because the restaurant appears to be closed. To the right, Carl Laemmle from Universal has rented out the space above the Sloat-Dennis Furniture store to advertise his latest cinematic offerings. To the left we can see part of the neon sign for Joseph Pollock. It’s visible in other shots of Sardi’s but I don’t know what they sold. Does anybody know?
UPDATE: Pollock sold ladies coats:
Advertisement for Sardi’s restaurant, Hollywood Boulevard, circa mid-1930s:
That stretch of Hollywood Blvd is unrecognizably different today. (April 2019):
Here’s a very California scene for you. This photographer was standing in the middle of Manhattan Beach Boulevard looking down the hill and along the pier. It’s odd not seeing the palm trees that are there now—I assumed they’d been there long before the 1950s, when this photo was taken. But I think my favorite part of this photo is the woman on the right wearing what looks like a poodle skirt. Those competing drug stores across the street from each other are gone but the pier and the structure at the end are both there.
Is it any wonder that the 1950s saw a rise in science-gone-wrong movies when this sort of stuff was going on? The Nevada Test Site, where the government tested atomic bombs was around 300 miles from Los Angeles. The bomb that was detonated on May 7, 1952 was so bright that it gave Angelenos an early dawn. This photo was taken from the 4th Street bridge at 5:15am – the beacon at the top of LA City Hall was still shining but the pre-dawn sky behind it lit up. Aaaaand cue the giant man-eating ants!
Most photos of the Hollywood Bowl tend to be taken facing the stage, which is understandable—it’s a terrific view. So I was pleased to come across this one taken from far behind the curved shell. It gives us a much clearer idea of the enormity of the size of the audience that can come together under the Californian sky and enjoy a show. This was taken during the summer of 1941 after the Bowl got a bit of a face lift.
Here we have the J. J. Newberry 5-10-25 cent store at 6600 Hollywood Blvd taken one balmy night. Look at that gorgeous Art Deco detailing at the top of the building – and all for what was the 1930s version of what we have now: the 99 Cent Store. This photo was taken in 1932 at the depth of the Great Depression so a store that sold inexpensive items would have been busy all day long. Ladies could even get their gloves, hosiery, lingerie, and hats there.
Andie said: “The resemblance of 99¢ stores to the “five and dimes” is purely superficial. They had much nice displays, many more “clerks” and with their lunch counters the ambiance was more welcoming and pleasant.”
Celia said: “They did lay-a-way! So you could buy what you wanted “on time”, that’s why people kept their possessions so long cuz they really valued them – as taught by my Nana who was a flapper before the Depression. Stores stayed open by allowing people to purchase goods on “time”. I was sad when all the downtown shops quit utilizing that. We had one in San Pedro, it doesn’t look anything like it used to!“
The building is still there and brightly decorated. It’s now the Hollywood Toys and Costumes shop. This shot is from April 2018:
In this shot from 1923, we’re looking east along Hollywood Blvd from Cahuenga Blvd. I love those streetlamps – they really add an elegant feel to the street. One of the signs advertises a “Dairy Lunch” which I had to look up. Merriam-Webster says “a restaurant specializing in simple dishes made from dairy products.” I guess that means cheese omelets and milk shakes? I also love that vertical sign in the foreground: “Majestic Bowling and Billiard Academy.” I wonder how much lessons were.
The listing for the Majestic Bowling and Billiard Academy in the 1923 Los Angeles City Directory. It looks like they had another “Academy” on Main Street in Downtown LA:
Let’s put this one in the “They Sure Don’t Make ‘Em Like This Anymore” file. This gloriously ornate gate (to say nothing of that magnificent sculpted masonry (is that even the right word?) on either side of the sign) is something we rarely see anymore. Built in 1926, the Baine Studio building is still around. It’s on the northwest corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Whitley Ave but it looks like the gate is gone. I sure hope someone rescued it from the trash heap.
Charles E says: “What you refer to as sculpted masonry is probably terracotta. It was a popular building material during that era used for ornamentation.”
The northwest corner of Hollywood and Vine has been many things, but in the 1920s, Carl Laemmle, who owned Universal studios also owned the one-story building that stood there. In 1932, he opened the Coco Tree Café, but before that it looks like he used it as an expensive billboard. This shot from 1929 is advertising his “all talking, all singing, all dancing” movie, “Broadway.” Based on a hit stage play that ran for more than 600 performances, it also featured at 2-strip Technicolor finale.
Here’s some Hollywood history in the making: it’s a commemorative photo taken on December 29, 1913 – the first day of filming “The Squaw Man” which was the first feature-length film made in Hollywood. I’m pretty sure that’s director Cecil B. DeMille on the far right with his arms raised. Note that the set (which stood at the corner of Selma Ave. and Vine St.) is open air with an expanse of white material stretch over it to diffuse the direct sunlight.
All you have to do is look at this photo and you can hear the screams of all 18,700 people. The Beatles played the Hollywood Bowl in August 1964 to a sold-out audience who had each paid between $3 and $7 for the privilege of losing their minds. I wonder if anybody actually heard the music?
This circa 1935 nighttime view of Sardi’s restaurant at 6315 Hollywood Boulevard must have been very late at night because the restaurant appears to be closed. To the right, Carl Laemmle from Universal has rented out the space above the Sloat-Dennis Furniture store to advertise his latest cinematic offerings. To the left we can see part of the neon sign for Joseph Pollock. It’s visible in other shots of Sardi’s but I don’t know what they sold. Does anybody know?
Here’s a very California scene for you. This photographer was standing in the middle of Manhattan Beach Boulevard looking down the hill and along the pier. It’s odd not seeing the palm trees that are there now—I assumed they’d been there long before the 1950s, when this photo was taken. But I think my favorite part of this photo is the woman on the right wearing what looks like a poodle skirt. Those competing drug stores across the street from each other are gone but the pier and the structure at the end are both there.
Is it any wonder that the 1950s saw a rise in science-gone-wrong movies when this sort of stuff was going on? The Nevada Test Site, where the government tested atomic bombs was around 300 miles from Los Angeles. The bomb that was detonated on May 7, 1952 was so bright that it gave Angelenos an early dawn. This photo was taken from the 4th Street bridge at 5:15am – the beacon at the top of LA City Hall was still shining but the pre-dawn sky behind it lit up. Aaaaand cue the giant man-eating ants!
Most photos of the Hollywood Bowl tend to be taken facing the stage, which is understandable—it’s a terrific view. So I was pleased to come across this one taken from far behind the curved shell. It gives us a much clearer idea of the enormity of the size of the audience that can come together under the Californian sky and enjoy a show. This was taken during the summer of 1941 after the Bowl got a bit of a face lift.
Here we have the J. J. Newberry 5-10-25 cent store at 6600 Hollywood Blvd taken one balmy night. Look at that gorgeous Art Deco detailing at the top of the building – and all for what was the 1930s version of what we have now: the 99 Cent Store. This photo was taken in 1932 at the depth of the Great Depression so a store that sold inexpensive items would have been busy all day long. Ladies could even get their gloves, hosiery, lingerie, and hats there.
In this shot from 1923, we’re looking east along Hollywood Blvd from Cahuenga Blvd. I love those streetlamps – they really add an elegant feel to the street. One of the signs advertises a “Dairy Lunch” which I had to look up. Merriam-Webster says “a restaurant specializing in simple dishes made from dairy products.” I guess that means cheese omelets and milk shakes? I also love that vertical sign in the foreground: “Majestic Bowling and Billiard Academy.” I wonder how much lessons were.
Let’s put this one in the “They Sure Don’t Make ‘Em Like This Anymore” file. This gloriously ornate gate (to say nothing of that magnificent sculpted masonry (is that even the right word?) on either side of the sign) is something we rarely see anymore. Built in 1926, the Baine Studio building is still around. It’s on the northwest corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Whitley Ave but it looks like the gate is gone. I sure hope someone rescued it from the trash heap.
The northwest corner of Hollywood and Vine has been many things, but in the 1920s, Carl Laemmle, who owned Universal studios also owned the one-story building that stood there. In 1932, he opened the Coco Tree Café, but before that it looks like he used it as an expensive billboard. This shot from 1929 is advertising his “all talking, all singing, all dancing” movie, “Broadway.” Based on a hit stage play that ran for more than 600 performances, it also featured at 2-strip Technicolor finale.
Here’s some Hollywood history in the making: it’s a commemorative photo taken on December 29, 1913 – the first day of filming “The Squaw Man” which was the first feature-length film made in Hollywood. I’m pretty sure that’s director Cecil B. DeMille on the far right with his arms raised. Note that the set (which stood at the corner of Selma Ave. and Vine St.) is open air with an expanse of white material stretch over it to diffuse the direct sunlight.