I can only imagine the celebratory energy that must have filled the streets of Los Angeles (and everywhere else, too) when the news arrived that the Japanese had surrendered, thus bringing about the end of World War II. This photo was taken that night – August 14, 1945 – at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. It must have been cuh-cuh-cuh-razy to have been a part of that moment. Down near the bottom of the picture we can see someone holding a copy of the LA Times with the single banner headline: PEACE!
In this circa 1950s photo, we’re looking from the driveway of Tiny Naylor’s drive-in restaurant, which stood on the northwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and La Brea Ave. It was one of the more popular LA drive-ins during the 1950s and it’s a shame that it’s no longer around. But what I like about this photo is that it gives us a glimpse of the sort of houses that used to line Sunset back then. By the way, in case you’re wondering, “Tiny” was Mr. Naylor’s nickname. He was, in fact, six feet four inches tall and weighed 300 pounds.
Most early photos of Hollywood Boulevard focus on the Hollywood Hotel at the corner of Highland Ave. But this one, dated 1906 (i.e. three years after the hotel opened) shows us what stood west of the hotel in its early days. These days, of course, the area is relentlessly commercial but back then it was a residential street of large homes. In fact, it looks like a lovely neighborhood to take an after-dinner summertime stroll around.
This idyllic scene could have taken place pretty much anywhere near the turn of the century. But as it happens, this little girl with the huge white bow in her hair was sitting on the steps of the Hollywood Hotel, which opened in 1903. The lush vegetation surrounding the hotel suggests that this photo was taken circa 1910s after the trees and shrubs had had a chance to establish themselves. But it certainly does look like a tranquil paradise—which, of course, is the opposite of the nonstop hurly burly that now occupies the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave.
Judging by that rag-top Volkswagen bug, this shot of the Sunset Strip was taken circa mid 1950s. Obviously traffic was still light enough to not cause road rage and parking was a breeze. Heaven! What struck me about this photo is that without the center divider running down the middle, the Strip looks so wide. It has four lanes plus a turning lane but in this vintage photo, it looks even wide than that!
Moviegoers in 1928 certainly got their money’s worth in 1928, when this photo was taken. The main feature was “The Fleet’s In” starring Clara Bow, who would have been at the top of her game at the time. But it’s not Clara who got the big billing, it was someone I’d never even heard of before: B
Completed in 1940, this 22-foot granite sculpture stands at the entrance of the Hollywood Bowl. Its exquisite Streamline Moderne lines are especially evident in the way its lit at night. I already knew that it was sculpted by George Stanley, who did the Oscar award but it wasn’t until I found this photo that I learned its name. It’s called the “Sculpture of the Muse of Music, Dance and Drama.”
When I saw how packed the dance floor was at the Cocoanut Grove in this photograph, I thought “Well now, what we’re seeing is the end of an era.” It looks like almost everybody in the place is on the dance floor dancing cheek-to-cheek in their formal gowns and tuxedos. This is from 1949 so the 1950s are around the corner, and with it came television, which changed how people spent their evenings. Nightclubs like the Cocoanut Grove, Mocambo, Ciro’s, Café Trocadero that had thrived in the 30s and 40s were all gone by the end of the 50s.