In this 1949 shot, we can see a whole bunch of things we don’t see anymore. Towers Motors in Glendale was a Plymouth and Mercury dealership—neither of those makes is around these days. I love their Googie-style architecture with all those sharp extreme angles. Parked out front is one of their woodie station wagons—I wish they were still around, too!
It’s hard (read: almost impossible) to picture how 3rd Street in Santa Monica must have looked before it became a busy and popular pedestrian promenade in 1965. But this 1910 photo gives us some idea of what it must have been like back when Angelenos were still getting used to those new-fangled horseless carriage thingies. Until I saw this photo, I didn’t know that 3rd Street had a streetcar running down it, which must have been handy for the people living in the Adelaide apartments, whose sign we can see on the left.
I recently went to Madame Tussaud’s in Hollywood. They had a small display of memorabilia and this letter caught my eye. I didn’t know that The Prince and the Showgirl was originally called The Sleeping Prince. This letter is from Hugh Percival to J. Capney at Madame Tussaud’s in London which accompanied three frames from the film which show Marilyn Monroe in close-up so that Tussaud’s can exactly match the color of her eyes.
This is an early view of a house that ended up playing a role in early Hollywood. Originally the home of someone called E. W. Twist, this house at 6129 Carlos Ave., Hollywood became the first location of the Hollywood Studio Club, which gave a home to young, unaccompanied women who were starting to arrive in Los Angeles seeking a career in the movies. Mrs. Cecil B. DeMille and Mary Pickford were very actively involved in creating a place to give these women somewhere to go. Evidently, the funds for the first year’s rent were raised in less than one hour at a businessman’s luncheon. Ten years after its founding, the club moved to 1215 Lido Place, where it remained open until 1975.
This is a Carthay Circle Theatre program printed up for Paramount’s first all-talking movie, Interference (1928), with advertisements for the White Spot restaurant. According to the Bizarre Los Angeles Facebook page, The White Spot Café – 5357 Wilshire Boulevard, near La Brea. A popular 1920s eatery for teenagers, once located at 5357 Wilshire Boulevard, near La Brea. Though it closed around 1941, many old timers used to argue over which Los Angeles cafe first introduced the chili burger, the White Spot or Ptomaine Tommy’s. Chili burgers aside, the White Spot was famous in its day for their omelets smothered in chili. The cafe’s devoted following also used to drop in late at night for “midnight specials.”
I’m guessing this shot looking north up Vine Street, Hollywood from the Sunset Boulevard corner was taken in the late 1940s. On the far left, we can see that Wallichs Music City has its “Television Corner” sign and NBC has added its “KNBH Television Channel” sign, so the television revolution is on its way. But all the other familiar businesses are still there: ABC, Western Airlines, the Brown Derby, Santa Fe Railway, Hollywood Plaza Hotel, and the Hollywood-Broadway department store—none of which are still around.
This circa 1949 stretch of Wilshire Blvd at the Burnside Ave corner was a shopper’s delight. In this photo, we can see the storefronts of Phelps and Terkel (a middle-to-upper level department store that focused mainly on menswear) and Silverwoods (a high-end menswear store where well-heeled gents could go to get their clothes superbly tailored.) Past Silverwoods on the other side of the tower was Desmond’s, another department store not quite on the Silverwoods level but very popular nonetheless. Next to the Phelps and Terkel store (behind the photographer) was Mullen & Bluett, yet another store with departments for men, women, and children. You could park once and get all your clothes shopping done in an afternoon!
I think I’ll file this one in the “Now I’ve Seen Everything” file. In 1965, art patron (and empty nester) Edith R. Wyle opened The Egg And Eye at 5814 Wilshire Boulevard. It was a restaurant that offered an omelet-only menu combined with an art gallery that displayed international folk art and crafts. It must have been an interesting place to gobble down a Spanish omelet! The place lasted until 1973 and these days, it’s the Craft and Folk Art Museum, which I assume Edith (who died in 1999) thoroughly approved of.
The postwar Tiki/Polynesian craze got its start at Don the Beachcomber at 1727 North McCadden Place, just off Hollywood Blvd, which opened in the 1930s. It’s where the Mai Tai was born, and its more lethal cousin, the Zombie. In the inset photo we can see the exterior, and the caption “The Beachcomber Café” – I’ve never seen it referred to as a café before. And I’ve never seen Don’s bar before – I count around 20 bar stools. Oh boy, that is A LOT of rum to go through each week.
