Tag Archives: Beverly Hills
John Barrymore and Dolores Costello residence overlooking Beverly Hills at 1500 Seabright Place.
Looks like John Barrymore and his wife Dolores Costello had quite the stunning view across Beverly Hills. I’d love to have been able to sit on that tower balcony and gaze across Beverly Hills as the sun started to set, … Continue reading
Live advertisement with swimming pool for Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, at Sunset Blvd and Doheny Rd, Beverly Hills, July 1953.jpg
This is pretty wild. After a few false starts in the 1940s, Las Vegas really began to hit its stride in the 1950s. In 1953, the newly opened Sahara Hotel (October 1952) pulled off an elaborate publicity stunt: a live … Continue reading
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Tagged Advertisement, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, Sunset Blvd, Swimming pools
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Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, 1929
In this 1929 photo of Wilshire Blvd, we can see the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, which at this time would have only been open a year. It’s facing Rodeo Drive whose eastern corner is a vacant lot (!) western corner would, … Continue reading
KMPC radio, Beverly Hills, California, circa mid-to-late 1930s
Here we can see the tower of radio station KMPC shining its lights over Beverly Hills some time in the mid-to-late 1930s. In the early 1930s, the station changed ownership, locations, and dial positions many time, but eventually became KMPC … Continue reading
Union 76 gas station at Crescent Dr and Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills
This Union 76 gas station was built in 1965, so it doesn’t really qualify for the golden-era Hollywood photos that I usually focus on, it’s so damned dramatic—especially at night—that I feel compelled to post this arresting photo anyway. It … Continue reading
Simon’s Drive-In at Wilshire Blvd and Roxbury Dr., Beverly Hills, 1943
I’m a sucker for a well-lit drive-in at night, but those concentric neon circles on the underside of the roof just do me in. This is Simon’s Drive-In at Wilshire Blvd and Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills in 1943. If … Continue reading
Rudolph Valentino’s bedroom and dining room at Falcon Lair, circa 1926
Falcon Lair is the name of Rudolph Valentino’s estate above Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills. (He named it Falcon Lair after an unproduced film of his, “The Hooded Falcon.”) This is his bedroom aka the epicenter of millions of fantasies … Continue reading
Home of early Hollywood titan Thomas Ince on Benedict Canyon Dr, Beverly Hills.
Thomas Ince was a titan of early silent cinema. He is credited with creating the first movie studio facility (known as “Inceville” where at Sunset Blvd meets Pacific Coast Highway) and later built The Triangle Motion Picture Company with D.W. … Continue reading
Brown Derby at Wilshire Blvd and Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 1942
I would imagine that back in the day when most of LA’s buildings were only one or two stories, the tall derby-shaped signs for the Brown Derby restaurants really stood out. This is the Beverly Hills Brown Derby at the … Continue reading
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Tagged Beverly Hills, Brown Derby, Restaurants, Rodeo Drive, Wilshire Blvd
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Buster Keaton at his Italian Villa, Pamela Drive, Beverly Hills
Buster Keaton may have been known as The Great Stone Face, but there was nothing inert about his Italian Villa on Pamela Drive in Beverly Hills. That’s not a bad back yard, is it? Unfortunately, this marvelous estate didn’t bring … Continue reading