Tag Archives: Nightclubs
“Hollywood Cocktails” boxed book of cocktail recipes from 1933
My thanks to Steve T for sending me these photos of his wonderful find: a boxed book called “Hollywood Cocktails.” It’s from 1933 and proved so popular they did three printings in one month. Mind you, that’s the year Prohibition … Continue reading
Night shot of The Circle Café, 953 East Colorado Blvd, at the northeast corner Mentor Ave, Pasadena, California, 1946
If this joint was never used at a film noir location, it sure should have been. The Circle Café stood at 953 East Colorado Blvd, at the northeast corner Mentor Ave, in Pasadena. This shot was taken in 1946, so … Continue reading
Cafe Trocadero, 8610 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood after its 1938 facade remodel
The Hollywood Reporter owner, Billy Wilkerson, opened his Café Trocadero at 8610 Sunset Blvd on the Sunset Strip on September 18, 1934, transforming the warehouse where he’d stored alcohol after the repeal of Prohibition. It was right there on the … Continue reading
Night shot of United Artists Theatre, 606 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, California, circa 1931
To my mind, at least, there’s always something rather mesmerizing about a photo of a well-lit theater at night. It’s not just about the lights, but the shadows they create. It gives the image a sense of texture. This is … Continue reading
Earl Carroll Theater at night, 6230 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, 1943
It’s hard to imagine a photo dripping with more atmosphere than this 1943 nighttime image of the Earl Carroll Theater at 6230 Sunset Blvd. Open between 1938 and 1948, it was at the time the world’s largest nightclub. Not only … Continue reading
Crowds gather outside Cafe Montmartre, 6753 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood circa 1927
In a city known for its nightlife, it can be hard to imagine a time when Hollywood didn’t offer anywhere to go at night. That changed in December 1922, when Eddie Brandstatter opened the Montmartre Café at 6753 Hollywood Blvd, … Continue reading
Angelenos attend the 17th Annual Candlelight Ball at the Cocoanut Grove in the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, December 12, 1952
It’s hard to tell in a black-and-white, photo, but it looks like the Cocoanut Grove nightclub at the Ambassador Hotel was decked out in white for the 17th annual Candlelight Ball. It appears to have been a fundraiser for the … Continue reading
The former Ciro’s nightclub now known as It’s Boss, 8433 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, 1967
My focus on vintage Los Angeles peters out at the end of the 1950s, the twilight years of the studio system era. And so it came as a surprise (to me, at least) to learn that Ciro’s, which from 1940 … Continue reading
Frank Sennes’ Moulin Rouge nightclub, 6230 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, circa mid-1950s
In 1953, the nightclub formally known as the Earl Carroll Theater got a makeover when Frank Sennes reopened it as the Moulin Rouge at 6230 Sunset Blvd and presented Las Vegas style shows. Sennes smartly kept the huge, iconic neon … Continue reading
Family snapshot outside Mocambo nightclub, 8588 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood (undated)
And from the Just Someone’s Family Snapshot Album, comes this bunch (Dad, Mom, little Betty, and the widowed mother-in-law) who were (I’m totally guessing) on vacation in Los Angeles and asked a passer-by to take their photo outside one of … Continue reading