Tag Archives: Restaurants

Color photo of the demolition of the original hat-shaped Brown Derby restaurant, 3377 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, September 1980

Oof! This one is hard to look at: the destruction of the original Brown Derby restaurant at 3377 Wilshire Blvd. Even though technically it wasn’t the actual original one—the very first hat-shaped Brown Derby was at 3427 Wilshire between Mariposa … Continue reading

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Simon’s drive-in restaurant, 8801 Sunset Blvd at Horn Ave, West Hollywood, circa early 1940s

I do love finding photos of drive-in restaurants in Los Angeles from back in the day (aka 1930s through 1950s.) They all had such atmosphere and character, and I especially love the cupola on the roof. This one had a … Continue reading

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Diners fill all the parking spaces at Stan’s Drive-in restaurant on the southeast corner of Sunset Blvd and Highland Ave, Hollywood, circa 1966

During the heyday of LA’s drive-in restaurants (roughly 1930s to 1960s—would you agree?) one of the biggest chains was Stan’s, who at one point had over a dozen locations. Four of them were on Sunset Blvd (which is a very … Continue reading

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Color photo of the Brown Derby restaurant, 1628 Vine St, Hollywood, with a 1955 Buick parked out front

I’ll gladly take any photo of a Brown Derby restaurant, but especially one in color. My friend who works at the Petersen Automotive Museum tells me that gorgeous blue-and-white car parked out front is a 1955 Buick, so let’s call … Continue reading

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Color photo looking north up Highland Ave past a Pacific Electric Red Car heading south, Hollywood, 1952

Oh boy, those Pacific Electric Red Cars sure packed a wallop of color, didn’t they? Or maybe it’s the vibrancy of the Kodachrome process? Either way, I suspect it was easy to spot on coming a mile away—literally. This one … Continue reading

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Color photo of Nibblers diner at the corner of Spring and 1st Streets, downtown Los Angeles, 1955

In this color photo, we’re looking at a restaurant called Nibblers, which billed itself as a “family friendly diner” which sounds about right because “Nibblers” sounds like a place that served comfort food. It sat on the southeast corner of … Continue reading

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Richard Conte steps out of La Rue restaurant at 8631 Sunset Blvd on the Sunset Strip as seen in the movie “Hollywood Story”, Los Angeles, 1951

Yesterday, Alison Martino added this photo to her Facebook page. It’s a screengrab from a 1951 movie called “Hollywood Story” which is worth watching for its many Los Angeles locations. In this shot, Richard Conte is coming out of a … Continue reading

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Looking east along Wilshire Blvd from west of Fairfax Ave toward the May Co. department store under construction, Los Angeles, 1939

The May Co. department store opened its flagship building on the northeast corner of Wilshire Blvd and Fairfax Ave in 1940. (If anyone knows the specific date, I’d love to have it. (**UPDATE** This store opened on September 7, 1939 … Continue reading

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Night view of Stan’s drive-in restaurant on the northwest corner of Beverly Blvd and La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, circa 1952

** UPDATE ** – As Gary H. says in the comments: According to USC Calisphere, this is Stan’s in Fresno Here’s a 1950s scene if ever if ever there was one. We’re looking at Stan’s drive-in restaurant which stood on … Continue reading

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The Car Café at the Brown Derby restaurant, 4500 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles, circa 1941

The fourth Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles opened in 1940 at 4500 Los Feliz Blvd, which made it a perfect place for a before-the-show dinner when going to the nearby Greek Theatre. I’ve seen photos of it before, but … Continue reading

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