Happy Fourth of July! I hope you have a nice picnic lunch with hotdogs, potato salad, and corn on the cob.
I decided to pay tribute to Vintage Los Angeles today - for the heck of it - with two nice old views. This first scan is from "sometime in the 50s", looking North on Vine Street in Hollywood (Sunset Blvd. is behind us). There's the old NBC Studio to our right. Other fun details, ABC/KXCA Studio to the left (CBS was just around the corner on Hollywood Boulevard), the Santa Fe offices, and if you look closely, you can see the sign for the Brown Derby above the gentleman in the white jacket. One interesting note... I frequent the "Vintage LA" Facebook page, and the woman who runs it owns the fraternal twin to this slide - taken moments apart, same cars on the curb, same clouds in the sky. Hers is better! Still, I'm happy to have this one.
Next is this unassuming photo of a place called the "Sidewalk Coffee Corner". Looking it up, I discovered that it was from the venerable Robinson's department store at Seventh, Hope, and Broadway. Robinson’s food service in its flagship store included the aforementioned roof-top tearoom, which was remodeled in 1955 and renamed The California Room. In 1954, a quick-service restaurant was built on the seventh floor and named The Round Robin, playing on its circular design reminiscent of a birdcage, and the store’s name as well. The California Room and Round Robin were exported to several of the branch stores as well. The downtown store also had a “Sidewalk Coffee Corner” for light snacks. I had to color-correct this one, with limited success, but I'm happy to have this rare interior from one of Vintage LA's important stores.
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EXTRA! EXTRA! I recently had lunch with my friend Mr. X, we met at the Smokehouse in Burbank. A good old-fashioned place with dark wood and red leatherette booths. X showed up carrying a long cardboard box. He then pulled out a genuine silkscreened attraction poster - America the Beautiful (circa 1967). And then he GAVE it to me! Incredible. It's one that I never owned. I can't even remember how long it's been since I acquired an attraction poster. Many years, for sure. Take a look, it's a beauty. I am very grateful to Mr. X for his generosity! And it's perfect for the 4th of July.
Major-
ReplyDeleteBased on the [one] visible license plate (although I can't explain why it has seven digits, rather than six), and the fact I can't ID any newer vehicles, I'd say the first image is from 1951.
It would appear the Sidewalk Coffee Corner is quite the going concern-! And just think... there wasn't an espresso, latte, or cappuccino, in ANY size to be had-!
NICE poster - and just in time for our 250th. Happy 4th to all.
Thanks, Major.
The "gentleman in the white jacket" looks to me more like a gentlewoman in a white jacket. ;-) Or maybe it's Albert Einstein with his bushy rat's nest of gray hair; hard to tell. I'm not sure, but on the left, it looks like there's a red, Flying Pegasus logo for Mobil Oil. Why is the Brown Derby sign red?
ReplyDeleteFor a casual eatery, the "Sidewalk Coffee Corner" sure looks fancy! And of course, the people look fancy as well, as was the norm back then whenever one was out and about.
Wow, Mr. X sure is generous! No idea of the going rate for one of those posters but it must be in the hundreds, at least. And it IS a beautiful poster!
Thanks for the vintage L.A. pics, Major. And thanks to Mr. X. (Does Mr. X read GDB?)
These are really great vintage L.A. pics, Major!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on receiving such a wonderful gift! That poster is a beauty. I think I have the little mini-version/replica that they used to sell in The Disney Gallery initially for $25, and then later $30 and $35. I'm not sure if they still sell those or not. I bought so many of them (because they were more affordable than the real thing), but now I'm not sure which ones I have, since I never hung any of them!
Happy 4th, Major and all!
I would love to step into those images and eat lunch at the Brown Derby, and then later head over to The Sidewalk Coffee Corner for coffee. (Side note to Nanook and TM: Regarding the Brown Derby, I'm very surprised you didn't mention anything about William Holden.)
ReplyDeleteHappy 250th Birthday, U.S.A.! Happy [and safe] celebrating, everyone!
(BTW, there's even more celebrating happening on TokyoMagic's new blog post - HERE!
Thank you to Major and Mr. X! (Major, you have some really cool friends!)
Side note to Nanook and TM: Regarding the Brown Derby, I'm very surprised you didn't mention anything about William Holden.
ReplyDeleteSue, I thought I would give Major the 4th of July off! But now that you brought it up, I believe that "Broadway Hollywood" sign can be seen out the window of of all the "Hollywood" episodes.
Now that you brought the subject up, I just bet that tour bus in the distance, was on it's way to the homes of Shirley Temple, Joan Crawford, Ava Gardner, and Richard Widmark!
And thanks for the shout-out on my latest post, Sue! It's a "Ralph and Florence Bicentennial Extravaganza"! Sort of.
My old neighborhood! I loved living in Hollywood. I was so broke, as we all were, but what times I had. There is so much history in a few square miles: hidden behind nondescript and descript buildings . NBC was across the street...and the moderne facade on the left is still standing...it was crumbling for years...and then they basically left the facade and built a building around it. Would have to check the Google to see what's become of it. My agent was in the Taft building: so I was there frequently dropping off photos: it was awesome to have him in walking distance of my apartment. I loved that about Hollywood: as I could walk to the gym, movies, crazy....etc. I saw Hollywood and Highland being created from my apartment...which is now a shell of it's former self...and when they had footprint ceremonies at the Chinese Theatre, the sound traveled up and I could hear Johnny Grant as MC, and they would play Ethel Merman singing "There's no Business Like Show Business"....and well...there's not...and I think just one business like that is plenty. I could also hear the Hollywood bowl shows depending on the wind...one night Bruce Springsteen was playing...and had encore after encore...and I remember thinking...ugh! Stop screaming! I have a 6am call tomorrow! hee hee. The Brown Derby or as we locals call it "The Derby"....was gone long before I moved in, but I do remember it standing before it became a parking lot. A SMALL piece was left...and it was restored...and should still be there...more Google checking. Schwabs down the road became a Virgin Record Store...I think now it's a Whole Foods...that was all across the street from Garden of Allah...the actual place where they paved paradise and put up a parking lot. And now: it's something else again. I drone on. Department store tea rooms and restaurants have such a great vibe. I designed one for a former employer....the lines for grilled cheese sandwiches went around the block...we were all mystified and happy at the same time. Luckily, and un-luckily the bar was open to those standing about...for hours...so there were a lot of inebriated people...and a lot of glasses to pick up...everywhere... The clock looks like the old clock in old Penn Station...featured in the Garland movie "The Clock" which is actually a wonderful film. The also paved that paradise and put up Madison Square Garden....good thing I'm not in charge. I'm excited for you Major and what a wonderful gift...how very nice, and it's a great poster to boot! Such awesome graphics. Today marks the day of my first appearance on National TV. I have spoke about it before, and just found a soundtrack on the YouTubes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-RvUNQ5HsY It will take you back as the same soundtrack and choreography was replicated by us and other drama students from the LA School System....it was a long day, and a lot of fun....even our teacher was in the action in her "Carnation Gardens" hostess costume: quite literally. WDP produced it, and Disneyland provided all the costumes and show support. Happy 4th Everyone, and thanks Major!
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th! I will have a hotdog, thank you very much. I also want that creamy yellow convertible across the street. Love the Santa Fe logo. Biggest I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteEven though we lived in Torrance for 2 years we didn't get into LA much.
Speaking of Pacific Bell, I still have a @pacbell.net email. Fewer and fewer people know the connection.
Mr X is quite a guy!
Thank you, Major
Zach
Old Hollywood has a special quality. Sue, I’m with you, let’s get a booth at the Brown Derby, I’ll have a club sandwich and a glass of iced tea.
ReplyDeleteThat light green color seems to have been the rule for coffee shops, I remember one near my home in the same era with the same look, murals on the walls, etc.
Major, you have the nicest friends. Thank you and Mr. X for sharing.
Happy 250th Fourth everyone!
JG
Happy Independence Day to Major and my fellow Jr. Gorillas.
ReplyDeleteWe had a microburst come through our town last night and the parade and fireworks have been cancelled while the town deals with the damage to trees and power lines.
Pictures of LA like these (and stories like Bu's) show why old LA was so mythologized - and why people are so angry about its current state.
Nanook, wow, 1951, that’s a few years earlier than I would have guessed. Which is cool! It’s amazing to see how busy the Sidewalk Coffee Corner was, that department store was hopping!
ReplyDeleteJB, ha, you might be right. The trousers threw me. And if this is ’51 as Nanook surmises, that’s pretty early for most women to be wearing pants. But maybe she was a maverick. I am not sure why the Brown Derby sign is red, but I did not mess with the colors, this is pretty much how the slide looks. I tried to find vintage photos of that Brown Derby sign, but could only find versions with “suspect” color. I could easily see one of those posters fetching $700, so I do not take Mr. X’s generosity lightly.
ToyoMagic!, yeah, I’d say that’s about the nicest present I’ve ever received! Hmmm, I don’t remember seeing any poster repros for sale at the park, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t sold somewhere. I skipped a LOT of shops.
Lou and Sue, after many blog references to William Holden, even I am in on the joke. I wish I loved “that show” the way everybody else on the planet does. But I don’t. I’ll have to wait until I get home to check out TM’s latest blog post. Possibly tonight!
TokyoMagic!, it’s weird, just out of the blue somebody had shared a photo (maybe on Facebook?) of Lucy with the Broadway Hollywood” sign visible outside her window. And as you know, I prepared today’s post many months ago! THEY are always listening.
Bu, I guess I must have known that you lived in Hollywood at some point, but I forgot. I feel like it would be partly “fun” and partly “ugh”, but at least you were within close distance of lots of other things. It would have been nice to have easy access to the Hollywood Bowl, I go there so rarely now. Do you mean that the former ABC building is still there? That’s the only “moderne” facade that I am noticing. I would think it would have been kind of fun to be able to hear the various footprint ceremonies. Heck, I used to thrill at hearing the sonic booms when the Space Shuttles would reenter “nearby” (no idea where they were in relation to me). And that was just a loud double-boom. I’m afraid you have to scream for The Boss. He seems like a decent fellow, and I know people love him, but he has never been my thing. Again, I appreciate him on a certain level. But he’s no Captain and Tenille. Virgin Record Stores, I miss those (ditto Tower Records), I spent so much time browsing the bins and shelves. My grandma took me to a department store tea room, I wish I could remember which one. I recall that ladies walked around modeling dresses, and I thought it was weird. They were very pretty though. Grilled cheese, you can make them yourself, but for some reason they’re never the same as ones you get at a good cafe or diner. Cool that you were on national TV! I once appeared in a YouTube video, I dropped the f-bomb. I didn’t know I was being recorded for posterity. Sue B. found it online!
zach, you can’t go wrong with a grilled hotdog. Maybe three. And I love potato salad. That convertible reminds me of photos of my grandmother’s car - I only saw black and white photos, but she told me hers was pale yellow. Ha, your pacbell email reminds me of people who still have aol email addresses.
JG, “old Hollywood” really did have a certain appeal. Not like the run-down place of today. My niece wanted to see Hollywood Boulevard when she was perhaps 11 years old, and seeing the street people angrily arguing with nobody was quite a shock to her. Maybe green was supposed to stimulate the appetite?
Dean Finder, aw, I’m sorry about the microburst (even though that sounds exciting). It’s always a bummer when fireworks are cancelled. I was in Morro Bay one year, and the fog was so heavy that the cancelled the big show. I’m sure all the sleeping birds nearby were happy about it.
@ zach-
ReplyDelete"I also want that creamy yellow convertible across the street".
That appears to be a 1946-1948 Plymouth, probably in Charlotte Ivory.
Happy Bisesquicentennial, everybody!
ReplyDeleteMrs. Chuck just told me she’s not feeling well, so we are going to skip the fireworks we had planned to see. We saw some over at my mother-in-law’s last night, so I got my annual fix anyway.
Such a nice gift. Mr. X is a great guy.
Thankful we live in such an amazing country. We have our problems, but so does everyone else. All each of us can do is try to live up to the ideals that our nation was founded on, even if we have missed the mark sometimes. "My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right."
Here’s to another 250!