Here is the cover of a program from 1952. I am not sure if this is shortly before it became a union hall or once it was reverted back to Florentine Gardens. (I'm guessing the former)

http://imageshack.us/a/img405/6733/f...dbill1952l.jpg
http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...Number=5042138

I don't know what 'benevolent variety artists' means per say. Was this a charity event perhaps?
__

Oh, and thanks for the information on Rev. Knox and his traveling tent GW.

This guy looks like a real card. ;)

http://imageshack.us/a/img843/1024/f...ertmagicia.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img11/6656/fl...ertdescrip.jpg
http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/D...wdate=&hidate=
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Motels on Sepulveda
 

FTR I went back to this stretch of Sepulveda and got some righteous nighttime views. You can check them out in the new blog post here.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1kv9ULTzBp...gn+cropped.JPG

http://imageshack.us/a/img803/4070/pchotelchickasaw.jpg
ebay



below: The Hotel Chickasaw in 1913.

http://imageshack.us/a/img39/6412/pc...saw1913usc.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/search...=1351025707280

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Drooling here as well.

As someone who, as a kid in the 60s and early 70s would bolt out of the car at gas station stops on family vacations and run into the service office to see if there were any FREE MAPS to add to my collection.....

I am ecstatic.

I still have a few of them. Probably 50 or so. Mostly Chevron, Shell, Union 76.

Imagine my excitement as a 10 year old visiting Colorado and the dominant gas stations were Conocos :banana:

I have a photo of my parents inside the Florentine Gardens taken by the "house photographer" in the late 1940's....wish I knew how to post it at this site.

http://imageshack.us/a/img255/3127/aflciocomplete.jpgLos Angeles Times July 8, 1955

In the center of the photograph is Florentine Gardens. If I remember correctly a side bar at F.G. was called Zanzibar (you can clearly see the sign).
Closest to the camera is the Hawaii Theater.

http://imageshack.us/a/img600/2140/f...denszanzib.jpg
IHTC



below: The same view today.

http://imageshack.us/a/img687/2140/f...denszanzib.jpg
google street view
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Appropriately enough, noirishly screaming headlines at the death of N.T.G.:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-h...2520PM.bmp.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img805/9782/ntgcomplete.jpgLos Angeles Times April 22, 1957

:previous: Now that is a HEADLINE and a half! Good find GW.
I see that Jean Wallace is mentioned (featured several times here on 'noirish'), as well as another dancer from Florentine Gardens,
Yvonne DeCarlo.
___


originally posted by GaylordWilshire
http://imageshack.us/a/img805/6204/a...eenmistake.jpg
L.A. Times 1955

I always thought the Hollywood Canteen was on Cahuenga Boulevard.

http://imageshack.us/a/img528/6234/aabcanteen1.jpg
http://www.hollywoodphotographs.com/
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Yvonne DeCarlo and other Florentine Gardens beauties at the beach. She is second from the left.

http://imageshack.us/a/img547/8690/f...lsoneisyvo.jpg
for the life of me I can't remember where I found these






below: It's hard to tell which one she is here. ;)

http://imageshack.us/a/img825/4464/f...lsbarbaram.jpg
ditto
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http://imageshack.us/a/img687/181/aabdecarlo.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img191/3905/aabdecarlo2.jpg
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/yvonne-...ore=1319845380
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t.m.i.

I don't think Sophie Tucker was one of those girls. ;) (I'm not even going to ask what t.m.i. means)

http://imageshack.us/a/img706/3825/aabdec1tucker.png
http://www.hpoliver.com/FEATURES/RIT...012/index.html



below: A Sophie Tucker banner at Florentine Gardens.

http://imageshack.us/a/img594/9049/aabdec1tucker1.jpg
https://sites.google.com/site/hollywoodtheatres/hawaii


I found this photograph at https://sites.google.com/site/hollywoodtheatres/hawaii
but it is actually a LAPL photo. I've been looking for it at LAPL so I can find out what the heck happened. It looks like an out of control car might have mowed down five people!
__

:previous:

...or mowed down five Germans.

LOL! You're pretty clever GW.

Here you go, ethereal: Hollywood Boulevard safety zone from July 17th, 1943.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-w...2520PM.bmp.jpgLos Angeles Times July 18, 1943

:previous: You guys work fast! Thx for the info.

http://imageshack.us/a/img833/9594/0...caderocafe.jpg
ebay


http://imageshack.us/a/img651/3046/0...rocafetoda.jpg
google street view

It looks like it lost it's second story (you can barely see the 2nd story windows in the old postcard).
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Another Los Angeles mystery. Who is Daddy Rango?

http://imageshack.us/a/img835/2003/n...ngola1930s.jpg
found on an old cd of mine/possibly ebay



This same photo can be found here....with the same question. "Who is Daddy Rango?"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/97974762@N00/2451797519/



....but I have a second photograph. :) -hence more clues!

http://imageshack.us/a/img849/5932/ndaddyrangola.jpg
old cd of mine/source unknown at the moment

It looks like Daddy R. has some sort of a swami schtick going on.
__

He's the 'Man of the Hour'- at least according to the side panel of his bus!!

What a shock.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-S...gotriptych.jpgLos Angeles Times

So, will this thread cease to exist in a few more posts, or a few more posts +1 page??

:previous: You're a gem GW.
I googled Daddy Rango and all that came up was that one flickr photograph.

Pepper trees in Sonora Town.

http://imageshack.us/a/img594/8924/e...ypcofolver.jpg
ebay

What's most interesting about this cabinet card is that mansion peeking through the pepper tree branches.
_

Article about old haunted restaurants in LA:

13 Scary Samplings from Gourmet Ghosts – Los Angeles
http://www.thedailymeal.com/13-scary...ts-los-angeles

:previous: Great little article..perfect for October. Thanks for the link mdiederi.

It's funny that they call the old Bernheimer Mansion (Yamashiro) a bungalow...but it's tantalizing that there could be old tunnels running
beneath the estate grounds.



below: Just a reminder of how impressive the Berheimer Estate was/is.

http://imageshack.us/a/img641/179/aabbern.jpg
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=5278

The Berheimer Estate is now Yamashiro Restaurant. I had dinner here with friends many years ago...it was very atmospheric and exotic.
(with great views!)
http://www.yamashirorestaurant.com/

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Update on the "ghost building"
 

Here is another one of my few and far between posts on this vast thread of knowledge...
Awhile back, I posted some pictures of the abandoned section of the Alexandria hotel (shown here again for reference). I read an article in the downtown news that someone has bought it and plans on turning it into lofts...
Now many buildings down here have been converted to lofts, and have had their historic features redone and made to look all nice again, and you may be wondering why this is such a big deal when its already been done.

Its is a big deal.

An 8 floor building.

No stairs.

No elevator.

Sealed off from the world for 78 years.

I cant wait to hear about all of the little bits of stuff that they find inside, even though I highly doubt that it will be much of any value to the average person, to us lot on the other hand, we may find it absolutely fascinating.

http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/b....88086&cbst=38

"Constructed as an annex to the Alexandria Hotel in 1910, it earned its moniker not because it’s haunted, but because most people don’t realize the building even exists. It has been shuttered since 1934 not because business is bad, but because the edifice has no stairs or elevators."

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...-/IMG_0778.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...-/IMG_0545.jpg
Photos by me.

Yep - That is the J.W. Robinson home---

:previous: Thanks Rick m. I couldn't think of the name. That cabinet card/postcard is one of my favorite discoveries.
__


What an amazing story on the Alexandria Hotel annex Horthos.

Here's an excerpt.
http://imageshack.us/a/img687/5285/a...hosarticle.jpg
http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/b....88086&cbst=38

Hard to believe this is 21st Century Los Angeles.
__

...speaking of pepper trees.....the Hotel Pepper.

http://imageshack.us/a/img402/8920/pchotelpepper.jpg
ebay

I have no idea where this was located. Perhaps overlooking Westlake Park?
__

I'll study this in great detail and get back..

.....just doin' what I can for the cause.

Don't thank me........it's my pleasure.

lol........

:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

Just passed 2,000,000 views!

:fireworks

The Hotel Pepper was at the southwest corner of Seventh and Burlington, and was torn down in 1966 to be replaced by a post office. It so happens that I wrote about the building on my blog late last year. The USC digital library also has an excellent photograph of the building in its early days.

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...FF298F1B8?v=hr

Thanks for the info Muji. I like the fact that the Hotel Pepper had an observation deck...how cool is that.

I also like your blog. (I've probrably told you that before)

Venice Aquarium 1909. -simply stunning

http://imageshack.us/a/img685/4525/a...uariumhuge.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/search...=1351083779487

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http://imageshack.us/a/img707/4323/aablocust.jpg
http://boudoirqueen.typepad.com/my_w...rnia-1974.html

If they ever decide to remake 'The Day of the Locust' they don't have to look any farther than 1125 California Street in Glendale. (see below)


http://imageshack.us/a/img191/478/aa...glendalebo.jpg
google street view





http://imageshack.us/a/img525/3316/a...1125califo.jpg
google street views
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I'm out of town for a few days....see you on Friday. -have a good rest of the week. :)

I love the holes in the Morgan Court sign, signifying neon tubes used to be there. I find it fascinating that even a lowly bungalow court would advertise itself with neon back then.

http://imageshack.us/a/img819/3854/5...0428220468.jpgU.S.C.


http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics20/00009573.jpgLAPL

I was a big fan of The Dead Kennedys. Surprisingly, their recordings were well-engineered sound wise and their punk aesthetic holds up after 30+ years.

Time for a holiday in Cambodia! :)

Wow!..page 500...Congratulations to all the contributors to this great blog. I am simply awed by the photographs as well as commentary about my hometown.

Just had to post on page 500. To infinity...and beyond!!!!!

Finally made it to Greystone last weekend!
 

You had but to ask...and to wait one year, evidently, but now your patience shall have its reward, right over here.

Here are a couple of shots from my blog:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fWMAw-LobB...y+portrait.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CmRrU5w_Rd...600/Hall+I.JPG

:previous:

Greystone, yes? (Oh, right, if I click on the link you provided it would confirm that for me.) ;)

Here is a different view from USC:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8...470ea32d_b.jpgUSC

In January, 1909, the Venice Aquarium opened on Kinney's pier. It featured some of the finest marine specimens on the West Coast. A fish hatchery and seal lions were located in the rear of the aquarium. The aquarium later became the official marine biological station for the University of Southern California.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hrLPgPgSYe...To-uw~~0_3.JPGThe Circus "NO SPIN ZONE"

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8474/8...318acedc_b.jpgUSC
A keeper drops a fish to a waiting seal in an enclosed pool at Venice Aquarium, Venice, California.

Painter Is Arrested For Strangling Wife Los Angeles Nov. 2
The work of a criminologists and a woman's intuition combined to bring about the arrest of a 44 year-old house painter for strangling his wife and jamming her nude body in a steamer trunk, it was revealed today. John Kelley Sr. was arrested on suspicion of murder yesterday after a decomposed body found in the battered trunk on a vacant lot last Saturday was found to be that of his wife Margaret Theresa, 39. Sheriffs deputies said Kelley broke down under questioning and confessed strangling his wife during an argument nearly three weeks ago. The painter said he kept her body in the trunk at their home for five days but dumped it in the lot when their two children complained about a nauseous odor coming from the trunk. The break in the case came only a few hours after detectives said they were baffled by an odd assortment of clues. Sheriffs deputies would say only that an anonymous telephone caller pointed the finger of suspicion at Kelley. It was learned later however that Kelley's landlady Mrs. Hattie Bell McFarland, 72 first became suspicious of the painter. Mrs. McFarland said she became suspicious when Mrs. Kelley disappeared suddenly without saying (goodbye) to her children. Kelley had told Mrs. McFarland and his sons Richard, 7 and John Jr., 10 that his wife had gone to the bedside of a sick relative in Boston. The landlady said she and other neighbors smelled the victims body decaying in the trunk but thought it was a dead cat. Huntingdon Daily News , November 2, 1951

The victim.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8194/8...bfa4c35e_b.jpgUSC

The killer:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8476/8...f4dbdc5a_b.jpgUSC

The house:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8188/8...96591ce3_b.jpgUSC

The trunk:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8053/8...ab278cac_b.jpgUSC

The Granny detective:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8464/8...9b3fc4df_b.jpgUSC

More here. And here.

So for the last month, I've been working at a company in the Helms Bakery building. I've always loved this place. I put these two pictures on my computer desktop:

http://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-co...e-Helms194.jpg
Alan Weeks Collection

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8421/7...752703300f.jpg
C. Younkers


They've done a beautiful job renovating this place:

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...46348974_n.jpg
Helms

with one exception. Here is a picture of the Helms H. It's on every sign in the place:

https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profil...uvpgzxxkh.jpeg
Helms

Now here is a picture of one of the fifty concrete trashcans in the complex:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U5Rzej2SpT...s320/Helms.JPG


Notice anything unusual? How about the fact that they're upside down? They spend all that money on the renovation, go to the expense of creating Helms H trash receptacles, and then install them upside down. Ah, L.A.

501
 

Just wondering if this really does go to 501...

And it does!!!!!

Let's hear it for 501!

Here's Mickey Spillane in his:

http://theselvedgeyard.files.wordpre...9/03/c-23.jpeg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-t...620%2520PM.jpghttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6...ejeanbw639.jpg

Rene & Jean was a French Restaurant started sometime in the early-to-mid '30s by Rene Faron, Leon Bevillard, and Jean Ibert. The first locations appear to have been 719 W 6th St and 3070 W 7th St, the latter formerly the home of 1920s restaurants called Hickey & Jackson and Martini & Gallotti. By 1936, the downtown location had moved to 639 W S Olive; both Olive and 7th were operated at least into the '40s. Later, the 7th St location appears to have been operated alone, by 1956 becoming "Jean's French Restaurant." Below is a colorized shot of the Olive location and a b&w version with the addition of a burglar alarm that's the same make or monitoring company as the one at the 7th St location seen at bottom. Just below is the interior of 639 S Olive. In 1938, Rene was the president, Jean the treasurer, and Jean's wife Belle the secretary. All three location are now gone.


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-1...2520PM.bmp.jpg


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-i...2520PM.bmp.jpg


All LAPL