noirish Los Angeles

[Handsome Stranger]

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[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Noir_Noir

The trees and house in the background appear to be a match to me ... and look upon that utility pole to the left as well.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It's like magic!

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[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Noir Noir

Originally Posted by Bristolian

As for the Chevron station, I caught this sign showing up around 8:15. I don't recognize the location and have no idea if it may be the same mystery gas station.
The area looks too residential compared to what surrounds the studio property. It does look to me like the intersection in the background is not at 90-degree angles.

No, I don't believe this is the same Chevron Station sign as the one in the eBay slide, Bristolian.

I returned to the sequence with the attractive blonde woman and she appears to be coming out of a home on the west side of Duquesne Blvd. (looking north toward Culver Blvd.)

If I'm not mistaken, the building in the top right corner of Bristolian's screengrab is the back of the Culver Theater. (the theater faces Washington Blvd.)

..


GSV (note the 1960s - 70s police sign still in use hanging from the street llght)


..

You can clearly see the Culver Theater in the distance with its towering art- deco pylon. The other large building on the right, if I'm not mistaken, is the old Culver City City Hall.


Let's have a closer look as Mr. Sporty McSportscar come barrelling down Duquesne.

LOOK OUT, LADY!




SCREEEEEECH!



Don't worry, she's fine. ...Baldwin Hills in the distance.

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[ethereal_reality]

Oh, and one more thing before I call it a night.


As I was snooping around Culver City I happened upon, quite by accident, The Backstage Cocktail lounge!


Culver Blvd. and Motor Ave.

If you remember - the Backstage was mentioned a few days ago.

Originally Posted by ethereal reality

"There were two bars near MGM film labs - The Retake Room and The Backstage - and a third bar, Dear John's, a little way down Culver Boulevards."...Misty May-Treanor

Now all we have to find is Dear John's.

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[odinthor]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Oh, and one more thing before I call it a night.


As I was snooping around Culver City I happened upon, quite by accident, The Backstage Cocktail lounge!


Culver Blvd. and Motor Ave.

If you remember - the Backstage was mentioned a few days ago.



Now all we have to find is Dear John's.

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gsv, 11208 Culver Blvd.


Los Angeles Times 2/2/1992, via ProQuest, via CSULB Library

[BillinGlendaleCA]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Oh, and one more thing before I call it a night.


As I was snooping around Culver City I happened upon, quite by accident, The Backstage Cocktail lounge!


Culver Blvd. and Motor Ave.

If you remember - the Backstage was mentioned a few days ago.



Now all we have to find is Dear John's.

.

Stop with the whip already, ER...Dear John's IS at 11208 Culver just west of Supulveda. From GSV:



(Beaten by Odinthor yet again.)

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

The health danger of raw eggs seems to be more recent than in past decades.

If one is going to use raw eggs, you have to be careful about the source.

The same for raw oysters, raw seafood, etc.

Rocky Balboa gulped raw eggs & won the heavyweight belt. But still, cooking them might be safer.

[CaliNative]

I see few pics here after 1960, so maybe the 1950s? Most would agree the 1940s & 1950s are "noirish", the heyday of "noir" films. Fortunately many noirish buildings remain in L.A. Just walking down Broadway or Spring is a time journey to the 1920s.

[CaliNative]

When I was a kid in the Valley in the mid 1960s I remember a little dive sports bar owned by Dodger pitching great Don Drysdale--I think it was called Drysdale's Dugout or maybe Don's Dugout. Might have been in Van Nuys, perhaps on Oxnard St. Anybody have any pics or remember the place? I never went in because I was a kid & it looked like a bar. Maybe I should have. Maybe Don was behind the counter serving drinks, or so I imagined. Could have got his autograph--or maybe he would have told me to come back when I was 21. Big Don was a very good pitcher who didn't hesitate to brush back batters who crowded the plate. Don also was a pretty good batter, who sometimes was among the top home run hitters on the weak batting Dodger teams of the mid 1960s. They even used him as a pinch hitter a few times. The Dodgers of that era prospered by their one two three punch of Koufax-Drysdale-Osteen (Sutton was still learning). Their hitting was weak, although they did have base stealing legend Maury Wills who would bunt to first, steal second and third, and then get home on a fly ball. A run or two was usually good enough for Koufax and Drysdale. Koufax was the better pitcher, but the batters probably feared Drysdale more.

Any of you nourish sleuths ever have a drink at Drysdale's Dugout (Don's Dugout?) or have any pics or stories? That would be cool.

[HossC]

I found the image below at upinthevalley.org.

"It was not uncommon for players to take second jobs in the winter. Stars like Drysdale opened businesses. The Dugout, on Oxnard St., lasted until 1982."


upinthevalley.org

I also found matchbooks and menus giving an address of 14032 Oxnard St, Van Nuys, which is now Mariscos La Sirenita Mexican restaurant. I didn't find any images of the original restaurant. It looks like Don Drysdale also owned Don’s Dugout at 1701 E McFadden in Santa Ana. The references to that location seem to date from the '70s.

BTW. The image above originates from the LAPL website, which dates it at May 25, 1962. You can see the original here.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by HossC

I found the image below at upinthevalley.org.

"It was not uncommon for players to take second jobs in the winter. Stars like Drysdale opened businesses. The Dugout, on Oxnard St., lasted until 1982."


upinthevalley.org

I also found matchbooks and menus giving an address of 14032 Oxnard St, Van Nuys, which is now Mariscos La Sirenita Mexican restaurant. I didn't find any images of the original restaurant. It looks like Don Drysdale also owned Don’s Dugout at 1701 E McFadden in Santa Ana. The references to that location seem to date from the '70s.

BTW. The image above originates from the LAPL website, which dates it at May 25, 1962. You can see the original here.

Thanks. After I posted this I found images on Google. Type "Don Drysdale's Dugout" and you get a lot of images. Maybe someone can link it.

In the photo you posted, it looks like the middle guy might be Al Campanis, one of the directors of the Dodgers. Drysdale of course is on the left, and maybe the guy on the right is Don's cohost, Jack LaFaye.

[Bristolian]

Back in the late 70s when I was working after school at an auto repair place, we were invited to a seminar put on by Champion Spark Plugs. It was followed by a prime rib dinner at DDD, held in a banquet room type of setting. I can't remember if the seminar was also held at the restaurant or if we went over there afterwards. As I recall, the dinner was very good and gratis to us. I wouldn't have remembered that it was in Van Nuys until now.

[Noir_Noir]

Someone took a picture of the Dugout's sign ... so there's likely one of the restaurant building out there somewhere.



flickr.com - PatricksMercy

[ethereal_reality]

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FINDING JOHNNY HARLOWE...........................................................................................................

Originally Posted by odinthor

GSV

Thanks for locating Dear John's, odinthor and BillinGlendale. I appreciate it.


Here's some additional information:

"There's a reason Dear John's was Frank Sinatra's favorite steak house.
The former actor, Johnny Harlowe opened Dear John's in 1962 with the financial backing from his pal, Frank Sinatra."

"Johnny Harlowe was a Hollywood actor during the city’s golden age. He graced the big screen with the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando and Katharine Hepburn." KCET

"In 1962, Johnny Harlowe made the jump from the silver screen to chef and owner of Dear John’s. Convinced by his pal Frank Sinatra, Johnny opened the iconic spot just a ways down from Sony Studios on Culver Blvd. It became the watering-hole for the Hollywood elite with Sinatra often in the corner playing the piano against the dark brick walls once lined with portraits of famous John’s."....DEARJOHN'S
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Frustratingly, I haven't been able to locate any additional information on Johnny Harlowe. . . .He isn't even listed at IMDB
I thought he might have acted under a different name. but 'Johnny Harlowe' sure sounds like a screen name to me.


And finally there's this.

The restaurant was recently remodeled but there's a big. .sad, BUT attached.
"Chefs Hans Rockenwagner and Josiah Citrin have restored the Culver City, California, restaurant to its glory days, but with a catch:
The building is slated for demolition on April 1, 2021, to make way for new development."





Remodeled interior photographs at LA.EATER
Additional article at BLOOMBERG
And this ....CONSIDERABLE

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by Noir_Noir

Someone took a picture of the Dugout's sign ... so there's likely one of the restaurant building out there somewhere.



flickr.com - PatricksMercy

I remember it to be a small restaurant/bar a bit larger than "Dear Johns". The Mexican restaurant that occupies the address of the former DDD today apparently is in the same building. The place looks pretty run down, very noirish. You can see it on Google Maps streetview, that HossC found to be at 14032 Oxnard St., L.A. (Van Nuys). I'd link the street view but I don't know how to.

[HossC]

Here's the Mexican restaurant that's there now (this is actually the 2016 view as the lighting is better).


GSV

The property websites give a build date of 1962, so it looks like it is the same building as Don Drysdale's Dugout.

[Noir_Noir]

Originally Posted by CaliNative

I remember it to be a small restaurant/bar a bit larger than "Dear Johns".

Don's Dugout was indeed small(er) for it's first fifteen years. It had a sizeable slice added to it's left hand side in 1977 to increase the capacity.



ladbsdoc.lacity.org

[Bristolian]

That must be the banquet room that I remember. The timing lines up.
I know some know this already but what hasn't been mentioned here is that Don Drysdale was born in Van Nuys and attended Van Nuys High School where he happened to be a classmate of Robert Redford.
He was staying close to home when he opened his establishment

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by Bristolian

That must be the banquet room that I remember. The timing lines up.
I know some know this already but what hasn't been mentioned here is that Don Drysdale was born in Van Nuys and attended Van Nuys High School where he happened to be a classmate of Robert Redford.
He was staying close to home when he opened his establishment

I remember reading also that Redford & Drysdale were in the same graduating class. I do believe Norma Jean Baker (Marilyn Monroe) also attended Van Nuys High a few years before RR & DD, and Natalie Wood a bit later. Interesting to search the famous alumni who attended your high school (& college). Wikipedia has articles on most of the major high schools & colleges around the country, and lists famous alumni. I went to No. Hollywood High (Go Huskies!) & there are many well known alumni. In my next post maybe I'll list them (the famous composer John Williams was one). Went to UCLA later & there are too many to list. Spent a year at L.A. Valley College. "Heisenberg" Bryan Cranston of "Breaking Bad" fame went there.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by HossC

Here's the Mexican restaurant that's there now (this is actually the 2016 view as the lighting is better).


GSV

The property websites give a build date of 1962, so it looks like it is the same building as Don Drysdale's Dugout.

Looks pretty run down & noirish, but maybe the food is OK.