noirish Los Angeles

[John Maddox Roberts]

I'm a member of the Mystery Writers of America and I just got word that tonight (April 29), at the Edgar Awards ceremony in New York, The Edgar for the True Crime category was won by William T. Mann for his book "Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood."

Also, James Ellroy was named Grandmaster. Altogether, a good evening for noirish L.A.

[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

This is the first time I've noticed the Hotel Baltimore was L-shaped (with a 'wing' extending to Werdin Place)

You can clearly see the 'L-shape' in this google aerial.

google_earth

Do you think the Hotel Baltimore had a 'rear' entrance on Werdin Place? (it seems possible since 'The Hoff' had two store-fronts facing Werdin Place)

Did Mr Hoff even know about the hotel, rear entrance or not, when he built those stores on Werdin Place? The (New) Baltimore Hotel didn't open until about six years after the C M Hoff Block.

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before on NLA, but on September 29, 1910, one of the LA Times building bombers booked into the New Baltimore Hotel. The bomb went off on October 1. I've read three different accounts of the story while looking for information for this post, and while they all agree on the hotel, I got different names for the bomber, and even two different spellings of the alias they used when they booked in. Maybe someone out there has the definitive answer.

The December 31, 1910 edition of the Los Angeles Herald carried this advert for the New Baltimore Hotel, which offered the "best cooking in the city".


California Digital Newspaper Collection

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

eBay

In this 1917 postcard view, the much smaller C.M. Hoff building is visible behind the streetcar on the right.

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That corner is still intact (painting fire escapes red seems to be a thing these days). The 215-room New Baltimore Hotel was developed by Thomas Ashton Fry in 1910 to a design by architect Arthur Rolland Kelly. It's now low-cost housing. 515 S Los Angeles, the Baltimore Hotel, the GM Hoff and the Charnock (1889) remain in place. The Baltimore, Hoff and King Edward were rehabbed as a group:

gsv

There was also an old Baltimore Hotel. It lasted just 11 years:

historic hotels of los angeles and hollywood


gsv



curbed la

The Hoff Building was, at one time, the Leland Hotel, managed together with the Hotel Baltimore. Wm Reagh got a shot of the sign:

Originally Posted by Flyingwedge

LAPL (William Reagh) -- http://jpg2.lapl.org/spnb1/00017170.jpg

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

"Prince George visits Los Angeles, 1928."


http://www.ebay.com/itm/1928-Prince-...item234ff91b98

Posing with a cigarette.....how times have changed.

Times Sept 13, 1928

How much you want to bet he made a beeline for Ramon Novarro?

[ethereal_reality]

lol. You could be right.



We've seen this noirish image of The Waldorf Cellar (521 S. Main) numerous times over the years on NLA.


The Crooked Way (1949), United Artists

Martin_Pal posted this description of 'The Run'.

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

Main St. and the surrounding area was home to several clubs and bars popular with gays like the Biltmore, the Brass Rail, the Cellar (521 S. Main), the Crown Jewel (754 S. Olive), Harold's 555 Club (555 S. Main), Jolie's, Maxwell's, the Numbers, the 326 (326 S. Spring), the Waldorf, and the Burbank (548 S. Main), which featured Jazz, and burlesque, etc.

There were also numerous small eateries, one of which was Cooper's Do-nuts, a 24 hour coffee and donut spot popular with a clientele comprised in part of multiracial trans and hustlers. The network of hangouts came to be known as 'The Run'."

I found images of some of these venues in the opening minutes of 'The Wild Party' (1956).



Waldorf Cellar



Cooper's Do-Nuts (316 above the door)






A-1 Café (320)





walk-up window


but it looks a lot more fun inside!



in the reflection / magazines, books & novelties....across the street.




Melody Room



mystery neon to the left of the Melody (vitamins and cola-cola ads in window)



Harry's Club (is this the same as Harold's Club?)




Near & Far Cocktails (I think this might be a made-up studio name)



later in the movie they go to this unidentified swanky nightclub.



swanky nightclub (my screen grabs differ in color because some are from TCM, while others are from YouTube)



The middle of the movie is mostly fake interiors filmed at the studio. The first couple of minutes are the best in the movie.

After watching this on TCM, I later found the opening minutes on youtube!!

Here's the link. Enjoy!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ0S1F29gv8
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*I just found this.

You can watch the entire movie here, but it's in Spanish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8DMKCcvXis

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[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

The Hoff Building was, at one time, the Leland Hotel, managed together with the Hotel Baltimore. Wm Reagh got a shot of the sign:

Thanks for the explanation t2. Just last night I noticed it said Leland on the Sanborn image...and wasn't sure why.

I enlarged the Wm. Reigh photograph for a better look at the Leland Hotel sign. (it's a bit blurry )



lapl /originally posted by Flyingwedge

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[tovangar2]

Prince George did lead a scandalous life, but he was very kind to his younger brother, George V and Queen Mary's youngest child, Prince John (1905-1919). John lived his short life in a cottage on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, attended by caregivers, as he suffered from epilepsy and developmental delays. It was said that the other members of the Royal Family were "frightened and ashamed" of John's illness, but Prince George (the next oldest) visited often. So Prince George wasn't all "bad". On occasion, he was a prince.

Prince John and Prince George, 1909:

wiki

George V only allowed his five sons to wear kilts or sailor suits as children, hence the get-ups.

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Thanks for the explanation t2. Just last night I noticed it said Leland on the Sanborn image...and wasn't sure why.

LOL, it took me a long time to figure that one out. Thank goodness for FW (and Wm Reagh) .

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by Mstimc

The one and only radio contest I ever won was getting four tickets to see Star Wars on the 20th Century lot the same week it was released. [...] I think I saw the original 14 times.

For all of you reminiscing about Star Wars, I am only posting this because I have never understood why this film (and sequels etc. ad infinitum) has become so much more than a good film, an enjoyable evening's entertainment.

I saw it at the Chinese Theatre about 7-8 months after it was first released. You almost had to by that point. It was a good film. After it won several oscars I went to the Chinese and saw it again. I've seen all the others once. Once is more than sufficient. There's one thing to like a film, even to love a film, but to the extent that this film seems to be like a religion to so many just baffles me. A few summers ago I had a season pass to AMPAS's summer series: "Great to Be Nominated" films and Star Wars was in that series and I saw it again. They showed George Lucas's then "current" version of it where he has turned it into a video game with amplified computer technology and a few extra things. All of the clunky imperfections and stumbling charm of the original release of that film has been pounded out of it. It now seems manufactured. Well, enjoy the ensuing hype for the next assembly line one coming out in seven or eight long months from now--it's in full force already and I'm exhausted by it all before it even premieres.

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by John Maddox Roberts

I'm a member of the Mystery Writers of America and I just got word that tonight (April 29), at the Edgar Awards ceremony in New York, The Edgar for the True Crime category was won by William T. Mann for his book "Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood."

Also, James Ellroy was named Grandmaster. Altogether, a good evening for noirish L.A.

That is great! I know two people who have recommended "Tinseltown" to me. I read "A Cast of Killers" a 1980's published version of that story and enjoyed it quite a lot.

Has NLA covered the locations of the William Desmond Taylor story?

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

How much you want to bet he [Prince George] made a beeline for Ramon Novarro?

A safe bet, perhaps! Heh!

[Martin Pal]

I thought I knew the film The Wild Party, but it's another film with the same title that I'm familiar with!

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

mystery neon to the left of the Melody

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This isn't a mystery, it's YOUR club, isn't it? ER'S?

"ER'S" and "Me"! It's a crypic image!

[Martin Pal]

The current Vista Theatre shows first run films for a week, two at most. They charge extremely reasonable prices ($7-$8 instead of double that or more) so they draw large crowds. The seating has wide legroom. (I'm 6'5" and people can walk by without me moving.) I saw GONE GIRL there last fall and had a geat time.

Originally Posted by tovangar2

A couple of reminders of how the Vista looked in the 1970s and 80s.

Here's one dated 1980, when they were showing x-rated films.
Notice at least one of them is in 3-D, too!

Flickr

For those interested, I believe the marquee says:

3-D HIT "HEAVY EQUIPMENT'
"BOYNAPPED" (then ?)
AUG. 29 AL PARKER "INCHES" (which is being advertised on the banner above the marquee)

CBD, I'm not necessarily fond of the current rustlike color of the Vista, but at night, which is mostly whenever I see this theater, with the neon and subdued light, it looks fine to me.

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

For all of you reminiscing about Star Wars, I am only posting this because I have never understood why this film (and sequels etc. ad infinitum) has become so much more than a good film, an enjoyable evening's entertainment...

You don't have to run away from me.

I am a total sucker for re-tellings of the George, Una and the Dragon legend, where-in our hero knows he has a quest, but must have it identified by the wise (and in danger) Una, and then slays the Dragon on the third try (once he "gets" it). Stars Wars' "clunky imperfections and stumbling charm" (mostly due to Harrison Ford if you ask me) hit the mark perfectly for the time.

"The Matrix" (1999) was another thrilling re-telling.

However, the story was exhausted by the first film in each of those franchises, so the sequels don't interest me.


Paolo Uccello (1470) via wiki

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

The current Vista Theatre shows first run films for a week, two at most. They charge extremely reasonable prices ($7-$8 instead of double that or more) so they draw large crowds. The seating has wide legroom. (I'm 6'5" and people can walk by without me moving.) I saw GONE GIRL there last fall and had a geat time.



Here's one dated 1980, when they were showing x-rated films.
Notice at least one of them is in 3-D, too!

Flickr

For those interested, I believe the marquee says:

3-D HIT "HEAVY EQUIPMENT'
"BOYNAPPED" (then ?)
AUG. 29 AL PARKER "INCHES" (which is being advertised on the banner above the marquee)

CBD, I'm not necessarily fond of the current rustlike color of the Vista, but at night, which is mostly whenever I see this theater, with the neon and subdued light, it looks fine to me.

Zero interest in Star Wars. Have never seen it. As for Inches...

Another era of the Vista...but what was going on at the 25¢ theater across from it?


flickr

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

Flickr

When did the Vista Theater's rooftop sign lose its neon curlycues? They're still there in the photo above.

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Vista Theater at Night, 1938:

http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...Number=5146410

One couldn't recreate Herman J. Schultheis' shot above. The rooftop neon has been moved back:

Originally Posted by tovangar2

gsv

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

The current Vista Theatre shows first run films for a week, two at most. They charge extremely reasonable prices ($7-$8 instead of double that or more) so they draw large crowds. The seating has wide legroom. (I'm 6'5" and people can walk by without me moving.) I saw GONE GIRL there last fall and had a geat time.



Here's one dated 1980, when they were showing x-rated films.
Notice at least one of them is in 3-D, too!

Flickr

For those interested, I believe the marquee says:

3-D HIT "HEAVY EQUIPMENT'
"BOYNAPPED" (then ?)
AUG. 29 AL PARKER "INCHES" (which is being advertised on the banner above the marquee)

CBD, I'm not necessarily fond of the current rustlike color of the Vista, but at night, which is mostly whenever I see this theater, with the neon and subdued light, it looks fine to me.

The name Al Parker did not ring a bell with me, so I did some quick research. He made 21 adult movies....among many other things in his life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Parker

[GaylordWilshire]

Times July 16, 1977

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

This isn't a mystery, it's YOUR club. Isn't it ER?

I've been haunting this city for decades.

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[Beaudry]

ER's club! Maybe THAT will be the NLA hangout for us-all...



The Melody Room was a fairly well-known jazz club, reputedly oft-trafficked by mobsters like Siegel and Cohen (it later became The Central, and is now the Viper Room).

Next door was Turner's United Cut Rate Stores: