Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
I just found this item explaining the 'bottle throwing' game at the Pirate's Den.
But still no photograph of the exterior.
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I have one for you E-R and some pre- post PD history of 335 N. La Brea
It was built in 1927 as Eads Castle, operated by Ephraim Cook Jr. and Sara G. Eads formerly of Kansas City. “An attractive structure of Spanish type architecture” built at a cost, including furniture, of 100k. “A radical departure from the orthodox type of café housing.” It was a family café, also popular with the after-theater crowd. Eads was robbed by two “well-dressed young bandits” in April 1928.
Oct 1928 ad showing the exterior of the building. “Eads for Eats”
An earlier celebrity connection for 335 N. La Brea: in late 1929 the café was sold to Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, Al Gilmore and Lou Anger for $25,000 and renamed Roscoe’s.
Nov 1929. 335 N. La Brea as Roscoe’s
Arbuckle had the café for less than six months. In February 1930 a complicated but successful lawsuit kept the sale to Arbuckle et al from becoming finalized. May 22-24, 1930 the Eads celebrated its grand re-opening as Eads Castle.
By late May 1932, it was operating as Casa Brea Dinners. Don’t get too attached to that name…
5-28-32 as Casa Brea
By November 1933 it was now 3 Little Pigs, named for Disney’s cartoon, and Mark Hansen was the owner. Hansen later ran the Florentine Gardens and was also the “Mar” in the “Mar-Cal” Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. He was arrested in November 1933 for violation of the state (liquor) sales tax law and charged with failure to take out a (liquor) license. Again in June 1934, Hansen was in court again because 3 Little Pigs was selling liquor within 1.5 miles of the Soldier’s Home and had failed to report it. (Now that liquor sales were legal, it was taxed and regulated by the State Board of Equalization and subject to local law; violations were frequent). It continued as 3 Little Pigs into 1936, however.
Oct 1935 as Three Little Pigs
On September 1, 1936 it had had a grand re-opening as El Mirador Cafe.
September 1 1936 ad for the opening of El Mirador Café
In February 1937, El Mirador proprietor Benjamin J. Zimmer, manager H.R. Newman, and bartender Robert Rubin were arrested by LAPD Hollywood division detectives for running a check/banking scheme. Exit El Mirador.
On October 8, 1937, 335 opened as the Waikiki, one of many new Hawaiian-themed clubs about town. Johnny Hall and Bob Cabaniss, operators.
Oct 1937 ad for Waikiki opening, featuring the Sol Hoopii Hawaiian orchestra.
As Waikiki
LAPL Herman J. Schultheis Collection
By June 1938, 335 N. La Brea had gone Latin (sort of- they were still featuring tropical drinks) as “Sebastian’s Cubanola” with Maurine and Norva, Sam Koki and Leon Durant.
As of 1940 it opened as Dickerman’s Pirate’s Den, with the celebrity co-owners as previously noted.
Oct 1940
The Police Commission held up the club’s license in 1941 while it reviewed the overcharge cases. Ultimately (surprise!), it was granted and the Den went on to gouge customers for several more years.
1945
It remained Pirate’s Den through August 1945 for sure. After the war, it seems to have floundered and by December 1945 was Club Donroy for a little while.
Dec 1945
On March 8, 1946 it became Charley Foy’s Supper Club for a few months, before Foy back to Ventura Blvd. (a different location than his previous one).
Yet another grand opening, July 5-6, 1946 as The Track.
This is the last I found of 335 as a café. In January 1951 the Motion Picture Relief Fund purchased the 1-story, 8000sq ft. building for use as its executive offices, and providing social and medical services and a pharmacy. The MPRF still owned it into the 1970s for sure, operating as the affiliated Cinema Glamour Shop, a boutique that sold clothing donated by film and TV stars for benefit of the MPRF.
all ads: LATimes
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