noirish Los Angeles

[Harry's Place]

1935, Catalina Island, mausoleum of Mr. Wrigley

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

mystery house. (well, sort of)


EBAY_

Well, I usually inventory the houses of particular streets or neighborhoods, but this interesting place posted by ER not long ago intrigued me enough to do a story on it to add to my "miscellany" page here. For a link to my story on 1302 North Hobart Boulevard--now 5285-87-89 Fountain Avenue--see https://losangeleshistory.blogspot.c...ease-also.html


Here's an excerpt giving some insight into the mind of the man who built it or, at least, was its first long-time owner:

"Described as a wealthy real estate operator, Lovejoy left a $6,000 bonus to his grandson George Lemuel Lovejoy III, but one payable only if the then 13-year-old would, in essence, remain a child until he was 25 years old. 'I hope he will not go with any girl who drinks spiritous [sic] liquors, smokes or wears slacks on the street or in public places,' the George Sr. wrote. 'It is also my hope that he will pick out a good neat mother, who knows how to cook, and marry her daughter.' George III was left in addition a razor that had been used by several generations of Lovejoy men. (The inheritance of this obsolete antique appears to have been unrestricted)"


The corner now...with the house still on the footprint of its original lot:

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I finally found a photograph of Melbourne Spurr. (he's the dude in the center )


facebook



You can see many of his celebrity portraits HERE. They're really amazing.

Here's a particularly fine example.



"Beautiful and talented Barbara Britton was not discovered until 1941, around the time this portrait was made.
The 1920s was truly Spurr's most prolific decade for celebrity portraiture, but he did maintain a popular
(and very pricey) studio up through the 1950s." from FACEBOOK

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Barbara Britton was the lady in this photograph...



...where we looking for the location it was taken, with this aerial from HossC.

Originally Posted by HossC

Here's an aerial view from December 21, 1941. The three-story white building is just to the right of the top of the "Ivar Avenue" label. I believe that the building is still there, although most of the windows have been filled. To the left of "V" in the "Vine Street" label is the CBS Radio Playhouse (now the Ricardo Montalban Theatre). My guess would be that Barbara Britton and the sailors were between the CBS Radio Playhouse and Selma Avenue, but I can't work out where the small brick chimney-like structure in the top-right corner of the photo would've been.


mil.library.ucsb.edu
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Then some other photos of the Vine St. and Selma Ave. corner were posted and discussed.

I mention these things again, because coincidentally at around the same time there was one of those L.A. car chases that went right by this location. (One of the craziest I've seen.)

A stolen van belonging to a plumbing business was being chased by the LAPD down the Hollywood Freeway where it exited and traveled east on Hollywood Blvd., turned around and came back west down Hollywood Blvd. past Gower and the Pantages and the W Hotel where it turned south down Vine St. then turned west on Selma Ave. and then south down Morningside Court to Sunset Blvd. (Morningside Ct. happens to be a 1-Way St. there, so it was traveling against the traffic.) It proceeds west down Sunset Blvd. past the Cinerama Dome and the CNN building.

The van ends up at Highland Ave. in front of The Highland condominium complex where it gets into trouble. If you've never seen an LA car chase before, this is one to watch. Here's a video of it in progress. The part I describe above after exiting the freeway is at 11:58.

• Video Link

[odinthor]

Originally Posted by Harry's Place

1935, Catalina Island, mausoleum of Mr. Wrigley

I have some snapshots which show some details of this structure. All images from the odinthor collection, the model shown in three of these is [checks back of print] one "odinthor."


photographer: odinthor

[ethereal_reality]

'mystery' location

Seller's description:

"VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH 1917-25 WATER SPILLWAY? DAM? LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA OLD PHOTO"


Ebay

I think we can all agree that this isn't a dam or a spillway. If I'm not mistaken, this is Pacific Palisades / Santa Monica. (and some serious erosion)

I think the castle-like structure [at the top] might be the old camera obscura.
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I just have to ask:

What do you think this is? (circled below)

In my warped imagination, I see a GIANT CHAIR with it's legs sunk deep in the mud.



It's especially interesting because it's part way down the cliff.






Here's another 'object' I can't figure out. (note the deep shadow it's throwing)

BELOW THE RED ARROW


The longer I stare at it the more it looks like a door knob.


like this, but with a white knob.

of course, that's not what it is.

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Seller's description:

"VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH 1917-25 WATER SPILLWAY? DAM? LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA OLD PHOTO"


Ebay

I can't even guess what the mystery objects in the photo might be (I agree the first one looks like a giant chair), but I believe
the photographer was standing near the SW corner of the Cliff House in San Francisco, looking up at Adolph Sutro's old house
in Sutro Heights Park. The stairway at left is now gone, but I think the long retaining wall to its right is still there.

[CityBoyDoug]

The old Sutro home which was torn down in 1939.


D.I.Service

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by odinthor

I have some snapshots which show some details of this structure. All images from the odinthor collection, the model shown in three of these is [checks back of print] one "odinthor."

This memorial has a quiet decorative charm to it. Hey, thanks for posting.! Odin is standing in the empty tiled reflection pool.

Isn't this architecture sometimes called the ''Catalina style"?


through my lens

[Harry's Place]

1935 LA, elephants escaped from a circus parade

[Harry's Place]

More stuff from 1935





Warner Cinema 1935

[odinthor]

Originally Posted by Harry's Place

1935 LA, elephants escaped from a circus parade

Presumably this is the incident (date, credit in the first image; via CSULB Library; resized):

[Harry's Place]

1935, a dam near LA


1935 hospital in LA

[Harry's Place]

1934, surgery at the LA Red Cross Hospital

[ethereal_reality]

ladailymirror

We have visited the Mary Andrews Clark YWCA a few times in the past...but as far as I know, we haven't seen this 35mm slide from 1977. [shown below]

Here you go.

currently on Ebay

did you see the PINTO out front?

306 Loma Drive GSV

[Andys]

Originally Posted by Harry's Place

1935, a dam near LA

That would be the Bouquet Reservoir Dam under construction.
Andys

[riichkay]

It seems to me we may have seen this, but a search turned up nothing....




A familiar intersection, Sunset Blvd. just east of Vine...a sliver of the Moulin Rouge signage is visible on the left...what's of interest here is the billboard over the camera shop, promoting the 1958 release "The Naked Maja", starring Ava Gardner and Tony Franciosa....the gimmick here was to use this risque image under the cover of classic Goya artwork...



















A banner was towed over the city....




All this promotion was for naught, as the picture was a critical and commercial flop.

[ethereal_reality]

Excellent post riichkay.




The Morgan Camera Billboard is still on the roof. (minus the neon sign along the top)


laconservancy

"Though the building that now stands at 6260-62 Sunset Boulevard was completed in 1938, Morgan Camera Shop is believed to have first opened its doors
at 6305 Sunset in the early 1930s. The 1938 building initially functioned as a photographic salon."

"Historically, Morgan Camera Shop has occupied the western storefront (6262 Sunset), while Pete's Flowers has occupied the eastern storefront (6260 Sunset).
Pete's Flowers is also believed to have opened in the late 1930s and bills itself as the oldest survivng flower shop in Hollywood." text from laconservancy


laconservancy

HERE

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[ethereal_reality]

mystery location.



twitter @pamelagreyson

The photograph shows an unnamed service station in Long Beach [c.1950s]. < note the covered boat at left.

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[ethereal_reality]

mystery storm.

Here's another mystery location from Pamela Greyson.


twitter @pamelagreyson

Junkyard?

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[HossC]

I thought it would help if the picture was the right way around. The Stanley was at 210 S Flower, so I'd guess this was by the Harbor Freeway (possibly under construction) near 4th. The red tanker looks familiar, so we may have seen this before.