noirish Los Angeles

[Hollywood Graham]

Originally Posted by HossC

That's the intersection of Riverside and Fletcher Drives. The photographer was most likely standing on the embankment where the streetcars used to run. Do I win the '68 Charger next to the Mustang?


Google Maps

Looks like a couple drag racers in the lower left hand corner of the picture. Riverside Dr. was one of the most famous street race sites in L.A.. Van De Kamps Drive In was the place to look for a race then down to Riverside Dr.. Sometimes LAPD would stage a raid if racing got to big. All they had to do was block Fletcher and Glendale off and everyone in-between got sited or jailed. It was a great place to race, never got caught there. Forest Lawn Dr., San Fernando Rd. and the 2 Fwy. before it was finished were next in line if Riverside was being watched.

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by HossC

I posted another picture of the Geller Theatre Workshop building when it was Ben Bard's in post #25085.

Sorry I missed your post. I thought I remembered seeing the image elsewhere, (not NLA) and the ad independently piqued my curiosity. If I recall correctly, there may have also been a listing for North Orange Grove as opposed to the strange setback on Wilshire. (Were there ever any groves there or was it just wishful thinking?) The '56CD has several listings for the same location (Theater vs. Theatre). Another is for "Lord Leon Geller Theater" WE6-5205. Hollywood royalty? Inside joke?

The longest continuously operating acting school in LA goes through numerous name changes but actually gets its start from a former vaudevillian. Born in 1893, thesp Ben Bard leaves his native Milwaukee at age 15 as a member of the Jolly Dell Pringle theater company, later traveling the Shubert vaudeville circuit as straight man to comic Jack “Baron Munchausen” Pearl. In the mid-1920s, he tests for Fox Pictures and establishes a career as a “suave heavy” in a series of silents, while courting and marrying film star Ruth Roland. With the advent of sound in 1927, Bard finds himself coaching any number of former silent film actors who respect Bard’s stage-trained ability to handle dialogue. In 1930, Roland encourages and bankrolls her hubby to open Ben Bard Drama, at a playhouse on Wilshire Blvd at Fairfax Avenue. It quickly establishes itself as one of the more successful acting schools in Hollywood, while also producing a mix of classic theater works and contemporary fare. When Bard departs in 1938 after the death of Roland, noted film/stage director Max Reinhardt takes over the operation as Max Reinhardt Theatre Workshop, while simultaneously operating a separate facility on Sunset Blvd. Though Reinhardt departs in 1941, the space segues smoothly into Geller Theatre Workshop, founded by Jack Geller, whose main acting teacher becomes renowned Russian expatriate Michael Chekhov, a Stanislavski disciple who mentors such future stars as Natalie Wood, Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, David Janssen, Robert Ryan and Alan Ladd. In 1959, entrepreneur Madame Valmar Oleska acquires the workshop and renames it Theatre of Arts. http://toa.edu/history/

Jack Geller (1941-1955) Owner
That honor goes to the Geller Theatre Workshop, which gave Coward’s play a weeklong run in September 1949. The Geller, at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, was the oldest acting studio in Los Angeles, founded in the 1920s by Ben Bard, who in the 1950s became head of talent training at 20th Century Fox. The school changed hands several times; in1957 it moved to a different location and was renamed Theatre of Arts. Under that name, it’s still a going concern.

In the late 1940s, the Geller was mounting a play a week to showcase its students, and some of the shows were first-time L.A. runs for plays that had been seen on Broadway. The studio ran a periodic advertorial in The Times, headlined “Geller Gossip.” One installment touted the 1949 “Peace in Our Time” as the play’s American premiere. In 1951, the Geller brought “Peace in Our Time” back for another run — and Times critic Von Blon liked it again, citing it as one of the year’s highlights on the L.A. theater scene.

Per construction permits, the nearby "6100" address appears to have started as a Gilmore Station in December '35. By '53 it became a Thrifty Drug Store and later (1983 demo permit), it seems to have been occupied by a shoe store. It then was transformed into a 15 story office building (~1984).

The '56CD has a listing for Thirfty Drugs at 6100 Wilshire (SW corner). '53 permit lists Fairfax and "San Diego Way" as cross streets. The latter may not be a full fledged street. Have we seen any photos of the drug store?



Gilmore at Wilshire and Fairfax (Not to be confused with the Standard Station - east of Fairfax)
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=11613


Both stations (Standard and Gilmore) are evident in this overhead shot said to be from 1940.
http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/vp19/...3_original.jpg http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=19709

http://waterandpower.org/5%20Histori...al_1940(2).jpg


More on the immediate vicinity: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=6275



http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/show...ostcount=25058





FWIW, I am informed that much of the May Co is currently being gutted, or at least the rear (north side) is being shorn of 1946 additions. For those in the neighborhood, it may be a photo opportunity.

http://waterandpower.org/5%20Histori...ction_1939.jpg

[HossC]

The Julius Shulman images were unavailable over Christmas, but they're back working again today, so here's the first of the new year. Going by the date and job number, this must've been one of Mr Shulman's earliest commissions. It's "Job 099: Eisenstadt House (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1939".







Here's the only interior view.



All from Getty Research Institute

The house is at 3428 Blair Drive. The GSV image below is the best I could get as its neighbors are now much closer, and plants block some angles. The website ncmodernist.org says that the house was altered in 1978 and sold in 2003 to John D Monte. The main difference I can see from the front is the addition of the windows on the side of the garage.


GSV

[srk1941]

I don't think this could be Zachary Scott. This piece is from 1928 or 1929, so if this were Zachary Scott, he would be fourteen years old....

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Thanks NoirNous.

http://trueclassics.net/2014/02/21/b...ated-cad-2013/

and CBD & t2. for your contributions-

[BifRayRock]

Z.Scott always looked old for his age.

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here's a slide, dated 1952, showing an elaborate advertisement for the film Macao.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-195...item339a6fcea9

Does anyone have an idea where this was located? (I see there's a Drama School at left) --and quite a bit of litter on the ground and along the curb.
__

HossC and others have explored whether this location could have been connected with the 6040 Wilshire area. http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/show...ostcount=25058 The partial signage "Lubrication." would seem to corroborate this.

The "second" facility (used by Max Reinhardt) at 5939 Sunset Blvd has received prior NLA coverage. In addition to being a radio station, it was also known for serving spaghetti. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=27264


http://www.you-are-here.com/sunset/spaghetti.jpg

[Andys]

Originally Posted by Hollywood Graham

Looks like a couple drag racers in the lower left hand corner of the picture. Riverside Dr. was one of the most famous street race sites in L.A.. Van De Kamps Drive In was the place to look for a race then down to Riverside Dr.. Sometimes LAPD would stage a raid if racing got to big. All they had to do was block Fletcher and Glendale off and everyone in-between got sited or jailed. It was a great place to race, never got caught there. Forest Lawn Dr., San Fernando Rd. and the 2 Fwy. before it was finished were next in line if Riverside was being watched.

HG,

You seem very familiar with a local bygone era. I grew up in Atwater (Village), '57 thru '68, and knew well of the places and events you mention. Cruising "Vandy's", racing Riverside Drive, and I completely forgot about the 2 Fwy, until you mentioned it (Started at Fletcher Drive and Eagle Rock Blvd, correct?). So yeah, BTDT. JMHS Class of S '67.

Cheers,
Andy

[Hollywood Graham]

Originally Posted by Andys

HG,

You seem very familiar with a local bygone era. I grew up in Atwater (Village), '57 thru '68, and knew well of the places and events you mention. Cruising "Vandy's", racing Riverside Drive, and I completely forgot about the 2 Fwy, until you mentioned it (Started at Fletcher Drive and Eagle Rock Blvd, correct?). So yeah, BTDT. JMHS Class of S '67.

Cheers,
Andy

Correct on the 2 Fwy. Only place I got caught and that was a stupid place to race, was 11 at night on Brand Bl. starting at Los Felix, not a sole on around up and down Brand, except the two patrol cars we did not see who were parked in a parking lot. They got us...Believe it or not the 134 where it split from the 5 was dead at midnight or later and we even raced there a couple times. No way you could do that now. Marshall'61

[ethereal_reality]

Have we seen Caroline Severance's West Adams Blvd. house on NLA?


http://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2014...severance.html

"In 1875 the Severances bought a tiny home on West Adams which they called 'Red Roof'.
In 1892, Caroline Severance (now widowed) changed the name of the home to 'El Nido', Spanish for 'The Nest".

'El Nido' was a gathering place for men and women devoted to social change. She held a weekly discussion series there,
and championed Christian Socialism, Progressivism, Anti-Imperialism and Peace."


Here is another view, ca. 1900. In this photo a dormer window has been added (as well as a railing around the top).


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si.../id/2012/rec/7




In this view, the small home is all but obscured by the lush landscape.


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si.../id/2015/rec/5

If you look closely, there is a tiny sign with the street number in the center of the photograph.




detail

806 W. Adams Boulevard.
____






Mrs Severance's son, Mark Sibley Severance, lived at 758 West Adams Boulevard (shown below)


http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...olNumber=65745
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[ethereal_reality]

Mrs. Anna M. Averil and Caroline M. Severance standing in front of the faux-ship 'Cabrillo' at the Venice Amusement Pier, ca.1910.


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...d/90941/rec/15

note the crop lines. the ship and the four women behind will be cropped out of the photo.
__

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

The 1929 amusement map http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=8036 is significant in that it highlights the better known nightspots of the time. Almost all of them presented themselves as legitimate places for dining and dancing while, rightly or wrongly, they also had reputations for being "roadhouses" or "speakeasies" capable of serving demon rum and hosting other vice/s.

Absent personal knowledge, it is hard to say what clubs were strictly legitimate and which may have occasionally strayed from the straight and narrow. For all I know some may have falsely enjoyed a racy reputation, that could have been good for business, at least for a short while. Suffice it to say, there certainly were quite a few supper-dance-entertainment enterprises with interesting names and maybe equally interesting reputations. They include The Cotton Club's predecessor, "The Green Mill" as well as the Jungle Inn, La Fonda Inn, Paris Inn, Marcel Inn,Heigh Ho Inn, Russ Gypsy Inn,the Plantation, the Pom Pom Cafe, the Showboat Cafe, Rainbow Gardens, Villa Inn, Zucca's Inn, Moonlight Gardens, Sunset Inn, Doo Doo Inn, Kit Kat Club, Midnight Frolics, Sneak Inn and the Clover Club.

Directly above the LaBrea Dinosaur is "Cuckoo Clock" on Beverly Blvd. Is it a roadside attraction that tells time or a hoppin hot spot?



Clover Club (8477 Sunset Blvd. above La Cienega Boulevard) Feb 6, 1935
google
google

http://ladailymirror.com/2011/10/10/...e-clover-club/
__________________________

[B]Another speakeasy!, 1929 (Tony's Cafe at 905 First Street)

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...id/54508/rec/1












__________________________

According to the source, Anne Laskey, this (now demolished) home at 4412 Wilshire Blvd also served as a speakeasy. lapl

In 1930, the Cockoo Clock was located at 7351 Beverly Blvd. Later became the "Katinka." Edit: "The Carolina Pines" was located at 7315 Melrose.

http://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum/...ostcount=20188


In 1930, the Moscow Inn was located at 8353 Sunset Blvd.
From lantern.mediahist.org



PS: Thank you for the update GW

[GaylordWilshire]

The full, noirish story of 4472 Wilshire Boulevard is here:

http://wilshireboulevardhouses.blogs...e-see-our.html

[Noircitydame]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Mrs. Anna M. Averil and Caroline M. Severance standing in front of the faux-ship 'Cabrillo' at the Venice Amusement Pier, ca.1910.


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...d/90941/rec/15

note the crop lines. the ship and the four women behind will be cropped out of the photo.
__

They look so respectable. Maybe hearing of the Ship's shady reputation, didn't want anyone back home to know they'd been there.

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by Noircitydame

They look so respectable. Maybe hearing of the Ship's shady reputation, didn't want anyone back home to know they'd been there.

My first reaction was just the opposite. Ever see Lon Chaney's portrayal of "Granny O'Grady" in Tod Browning's The Unholy Three? (1925)


https://burrellosubmarinemovies.file...n-unholy-3.jpg

http://pre-code.com/wp-content/uploa...olyThree16.png

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by Tourmaline

Verne H. Winchell opened his first donut shop on October 8, 1948, in Temple City, CA.
http://winchells.com/wordpress/wp-co...oreOld-300.jpg


https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hp...13592371_n.jpg

On behalf of another NLA'er, can anyone offer any information regarding the location of the color photo. The source does not provide any indication of date or address, but there may be some serendipity at play here. At the very least, the Corvair appears to be wearing a yellow-on-black plate. I am given to understand that Temple City no longer has a Winchell's Donut House, but could this have been located there?

"Hi Hat Hamburgers?"

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by Tourmaline

On behalf of another NLA'er, can anyone offer any information regarding the location of the color photo. The source does not provide any indication of date or address, but there may be some serendipity at play here. At the very least, the Corvair appears to be wearing a yellow-on-black plate. I am given to understand that Temple City no longer has a Winchell's Donut House, but could this have been located there?

"Hi Hat Hamburgers?"

There's no Winchell's donuts in Temple City...sorry about that. [There are 7 other shops in Temple city...so not to worry.]

The nearest Winchell's donut house is in Pasadena at 571 S Lake Ave,.

The Founder's family members are all multi-millionaires and engage in frivolous playboy businesses such as horse racing.
The company started with a $27,000 investment [1948] and ended up being sold for $600 million [1985].
I'll have a jelly donut...thank you.


My fav.!!! Is that happiness or what?

insidescience.org

[rlrdrken]

http://www.gettyimages.com/galleries...ditorial&sort=Actress Susan Cummings (Twilight Zone-To Serve Man) attending her Party at the Dover House in 1957, later to become the Phone Booth Strip Joint a favorite haunt of Jim Morrison. La Cienega & Santa Monica Blvd.

[HenryHuntington]

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

An aviation/Wilshire puzzlement?


Source claims this is (slightly) south of Wilshire - Fairfax territory, and possibly Roger's Airfield, circa 1920. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si.../id/5281/rec/8 Although there is possibly a JN4 in the sky, the lack of derricks on the horizon and the extra-large size of the barn-like structure suggests maybe this is not that location. Perhaps even more interesting is the "side-of-the-barn" circular painting. Source describes this as a large circular window. Is it an advertisement? For what?




Notice RR crossing sign. San Vicente?








Who What?




Did the Gloucester Fisherman get lost on land looking for C.Ray's Mayflower?
http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/1a308ede9e...930-a67mr8.jpg

If the second photo is looking northeast toward the Hollywood Hills (haze makes the profile a little indistinct), then that would be one fact in support. The LAP/PE Santa Monica via Beverly Hills line crossed Wilshire Blvd. from southeast to northwest, so if also the photo was taken roughly perpendicular to the railroad, (hard to tell due to the vegetation), we'd have some triangulation. Very faintly there appears to be a double-track bracket arm to support overhead wire on the leftmost pole in the photo, although maybe I'm squinting too hard.

Bottom line: I can't rule out your source's claim, but the evidence for ruling it in is pretty thin. Wish I could be more helpful, Bif.

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

Winchell's donuts in Temple City...sorry about that. [There are 7 other shops in Temple city...so not to worry.]

The nearest Winchell's donut house is in Pasadena at 571 S Lake Ave,.

The Founder's family members are all multi-millionaires and engage in frivolous playboy businesses such as horse racing.
The company started with a $27,000 investment [1948] and ended up being sold for $600 million [1985].
I'll have a jelly donut...thank you.

CBD, WADR, while you may think of horse racing as a frivolous business, unlike NLA, for instance, it actually provides employment as well as entertainment for many non-millionaires. No more frivolous than any other investment or pleasure and actually more remunerative and substantial than many. And very much a part of of LA, noirish and non-noirish.

arcadiasbest.com

[ethereal_reality]

When I first happened across this photograph I wasn't sure what I had found.


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...d/17823/rec/21

"General store at Eighth Street and San Pedro, ca.1923" -the description also included a question, "City garden (name?)"




Later, it dawned on me that this is the same 'house' that was located at the former City Garden Park!!


I posted this back in November. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=32294


originally posted by Flyingwedge

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=32299
__




Here are some details from the 1923 photograph.


The large wood cut-out of a man pointing.






A man picking out a whip.





Does anyone know what the round object (sign?) near the window is? -also note the 'Puritan Hams and Bacon' advertisement.



There's also a partially obscured sign behind the utility pole. -it says....something ELLAS, and maybe parking in rear.


Sponges & Chamois. -& lawn sign advertising Union Gasoline.




The USC description also includes, "The two-story shop was started in 1874 by F.X. Eberle and his wife, Marcetes, and contained about six acres."
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...d/17823/rec/21
__

[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

... also Puritan Hams and Bacon.

There are large adverts for Puritan Hams and Bacon in the 1918 and 1920 CDs.


LAPL

We've covered the Cudahy Packing Co a few times on NLA. BifRayRock posted several images, including the two below, in post #11813.

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

1930 - Cudahy Packing 803 S Macy Street

Lapl

1939 - Cudahy Packing 803 Macy Street, LA

Lapl

And I posted this larger image of Cudahy's truck, complete with Puritan signage, in post #27981.

Originally Posted by HossC

USC Digital Library