The discussion of Noir films prompted me to re-watch the original film of The Maltese Falcon, with Ricardo Cortez and Bebe Daniels--just finished it a moment ago. In my opinion, it makes the later more famous version look pallid. Bogart's unquestionably the better actor; but the one-dimensional primitivity of Cortez makes his Spade much more chilling.

But . . . we have both versions to enjoy! :tup:

:previous:

Bebe Daniels in The Maltese Falcon. [c.1931]

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...923/ClPQtO.jpg
benny-drinnon

odinthor, did you happen to notice this amazing deco day bed in the film? (or perhaps it was just used for this publicity still)

note the light hidden behind the pillows to emphasize the *golden rays of the headboard.
It makes me wonder if the light was component of the headboard or a trick of the photographer's.

*I GUESSED THE RAYS WERE GOLDEN. THEY COULD BE SILVER (we'll never know)
_

Here's one of the drowning incidents.

Los Angeles Herald, 24 March 1892
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/3...922/PqCxkZ.jpg

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...922/V1KaJk.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...922/88lMsp.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...922/oP0sLw.jpg
CDNC R.I.P. NINA

Such a sad tragic story.

"The little adobe public house near the reservoir gate."

Did the other reservoirs at the time have public houses? (that seems unusual to me)

__

Hmmmm, good question e_r--plenty of Bebe sprawling out seductively in the movie; but somehow I don't recall the bed. It seems to me most of the bed shots of her were close-ups or medium shots waist up, tight on the surroundings in the bed but not pulling back to show the bedframe; and mostly she's in Sam Spade's bed, which the actor playing him, Ricardo Cortez, kindly models for us here:

https://s26.postimg.cc/avlmsgtd5/MALTESE-_FALCON.jpg
detail from image at https://walterfilm.com/country-of-or...of-photos-1931

Nice PJs, Sam!

You picked a tough photo to ID, e_r!

Maybe we can't be 100% sure from aerial photos which buildings are the two in the first photo above (presumably the
Bohemian Gardens). Plus, the map is from 1920, and the flood was in 1934, and there had to have been remodeling
in between.

But, yes, I think the building in the second photo above with the yellow circle is the "house" in the first photo above,
especially since Lorendoc ID'd the same cars in that photo and in the photo looking at where the water entered the
parking lot.

And before we break out the "beating a dead horse" GIF, here's an aerial view taken between December 1938 and
January 1939. The blue arrow marks where the water left the reservoir and poured into the parking lot. The shadow
cast by the building to the right of "House" suggests to me the front of the building on the left in the first photo
above. Next to and set back a bit from the "house" appears to be the flat-fronted building in the first photo above:

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...psoy6ahmer.jpg

Flight c-5526 Frame 29 @ UCSB


I put orange dots on those buildings just to identify them as landmarks on the property :)

:previous:

Although the flood was in 1934, the Bohemian Gardens only appear in the 1938 CD. In the early-30s, 3890 N Mission was Selig Studios, but the 1935 CD lists Eastside Gardens at that address. The photos below are dated 1934. The first of e_r's flood pictures is from "1/1/34", so this must be after the clean-up.

There's no doubting the address - it appears three times in the first image.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...1.jpg~original

Here are the main buildings.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...2.jpg~original

I've omitted three pictures from the set. There's a closer view of the entrance, and one each of these young ladies posing with a lion and a tiger, presumably from the nearby zoo.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...3.jpg~original

All from USC Digital Library

:previous:



The earliest mentions that come up in the Times are these...apparently referring to the re-opening:


https://s15.postimg.cc/rk3gdokbv/eastside1.bmp.jpghttps://s15.postimg.cc/x89r4ngzf/eastside2.bmp.jpg
LAT April 5, 1934/April 6, 1934



https://s15.postimg.cc/u6nk835zf/Eas...geles_1934.jpg
https://s15.postimg.cc/wzgrsir0r/eastside3.jpg

These images found on Pinterest. The first is captioned "Lion at Eastside Gardens, Los Angeles, 1934"

PS I see, HossC, that these must be the ones you omitted.... Anyway...

A gentleman named Ed Alinder took these '40's photos, posted at the link by his son Gary:

https://macrochef.wordpress.com/2011...-in-the-1940s/


http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...psuxnokphb.jpg
"Smash Up" with Susan Hayward is playing at the U.A.



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...pscmscqp0x.jpg



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...psue8621zj.jpg



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...psudf5xx6m.jpg



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...psl5w9u3ct.jpg



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...psqdglsot5.jpg
This is identified as North Hollywood.



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...pswx3oxjod.jpg
Unidentified gentleman and the Alinder familys Ford convertible.



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...psbwrqclt4.jpg
Lockheed.



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...psidkv3wgm.jpg
This is identified as Linda Rosa Ave. in Pasadena...Gary Alinder says the house has been demolished.



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...pswouwj4tc.jpg



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...pspoodjpaz.jpg
Republic Pictures, now CBS Studio Center, Studio City...is the large white building in the middle distance North Hollywood H.S.?



The above photo would have been taken from about here on Laurelwood Dr., just above Ventura Blvd.:

http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...pseohp0yip.png



The 40's photo shows the roof of the white commercial building on Ventura Blvd., with signage...that building survives, as does the (now) ghost sign...I tried to figure out the 40's usage from the shape of the sign...could it be a stylized motion picture camera?

http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...psegnucoir.png



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...psrgzi4bs7.jpg
Ed Alinder continued his studio tour by driving to a street above the Universal back lot...could be Blair Dr., I lived on that street in '73-'75, and had a similar view...L.A. River and Lakeside Golf Club border the studio.



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...pspio2pckm.jpg
Here you can see the clubhouse at Lakeside.



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...psahcjdswi.jpg
I believe this is 826 W. Anaheim in Wilmington.



And today:
http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...psvnc5incl.png



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...psexylc3kq.jpg
A lovely photo...I love the (presumably) mother and daughter catching some shade on the right.

"Spring Again", shown here as from the 1943 N.Y. season, was actually on Broadway in '41-'42 for a total of 241 performances...the original cast included C. Aubrey Smith, William Talman (Perry Mason's nemesis, covered in this thread in his last days as an anti-smoking advocate)...and a young man making his Broadway debut in a walk-on role as a Western Union message boy...Mr. Kirk Douglas.



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...pspratrnzf.jpg



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...pspa2vc9h0.jpg



http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/...psy6va9qlr.jpg
The 2nd feature at the Orpheum was "Banjo", with child actress Sharyn Moffett.

Still more Bohemian Gardens
 

:previous: Amazing slides, riichkay!


Great finds, Hoss!

The side of the building on the left in this photo, just to the right of the eucalyptus tree in the foreground . . .



. . . matches the building on the right in this photo:

request
 

GW, please insert dead horse gif here:

https://i.imgur.com/11qFhHG.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ugETx15.jpg

re: painted hubcabs
 

Excellent slides riichkay! Thanks for posting them (and your gsv views)

I have a question: SURPRISE! ;)

Was painting wheel hubs a fad for awhile?



Earlier this week I noticed this car [below] in one of the church slides. [c.1953]

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/DoW4zv.jpg
detail

Did any of you guys paint your hubs back in the day?
___



*the car first caught my eye because it looks like a custom painted 'Fighting Illini' car. (University of Illinois)

:previous:


From the Dept of Tangents, Minutiae, and Dead Horses

Painting wheels red was something people did to customize their cars, though many came from the factory this way--here is a shot of the original spare of a '51 Mercury (Firestone Super Balloon, with tube) and the factory-painted wheel of a very original '53 Merc wagon, both taken by me this morning. Mercurys during this era--up through at least the '53 model year--had their wheels factory-painted this color no matter what the body color was. I believe that in the case of the '41 Ford, such as is seen in riichkay's image, red could be specified as an option....

https://s15.postimg.cc/qa70ktpyj/Fernwheel.jpghttps://s15.postimg.cc/5xptitqaz/53_Merc79wheel.jpg

Very interesting GW. I didn't know this.

I'm impressed with the pics. [the '53 Merc is yours, right?
I see you have it parked on carpet. My dad used to park ours on carboard to catch the leaks. ;)

I thought it looked like the kid had brushed it on, but maybe it's reflection.

sidenote: In my small hometown, we had a man paint his entire car with a paint brush.
________

one last thing.
was hub the wrong terminology to use. Should I have said rim instead....or simply wheel?

mystery house in Long Beach.

I don't believe we have seen this place on nla.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/6MQZBx.jpg

"House built without nails. Sacred bridge of Nikko." Long Beach Cal. (little heart)

I find it odd that they named the bridge but not the house. I wonder if it's still standing?

Not sure if NLA needs another pic of Angels Flight; but I just ran across this pic I took some time back of it (or at least of its tracks!):

https://s26.postimg.cc/w4n79htt5/Ang_Fl_L.jpg
odinthor collection; photographer: odinthor

I think this is a wonderful cabinet card. I like that the photographer was a bit further away from the house than usually seen in c. cards.
And he must have been standing on a hill or a rooftop.....or a pretty tall ladder!


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/v3B2eX.jpg
EBAY

As you can, there's a gradual hillock on the right. On the left there are several buildings of varying shapes (not necessarily homes)
That makes me think they're not far from downtown.

There is nothing written on the back.

BUT there's a second pic with names. (yee ha!)

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/TtmIK9.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/0MofWG.jpg

The family's name is Aisenpries (?)

Hopefully we will find out where this family lived in Los Angeles.
__

Re the carpet...it's an extra layer to keep moisture from rising up into the chassis. Plus it's more comfortable for me when I'm underneath.... Shallow 3x5' pan catch the drips.

As for hub/rim/wheel...rim and wheel are more or less interchangeable--hub usually refers to what they're mounted on.

As for brushwork... here's a third example of red rims...the car is a '56 Ford, which came from the factory with rims painted body color...in the case of this car, "Raven Black." The original owner of this otherwise mostly untouched car--who lived in Whittier--painted only the part of the rim that showed around the wheel cover. (He kept the spare wheel all black.) Strange that he apparently painted his brand new Country Squire this way, but I liked it enough to keep it.

The '53 Merc, by the way, came off the line in Maywood...so maybe there is a little LA cred with this post.


https://s15.postimg.cc/ir5ycie9n/56wheel_UT.jpg

Amelia Aisenpries was listed at 1512 Barbee St in the 1893-1901 CDs. She was a divorcée, but in the style of the times, to save face or to wish the ex dead, she listed herself as a widow. John seems to have been her son. No number 1512 today, but Amelia was at 3314 in 1904.... Not seeing anything "hillocky" next to that house though. Pretty flat street. Thinking the image may be older than the '90s anyway....

PS in the '92 CD, Amelia is at 512 Barbee and is listed as the "janitress" at the Gates St. School...which appears to still be there.


https://s15.postimg.cc/uvpt76yiz/barbee.bmp.jpg

https://s15.postimg.cc/kbfvonz6z/3314barbee.bmp.jpg

:previous:

You beat me to it, GW. I think that 3314 Barbee Street may be the same house as 1512 as the earlier CDs give the 1500 block of Barbee as being east of Gates Street, which is where you'll find the 3300 block today. The property websites give a build date of 1890 for 3314 Barbee Street (pictured above), so it looks like it's the one that once housed the Aisenprieses, but not the one in the sepia photo.

At various dates in the mid-1890s, you'll also find Miss Eda L Aisenpries (student then teacher), Clara C Aisenpries (a dressmaker), Henry L Aisenpries and Miss Rose C Aisenpries (a seamstress) living at 1512 Barbee Street. Henry in mentioned on e_r's photo, and maybe Eda is Edith and Rose is Rosina.

Adding to the comments about Film Noir...


As with ANY movie list, I like several of these, but do not like others. One of my particular film noir favorites is on this list, but I don't think I've ever seen it on a top ten list before...and that's Dark Passage. Recently I've been thinking I should find and read the novel it was based on.



I've read a few books about Film Noir and what makes this film genre subject to great conversations is that no one agrees on an exact definition of this genre, so some of it is in the eye of the beholder.

One of the aspects of film noir that I read about once and notice in the best of them is that the protagonists in the film are usually involved in circumstances they were thrust into or had thrust upon them and they have to deal with it. Circumstances beyond their control. That's why detectives are often in film noir stories.

In Dark Passage, of course, the protagonist is in jail for a crime he didn't commit. So he breaks out.

In Laura, well I might give too much away for those who haven't seen it if I discuss that one.

In film noir, "dames" often cause trouble getting men to lose control and do their bidding. Like in Double Indemnity.


I'd agree with you about those titles, except for Sunset Blvd. I think it's classic film noir. A man stumbles into an unforeseen situation out of the blue, a manipulative dame gets him in further over his head, with dire consequences. Depending on who you think is the protagonist, though, because I've read opposite opinions, Norma could also be the one who has the unforeseen situation thrust upon her.

SIDEBAR: I once had a class in college where we were to dissect a play, tell who the protagonist and antagonists were and discuss our opinions. I happened to find a book in the college library where someone wrote extensively about this very play, so I basically used his opinions about this and didn't think about it on my own. When my paper was graded I got a really bad grade (a "D") with this note scribbled across the top: Absolutely NO ONE thinks that "so & so" is the protagonist in this play -- "D". At the risk of the professor knowing how much that book had influenced my paper, I wrote a note and slipped it into his mailbox asking for him to reconsider my grade. I said, "Well SOMEONE else does think he was the protagonist, might you reconsider my grade? And I gave the book title, author and where it could be found in the library. He did NOT reconsider.

Another fim noir with a strong female lead, has Mildred Pierce dealing with an unforeseen situation thrust upon her. And, though the audience doesn't know the reasons for it for quite awhile, that is the case.

And speaking of Mildred Pierce and Double Indemnity, and let's throw in The Postman Always Rings Twice... I read those three James M. Cain novels and I have to say I think the movies that came from them are infinitely superior to those pulp novels he wrote. I hated the Mildred Pierce mini-series, especially because it was filmed on the east coast. I don't know why, but I've always been able to tell if something is filmed on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean, whether in b&w or color.

I've never seen the original version of this, but in my circle of friends, I have never known anyone who liked The Maltese Falcon with Bogart. You're the first! I do know it's always seen as one of the first of the genre and is highly regarded by many, like yourself, but I just find it terribly boring. I've seen it three times, I'd guess, once when shown on TV, another time on a video cassette and lastly in a film noir series at AMPAS. I gave it three chances, heh!

I believe someone on NLA once also dismissed out of hand any movies as film noir that were in color. Though rare, I feel there are fine examples. My favorite is Desert Fury.

It's a great topic for discussion.