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-   -   noirish Los Angeles (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=170279)

JDRCRASH Apr 2, 2010 2:44 PM

^ If one looks hard enough, they'll see that Los Angeles is more than just 20th century sprawl.:)

ethereal_reality Apr 5, 2010 3:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony in Glendale (Post 4777967)
Thank you everybody who contributed to this thread! I've been showing it to everybody I know who is interested in L.A. history.

That's great.
Keep spreading the word....and we'll be able to keep this thread active for a long time. ;)

GaylordWilshire Apr 5, 2010 7:08 PM

Ethereal's picture of "The World's Longest Lunch Counter" at the Woolworth's at 431 S. Broadway reminded me of a postcard of the same counter, and of the Chocolate Shoppe nearby at 217 West 6th St.:

I give up on trying to get the pictures to show up here, so here are the links:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/miehana/3217413082

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Woolwo...s_i884274_.htm

see also: http://www.dinosaursandrobots.com/20...ngeles_25.html

GaylordWilshire Apr 5, 2010 7:22 PM

The Origins of Noir?
 
I'd like to recommend a great book as accompaniment to this blog: L.A. Noir by John Buntin. It's a great history of L.A. crime and politics, extremely well-written. It really made me think about the origins of noir when I read "The bucolic Los Angeles of blue skies, sunshine, and orange groves had disappeared (or at least withdrawn to wealthy Westside enclaves like Beverly Hills, Bel Air, and Brentwood). In its place was a new Manchester [presumably he's referring to the English city], a dark, industrial city.... Los Angeles's transformation had occurred suddenly--so suddenly that it could almost be traced to a single day: July 26, 1943 [the date of the first big smog attack].... By late 1943, [the smog] had settled permanently over downtown Los Angeles. The noir atmosphere that the director Billy Wilder captured so brilliantly with Double Indemnity in 1944 was not just a symbolically frought artifact of black-and-white film technology, it was real. Not until 1946 would... downtown Los Angeles see sunshine and blue skies again. Los Angeles had become a noir city."

sopas ej Apr 6, 2010 3:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire (Post 4781631)
Ethereal's picture of "The World's Longest Lunch Counter" at the Woolworth's at 431 S. Broadway reminded me of a postcard of the same counter, and of the Chocolate Shoppe nearby at 217 West 6th St.:

I give up on trying to get the pictures to show up here, so here are the links:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/miehana/3217413082

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Woolwo...s_i884274_.htm

see also: http://www.dinosaursandrobots.com/20...ngeles_25.html

Oh mah gah I must visit those sites now! So very interesting.

As an aside I've already ridden Angels Flight 4 times since it opened a few weeks ago. I try to imagine what it would've been like riding it 70 years ago...

sopas ej Apr 6, 2010 7:49 AM

From the USC Archive, here's a larger photo of the Dutch Chocolate Shop, circa 1914:

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/1359/chs41335.jpg

ethereal_reality Apr 6, 2010 5:25 PM

Wow and wow....those links concerning The Chocolate Shop are great!

It's amazing how cities evolve (devolve) over time.
The Chocolate Shop's dreamlike interior now housing a cheesy arcade.
I'm astonished that someone with gobs of money (I mean...this is L.A.)
hasn't stepped up and rescued this architectural treasure.




I found Robert Miller's comment on site below interesting.

http://bigorangelandmarks.blogspot.c...cafeteria.html

It's been YEARS since I've personally been in downtown L.A.
Is it still as bad as a 'rat hole' like Mr. Miller says?
In my mind's eye I had envisioned significant improvements.

ethereal_reality Apr 6, 2010 5:39 PM

Another architectural 'fantasia' in downtown L.A.
Clifton's Cafeteria on Olive at 6th Street.


http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5...soliveat6t.jpg
postcard ebay

ethereal_reality Apr 6, 2010 6:04 PM

Since sopas_ej mentioned he had ridden the newly opened Angels Flight four times,
I thought I'd post this photo from 1942 I found a few weeks ago on ebay.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/6...ht1942ebay.jpg
ebay




Below: Interesting commentary on the reverse side.


http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7...light1942r.jpg
ebay


Sopas_ej, did you take any photographs?

GaylordWilshire Apr 6, 2010 7:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 4783165)
Another architectural 'fantasia' in downtown L.A.
Clifton's Cafeteria on Olive at 6th Street.

Clifford Clinton figures in noir history in my new favorite L.A. book-- L.A. Noir. He was a tough cookie who not only fed the poor (hence "Pay What You Wish") but stood up to corruption, that of underworld figures as well as of politicians. In retaliation his "Clifton's" (get it?) cafeterias were harrassed by health inspectors, his property taxes were raised wildy, and someone bombed his Los Feliz house. It seems he once had as many outlets as Veda's ma had "Mildred's", including the Brookdale on S. Broadway, apparently still extant (http://www.cliftonscafeteria.com/pag...dale_home.html) and the Pacific Seas shown below by ethereal--it included a waterfall, golfish stream, and meditation garden.

More Clifford Clinton L.A. "noir color" (an oxymoron?) here:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...802420,00.html

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/aug...al/me-clifton9

ethereal_reality Apr 6, 2010 7:45 PM

Interesting details about Clifford Clinton GaylordWilshire.

I've placed a hold on L.A. Noir at my local library. I can't wait to read it.

sopas ej Apr 7, 2010 6:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 4783195)
Since sopas_ej mentioned he had ridden the newly opened Angels Flight four times,
I thought I'd post this photo from 1942 I found a few weeks ago on ebay.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/6...ht1942ebay.jpg
ebay




Below: Interesting commentary on the reverse side.


http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7...light1942r.jpg
ebay


Sopas_ej, did you take any photographs?

Cool pics!

Yes I did take some pictures of my first ride on Angels Flight since its reopening (prior to that I last rode it in 1996).

This was on March 20, 2010:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3526801_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs478...._6138230_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs478...._8198154_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2358806_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs478...._7861117_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs478...._2851799_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1541708_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6988346_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2327109_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6204624_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs478...._7628183_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3706064_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs478...._2087045_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._8283537_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs478....6_695654_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs478...._1604451_n.jpg

I like that they use incandescent bulbs inside and NOT energy-saving compact fluorescents. It would've been even more old-school if they used the non-frosted, clear bulbs.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...8_881049_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1679729_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs478...._6234842_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs478...._5101783_n.jpg

ethereal_reality Apr 7, 2010 3:35 PM

Those are indeed GREAT photos sopas_ej. Thanks for sharing.

GaylordWilshire Apr 7, 2010 7:53 PM

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tony in Glendale Apr 8, 2010 4:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 4317552)
Cohen had his Cadillac overhauled to make it bulletproof and bombproof.
(I don't know if he did this before or after the Sherry's attack)


below: the 3 inch thick windshield.

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/8...cohenscadi.jpg




below: the 3 inch (or more) side window vent.

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/3...ohenscadix.jpg




below: Cohen's Cadillac in the shop.

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/2...cohensbull.jpg

Mickey's Caddy today:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...acgangster.jpg

At the Southward Museum in New Zealand
The carmuseum.co.nz

sopas ej Apr 8, 2010 8:31 AM

Welcome, Tony! Funny that Mickey Cohen's Caddy would end up in New Zealand.


A few weeks ago I rented Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil," which was released in 1958. I love that film because of Marlene Dietrich's wave after wave of sassy one-liners, like "You're a mess, honey." "I didn't recognize you; you should lay off the candy bars." "Your future is all used up." And of course she says them the only way she can say them, with her husky German accent.

But anyway, the film is set in a fictional Mexican border town; Orson Welles chose to shoot it in Venice. Venice started out as a beachside resort in the early 1900s, complete with canals and even Italian gondoliers; there was also an amusement park. Most of the canals were filled in in 1929. But by the 1950s, Venice had become a run-down place with oil wells dotting the landscape, perfect for "Touch of Evil." The low rents attracted the artsy crowd and by the 1960s the hippies started hanging out and moving in. Of course now, Venice has been gentrifying but it's still known as an artists' area; a few canals still exist and have been cleaned up. I haven't been to Venice in a while; watching "Touch of Evil" makes me wanna go there soon.

Windward Avenue, Venice, 1920s
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/6...evenice192.jpg
USC Archive

Windward Avenue 1929
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/644...evenice192.jpg
USC Archive

1953 (?)
This building used to be the railroad station; this photo shows that it was turned into a bank.
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057237.jpg
LAPL

Bridge over a canal in 1966
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057280.jpg
LAPL

1960
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics18/00008969.jpg
LAPL

1960
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics19/00009143.jpg
LAPL

1953
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057300.jpg
LAPL

1953, debris in a canal, oil derricks in the background
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057305.jpg
LAPL

Windward Avenue, 1953
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057227.jpg
LAPL

1953
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057292.jpg
LAPL

1930
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics41/00070423.jpg
LAPL

1934-- this image made me think of the Little Rascals theme.
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics19/00009222.jpg
LAPL

1928
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics19/00009219.jpg
LAPL

1927
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057240.jpg
LAPL

1922
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics19/00009200.jpg
LAPL

Camel-riding, 1906
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics29/00064200.jpg
LAPL

Windward Avenue, 1906
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057211.jpg
LAPL

Venice Oceanfront, 1905
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics30/00034595.jpg
LAPL

1905
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics19/00009131.jpg http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics18/00008934.jpg
LAPL

Gondoliers on the Venice canals, 1909
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics19/00009204.jpg
LAPL

Windward Avenue, 1906
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2987/venice1906.jpg
USC Archive

Making way for the wrecking crew, 1946
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057224.jpg
LAPL

Venice Pier closed, 1946
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057222.jpg
LAPL

Venice Pier, 1920s
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057210.jpg
LAPL

1946: A heavy truck loaded with steel plates crashes through the deck of the condemned Venice pier.
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057234.jpg
LAPL

Ship Cafe, 1946
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057223.jpg
LAPL

Ship Cafe and Venice Pier, 1902
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057207.jpg
LAPL

Ship Cafe, undated photo
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics18/00008970.jpg
LAPL

gsjansen Apr 8, 2010 12:24 PM

Angels Flight operational again
 
I'm so happy to see Angels Flight operational again. I wonder why Sinai does not have it's car top sign.....i hope it has nothing to do with how lovingly stored and cared for sinai and olivet were during the 1st storage period. 1969-2006:rolleyes:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/...c29b5d54_o.jpg
LAPL

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3362/...5f985e8b_o.jpg
LAPL

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3369/...07aa8c47_o.jpg
LAPL

gsjansen Apr 8, 2010 12:48 PM

Hill Street Tunnels No 1 & 2
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire (Post 4727175)
There's our old wet-blanket friend the WCTU at Broadway & Temple (upper center), and the Broadway Tunnel beyond that. But I'm blanking out on the tunnel at the upper left. Anyone?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Los Angeles Past (Post 4730716)
I've never heard a name for that tunnel, but I think it's another trolley tunnel that's just north of the Hill Street trolley tunnel (the one on the left in this view):


http://i699.photobucket.com/albums/v...49-11-ISLA.jpg


I like this photo from 1908 showing where Hill stopped at First Street, and before First was extended up First Street Hill:


http://i699.photobucket.com/albums/v...t/CHS-6347.jpg


And check out the sign for the Highland Villa (a grand old building):

"Furnished rooms/$2.00 per week & up." :)

The tunnel that you are blanking out on is tunnel No. 2 of the Hill Street Red Car Line. Tunnel No.1 is the double tunnel shown above, Tunnel No.2 ran between Temple and Sunset directly under Moore Hill. In fact, it ran directly beneath the School building on the hill.

here is a link to a page that describes in detail both tunnels;

http://www.oerm.org/pages/LARy%20hillst.htm

here are two images clearly showing tunnel No. 2 during the grading process of Moore Hill for the freeway. The North Portal of double Tunnel No.1 is directly beneath the white house in the photo. 215 N. Hill, Burt Lancaster's family's house in the 1949 film Criss Cross

1951
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3327/...8df1360b_o.jpg
usc digital library

1952
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2484/...6afb6dbc_o.jpg
usc digital library

GaylordWilshire Apr 8, 2010 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony in Glendale (Post 4785979)
Mickey's Caddy today:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...acgangster.jpg

At the Southward Museum in New Zealand
The carmuseum.co.nz

So that's where Mickey's bulletproof Caddy wound up... I've read that he tried to sell it to Juan Peron of Argentina, then to Mexican prexy Miguel Valdez, when trying to raise money for his defense before being sent to the clink for income-tax evasion in 1951. Must be one incredibly heavy Fleetwood!

gsjansen Apr 8, 2010 1:09 PM

Two views looking East from Beaudry towards bunker hill
 
These two shots, the 1st one taken in 1937, and the 2nd in 1968, (only 31 years apart :stunned: ) are identical views taken from the same location, above Beaudry between 2nd and 3rd street looking due East at bunker hill.

1937
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2689/...2b8a727b_o.jpg

1968
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/...5269db6a_o.jpg
Cal State Library

simply amazing..................


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