I found this delightful Ollie Hammond's menu last week on eBay. (be sure to pan right-----> to see downtown :))

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/537/pEFkd1.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/540/57bk1c.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/661/xlLwNw.jpg

"I think I'll have a deviled egg sandwich and a glass of Postum."
___



below: Just for fun, here's my initial post on Ollie Hammond's from a few years ago.


:previous: I really like this postcard. -cool little gas stations too.

I have been looking for a LIFE magazine photo that I saw once (I remember it said LIFE in the corner) that was taken on the sidewalk outside of the Brown Derby at night, close, and showing from the sidewalk angle both the Brown Derby neon and the Bamboo Room neon. What was interesting to me that I did not know...if you look in the arch of the entrance in the above photo, you see white squares. Those are all lights that lit up the arch and are beautifully visible in that photo. Not sure why I can't find it.

You can see it in this 1944 night photo below, taken from across the street, though in a less remarkable fashion.

http://www.martinturnbull.com/wp-con...1944-night.pngLAPL

*UPDATE: On Dec. 17th, Martin Turnbull posted the photo I mentioned above that I was looking for. Here it is:

http://www.martinturnbull.com/wp-con...ywood-1937.jpg
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=25087
________

I do have some Bamboo Room info from the book The Brown Derby Restaurant: A Hollywood Legend, written by two authors, one of them being Sally Wright Cobb, the wife of the owner, Robert H. Cobb, and published in 1996.

THE BAMBOO ROOM

The Bamboo Room was the Hollywood Brown Derby's first cocktail lounge. When the Brown Derby opened in 1929, Prohibition was the law and was not repealed for four more years. In 1933 a service bar was installed at the back of the dining room; waiters also wheeled a cocktail cart from booth to booth and prepared drinks for customers at their tables.

February 6, 1936: Carole Lombard was the host of a glamorous evening that officially opened the room. Tropical palms, bamboo chairs covered with zebra prints, and a sandlike floor gave the Bamboo Room the exotic feeling of the South Seas. Hollywood's tropical fantasies began with the opening of the Coconut Grove (decorated with hundreds of prop palm trees from The Sheik) at the Ambassador Hotel in 1921, and was played out in numerous restaurants and nightclubs, including the Seven Seas, the Tropics, Don the Beachcomber, and the Hawaiian Paradise, through the 1930's.
__________

Despite describing the room, there is no photograph of it in the book, nor can I specifically find one online. (The book is a cornucopia of themes and they are not properly indexed, nor in any real semblance of order. There is, obviously, a great emphasis on celebrities, and some of those photos may have been taken in the Bamboo Room, though it's difficult to tell. The history of the Brown Derby restaurants themselves is not fully explored, either, leaving out certain changes and developments. Still entertaining, though.)

In the 1950's, owing to the recording industry and the new Capitol Records building up the street, the Bamboo Room was remodeled and became the Record Room. "Pastel framed portraits of million seller recording artists lined the walls, such as Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and Elvis Presley."

http://www.martinturnbull.com/wp-con...ecord-room.jpgMartin Turnbull

I believe this to be the interior of The Record Room circa 1961:

http://hollywoodphotographs.com/phot.../RN-018-30.jpgHollywood Photographs

The Brown Derby Book also has mention of a couple other things that might be nice to find photos of somewhere:

BROWN DERBY Catering Trucks

Apparently the Brown Derby catered parties and events and had their own "Brown Derby Catering Trucks." Sally Cobb said she'd find Brown Derby china at houses she'd visit over the years who had events catered by them and hadn't returned it.

THE AMERICAN ROOM:

To accommodate the demand for private parties, the Hollywood Brown Derby opened the American Room in 1938, the perfect place to give luncheon, cocktail or dinner parties. The room was warmly decorated with Early American antiques and the celebrities entertained in privacy, although some used it for publicity events and invited the press.

The book describes the private entrances to the American Room at the back of the Brown Derby. I believe they mean from the parking lot area and not the actual interior of the restaurant.

The American Room was actually two rooms, a living room and a dining room, with sliding doors between. When both rooms were reserved, they allowed for very gracious entertaining. After a cocktail party in the living room, the sliding doors would be opened and guests would be seated in the dining room. Many gatherings celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, various holidays and Academy Awards parties when they were held at the Pantages.

THE DERBY HOUSE

This was an extension of the Beverly Hills Brown Derby, decorated in Olde English style, and also opened in 1938, primarily used for private parties.
_____________

Since I couldn't locate some pictures I wanted to, here are some photos of other interesting Brown Derby related items:

Apparently in 1936, for reasons not explained, this lion celebrated it's 3rd birthday at the Brown Derby. Maybe it's the M-G-M lion?

http://hollywoodphotographs.com/phot.../RN-018-62.jpgHollywood Photographs

http://hollywoodphotographs.com/phot.../RN-018-63.jpgHollywood Photographs

In 1937, the waiters were on strike and walked the picket line.

http://hollywoodphotographs.com/phot.../RN-018-68.jpgHollywood Photographs

Not sure what this is about, but it's parked outside the Brown Derby, 1964.

http://hollywoodphotographs.com/phot.../RN-018-33.jpgHollywood Photographs

The day after a fire in 1987 pretty much sealed it's fate. It's also said that the 1994 earthquake was a contributing factor for any remodeling and that's why a new version of one was tried up at Hollywood and Vine.

http://hollywoodphotographs.com/phot.../RN-018-43.jpgHollywood Photographs

Just caught this interesting article about saving the replica of the Bulldog Cafe from destruction. It was saved by the owner of another programmatic structure previously discussed on Noirish LA, the Idle Hour Cafe. Too bad the original Bulldog is long gone but at least we'll still have this smaller replica to remember her by.

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2...om-demolition/

http://i1037.photobucket.com/albums/...rgeWebview.jpg
photo from blog.hemmings.com

:previous: Excellent post on the Vine st. Derby Martin_Pal! I have never heard of the 'Record Room', the 'American Room' or the 'Derby House' before.

-also, thanks for pointing out the recessed lighting within the arches. That's really a nice touch. -it took me awhile to find them.
__

'mystery spot'

I've come across this photograph numerous times in the past and have always dismissed the spot as a quirky reflection, or a lens flare, or something of that order.
To my surprise the author below describes the 'dot' as a light that lit up along with the Hollywood sign.


http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/540/9hR9LX.png
http://www.storyofhollywood.com/

Is he correct? Is this actually a light of some sort?
__

I'm glad it wasn't just me :).


------------


I've already posted a picture of the building, but didn't know what it was at the time - more on that below.

Here's an advert for Wilcox Hall from the 1906 Hollywood CD. Prospect Avenue didn't become Hollywood Boulevard until about four years later.
NB. I've reduced the height of the original advert by removing white space between the lines.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...ilcoxHall1.jpg
LAPL

I can't find John's Café in the City Directories, but by 1917, Wilcox Hall at 6380 Hollywood Boulevard had become Wilcox Auditorium. Others listed at that address in 1917 include the Woman's Club of Hollywood, and a dance teacher called Mrs E V Morand. I also failed to find the dentist named Dr Cowen and Acme Studios, both of which appear above the door on the left of e_r's picture.

As I continued my search, I began to wonder whether Gregory Paul Williams' date of 1917 was correct for John's Café. Here's the picture I mentioned above. It's a screengrab from the 1921 Max Linder silent movie 'Seven Years Bad Luck'. This is the Wilcox Auditorium Building, but there's no sign of the cafe. Charles H Mansheffer's drug store is listed in the CDs between 1915 and 1921, after which it moves a block away and is replaced by a branch of the Sun Drug Company. You can see the rest of my screengrabs from 'Seven Years Bad Luck' here.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...evenYears6.jpg
Max Linder Productions

John's Café did exist when this picture was taken. The blade sign even says "Open All Night". The larger blade sign nearer the camera belongs to the Majestic Bowling and Billiard Academy at 6830 Hollywood Boulevard. USC date this picture as circa 1927, with 1922/1932 under "date created", but LAPL have the same picture more definitively dated at 1923. That fits with the bowling and billiards academy, which only appears in the 1923 CD.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...ilcoxHall2.jpg
Detail of picture in USC Digital Library

I tried to decipher the large lettering with all the light bulbs above the corner store. You can see the "Th" clearly in e_r's picture. Then I realized I'd probably answered that question already. Here's the Main Street, Alhambra branch of The Sun Drug Co in 1924.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...CoAlhambra.jpg
Detail of picture in USC Digital Library

The extant Morgan, Walls and Clements designed building that replaced the Wilcox Hall/Auditorium was completed in 1934. It was orginally occupied by the Owl Drug Company.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...ilcoxHall3.jpg
USC Digital Library

I nearly finished the post there, but then at the last minute I spotted this picture and caption in Marc Wanamaker's 'Hollywood: 1940-2008'. It gives a bit of background on Wilcox Hall, and confirms the redevelopment date.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...ilcoxHall4.jpg
books.google.com

:previous: Whoa, so Wilcox Hall was also known as the 'Hollywood City Hall'. -that's quite a surprise! How did I miss that?
Good job HossC.
__

The story of the Hollywood(land) dot is corroborated by the articles below:

The legend of the Hollywood sign - "To add extra noticeability, a massive illuminated dot was added just beneath the sign as an exclamation point of sorts."

Why the Hollywood Sign Isn’t Lit (and Never Will Be) - "A searchlight below it lit up for emphasis, like an exclamation point."


------------


I forgot to include this picture in my earlier post about John's Café. An artist named Jeff Matsuno has created this "three dimensional, photorealist wall sculpture" (his term) of the cafe based on the picture that e_r posted. He says:

"I used a photo from Gregory Paul Williams book that was dated 1917. I had to invent the colors and the objects in the windows."

The original article, complete with a couple of extra views, can be found here. His other work includes Schwab's, Musso and Frank's, and the Frolic Room.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...effMatsuno.jpg
jeffmatsuno.blogspot.com

HossC, do you think this is the mystery 'dot'? (I can't believe they're calling it a 'dot')

I just found this on eBay.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/901/DvbE6M.png
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hollywood-ak...item20ec32ad09

I'm still a bit confused....was this 'dot' a searchlight/spotlight aimed at the Hollywoodland sign? -or was the Hollywoodland sign self-illuminated? -while this was just an illuminated 'dot'.
__

ER posted this back a few years and I thought I would repost it with a new view. Such a nice grand home on a busy street. The dining room appears to be right on the street. These wide views give one a sense of the neighborhood.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psec624813.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps0f42b6b3.jpg
GoogleSV

I read the same article on Wikipedia, but appreciate the additional detail, Oldstuff. Here's another "what if" to ponder. As I recall, during WW II, before Perl Harbor was attacked, the U.S. traded several old WWI-era destroyers to the British in return for access to British territorial ports in the Caribbean Sea. The Brits needed ships for convoy protection duty and the U.S. wanted to extend its defensive perimeter. So I wonder if any of these were part of the trade.:uhh:

Union Station
 

Hi All,
Been lurking and occasionally posting here fro a few years. What a great place.
I write music for a living and did a short piece to some stylized shots of Union Station I took a few years ago. iPhone camera with the Hipstomatic app.

http://youtu.be/yGUn0iB63_U?list=PLj...FjXXxm9vwBlUGg

Thanks to everyone posting here. Great stuff!

Mark

There were 27 Wickes class destroyers in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement. The USS Anthony (DD-172) and USS Sproston (DD-173), both recently identified by oldstuff, weren't among them, but the USS Mackenzie (DD-175) was. Given that the USS Mackenzie was also built in the Union Iron Works, and commissioned 13 days after the USS Sproston, I think there's a good chance that it's one of the ships in the Los Angeles Harbor picture. The USS Mackenzie went to Canada and became HMCS Annapolis.

No location is given with this Library of Congress picture which shows some of the Wickes class destroyers before their transfer. I wonder whether this could also have been taken in Los Angeles Harbor. The two ships with visible numbers are the USS Buchanan (DD-131) and USS Crowninshield (DD-134). The USS Crowninshield became HMS Chelsea and later the Derzkiy when it was transfered to Russia. The USS Buchanan had a more interesting/important role in World War 2. It became HMS Campbeltown, and in 1942 it was disguised as a German Möwe class destroyer, packed with explosives, and rammed into the dry dock at the port of Saint-Nazaire, France. This eliminated the only Atlantic seaboard port in German hands that was large enough to handle their battleship Tirpitz. I know this is getting well off-topic, but for anyone interested, I recommend reading up on The Greatest Raid of All. There were 89 decorations awarded after the raid. Among the five Victoria Crosses was a posthumous award to Sergeant Thomas Durrant, who was recommeded for his decoration by the commander of the German torpedo boat he was attacking when he lost his life.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...ickesClass.jpg
Library of Congress

Now back to Los Angeles ... :).

:previous: Excellent video Mark. -lovely music, -so achingly beautiful.
A perfect compliment for your photos of Union Station.

Thanks for sharing it with us.
__

'The Blue Front'

Here's another early Hollywood establishment that I don't believe we've discussed on NLA.

I found this on eBay a week or so ago.

1922
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/538/J7F6np.jpg




below: After a little research I found this photograph of the Armstrong-Carleton Café aka Blue Front. (it pre-dates the canopy that was placed over the six-pointed star above the entrance)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/904/d3UFyi.png
http://www.storyofhollywood.com/

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/537/6UvTxN.png
http://www.storyofhollywood.com/

As you can see, this blurb also mentions a Mrs. Mabel Cameron tearoom and a Frank's French Café.
oops..I didn't mean to cut it off in mid sentence. So now I wonder what happened to Frank's in 1923!

__

:previous:

"In 1923, the restaurant became Musso & Frank's."


-----------


Most of the articles I've read claim that 4000 electric light bulbs were used to illuminate the main sign, so I can't see the need for additional illumination from the dot. Apparently, the lights repeatedly flashed “Holly”, then “Wood” and finally “Land” before the whole sign lit up.

From www.hollywoodsign.org:

"Few know that a giant white dot (35 feet in diameter, with 20-watt lights on the perimeter) was constructed below the Sign to catch the eye. The Sign itself featured 4,000 20-watt bulbs, spaced 8 inches apart."

I found a video about the sign on YouTube. In Part 1: A History of the Hollywood Sign, 1923-2009, the contibutors discuss the sign's creation and the suicide of Peg Entwistle. The dot is described as "a searchlight that lit up like an exclamation point", but given the information above, I think the term "searchlight" is misleading, and it was just quite a bright dot.

Part 2: A History of the Hollywood Sign, 1923-2009 deals with the sign's restoration in the late-70s, and features Hugh Hefner talking about raising the funds to make it possible (he sponsored the "Y"). NB. Part 2 of the video doesn't appear to be available at the moment.

Sometimes it takes a second look to appreciate something. Not looking at this photo
from a historical perspective...today this photo, which I posted yesterday, has taken
on an hysterical perspective.

http://hollywoodphotographs.com/phot.../RN-018-63.jpg

I was just pondering what it might have been like to be driving by or walking down the
street and see a LION enjoying a leisurely ride to have lunch at the Brown Derby. (A lion!)
It is just such an absurd photo, really, it just makes me giddy with delight!

:previous:

Is it any stranger that taking a leopard for a walk in a wheel barrow? :)

Originally posted by me in post #20784, with a follow-up in Post #22545.

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

The two sailors in the dark hats are Royal Navy. It would seem unlikely that they would have been in Los Angeles.

Recently aired, a repeat of Huell Howser Visiting the Hollywood(Land) sign. Real interesting episode where the history was well covered. Yes, they did discuss the light below, but my poor memory can't recall exactly what was said about it.:(

Andys