^^^At first I thought that was Mary Astor holding the bag of groceries.

She does kind of look like Mary Astor, doesn't she.

Yes it does, almost like an Art Nouveau prison of the future, almost like something out of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis."

Great shots of Bunker Hill and the Plaza area, ethereal. Very fascinating, particularly when I compare in my head what's there today.

I really like those shots of Coulter's on Wilshire. I didn't realize that it was The Broadway for a while after it was a Coulter's. For decades after that building was torn down, there was nothing but a huge hole on that site which would ooze tar. Now there wrapping up construction on a huge apartment complex.

William Lescaze Noir
 

Grand Opening of CBS West Coast Headquarters on Sunset Boulevard 1938

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/...8becd3e8_b.jpg
Gregory P. Williams / The Cliff Wesselmann Collection

Noir in Color
 

Hollywood boulevard looking East towards Vine Street 1959

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/...9e540b91_b.jpg
Time & Life Pictures / Getty Images

^^^Whoa...what a great photo!
I never expected it to look..so..well...bustling and bright and hyper-kinetic.

We've become so used to black and white photographs from these earlier eras,
when we see a powerful color image it's kind of a shock.

Pictures showing the Pig n Whistle have always always reminded
me of poor Peg Entwistle and her leap from the "H"...


http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/...ywood_sign.jpg http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/...ywood_sign.jpg

http://jpg1.lapl.org/spnb01/00007118.jpgLAPL http://jpg1.lapl.org/spnb01/00007118.jpg

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics44/00041562.jpgLAPL http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics44/00041562.jpg
(That's not Peg.)


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-m...2520PM.bmp.jpgLAT
Dedication of the sign, 1923.

A full history is here: http://www.hollywoodsign.org/the-his...-sign-is-born/

Poor Peg. :(

I'm surprised her life hasn't been a subject of a movie.




I think sopas_ej will especially like this photo of Venice from 1939.

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2...cenoir1939.jpg
usc digital archive

A great snapshot of Hollywood Blvd.

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/5...odylanegho.jpg
usc digital archive

So if the semaphore says "Go" and the stop sign says "Stop", what do you do? If I ever get my time machine I don't want to get a ticket. My driver's license might raise a few eyebrows.

Oh yes I do like that photo very much.

Hehe I laughed at the "That's not Peg" comment. Speaking of the Pig 'n' Whistle, I ate there the night I went to the Film Noir Festival; "Drive a Crooked Road" and "Walk a Crooked Mile" were the films shown that night.

Speaking of driving and roads...

Here's Sepulveda near Mulholland, 1935.
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5...mulholland.jpg
USC Archive

Car accident, Highway 101 and Malibu Road, 1951
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/8...maliburoad.jpg
USC Archive

Car accident, 16000 Coast Highway 1951
http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/4...asthwy1951.jpg
USC Archive

Same accident
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/4...ghway21951.jpg
USC Archive

And now a murder in Pasadena, October 17, 1955. The address, 1180 Arden Road. 19 year-old Jack Hawley kills his mother, 45 year-old Iris Hawley, then tries to commit suicide.
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/6...murder1955.jpg
USC Archive

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/7...ena1180ard.jpg
USC Archive

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/3...ymurder195.jpg
USC Archive

Girl watching noir at hollywood and vine
 

I love these images of women walking past the Hollywood Broadway from Life magazine 1944.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2761/...36caec51_o.jpg


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/...7745beef_o.jpg


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/...9a4bfde8_o.jpg

One more photo of Fort Moore Hill
 

This photograph was made in March, 1949, when clearance work was just beginning for the first contract of the Hollywood Freeway. The old Los Angeles school building is in the center of the photo......unfortunately the 101 will be dead center of this photograph in just a few years


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/...6097b490_o.jpg
Division of Highways, Department of Public Works, CA

more color noir
 

Broadway looking south from between 5th and 6th streets. I'm guessing the year is about 1958 or so

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/...1b62a6ff_o.jpg
Unknown....(unfortunately)

Single-car crash
 

http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/ima...caleFactor=1.2
UCLA

Pretty good! :)

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/9...ghthollywo.jpg
Hollywood postcard found on ebay

Great color shots you're finding, gsjansen and ethereal. Interesting to see the downtown Silverwoods, Desmond's, and Mullen Bluett stores in this shot. Here are their Miracle Mile branches:

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics49/00059088.jpg
LAPL

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics49/00059106.jpg
LAPL
These two stores were in the west and east wings, respectively, of the the Wilshire Tower, 5514 Wilshire Blvd.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3007/...163bfe8831.jpg
LAPL
Mullen Bluett was at 5570 Wilshire.