https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-N...2520AM.bmp.jpgA Certain Cinema

Like Phyllis Gates, poor Gail probably thought being married to Guy Madison would take all her cares away--how could it not? But having Henry Willson lurking in the background can only have driven her to hit the sauce even harder....


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-F...2520AM.bmp.jpgA Certain Cinema

Henry Willson, Diana Lynn, Guy Madison, Gail Russell. The hand on Gail's shoulder is a nice touch, Guy.


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-m...2520AM.bmp.jpgA Certain Cinema

Happier days...


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O...2520AM.bmp.jpgA Certain Cinema

And the problem was exactly...?

LA noir on steroids.....
 

Hollywood agent Willson was a case of mixing business and pleasure to the max. Part of a movie star's contract with Mr. Willson was ''contact''.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps67635b56.jpg
Amazon

Not particularly noirish, but a great b&w shot:

http://latimesphoto.files.wordpress....ertruck970.jpg

Per framework.latimes.com/:

"Feb. 12, 1985: Old Milwaukee beer cans and cartons clog the transition road of the Ventura Freeway to the southbound Golden State Freeway. The trailer of a beer truck overturned. No one was injured in the accident. This photo by retired staff photographer Con Keyes was published on page one of the Feb. 13, 1985 Los Angeles Times."


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P...2520AM.bmp.jpgGSV

Some of the same area was included in a 1902 Charles Pierce aerial taken from a balloon, which may have been released from at or near Chutes Park. I've enlarged and split the panoramic photo into
thirds (with some overlap), but here's the link to the whole thing at the Huntington Digital Library: http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single.../id/4229/rec/2

1. The left third, looking west. The intersection with the jog at lower left, above the signed "Pierce," is Figueroa and 23rd; the intersection above the lower right, where there's a westbound streetcar,
is Figueroa and Washington. East-West streets between 23rd and Washington, left to right, are 22nd St (stops at Fig), 21st St. (jogs at Fig), and 20th St. (stops at Fig). West of Figueroa,
between 23rd and Washington, the next five north-south streets are Lovelace, Estrella, Bonsallo, Park Grove, and Norwood (there's a large school building on the NW corner of Norwood and 21st).
South of Washington, Estrella turns into Chester Place (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=2037).
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...7.jpg~original

On the southwest corner of Figueroa and 23rd is the home of Mrs. Michael Connell, shown here after 1910:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...4.jpg~original
USC Digital Library -- http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/2584/rec/20

On the east side of Figueroa, in the middle of the block between Washington and 20th Street, is the home of Mrs. E. Gardwin at 1924 S. Figueroa. It looks like there might be a garden on the lot
to its south. I like the chimney support in this c. 1900 photo:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...f.jpg~original
USC Digital Library -- http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/2583/rec/70

2. The middle third, looking northwest. The intersection above the lower left corner of the photo is 18th and Figueroa -- there's a big jog -- where Patriotic Hall is today. The two north-south streets
that run off the bottom of the photo are Hope (left) and Grand (right). At the bottom center of the photo, we see the tip of St. Vincent's, north of Washington on Grand.
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...2.jpg~original

The prominent white building with domed roof just above 18th and Figueroa is the 1st Church of Christ, Scientist, at 635 W. 17th Street, seen here c. 1904:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...9.jpg~original
USC Digital Library -- http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si.../id/8308/rec/9

On the west side of Figueroa, the third house north of 17th Street (on the SW corner of Figueroa and 16th) was owned at one time by Joseph Maier. This is a c. 1890 photo:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...d.jpg~original
LAPL -- http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics24/00061946.jpg

The area between Grand and Hope -- with Pico on the South -- that looks like a baseball field is Fiesta Park: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=11441

South of Fiesta Park on Hope, just north of 15th Street, is California Hospital, shown c. 1900-05:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...1.jpg~original
USC Digital Library -- http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/2647/rec/17

3. The right third, looking north. In the lower right corner, with its roof conveniently painted for future researchers, is Palace Stables at 1801 S. Main. The intersection of Hill Street and 18th Street
is at the center of the photo at the very bottom. The next three streets north of 18th are 17th, 16th, and 15th. Today, the Santa Monica Freeway runs here between 17th and 18th Streets:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...d.jpg~original

One block east and six blocks north of 18th and Main, with the shiny roof, is St. Joseph's Catholic Church (1901-83) at the SE corner of Los Angeles St. and E. 12th St. Here it is c. 1901-15:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...a.jpg~original
USC Digital Library -- http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/8855/rec/46

And between 16th and 17th, on the west side of Hill Street, we have the 16th Street School and Fire Station 10 (1920s photo with Metropolitan High School to the west):
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...6.jpg~original
LAPL -- http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics13/00026001.jpg

1900:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...b.jpg~original
lafire.com -- http://www.lafire.com/stations/PhotoGallery.htm

1899:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...9.jpg~original
lafire.com -- http://www.lafire.com/stations/PhotoGallery.htm

photo of Irving Gill's studio, c.1910
 

[IMG]http://www.flickr.com/photos/7995375...2297123056.JPG
[/IMG]

I came across this image in a search, to my surprise. Since tovangar2 had chronicled Irving Gill's home and work locations around Los Angeles I though this might be of interest, though if the date is correct, it is likely a San Diego location.

I don't recall seeing this image before. Perhaps it is in Hines book (which I can't seem to find around here this afternoon.)


The photo had been posted on tumblr by the blogger (i.e. not linked from a source) and could only be found on a cached page, and a search by image could not give me the source.

Great overview and id's, FW.

Another shot of the First Church:


http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...0/827/36la.jpgLAPL

Central Tower Santa Monica
 

Not sure if this has been covered but always been my favorite (and almost only) noirish building in Santa Monica. I can almost see Sam Spade working away through a window in one of the upper floors, especially at night. Found an old shot from the forties in comparison from my phone photo this afternoon.

PS: Any help getting the images to show up is greatly appreciated.

http://solidgoldman.com/CentralTower.jpg

http://solidgoldman.com/Central.Vintage.jpg

A few days ago, I found this photo of a gas station from 1931. The address is listed as 211 N. Figueroa St.

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/79...0/513/2wi4.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../17705/rec/262


I was curious as to what was at this location now, so I looked on Google Maps
(211 N. Figueroa is shown by the "A")

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/80...0/199/yekc.JPG
Google Maps


The area I outlined in red looked familiar, so I took a closer look.

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/80...0/534/vz8r.jpg
Google Maps

This is the area we discussed a while back. It is on N. Freemont Avenue. The roadbed led up to Court Circle and the stairs used to go up to houses.


I took another look at the area behind the gas station on the 1931 photo.

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/89...90/32/xefp.JPG
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../17705/rec/262

Are these stairways, and the road behind them, the same ones that were left behind next to the 110 Freeway? The location looks pretty close.

What do you guys think?

Click the "Insert Image" icon before you paste the image location. You should then get IMG tags instead of URL tags, and your pictures show up like this:

http://solidgoldman.com/CentralTower.jpg

http://solidgoldman.com/Central.Vintage.jpg

I think you're absolutely right. Great find!

It looks like the third (southernmost) stairway was not there yet.

:previous:

Thanks ProphetM, I completely forgot about the third stairway...

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/65...90/30/h233.JPG
Google Street View

...and may have inadvertently (stupidly) cropped it out. Do you think this may be it?

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/74...90/40/8n7s.JPG
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../17705/rec/262

All three here:

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/80...0/691/oanv.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../17705/rec/262

Beverly Hills Hotel USO canteen?
 

I'm reading a biography of Barbara Stanwyck by Axel Madsen at the moment and it mentions that Stanwyck "helped at the Beverly Hills Hotel USO canteen." I've never come across any mention of there being a USO canteen at the Beverly Hills Hotel and I was wondering if anyone here had ever come across any info or photos of it?

The leveling of Bunker Hill.

A group of photographs found on ebay Dec. 22, 2013.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/547/0rt4.jpg



http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/844/xj65.jpg




http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/687/dbct.jpg




http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/691/1zxa.jpg




http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/513/a3mg.jpg

So where did they put all the dirt?
__

I think that's a fence running down the hillside, and not the third set of stairs. The modern aerials indicate that there was more space between stairs 2 and 3 than there was between stairs 1 and 2, but that line is much closer to stair 2 than the space between stairs 1 and 2. I think stair 3 would possibly be just off the left edge of the photo. But there doesn't seem to be a house there yet so it may not have been built yet.

There is definitely a resemblance FredH. Good eye.
__




http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/823/lghg.jpg
ebay

ProphetM - On a closer look, I think you are right about the fence. I noticed that the spacing seemed off too.

https://imageshack.com/a/img855/3569/bsni.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../17705/rec/262

There seems to be a vacant lot next to the fence, then another house. If there is another stairway back there, it is blocked by the trees.

https://imageshack.com/a/img547/6264/p3d1.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../17705/rec/262

I was in the area tonight, so I decided to swing by and see it lit up.

Sign at top of east side (same as er's photo above):
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...c.jpg~original

South side and sign:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...4.jpg~original

Franklin entrance:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...d.jpg~original

From across Franklin:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...c.jpg~original
Photos by me

My earlier Montecito post: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=19193

...another prototype for Disney's Matterhorn?

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/691/nqin.jpgebay
__

I was out of town for the weekend...it was such a pleasure to return to noirish Los Angeles and see all these recent phenomenal posts. Exemplary sleuthing everyone!

1948 self-serve.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...0/199/r8nt.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...0/819/01oj.jpgebay

mystery photos
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...0/198/7ufz.JPG
ebay