Maybe its me but there's something creepy about this scene. The strange act on stage, the people in the audience and the general atmosphere...its just not appealing....even by Hollywood's low cast standards.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psgyczui5q.jpg

Maybe you're picking up on those May-December vibes between Kay Thompson and Andy Williams.

You know, I had the same reaction. And then I looked again, and now I'm convinced it was posed. Look at it. Every single face is lit perfectly, nobody is in a shadow, nobody is sneezing or picking their nose, everybody (except one lady on the far right) is looking with rapt smiling attention at Kay. Shadows are muted. Perfect set light lighting, done by a pro, directed at the audience who would be staring into it. El Fako Grande, senors y senoritas.

Cheers,

Earl

Earl, you're not a conspiracy theorist, are you?

Any photographer can tell you this was an action shot. The lights may have been raised to help but it wasn't "posed." The photographer likely snapped off multiple shots during this performance and then printed the best take(s).

This is a frozen-in-time photo of the Hollywood opening of what columnist Walter Winchell called "the greatest act in nightclub history." It was the height of sophisticated nightclub entertainment in 1947, starred a woman who was an authentic musical genius/innovative vocal arranger who coached Garland, Lena Horne, Sinatra, and other stars at MGM (helped them create their signature styles)... was choreographed and music-directed to a fare-thee-well, went on to be a monster hit in New York and London and ran for 6 years.

Here is a quintessential Kay Thompson number, written and arranged by Thompson, performed by Judy Garland and chorus boys, from "Ziegfeld Follies" (1946)

• Video Link

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...922/1Ww3Ij.jpg pinterest
Kay Thompson, circa 1947

OK, let's agree to disagree and leave it at that. For the record, I think it's likely it was shot with a Rollei, Plus-X Pan (ISO/ASA 125) stopped down to at least f/8 to get that depth of field and 1/200 or so to stop the action. Which would require the room to be about as bright as broad daylight without putting anybody in a shadow. So I'll concede "posed" may be too strong a word but IMHO not a candid shot.

Cheers,

Earl

:previous:I thought it was long gone. What a surprise Hoss!

And it still retains the 'nautical' porthole, glass blocks and curved metal marquee.


There are also a line of five slender vertical windows & square windows along the side (does this mean there was space between it and the Chamber of Commerce bldg?)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...923/Pxom3T.jpg
gsv

I tried to find a peek inside to no avail. The b&w circle on the left says Ace Art (with a spade)...so I tried googling that first.

then I noticed it says Rat Productions on the side of the building (visible above)




and here's a close-up of the snarly rat above the marquee.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...922/nvNlsY.jpg
detail / gsv

I even checked real estate sites by using 319 Avalon Blvd. and came up with zilch.


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'mystery' location.

This family snapshot from 1922 caught my eye because of the buildings behind Wilda and Norma.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...921/c9ZS77.jpg
eBay


I thought it might be fun to try and find the two commercial buildings, but there just wasn't enough information.





....that is, until this second photograph of Wilda and Norma popped up on eBay.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...924/OCJViB.jpg
eBay

The sidewalk appears to match, so I'm thinking this is the same location.......Mission Road.


So if your interest is piqued, gas up the google-mobile and head out to Mission Road. You might even see me there. ;)

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Originally posted by HossC
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...922/MJmnJl.jpg
detail / Shulman photo


Hoss, your one-stop brassiere shop reminded me of the Corset shop on Wilshire Blvd.


http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...923/0fKKRL.jpg
1978 http://jpg1.lapl.org/00090/00090445.jpg




It was located on the 5500 block.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...921/RJ9Nd0.jpg
1978 Marlene Laskey Collection, lapl



detail
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...922/cbRNaK.jpg






Here's a wider view of that block along Wilshire in 1978. (note the decapitated palm growing through the building)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...922/oElqPz.jpg
Marlene Laskey Collection, lapl



The building still stands with a 'modernized' facade. I easily prefer how it looked before.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...924/W8adTY.jpg
gsv

___




...back to Hoss's brassiere store in Pasadena.


I just noticed it says Love-E Brassieres on the stone-work near the entrance.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...922/wodS9W.jpg
detail

not a big deal -just thought I'd point it out anyway. ;)

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Just a single picture from Julius Shulman today. The set also includes a color version, but I prefer this one. It's "Job 3265: Beverly Hills Federal Savings and Loan (Beverly Hills, Calif.), 1961".

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

Getty Research Institute

I found an address of 9424 Wilshire Boulevard (there's a Wilshire sign in the picture). When I parked the Googlemobile outside and saw the glass façade, I thought I either had the wrong location, or the building had gone. Then I took a step back. Just like in e_r's post above, I think the building is still standing, but it's had a makeover.

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

I will leave the finding of the location to the rest of you, but I did find the name of the family in the pictures. They are the McDonald Family, mother Stella and daughters Wilda, eight years old in 1920 and Norma, six in 1920. There is also an older son, Ralph, 17 in 1920, who may be the male in the second picture. The family lived in 1920 at 212 N. Fremont Street, probably in a hotel since they are all listed as lodgers in the census. That building is no longer there.

:previous:

The 1922 CD lists a Mrs Stella McDonald living at 1412 Mission Road. Maybe that'll narrow our search.

By 1930 Mrs. McDonald has remarried to a man named Higgins. The two girls, but then in their late teens, were still living with their mother and stepfather. They were at 841 E. 111th place in 1930.

The Mission Road address would date the picture to about that time. I had been working off the census.

:previous:

Could this be the location of the photograph? The arrow is by the intersection of Mission Road and Johnston Street. According to the 1921 Baist map, the buildings in the triangle belonged to Linde Air Products, and were at 1405 Mission Road (opposite the McDonalds' address I found earlier). The streets no longer intersect due to the grade separation of Mission with the railroad, but the buildings in the triangle had already been flattened by 1964. The view below is from 1948.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...rProducts1.jpg
Historic Aerials

Here's the original picture for comparison.

:previous: Wow, excellent sleuthing abilities old stuff and HossC.
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This might explain the gas tank that's visible in Hoss's 1948 aerial.

"The Linde Group is a multinational industrial gases and engineering company.
It is the world's largest industrial gas company by market share as well as revenue."

"Uranium used to produce the United States' first atom bombs from 1942 to 1948 was processed by Linde Air Products."

http://www.the-linde-group.com/en/ab...ory/index.html




So is this the gas tank or an earlier building? (my mind is telling me it's square)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...924/Mz5OS2.jpg





update:

OK, I've decided this is the tank.....with a conical roof.

something like this.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...921/sq0JJl.jpg
tanks_inc.

I'd like to briefly return to Wilmington.

:previous:Hoss, I believe the attractive building on the end might have been a Bank of America.


Just above the front entrance there's an 'emblem' with the ubiquitous B of A sailing ship.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...921/P6WyXR.jpg
gsv



Here's a closer look.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...924/JEwo7Y.jpg
detail




In this view we're looking north on Avalon Blvd. (formerly Canal Street) toward C street. The building with the sailing ship above the door is on the left.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...921/LU4SXy.jpg
Late 1920s https://www.pinterest.com/pin/208713763955714067/

The Security First National bldg. on the right is gone, but the hardware store is still there.

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I don't believe we've seen this rather unique church on NLA.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...923/emuo0X.jpg
eBay

Any idea where in Highland Park this was located?
__



I couldn't decide which size was best, so here it is a bit larger.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...922/l63CdT.jpg

To see every loving detail. :) What would you call this...American Gothic?
_

'mystery' location

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...921/ZejhCN.jpg
eBay

I found this in my old file of eBay photos. The only information I have is Los Angeles and the name Phil Bath (?)

-mind you this is before I started keeping better records. ;)



Here's a closer look at the buildings in the background.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...923/iHMK18.jpg
detail

I'm outta' town until tomorrow. Have fun noirishers!
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:previous:

That's the Washington Building at 9724 Washington Boulevard, Culver City. The smaller buildings on the left seem to have gone.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...nBuilding1.jpg
GSV

We're only moving a few blocks from the Beverly Hills Savings and Loan building for today's Julius Shulman post. This is "Job 3890: Triangle Building (Beverly Hills, Calif.), 1965". This time I've gone for the color images and left out the single black & white one.

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

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

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

All from Getty Research Institute

The Triangle Building still stands virtually unchanged in the area between Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard and N Linden Drive.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...4.jpg~original
GSV

Here's another angle.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...5.jpg~original
GSV