Formosa Cafe
 

Yes.

Apparently the former decor elements were held in storage, so the interior can be recreated.

I love the exterior too. Something about green neon on a red building:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dK...w=w814-h370-no
la consevancy

That's for good news about the Formosa Cafe t2.


I wish this old snapshot of the place was clearer.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...924/80tsX6.jpg
Ingrum




and I'll throw in the recipe for their homemade midori.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...922/Cnuflt.jpg
recipes4rebels




used in the Formosa Cafe's Formosa Sour.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...924/l0YkPI.jpg
rebel4recipes

a chilled coupe?
__

re: the missing bar from Yee Mee Loo.
 

This sentence is a very confusing :previous:

What is meant by 'relic' and what is meant by 'frontispiece'? (I picture a front bar with the elaborately carved 'shelving' behind it against the wall)

Is the so-called 'relic' still in storage....but we don't know where?

Where exactly was the pickup taking the 'frontispiece'...to a different location?
__


p.s.

I'd like to get my hands on the numb-skull who cut the thing in two.

http://imageshack.com/a/img923/54/ekttxM.gif


_

Formosa Cafe Origin.
 

Does anyone know if the streetcar body will be part of the restoration?

See: http://www.pacificelectric.org/pacif...-formosa-cafe/

Cheers,
Jack

Here's Lucille Ball trying out a new convertible at MGM Studio
set for the film...The Long Long Trailer...1953.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...8-jpg.3029758/
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...8-jpg.3029758/

I'm assuming the "The massive wood, silk, and gilt confection" was the bar-back (you know the big thing against the wall, behind the bar, with the mirrors, shelves and liquor bottles, AKA the reredos). It may have had a projection in the center which had to be cut away (and discarded) to slide the bulk of the bar-back into the bed of the pick-up to be taken to some unknown storage location in 2010.

("frontispiece", as an architectural term, just means a projection on a facade, like a porch)

"The [Simon] family is open to parting with the bar and asked me to vet offers. See my e-mail address below"
- LA Magazine

I emailed Chris Nichols, who wrote the item, "Razing the Bar", in 2014. He hasn't written back (yet).

Nichols still writes for LA Magazine. His email, published on their site, is
askchris@lamag.com if anyone else wants to bug him.

I asked if he had a photo or any info re the current whereabouts.

Formosa Cafe
 

Wow, The Formosa has been gentrified...and expanded. It's lost its "roadhouse" look since '58 or so:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2K...=w1108-h617-no
gsv


...and thank you Wig-Wag for the info on 913, now enclosed within the Formosa:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Zg...s=w817-h466-no
pacificelectric.org



There's some pix here of 913 in place, both exterior and interior.


The gsv from Formosa Ave at Route 66:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wx...=w1022-h573-no
gsv



More (too bad The 1933 Group didn't get to take a crack at the Spotlight).



.

If you look at Google Maps you can just make out the ruins and the road layout of the college hidden in the trees to the North West of the Transit Authority property.

Solution: build a large parking garage or two, and free up all that land for other development that can include courtyards and foliage. Surely at some point the land will be valuable enough that the cost of constructing a garage will be worth it.

:previous: Now that is a good idea ProphetM.


I cringe every time I see this postcard in particular.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/XyRAz1.jpg
ebay

Jeez-Loueez, it looks like every single person drove their own car!
__

Martin Pal, do you have any idea when this was taken? I'm curious whether it was a playoff game or some other game of extra significance.

re: Palos Verdes College remains.
 

Is this the area you're talking about BGC & UphillDonkey?

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...923/7FMl2D.jpg
google_earth

There are definitely old foundations and pathways within the patch of trees.

here's a closer look.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...924/kfdoXb.jpg
google_earth

I believe you two are correct ...this spot appears to be remains of the old Palos Verdes College. Good eye(s)!
____




Of course I had to look for my 'mystery' tank as well. ;)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...924/fQ4w0m.jpg
detail / 1947






Well I didn't find it :( , but I noticed one lot is missing a house in about the same location.

(I've rotated this image to match the direction of the 1947 photo) NORTH is at bottom.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...922/6K8hu5.jpg
google_earth



This is a shot-in-the-dark, but could this lot be contaminated by what was in the old tank-

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...923/vrzLGD.jpg
detail

It's a possibility, right?

___






postscript:

Just as I was about to leave the area, I noticed a tank that appears to be identical in shape and size to the 1947 tank.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...922/x7b4pb.jpg
detail / google_earth

Was the 1947 tank moved to make way for the housing development on the ridge?



This tank is located down the hill on the other side and in a direct line with the old tank 'location' and the remains of Palos Verdes College.

NORTH is at left
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...923/xzoINh.jpg
google_earth

See what I mean.
__


*Of course this 2nd tank would NOT have been visible in the 1947 photo.
so it might have been there all along.

I have to agree with ER....this picture is scary. It looks like a game of professional sports is dedicated to a nasty parking lot.

They need several 5 story parking structures. Then return the old asphalt lots to green grass, trees and lakes.

Great pic of one of my favorite people of all time, and a nice looking car, too.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...923/CsU4YD.jpg
youtube






http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...924/cSVofq.jpg
location filming in los angeles

"The crew for 'Illegal Entry' [1949] sets up a shot in front of the Hall of Records on Temple Street.
Howard Duff and Marta Toren stand at the curb waiting to film their scenes." -LFILA

Not to be too much of a stickler, but I believe this is Spring Street.





I'm pretty sure Bunker Hill is in the distance.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...923/YJ5IJK.png
detail

From this angle I'm not sure what house is atop the hill. (under my silly red arrow)
_




Howard Duff and Marta Toren in 'Illegal Entry' [1949]

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...924/kFoyWa.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/35/10...2df4660333.jpg



I wondered why I hadn't heard of Ms. Toren.....well

Marta Toren died of a brain hemorrhage in 1957, only 31 years old.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...923/ebid2s.jpg

r.i.p. pretty lady
__

from the Winsel Gibbs Seed Catalog, Los Angeles [1925]


http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...923/S8pQr3.jpg
ebay



49th & Main today

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...923/q4ITzZ.jpg

makes me want to go back in time.

_

Thank you for the description t2. -and for contacting Chris Nichols. I appreciate it. :)


I know you've seen this t2, but casual visitors to NLA often avoid the links.

This is what's missing.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...923/0oKXgH.jpg
tiki

The Goddess Kwan Yin appears in the center.



And I find this tidbit quite amazing. (especially to movie buffs like me ;))

The restaurant was called Yee Mee Loo. The bar was called the Kwan Yin Temple.
The bar was an altar used in the movie The Good Earth.
eatingla

The dates are about right for this antidote to be true.
'The Good Earth' was released in 1937...Mee Yee Loo opened, I believe, in 1936.


And 'The Good Earth' isn't any old movie.

It was nominated for a total of five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Direction (Sidney Franklin),
Best Cinematography (Karl Freund), and Best Film Editing (Basil Wrangell). It won in two catagories...
the Best Actress award (Luise Rainer), and Best Cinematography (Karl Freund).

And get this...

The movie sets were dressed with objects purchased in China. filmstruck/streamline

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...924/KMibwm.jpgmgm

Extra points for anyone who finds the scene with the old Mee Yee Loo/Kwan Yin Temple bar.

Get sleuthin' ;)



__

1958 - Woman hit by truck, (- or staging a sit down protest on Pico. :shrug: ) Pico Blvd. and Westmoreland Ave. The Safeway was at 2377 West Pico and appears that original structure forms the basis of current mini-mall, including 7-11 store.http://http://digitallibrary.usc.edu...oll44/id/94714



http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...DMY=0&DMTEXT=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...DMY=0&DMTEXT=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...Y=512&DMTEXT=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...Y=512&DMTEXT=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...=1024&DMTEXT=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...=1024&DMTEXT=0



https://s3-media2.fl.yelpcdn.com/bph...LfXqheSw/o.jpghttps://s3-media2.fl.yelpcdn.com/bph...LfXqheSw/o.jpg

'mystery' STRIPPERS
 

Back to Illegal Entry [1949] (my post from last night)

There is a 7:00 minute clip on YOUTUBE.

scene at 4:14
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...924/UwGLiX.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...922/2gK5Ru.jpg


http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...923/W6I4o3.jpg


Note the truck pulling up in front of the Follies Village Cafe from the right.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...924/KWRdtT.jpg


As the truck moves further into view we get a glimpse of the back of the truck

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...922/GPOym4.jpg

There are three names (strippers I believe) advertised on a banner attached to the truck.

Does anyone recognize these three name? (only the first part of the names appear and it's a bit blurry)


sidenote-
I believe this is all superfluous to the plot. So it's a bit funny that the Follies Theater timed their arrival while the scene was being shot
(an early example of product placement I guess)

I have to admit I didn't watch the entire movie. (but there aren't any strippers in the synopsis)
______





The Follies Village Cafe is at far left in this previously seen photograph.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...924/w8Yz9E.jpg
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=40608



And as a reminder, here's the splendidly noirish Follies Theater at 337 S. Main Street, ca.1946

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...923/SFFRRh.jpg
michael ryerson (previously seen on NLA)

__

Another forgotten gem?

The Boulevard Theater used to be situated at 1615 West Washington Blvd. Our friends at Cinema Treasures tell us that the theater opened in 1925.http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1039 LA Movie Palaces indicates the theater ceased film exhibitions in 1964. https://sites.google.com/site/losang...es/boulevard-1 Apparently the building was demolished in the mid-'80s.



January 1958
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...DMY=0&DMTEXT=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...DMY=0&DMTEXT=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...Y=512&DMTEXT=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...Y=512&DMTEXT=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...oll44/id/62900






Now Playing: Count Basie Orchestra, JAMBOREE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J157XQqElmU and The TIn Star with Henry Fonda

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...Y=512&DMTEXT=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...Y=512&DMTEXT=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...=1024&DMTEXT=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...=1024&DMTEXT=0







http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014938.jpghttp://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014938.jpg




http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014933.jpghttp://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014933.jpg




http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...DMY=0&DMTEXT=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...DMY=0&DMTEXT=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...Y=512&DMTEXT=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...Y=512&DMTEXT=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/re...coll65/id/3956



http://photos.cinematreasures.org/pr...jpg?1359428692http://photos.cinematreasures.org/pr...jpg?1359428692




Could provocative movie titles (or lack thereof) have something to do with the theater's demise? :shrug:


http://photos.cinematreasures.org/pr...png?1454667883http://photos.cinematreasures.org/pr...png?1454667883




http://photos.cinematreasures.org/pr...png?1454753921http://photos.cinematreasures.org/pr...png?1454753921




http://photos.cinematreasures.org/pr...png?1454666708http://photos.cinematreasures.org/pr...png?1454666708

The Dodger Stadium parking lots have 16,000 spaces. Are you suggesting two 8,000 capacity parking garages? No one would like that.

Also, greenery and foliage would be lovely, and there are many such islands around the stadium, but because of our recent long period of drought, with everyone in Los Angeles letting their greenery and foliage lay waste because there's no water to feed it, I doubt that kind of thing would be feasible now.

http://payload105.cargocollective.co...20Dusk_905.jpgCargo Collective

I don't know why a lot of people think a place needs to always be developed, either. Aerials of a hot stadium parking lot might look as appetizing as those bountiful postcards of the Los Angeles freeways, but you know what? Driving (or walking...yes walking) around the parking lots of Dodger stadium provide some of the most beautiful open air vistas of the city you can find.

• Video Link

Also, money always comes into the picture. General parking costs at Dodger Stadium are $20 a car at the gate or $10 prepaid. Reserved parking close to the stadium is a lot more. (For the World Series the close lots were $70 to park (!) and the general parking was $40!) The parking lots make a ton of money for the place, which is one reason Frank McCourt, who made his money in the parking lot business, bought the team a few years ago and almost ran the organization into the ground before he was gotten rid of.

Of course, Dodger Stadium has Uber lots for drop-off and pickup or one can always walk to Dodger Stadium, too, from some locations, and save the parking fees!

• Video Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k6CA90Vpx8

I agree the area around the stadium could benefit from some things that would draw people there throughout the year. There was a plan a few years ago to almost make it a mall of sorts around there. Most people who go there for baseball, though, don't want the place obstructed by all these distractions. They like the openness and the, to quote the Andrews Sisters song, "Don't fence me in" quality you feel up there.

Also, the same complaint about the land around Dodger Stadium can be made about many other places, too: Angel Stadium for example.

http://www.ocregister.com/wp-content....10.jpg?w=1020O.C. Register

I tried to find information about that postcard, but only found the info written on the backside:

Dodger Stadium is surrounded by terraced parking for 16,000 cars and has 56,000 unobstructed-view seats with seven front rows, no posts and multi-colored levels which make it baseball's most beautiful park.

It may not have been a game of any significance. Dodger Stadium regularly sells out many times during any given year.