noirish Los Angeles

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

My wish is your command. ....Huh?


Here is the 1941 kitchen, LARGER.



My parents had one of those double globe coffee makers.
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And there's a famous scene from the 1942 movie Woman of the Year where Katharine Hepburn has trouble making coffee in one of those.
The youtube poster called it a Cory Coffee Maker. Info I looked up says it was named after the inventor.

• Video Link

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Ta Dah!
Do you think that's an ironing board in the wall or a really skinny Murphy bed?

..
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I think it's a hot water heater, because the ironing board wouldn't need a vent. I had a similar door with a vent which had a water heater behind it in an apartment.

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

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No, I wasn't aware of it, Martin Pal. At first I thought you meant they had a link to our 'noirish Los Angeles'.

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All of the photos/posts used in that thread do have links to those pages they're located on in NLA.

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by Lwize

101 Best LA Movies from the LA Times.
(too large to post - but viewable with your browser's reader-mode)

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/list/best-los-angeles-movies
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Thank you, Lwize! I have seen 81 of those 101 films. A few of the twenty others I do think I may have seen, but don't remember exactly. The film that came out in 2025, Good Fortune, could possibly be on this list someday.

Also: Why did they have to RANK them? No one would agree on a ranking of 011 of them much less all 101 of them.

Pet Peeve: This applies to almost ANY list of films ranked for any particular reason. They (almost?) never tell us the criteria used for the rankings.

The photo at the top of the article:

[Martin Pal]

When I went back to the article to find that photo to post, I noticed a link at the top of the article that addresses my pet peeve above:
"Pet Peeve: This applies to almost ANY list of films ranked for any particular reason. They (almost?) never tell us the criteria used for the rankings."

What is the best L.A. film of all time? Our ranked 101 list, explained
by Amy Nicholson, Mark Olsen, Glenn Whipp, Joshua Rothkopf and Mark E. Potts

There is a video on the page where they "share how the list was made. They discuss their own favorites, insights into the (painful) voting process, surprises that didn’t make the cut and the many versions of Los Angeles we experience through cinema." It's about 10 minutes long.

https://www.latimes.com/u5me3sedvpa-123

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

When I went back to the article to find that photo to post, I noticed a link at the top of the article that addresses my pet peeve above:
"Pet Peeve: This applies to almost ANY list of films ranked for any particular reason. They (almost?) never tell us the criteria used for the rankings."

What is the best L.A. film of all time? Our ranked 101 list, explained
by Amy Nicholson, Mark Olsen, Glenn Whipp, Joshua Rothkopf and Mark E. Potts

There is a video on the page where they "share how the list was made. They discuss their own favorites, insights into the (painful) voting process, surprises that didn’t make the cut and the many versions of Los Angeles we experience through cinema." It's about 10 minutes long.
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I watched this...it didn't change my mind about the necessity to rank movies on a list. No one agrees. On any list, just be glad movies you like are on it. Ranking them isn't necessary.

[Bristolian]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.
First of all I hope I haven't already posted these interior photographs. I'm pretty sure I haven't but if I have just pretend I haven't. (works for me )

Secondly, there isn't a Surf Street in Santa Monica so I believe the old photos (which I found on eBay) are of Surf Street in Play del Rey.

The street I'm going to talk about is in a compact area in Playa del Rey known as 'The Jungle'.




google-earth

How many knew this area was called 'The Jungle'? ... I didn't.

I had never heard that but I had heard that nickname does apply to a part of Baldwin Village.
Some of the film Training Day which shows up at #32 on the L.A. Times best LA movies list posted by Lwize was shot there.

[ethereal_reality]

.
A mystery location.

The eBay seller(s) believes this photograph was taken in Los Angeles but they're not 100% sure.

"Los Angeles Cal. Petty & Oliver Grociers F.O. Brooks Barber Z. Michelena Lawyer "


......................................As it appears on eBay

eBay

The seller also wrote:..."Neat old cabinet card photo that I believe was taken in Los Angeles, Calif. I think this is L.A. because on the sign at the very left is Z. Michelena - Written Law.
There is a law firm in L.A. that has been in business for many generations. I may be wrong, you be the judge!"



Let me see if I can enlarge it.



Not too shabby.




And Super-Duper enlargement. (it's a bit blurry)



I love the people in the second story windows.









eBay Link

[Lwize]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

I watched this...it didn't change my mind about the necessity to rank movies on a list. No one agrees. On any list, just be glad movies you like are on it. Ranking them isn't necessary.

I never agree with Top ______ lists.

The films should have just been listed in alphabetical order.

It was fun to see some noirish picks too.

[Bristolian]

I would agree. It's very subjective but at the same time, I have no problem with Chinatown being at the top of the list.

[Martin Pal]

As much as Chinatown is about L.A., it never feels like L.A. to me.

[odinthor]

I too hate such lists, as everyone's perceptions and tastes differ.

I was gratified to see the too-much neglected The Outside Man (1972) on the list; and if I had to put one film first, that's the one I'd choose. For me, it captures the vibe of its era's L.A. perfectly.

[ethereal_reality]

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I just happened upon this stereoview taken from one of the balconies at the Ambassador Hotel in May of 1952.




eBay





eBay


But which balcony?

.

[ethereal_reality]

.
This is a cool slide

"Orig 1950s 35mm Kodachrome slide - Los Angeles downtown Statler Hotel scene"


Currently on eBay





AND we get a good look at the old Wellington Apartments at 953 W. 7th Street.

[Scott Charles]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

When I went back to the article to find that photo to post, I noticed a link at the top of the article that addresses my pet peeve above:
“Pet Peeve: This applies to almost ANY list of films ranked for any particular reason. They (almost?) never tell us the criteria used for the rankings.”

What is the best L.A. film of all time? Our ranked 101 list, explained
by Amy Nicholson, Mark Olsen, Glenn Whipp, Joshua Rothkopf and Mark E. Potts

There is a video on the page where they “share how the list was made. They discuss their own favorites, insights into the (painful) voting process, surprises that didn’t make the cut and the many versions of Los Angeles we experience through cinema.” It’s about 10 minutes long.

https://www.latimes.com/u5me3sedvpa-123

Thanks for the list, Martin Pal… this one caught my eye:

The Crimson Kimono is a 1959 American crime film noir drama starring James Shigeta, Glenn Corbett and Victoria Shaw.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crimson_Kimono

I may be half-Japanese, but I never heard of this one before. A film noir… with a Japanese lead… who gets the (white) girl in the end… in 1959?!?

Here are a few scenes from the movie:

Gasometers


The Burbank Theatre at 548 S. Main Street


Looking south down Weller (Astronaut Ellison S Onizuka St) from 1st Street


A reverse of the shot above, looking north up Weller St from 2nd and San Pedro


One of those things I stitch together in Photoshop… Looking northwest from 1st St at Weller - you can click on the picture to see it full-sized

[ethereal_reality]

.
Great post, Scott Charles.


This is a George Mann photograph so we probably saw it in the early day of NLA - but I decided to post it anyway.


facebook / L.A.Relics

"Behind a decorative street light is the Koster House, a Queen Anne style residence at 507 W. Second Street on Bunker Hill, ca. 1965. Various apartment buildings, parking lots, the Los Angeles Times Building, and City Hall are seen in the distance on the right."

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[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by odinthor

I too hate such lists, as everyone's perceptions and tastes differ.

I was gratified to see the too-much neglected The Outside Man (1972) on the list; and if I had to put one film first, that's the one I'd choose.
For me, it captures the vibe of its era's L.A. perfectly.

The Outside Man opening credits.

• Video Link


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[Martin Pal]

The Crimson Kimono is quite an interesting film and the L.A. location footage is the added bonus!

I saw The Outside Man for the first time at Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema with a couple friends some years ago. Afterwards we drove around to some of the locations used in the film. I love the scene where Georgia Engel rides the glass elevator down to the street (Sunset Blvd. and Larrabee St.). It was an office building, but it's her apartment bldg. in the film. I always loved watching people use that elevator when I was around there. Wonder what the view was like? It was near Tower Records and across the street from Tower Video. I hated when that was done away with; it was such an interesting thing; to me anyways. And having known Georgia Engel primarily from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Everybody Loves Raymond it was a kick to see her in this movie.

Sunset Blvd. and Larrabee St. | Northeast Corner
I cannot find any photos of this building with the elevator. Can anyone else? Seems such a unique thing on Sunset Blvd. that there would be somewhere.

[HossC]

Originally Posted by odinthor

I too hate such lists, as everyone's perceptions and tastes differ.

I was gratified to see the too-much neglected The Outside Man (1972) on the list; and if I had to put one film first, that's the one I'd choose. For me, it captures the vibe of its era's L.A. perfectly.

I obviously need to catch up on my movie watching as I've only seen just over a third of the movies on the list, and many are completely new to me. The Outside Man was one of the latter, but I found it online and watched it last night. It's been a while since I've watched something of that era & genre, and I enjoyed it. John Hillerman's appearance as the department store manager was a nice surprise. This was two years before he was in Chinatown and Blazing Saddles.

A couple more movies that missed the list, but which I've previously posted screengrabs from, are:

The Loved One (1965) - original post here.

Hickey & Boggs (1972) - original post here.

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by HossC

John Hillerman's appearance as the department store manager was a nice surprise. This was two years before he was in Chinatown and Blazing Saddles.
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And before that he had nice roles in What's Up, Doc? and The Last Picture Show.

[riichkay]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

The Crimson Kimono is quite an interesting film and the L.A. location footage is the added bonus!

I saw The Outside Man for the first time at Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema with a couple friends some years ago. Afterwards we drove around to some of the locations used in the film. I love the scene where Georgia Engel rides the glass elevator down to the street (Sunset Blvd. and Larrabee St.). It was an office building, but it's her apartment bldg. in the film. I always loved watching people use that elevator when I was around there. Wonder what the view was like? It was near Tower Records and across the street from Tower Video. I hated when that was done away with; it was such an interesting thing; to me anyways. And having known Georgia Engel primarily from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Everybody Loves Raymond it was a kick to see her in this movie.

Sunset Blvd. and Larrabee St. | Northeast Corner
I cannot find any photos of this building with the elevator. Can anyone else? Seems such a unique thing on Sunset Blvd. that there would be somewhere.

Here's the Sunset/Larrabee building in 1985 via the Ed Ruscha images at the Getty....we start at Larrabee and proceed east....