noirish Los Angeles

[sopas ej]

The swimming pool is in the back of the house. Her house is at the end of a cul-de-sac.

The address is 12305 5th Helena Drive: https://www.google.com/maps/place/12...741z?entry=ttu

[Scott Charles]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

The photograph below appears at the top of the article and I can't make heads or tails of it - mostly because the swimming pool appears to be in front of the house.


NYtimes

Is the actual house out of view? (possibly at the top) ..Would the NYtimes be so clumsy?

This is the general layout of the property, e_r:


Image source - Google Maps

[Bristolian]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

They need some work done on the roof.
.

And a visit from the pool guy

[ethereal_reality]

.
Excellent layout of the house and grounds, Scott Charles...Thank you so much...I didn't know that the house was. .um. .so meandering. (for lack of a better word)

They need some work done on the roof.

I later read that the roof titles were being removed in preparation for the demolition. Luckily the neighbors figured out what was going on.

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[ethereal_reality]

.
This 35mm slide was recently listed on eBay



I don't believe we have seen the PHONE BOOTH on NLA.


eBay

I'm pretty sure this is the Sunset Strip. Does anyone know what this place was before it became a strip joint? It looks familiar but I can't place it.

.

[ethereal_reality]

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And here's another one!



eBay

This must be La Cienga Blvd. (the fabled 'Restaurant Row') but I don't believe I have ever heard of the Longhorn (down the street a bit) nor the Casa Escobar.

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[BDiH]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.
This 35mm slide was recently listed on eBay



I don't believe we have seen the PHONE BOOTH on NLA.


eBay

This is no doubt the Sunset Strip. Does anyone know what this place was before it became a strip joint? It looks familiar but I can't place it.

.

Santa Monica Boulevard

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.
Thanks for the answer and information to my parking garage question stanklem and Snix. ... As always I appreciate it.
Boy! That is some wacky description of the 'po-mo not-really-a-clock decorative element... I think it is hideous.

And guess what. I have another architectural question.

There's an article in today's NYtimes about saving Marilyn Monroe's last home in Brentwood from demolition. (a demolition permit was approved yesterday)

The photograph below appears at the top of the article and I can't make heads or tails of it - mostly because the swimming pool appears to be in front of the house.


NYtimes

Re the faux clocktower at Hill and Third streets: I agree, ER--it is hideous. "A tribute to a fictional clock, evoking an extensive, imaginary history."-- Please.

As for Monroe's house--oh the weeping and wailing over this house. Thousands of responses from crazed fans on social media sites, very few daring to point out that she only lived there for six months, would no doubt find the wild gnashing of teeth ridiculous and threatening, and the idea of turning her house into a Brentwood Graceland, as some have suggested, even more ridiculous. The wild fan pushback against the redevelopment of the lot by fans makes you understand what Monroe was up against, ironic in that it seems she wanted the house as a refuge from the Day of the Locust mob. The typical real estate images picture a lovely low-slung '20s Westside house, but with exaggerated yard, using the usual tricky fisheye lens etc. It looks a lot less attractive in these aerial shots, jammed in and not special at all. I spend my time writing about vintage Los Angeles houses, and, based on the idealized real estate pics, could absolutely see the point of saving it for its value to the architectural vernacular and to preserve the scale of the neighborhood, but think the idea of saving it as a shrine is sort of insane. Where was the superfan of MM, who would have presumably had his or her or their eagle eye on the house, when it came time to cough up the dough or start a go fund me campaign to buy it and keep it for posterity? It's always someone else richer who's supposed to keep their fantasy of the goddess going, for whatever need they have for it. Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.
This 35mm slide was recently listed on eBay

I don't believe we have seen the PHONE BOOTH on NLA.


eBay

I'm pretty sure this is the Sunset Strip. Does anyone know what this place was before it became a strip joint? It looks familiar but I can't place it.

.
_________________________________________________________________

Nice find! Looking to see if the eBay listing had the year of this particular photo.

That sign is amusing:
TOPLESS
NO COVER

Originally Posted by BDiH

Santa Monica Boulevard
_________________________________________________________________

Had you ever visited this place, BDiH?

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

I found a 1973 photo of the Phone Booth:

H.P./Torrence

It was primarilly a strip place, on the NW corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and La Cienega Blvd.

[Martin Pal]

When I first posted the b&w photo of the Phone Booth (above) I had seen two small snapshots of it in color on the corner of SMB and La Cienega from 1969 and I assumed the b&w photo was the same place/location. (The guy who owned the Phone Booth had another related business across the street called the Extension, .) But looking at that photo and comparing it to the the one you found on eBay, E_R, I began to reconsider. First, the Alta Cienega Motel is on the North side of it, and this site, LINK, says it dates back to 1948. There was no row of businesses like that on La Cienega.

Since you mentioned you thought it might be on the strip, I began to think the other photo mght be as it looks like many places/rows of buildings up on the strip.

I tried looking up any info on "Shaw's" in the photo, but no luck. I found a matchbook, though, listed on eBay, LINK, for the Phone Booth (Featuring People and Telephones) with a 9011 Sunset Blvd. address and the current building there is very similar to the one in the b&w photo.
_____

ETA: It occurred to Ed Ruscha's "Every Building on the Sunset Strip" might have a photo of this place, but I don't have time to look for it right now. HINT.

[jerry1656]

Hi Martin and ER,
OK I tried to post the Google pic but I guess it didn't work.
The B& W Phone Booth is 9016 Sunset Blvd , next to the 9000 building
The Color Phone Booth is the NW corner of La Cienega & Sunset , you can still see the Billboard location currently. So there were at least 2 of them.
I have worked in and around the area for 30+ years.
What gets me is the Casa Escobar and Longhorn on La C. it should be no more than 2 blocks south of Santa Monica Blvd according the the background of the old Hyatt and Mondrian up on Sunset Blvd. But ... the block layout on the east side of La C. doesnt look like it supports a 5 building storefront layout unless they tore the whole block down.
Casa Escobar was a joint that supported LAtin musicans in the 60 through the 70's and their last place was in Santa Monica but no records show up on La C. for them or the Longhorn.
i'll work on it some more later. J

[Martin Pal]

Jerry, I think you're mostly correct, but off a little. (Sorry, but I have trouble keeping things straight myself lately.) The Phone Booth on La Cienega is at Santa Monica Blvd. The one on Sunset is across the street from the 9000 building.

I'm curious about the note on the Phone Booth matchbook that says "Featuring People and Telephones." (The original Christopher Isherwood story and the Broadway musical of Cabaret has "The Telephone Song," where patrons at the tables ring up others they're interested in.)

Also, do you have a link to the photo you were going to post?
______

Okay, now looking at the building you said is next to the 9000 Building on Sunset Blvd., I think that you are correct and I am wrong. That is definitlely the building in the b&w photo. But that is definitely across the street from the matchbook address of the Phone Booth, at 9011 Sunset Blvd. (!)

[jerry1656]

Hi Martin and ER,
OK I tried to post the Google pic but I guess it didn't work.
The B& W Phone Booth is 9016 Sunset, next to the 9000 building
The Color Phone Booth is the NW corner of La Cienega & Santa MOnica Blvd, you can still see the Billboard location currently. So there were at least 2 of them.
I have worked in and around the area for 30+ years.
What gets me is the Casa Escobar and Longhorn on La C. it should be no more than 2 blocks south of Santa Monica Blvd according the the background of the old Hyatt and Mondrian up on Sunset Blvd. But ... the block layout on the east side of La C. doesnt look like it supports a 5 building storefront layout unless they tore the whole block down.
Casa Escobar was a joint that supported LAtin musicans in the 60 through the 70's and their last place was in Santa Monica but no records show up on La C. for them or the Longhorn.
i'll work on it some more later. J

[jerry1656]

LIink to google maps 2022 9016 Sunset. it may have been 9011 Sunset back in the 60's or 70's too.

[ethereal_reality]

.

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

The guy who owned the Phone Booth had another related business across the street called the Extension, .

Believe it or not the group of slides (being sold individually) includes this one of The Extension.


eBay

I wouldn't have made the 'connection' between the Phone Booth and the Extension if not for your research, M P.


One Ringy Dingy
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[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by JeffDiego

Hi Ethereal: That's an easy one for an old Hollywood buff. That's Hollywood agent Johnny Hyde, Marilyn's lover & father figure. He wrangled Marilyn's contract at 20th Century-Fox & it was he who encouraged her to have minor plastic surgery - a genius career move. He wanted to marry her, but if I recall, was already married when they first became involved. I'd date the photo 1949 - 50, rather than '47.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Hyde

Thanks for the information, JeffDiego.


Oh my! I didn't realize the height difference.


reddit

I see on wiki that Hyde died on Dec. 18, 1950 so the eBay photo by the pool would have been before that (obviously)

.

[jerry1656]

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0905...8192?entry=ttu

[Snix]

9011 Sunset places the Phone Booth between the Roxy (9009) and the Rainbow (9015) and that doesn't make sense.


Matchcover from eBay
1930s Sunset photo from Torrence collection

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

Nice find! Looking to see if the eBay listing had the year of this particular photo.

That sign is amusing:
TOPLESS
NO COVER



Had you ever visited this place, BDiH?

[jerry1656]

The link to the current Google map of 9016 or 9011 Sunset Blvd I managed to get posted above, and that matches the building outline of the Phone Booth topless in on Sunset Blvd. from Martin P.

I think we are in agreement that the other Phone Booth (#2) topless in the color photo by ER is Santa Monica and LaCie. and the billboard sign is still there currently in the google maps that show a bank form the 1980"s?

MP's post above that has a link to a matchbook from "phone booth" I find hilarious , because if you open it up, it has printing on the inside for anyone to write down their- Name, address, and telephone. It might have been just a pick- up joint ?? As for the way they've spelled "Telephone" in the script it actually looks like "Celephone" because of the cursive wrighting . I find funny.

Lastly - the photo and article from ER about the "Extension" owned by the same group got me looking up. it's sign says Topless "Improvision Workshop" , entrance around side. Thats Hilarious because the only building that matches that roofline in that area looks like it should be .... the Rainbow Bar and Grill< next to the Roxy which would put it across the street from the Phone Booth at 9016/9011 Sunset. !?

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0905...8192?entry=ttu

Sorry about the lack of visual incorporation but I dont seem to make all of the links work sometimes. Thanks for your patience.

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by Snix

9011 Sunset places the Phone Booth between the Roxy (9009) and the Rainbow (9015) and that doesn't make sense.


Matchcover from eBay
1930s Sunset photo from Torrence collection
_________________________________________________________________

Snix, thanks for posting the matchbook cover...and I figured out the 9011 Sunset Blvd. address.

This photo is really large [scroll all the way to the right), but you can see the entrance which explains it. The b&w photo is an Ed Ruscha photo (actually a compilation of two b&w photos)
from 1966 and the 2011 color photo is the Roxy.

The Phone Booth is on the second floor and the entrance to it is the door on the far left, with the sign above it, and it used the address 9011. The 2011 photo of the Roxy (scroll to right)
says On the Rox on the sign above the door, a 21+ lounge above The Roxy with Live Music & DJs most nights.




Since c.2019 it's a lot more colorful:

Audacy