noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

Here is the General Petroleum parking garage where Gloria Grahame posed.


Los Angeles Public Library

"The General Petroleum Parking Garage opened on Feb. 28, 1949, on the northwest corner of Flower and Eighth streets."


Surprisingly, the location is some distance from the General Petroleum Building. (see below)


google_earth

I had no idea it was even there!



While driving the google-mobile I noticed a plaque near the Flower Street entrance.


detail / gsv



Here's a close-up.


Eric Richardson

one last look
she's cute in this pic.

more information HERE
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[ethereal_reality]

Filming 'The Mighty' in downtown Los Angeles at the corner of Sixth and Spring streets, 1929.



ebay (from about a month ago)


info / sorry 'bout the smudged in the middle.






close-up to see all the details


detail / ebay

It doesn't look 5:30 A.M. to me
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update:

The typed information accompanying the photograph is incorrect.

The location is 7th and Spring.....not 6th and Spring.

7th & Spring today

gsv

it's nice to see the delicate wrought iron filigree on the building at left has survived after all these years. (it's visible in the 1929 pic as well)

_

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Filming 'The Mighty' in downtown Los Angeles at the corner of Sixth and Spring streets, 1929.


It doesn't look like 5:30 AM to me
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_

From the shadow on the cop's motorcycle it looks like around noon. From the people gawking it appears to be their lunchtime.

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Well, it's a '48 Packard rather than a '49 ('48 being the first of the "pregnant" Packards, due to its tubbiness),
but who's counting? Did not know that Gloria was born in Pasadena, where as a child her parents rented
620 S Grand Avenue--which is hard to see here, but it looks like an interesting house:

Useless trivia? GG's father is reported to be "architect and author," Michael B Hallward. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Grahame There is a 1925 listing for Michl Hallward as managing director of "Pleasantvale Development Asso." based in Pasadena. "Pleasantvale" apparently had an additional listing at 323 W. 6th Street, Rm 362. Not much info immediately available on the association, other than Allen Ellington's 1925 listing as association president and vice president of Citizen's Mortgage Co of Cal and that Mr. Ellington apparently resided at the two-story 1916-home at 426 S Berendo.


At least one source links a Brentwood location (567 Crestline Drive) to Ms. Grahame.

The scene for many Hollywood parties, it was the former residence of several Hollywood notables including Gloria Grahame, Fernando Lamas and Lana Turner. https://www.trulia.com/homes/Califor...geles-CA-90049

http://res.cloudinary.com/luxuryp/im...mj5iwu2djp.jpg

[Rustifer]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Well, it's a '48 Packard rather than a '49 ('48 being the first of the "pregnant" Packards, due to its tubbiness),
but who's counting? Did not know that Gloria was born in Pasadena, where as a child her parents rented
620 S Grand Avenue--which is hard to see here, but it looks like an interesting house:

She was a hoot in Oklahoma! "She CAIN'T say No..."
Her upper lip always bothered me a bit. A bit thin and always looks as if she over-applied her lipstick to make it look fuller.

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by Tourmaline

At least one source links a Brentwood location (567 Crestline Drive) to Ms. Grahame.



http://res.cloudinary.com/luxuryp/im...mj5iwu2djp.jpg

Not sure when Gloria, Lana, or Fernando might have been in residence, but 567 Crestline does have theatrical connections--it has belonged to the family of Larry Rhine since at least 1956.


More on Rhine in his obit, this one from Variety, Nov13-19, 2000:

Larry Rhine, a comedy writer whose half century career included a Golden Globe Award for "All in the Family," died Oct. 27 of natural causes at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 90.

Rhine's work on "All in the Family" marked the apex of his career. In addition to the Golden Globe, his writing on the show earned him two Emmy nominations, a Writers Guild Award, a Humanitas Award and a Heartfund Award.

Born in San Francisco in 1910, Rhine attended the U. of California, Berkeley, where he received his BA in 1931.

Rhine began his professional career in 1934 by joining radio station KGB in San Diego. There he worked alongside Art Linkletter as a writer, announcer and director. Later, Rhine teamed up with "The Old Maestro" Ben Bernie, one of the 1930s most popular radio variety show hosts. With Bernie, Rhine wrote for some of radio's most popular shows including "Life of Riley," "Duffy's Tavern" and "G.E. Theater."

In 1936 Rhine went to work as a screenwriter for Universal Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox. He wrote for several films, including "Chip of the Flying U," "The Devil's Pipeline" and "A Dangerous Game."

During World War II, Rhine was appointed the Chief of the Philippine Division's Office of War Information. There he helped prepare General Douglas MacArthur's famous "I Shall Return" speech in 1942.

Rhine's most significant achievements, however, were in the realm of television comedy writing. In addition to "All in the Family," he was a staff writer for NBC's "Colgate Comedy Hour," "Red Skelton," "Bob Hope," "Mr. Ed" and "Here's Lucy" Rhine is survived by his wife, actress Hazel Shermet, son Robert Steven Rhine and daughter Vicki Trevena, a costume designer for "The Drew Carey Show." - Katie Maturi



Rhine's letter to the editor of the LAT, June 8, 1962:

[CityBoyDoug]

1960 Huntington Beach on a hot day like today in LA...106' F October 24, '17


https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/f9pD...3-001_1.0.jpeg

[ethereal_reality]

Nice photo CBD. My Dad had a hair cut just like that.



Reseda, 1957. "LOTS for sale to COLORED only"


Oviatt Library / Urban Archive Center

We all know the history of communities refusing to sell to African-Americans back in the 1950s. So what's up with this photo? (showing someone doing the exact opposite)
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[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

I wonder who the kids are too--the aloof girl as well as the Little Lord Fauntleroys at center. (What the hell have they got on?)

and the two boys on either side of the Fauntleroys look like miniature Brownshirts.
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...& while we're in St. James Park.

GW, are you familiar this proposal?


chronicling america

Am I correct in saying this was never built?
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(I think the center portion somewhat resembles 2343 Scarff St.) -same architect perhaps.

[ethereal_reality]

Is anyone familiar with this more recent proposal? (1975)


newspaper photographs.com

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Nice photo CBD. My Dad had a hair cut just like that.



Reseda, 1957. "LOTS for sale to COLORED only"


Oviatt Library / Urban Archive Center

We all know the history of communities refusing to sell to African-Americans back in the 1950s. So what's up with this photo? (showing someone doing the exact opposite)
__

Reseda is still a very mixed race community. It seems that some developer was interested in selling the land and didn't want it to be restricted by covenants. He might have thought that
he had ready buyers by using those words because the area was already mixed race.

Many cities in California had ''deed covenants" that stipulated that an owner could not sell to someone that was black. [A few people tried to get around the restrictions by using straw buyers and were often successful.]

I once tried to rent an apartment in a Latino area of Los Angeles [1972] and the apartment manager told me flat out ''no".

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

...& while we're in St. James Park.

GW, are you familiar this proposal?


chronicling america

Am I correct in saying this was never built?

(I think the center portion somewhat resembles 2343 Scarff St.) -same architect perhaps.

You are right, ER--never built. As far as I can tell, St James Court was a proposal for three 50'x150' lots north of the Creighton houses, which remain just north of the (also-still-standing) Stearns-Dockweiler house.

Neighbors had objected that same year to the Mayfair and St. Lawrence having been built in the 'hood, but it was most likely the recession of 1907 (culminating in the Panic of '07 in October, when J P Morgan famously stepped in to stem the crisis with his own dough...if I remember my crashes correctly) that caused St James Court to be canceled. The lots I think it was intended for remained unbuilt upon until 1921, when the twin 17 SJP and 2336 Scarff St were built.

[oldstuff]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

While trying to find the source of the previous photograph I happened upon this video.

• Video Link



I knew smog was a terrible problem in the 1950s

but I didn't realize how bad it was in the 1940s!







I can't imagine breathing the air in L.A. back then.


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The LA basin has always had smog, of one sort or another. When Juan Cabrillo sailed to San Pedro Bay in 1542 he named the area "Bahia de los Fumos" or Bay of Smokes because the smoke from native cooking fires hung in the air

[oldstuff]

Save the can of smog. In a few thousand years, scientists will want a sample of the air and they won't have to go to the polar regions to sample bubbles in ice cores.

[oldstuff]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

carry on lizzies



Thanks H.H. I appreciate the help.


I'm afraid this photograph of the Arden Jct. bridge doesn't help much. (I'm looking for a better one)


metro library archive

"Taken circa 1955"
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The three Vierendeel bridges in Glendale over the Verdugo wash were installed in 1936-1938 after the flooding in 1933 caused such havoc in the area. They are riveted bridges seen in the photo alongside the train bridge. The one in the photo can currently be crossed at Arden and Kenilworth in Glendale. It was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1936

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

and the two boys on either side of the Fauntleroys look like miniature Brownshirts.
__.

Although they look rather young they could be Boy Scouts.

Stock photo from that era.

http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/faaacbe393...new-d0280e.jpg

[Earl Boebert]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

Although they look rather young they could be Boy Scouts.
[/url]

Quite possible. A little playing around with a graphics program reveals that they may be wearing jodhpurs, which (along with the tucked-in GI style necktie) would suggest a military school uniform as another possibility.

Cheers,

Earl

[rbpjr]

[QUOTE=GaylordWilshire;7961470]
LAT Nov 5, 1937


Thank you, Gaylord, for the photos of Brandon House...I didn't know about it until much later in life...so only have the photos to go by...

[oldstuff]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

Although they look rather young they could be Boy Scouts.

Stock photo from that era.

http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/faaacbe393...new-d0280e.jpg

Given the clothing on the girls, the picture would date from about 1915-1925. Boy scout uniforms were just like that during that period. A long sleeved shirt, with short pants that came to the knee, high socks and, although neither boy is wearing it in the picture, a military style hat, which is now called a "ranger" hat or "smokey bear" hat. They did not start the "Cub Scouts" until 1914 and then not everywhere. The two boys in the middle were wearing very fashionable clothing for the period. I have pictures of my uncles in that kind of outfit, although somewhat less frilly

[BDiH]

Originally Posted by oldstuff

The LA basin has always had smog, of one sort or another. When Juan Cabrillo sailed to San Pedro Bay in 1542 he named the area "Bahia de los Fumos" or Bay of Smokes because the smoke from native cooking fires hung in the air

In the 1950s, on a clear day, I could stand on my front porch in Hollywood and see City Hall downtown, still the tallest building in Los Angeles.
On a smoggy day, I couldn't see more than several blocks before everything became an orange blur. Anyone who remembers smog, recalls that terrible discomfort at the bottom of the throat if you tried to take a deep breath. The experience was not just one of vision, but burning eyes, sore throats, and general debility. When backyard incinerators were outlawed and automobile emission standards changed, smog slowly began to disappear. The L.A. basin was just a bowl of smog for years. Sometimes, change is actually progress!