noirish Los Angeles

[Chuckaluck]

Spectators viewing the "Great White Fleet," from San Pedro, circa April, 1908

USC Digital

ebay http://www.ulwaf.com/LA-1900s/08.04.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thed...white-fle.html

[Earl Boebert]

Some Perry Mason backgrounds to play with. From "The Case of the Lucky Legs," season 3, air date Dec. 19 1959. I picked this episode because of the nourish shot below. This was about the last season where the scripts stayed close to Erle Stanley Gardner's concept of Mason, who was more than a bit of a rogue.



Deader'n hell, as my railroad cop father would say. Anyhow, for backgrounds, first we have some little (probably) California town masquerading as Cloverdale, Utah:



Then the establishing shot:



which just screams This is the City. Los Angeles, California. Oops, wrong show. Now here's Mason's office building:



and then the obligatory seedy hotel:



and finally a more posh establishment:



After the scriptwriters settled in the show was as stylized as a Noh drama. This led to the Perry Mason Drinking Game. The questions, in order, are:

1. Who Gets Killed?

2. Who Gets Falsely Accused?

3. Who Did It?

4. How Did Perry Know?

Bonus question, which may be answered out of sequence: Is the killer's confession a bang ("I could have killed him a hundred times") or a whimper ("I- I had to do it. Don't you understand, I had to do it.")

Cheers,

Earl

[MichaelRyerson]

going about their business, chasing their own special dreams...


Hollywood and Highland northbound San Fernando Valley line boarding V, late 1940's
image from Metro Transportation Library and Archive

PE No. 645 - Hollywood & Highland. Northbound on Highland at Hollywood Blvd. Note Ashbury Rapid Transit bus eastbound on Hollywood Blvd. Like the Hollywood Hotel, of course but I absolutely love the Owl Drug store.




PE 749 Hollywood and Highland northbound San Fernando Valley line boarding III, late 1940's
image from Metro Transportation Library and Archive

I can't help looking for a familiar face or car...my uncle Bob owned a Buick like this one except his was one color, sky blue...most of my family would have passed through this intersection at one time or another...my mother and my Aunt Evelyn almost everyday during the war...



P.E. 749 Hollywood and Highland northbound San Fernando Valley line boarding II, late 1940's
image from Metro Transportation Library and Archive


P.E. nos. 742 & 757, Hollywood and Highland northbound San Fernando Valley line boarding, late 1940's
image from Metro Transportation Library and Archive

Some of the kids likely headed home from Hollywood High School which is just a couple of blocks south. Someone else is hurrying home for dinner, someone being met by their husband(?), someone waiting stoically after a long day for the next car...


P.E. 707 northbound Highland at Hollywood Blvd, San Fernando Valley line circa 1945
image from Metro Transportation Library and Archive

Notice the crowd up on Hollywood Boulevard waiting for the eastbound car. And this is a very interesting little rag-top sitting right here. No, I'm stumped


P.E. no. 736, north bound Highland and Hollywood Blvd, cica 1945
image from Metro Transportation Library and Archive


Hollywood and Highland northbound San Fernando Valley line boarding IV, late 1940's
image from Metro Transportation Library and Archive

Hey, isn't that little coupe' near the curb a '38 Dodge? Didn't Walter Neff drive a '38 Dodge? Didn't he sneak up to the Hollywood Bowl with Lola Dietrichson a couple of times? Do you think? Nah, never mind,...but that guy standing on the curb looks an awful lot like Nino Zachetti...

[fhammon]

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson

going about their business, chasing their own special dreams...

I admit that sometimes I disappoint myself when I'm reminded that the world wasn't black and white then as most photos might suggest to the imaginative (or ignorant) mind. I find a special comfort and fascination in that particular world that I can't explain.
Color photos or even colorized photos of these periods sometimes shock me back to reality. They hold a whole different type of fascination for me. Less warm and fuzzy though.

[Albany NY]

Andy Griffith
I know this is a real stretch. After all, Mayberry is a long way from Los Angeles in the world of television. But Andy Griffith died today, and even though his work was about as far from "noir" as you can get, I challenge that there is a place here for a mention of his work. The Andy Griffith Show was filmed at the old 40 Acres lot in Culver City. This was the same studio backlot where Gone With The Wind, King Kong, plus countless TV shows were filmed. The backlot itself has a rich film and television history. The link below is an amazing resource for anyone who might want to take just a few minutes to relive a few pleasant moments from their childhood. Enough said. Back to the noir.
http://www.retroweb.com/40acres.html

[fhammon]

Originally Posted by Chuckaluck

Aside from the Streets bearing his last name and his impressive Los Angeles residence, George Rufus Shatto, has not received much coverage.

He built the Hotel Metropole on the Island in 1887.

Buried in the Angeleus-Rosedale Cemetery. Shatto's tomb:

Thank you for that photo-essay on Shatto and Catalina Island Chuckaluck. I enjoyed it.

I have seen his pyramid vault at Rosedale Cemetary before near the circle drive although I didn't know who Shatto was at the time. I was looking for the nearby graves of Major Horace Bell (he's an historical hero of mine) and his wife Virgina at the time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Bell
There's still a street named after her by the Convention Center: "Virgina St" which was shortened from "Virginia Bell St." Bell's farm used to extend E and W from Figueroa to Union streets between Pico and Washington.

I still haven't found them. I guess I should ask at the office...when they're open...not on a Sunday.

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/search...=1341367471442

BTW Hattie McDaniel is buried there too. I'll need to visit her's as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hattie_McDaniel

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&PIpi=11196762

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&PIpi=11196768

She requested to be buried at the Hollywood Cemetery but was denied because of her color.
She did successfully buy a home in the West Adams Heights district (2203 S Harvard) under much controversy as previously mentioned by GaylordWilshire (and others):
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=4650

In the heart of what was Sugar Hill on Harvard. The academy award winning actress broke the color barrier in film, and covenant laws, to buy this house on Harvard Blvd. in West Adams. Soon more wealthy African American entertainers and businesspeople would move into the neighborhood, and earn the nickname Sugar Hill.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/waltarrrrr/2941948949/

[ethereal_reality]

Wow, so many interesting posts Chuckaluck, fhammon, MichaelRyerson, Earl_Boebart and Albany NY.
Needless to say, I'm a bit overwhelmed (in a good way).

All this takes my mind off the excessive heat we're experiencing here in the midwest (100 degrees forecast for the next three days..WITH humidity). In other words, if you venture outside during the day you feel as if you're melting.

____

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

As far as I have been able to determine so far, the case remains unsolved.... I'm calling on
our sleuths here to solve it, or at least to find more info.

Very interesting murder mystery Gaylord_Wilshire!
I tried to find additional information on Helen Meyler's death to no avail. It's especially disconcerting that this murder occurred
in Hancock Park of all places.


Here is G_W's earlier post on the murder in case you missed it.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=8457


____

[fhammon]

Originally Posted by Albany NY

Andy Griffith
I know this is a real stretch. After all, Mayberry is a long way from Los Angeles in the world of television. But Andy Griffith died today, and even though his work was about as far from "noir" as you can get, I challenge that there is a place here for a mention of his work. The Andy Griffith Show was filmed at the old 40 Acres lot in Culver City. This was the same studio backlot where Gone With The Wind, King Kong, plus countless TV shows were filmed. The backlot itself has a rich film and television history. The link below is an amazing resource for anyone who might want to take just a few minutes to relive a few pleasant moments from their childhood. Enough said. Back to the noir.
http://www.retroweb.com/40acres.html

Excellent post and point Albany. I live just blocks away from that 40 acres (now part of an industrial park) and ties in nicely with my Hattie McDaniel post as the burning of Atlanta in "Gone with the Wind" happened there. Mayberry was there. That's where "Little Ronnie Howard" spent his early youth as well as the bombed-out European villages in the "Combat" series was there among countless other scenes.
I feel a personal loss with Andy Griffith's passing. Thanks for mentioning it.

[ethereal_reality]

Have a great 4th of July everyone!

below: Snapshot of a fireworks stand in 1949 Los Angeles. Anyone want to wager a guess as to it's location?
I realize that there's not much to go on....except for the houses on the right and the scraggly trees (eucalyptus?).


found on ebay this past week

____

[ethereal_reality]

Another curiosity from ebay.....anyone recognize this rather stately apartment building?



ebay

caption: "Arrived in Los Angeles." Jan 31-1927

___

[fhammon]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Have a great 4th of July everyone!

below: Snapshot of a fireworks stand in 1949 Los Angeles. Anyone want to wager a guess as to it's location?
I realize that there's not much to go on....except for the houses on the right and the scraggly trees (eucalyptus?).
____

I dunno but that line of temporarily strung light bulbs has me a little worried...

That could be anywhere. From the look of the houses and patch of empty land, I'd say west of Culver City near Culver Blvd maybe but the scraggly eucalyptus speaks of East LA in the summertime. Too flat though. Then there's always north or south...I give up.

Ain't it a little bit comforting to realize that these stands look exactly the same today? (except in color)

[Chuckaluck]

Originally Posted by fhammon

I have seen his pyramid vault at Rosedale Cemetary before near the circle drive although I didn't know who Shatto was at the time.

On your next visit, don't overlook Phineas Banning's monument.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...1&PIpi=1271262
General Banning standing.USC Digital]
Lapl google

I believe "General" Banning's Wilmington home has been mentioned on this forum. His fascinating story includes stage coach and railroad lines, and development of San Pedro and Wilmington (named after his hometown in Delaware).

Phineas' residence circa 1900:
LAPL

Contemporary view:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/

Circa 1869

USC Digital

"Picture file card reads, S.S. Amelia, first steam vessel on Wilmington - Catalina run, from 1880 to 1883. Owned by Wilmington Transportation Co., whose president was Phineas Banning."
USC Digital

Celebrating the Harbor breakwater. Circa 1899
LAPL

San Pedro Breakwater Construction Ca. 1900 or 1904(?)
Lapl

[Chuckaluck]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Have a great 4th of July everyone!

The Motion is Seconded!

usc digital

Ocean Park Beach circa 1952
USC Digital


"Los Angeles Fire Department marching down Main Street looking north from Central Avenue in the first civic parade in L.A., July 4, 1871"
USC Digital

[fhammon]

I'm fairly familiar with the name Phineas Banning. His name is ubiquitous in later 19th century SoCal history. He was there to greet both Horace Bell and Harris Newmark personally, as he did with most new arrivals, dressed like a working man - none too fancy, when they arrived as young men in their early 20s by ship from San Francisco separately in the early 1850's. He was "The Guy" at the port of San Pedro and I believe owned the wagons that conveyed passengers (at top speed!) and deposited them at the Bella Union Hotel shown at right in your parade photo.
I didn't know he was buried at Rosedale also. Thanks!
I have been to see his house from the outside but haven't taken the tour of it and the Drum Barracks yet.

[fhammon]

I have to say, since first arriving here to Los Angeles in '79, the air has gotten a whole lot better.
Non-leaded gas, additives, catalytic converters etc has really made a difference.

http://www.grayflannelsuit.net/blog/...eles-smog-1954

http://www.grayflannelsuit.net/blog/...eles-smog-1954

[KevinW]

I remember living in Pasadena in 1975 when my dad was on sabbatical at Cal Tech. I had to walk to school every morning and my chest would ache when I took deep breaths. This was a basic view:



Then one day in November it rained. We had arrived in Pasadena from Massachusetts in June so all I had ever seen was smog. Imagine my surprise the next morning when I realized there was a mountain range right next to the city. I had no idea...



Photos by John Moore

[MichaelRyerson]

Originally Posted by gsjansen

mickey and johnny in happier times walking along the west side of broadway between temple and 1st. the view is looking south on broadway, the hotel broadway which was adjacent to court flight can be seen down the block - august 7, 1941


Source: Corbis Images

i know it's wrong to covet, but dayum! gotta get me some mickey wing tips!

Pretty sure the date on this photo is incorrect. Stompanato was born in October of 1925 which would make him 15 years old here. I think this may be '47 or '48ish.

[Fab Fifties Fan]

Originally Posted by KevinW

I remember living in Pasadena in 1975 when my dad was on sabbatical at Cal Tech. I had to walk to school every morning and my chest would ache when I took deep breaths. This was a basic view:



Then one day in November it rained. We had arrived in Pasadena from Massachusetts in June so all I had ever seen was smog. Imagine my surprise the next morning when I realized there was a mountain range right next to the city. I had no idea...

Photos by John Moore

Your post brought back many memories KevinW. I arrived in Los Angeles to attend design school in July of '75. I quickly found a great apartment on Franklin in Los Feliz, but had no idea, at all, that I could see the Griffith Park Obsevatory out of my bedroom window until sometime that winter!

I also vividly remember that every day when I got home from school downtown I had to immediately strip down and shower because I felt so coated in schmutz. Pulling my t-shirt off over my head, the smell of exhaust, smoke and dirt would be nauseating. Blechhhhh


~Jon Paul

[Handsome Stranger]

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson

Some of the kids likely headed home from Hollywood High School which is just a couple of blocks south. Someone else is hurrying home for dinner, someone being met by their husband(?), someone waiting stoically after a long day for the next car...


P.E. 707 northbound Highland at Hollywood Blvd, San Fernando Valley line circa 1945
image from Metro Transportation Library and Archive

Notice the crowd up on Hollywood Boulevard waiting for the eastbound car.

What a fantastic set of photos, especially with the Hollywood Hotel in the distance. But I'm a little astonished that everyone is boarding a streetcar or waiting for a streetcar right out in the middle of the street, completely unprotected from traffic. There must have been some horrific accidents now and then.

[BDiH]

They're standing on safety islands. Notice the crowd waiting for the next streetcar on the Boulevard.