Noir tunnels? hell yes! This video interviews but does not introduce someone I suspect is Richard Schave from L.A. podcast, You Cant Eat the Sunshine
http://esotouric.com/
Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpe0A1NyxXs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpe0A1NyxXs
Is Richard a member of NoirLA under a pen-name?
As the story opens up, the tabloid-style reporter chronicles the history of both the 115 year old King Eddy Saloon and other speakeasy's in DLA. Half way though the story Richard mentions Police corruption and Mayor Frank Shaw ultimate resignation, where an underground network of tunnels under DLA was built during the early 1900's and in particular during the Prohibition Period. Richard mentions that this tunnel went from City Hall to the Biltmore Hotel connecting all the hotels together. If this is so, you can imagine the number of illicit events these passage ways saw, booze, hookers, even embarrassing dead bodies as millions of dollars were stashed in the City Hall's vault!
Richard is the only person I have ever heard accuse LA government of being so corrupt that even the Eastern mob, Bugsy and Lucky couldn't make inroads.
...This statement is why the mob started nightclubs within the unincorporated area of West Hollywood along the Sunset Strip instead of at the Ambassador Hotel and other well established hotels within City limits.
...This statement is why the Gay community was ghettoed into LAPD-free WeHo.
...This statement is the germ of what would later become a whole genre of film-making framed around a sense of dreaded foreshadowing, a sense that things were not what they appeared to be. Seeing this video made me rent the great movie, LA Confidential again where the character of the Chief of LA Police was portrayed as a cold-blooded murderer.
Here's my challenge. The King Eddy Saloon is located at 131 E 5th Street (5th & Main Streets) in downtown Los Angeles. Over the years of following noirish LA, I have been amazed at the detective work offered by its members. This is a very unique community. Can anyone offer up more evidence of the mystery tunnels?
...Maybe the basement of the Biltmore has a similar bricked up passage way at 506 S Grand Ave.
...Perhaps City Hall's underground parking garage at 200 N Spring St has an unexplained steel door?
...Were all the old Vaudeville theaters on Broadway linked together? Think of all the cash that could evade the new income-tax declaration. I suspect this is the Mother Lode of Noir.
thx