noirish Los Angeles

[Noir_Noir]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

But first . . .

this framed illustration of a proposed apartment building just popped up on eBay
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eBay

Does anyone know whether or not it was built.

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Originally Posted by HossC

I can't find any reference to the Thernwall Apartments, but I found the Lucille Apartments on the south-east corner of Sunset Boulevard and Lucile Avenue (not Street). Notice that Lucile Avenue has one "l" and the Lucille Apartments has two. This may be because the earlier CDs list two Lucile (one "l") Apartments and they wanted to be different. The address was 3724 Sunset Boulevard.

Looking at various old aerial photos, there was a building which appears to match the footprint of the one in the picture above up until about 1980.

The road geometry also matches - see GSV.

My searches are yet to turn up any photos.

A rough stitch of four Ed Ruscha images from 1973.



getty.edu - plus "next three objects".

[ethereal_reality]

That's it! Good eye.

Thanks, HossC and Noir Noir.

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[odinthor]

In re: Thernwall Apts.:


LA Times, 5/2/1926

[ethereal_reality]

Good find, odinthor...Thanks

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[Bristolian]

Originally Posted by odinthor

In re: Thernwall Apts.:


LA Times, 5/2/1926

So the lease just ended this last May.

[ethereal_reality]

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Mystery location / somewhere Downtown.

There's an old photo album for sale on eBay that includes the following snapshot.

Seller's description of the album:..."Vintage Charlie Chaplin? Blythe Desert Center Los Angeles CA Photo Album 1930s"



Does anyone recognize this area?




I scoffed at the idea that this man is Charlie Chaplan but if he isn't Chaplin who is he? He doesn't appear to be in a parade because there aren't any crowds. . .

. .although there are two men watching him on the right.






There's an ad for 'Columbia' on the left - which could be an ad for a movie from Columbia Studios)



I wonder if the sign has anything to do with the man's novel attire.




Oh, and on a finer point - did Chaplin walk with his cane upside-down?



I honestly don't remember.

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[Scott Charles]

Chaplin often used his cane upside down, if even momentarily - as can be seen a number of times in this clip:

• Video Link

The outfit is unmistakably Chaplin, though the man may not actually be Chaplin himself.

Chaplin was so popular that people wanted more Tramp films than Chaplin could actually produce. And Chaplin, being a perfectionist, took a long time (relatively speaking) making his movies - he didn't rush them out like a lot of the silent studios did with their comedies.

This gave birth to Chaplinitis - the phenomenon of performers who aped Chaplin's act to help feed the public's insatiable appetite for Chaplin movies (and, of course, to line their own pockets).

https://thelostlaugh.com/2020/02/28/chaplinitis/

The best of these Chaplin imitators was Billy West. The often-told story of the two meeting - possibly apocryphal - goes as follows:

Even Chaplin – who didn’t hesitate to sue those who sought to improperly profit on his character and films – admired West’s work. The two met briefly in 1917 when Chaplin passed an on-location shoot for a West comedy and told the actor “You’re a damned good imitator.” link

Here's one of Billy West's movies. Ignore Billy's face on the thumbnail and watch the movie to see what a master West was at impersonating Chaplin:

• Video Link

Perhaps if someone can pin down the location, we can figure if Chaplin filmed there - most of the Chaplin filming locations are pretty famous among silent movie fans.

[odinthor]

It appears to be in the vicinity of the Eastern Columbia Bldg. on Broadway (or at least near enough for people to park for that building), which is also the vicinity of the United Artists theater which Chaplin had an interest in. Can our car mavens give us an idea of the possible year(s) of the photo?

[HossC]

Originally Posted by Scott Charles

Chaplin was so popular that people wanted more Tramp films than Chaplin could actually produce. And Chaplin, being a perfectionist, took a long time (relatively speaking) making his movies - he didn't rush them out like a lot of the silent studios did with their comedies.

Just last night I was watching a documentary on Buster Keaton. Before he went to MGM, he used to write, direct, act in and edit his own movies as well as devise the stunts and perform them without a double. If he didn't like the final version, he'd go and reshoot the scenes that he felt were letting it down. That was obviously expensive and time-consuming.

[HossC]

Originally Posted by odinthor

It appears to be in the vicinity of the Eastern Columbia Bldg. on Broadway (or at least near enough for people to park for that building), which is also the vicinity of the United Artists theater which Chaplin had an interest in. Can our car mavens give us an idea of the possible year(s) of the photo?

Charlie Chaplin is on Broadway a block south-west of the Eastern Columbia Building. The building directly behind him is the extant 1914 LA Apparel Mart Building, then known as the Marsh-Strong Building, at 112 W 9th St. The building behind the Texaco sign is the also extant 1928 The New Mart building, then known as the Harris Newmark Building, at 127 East 9th Street. I don't know cars from this era, but the latter building gives us a lower bound on the date.

[Scott Charles]

Originally Posted by HossC

Charlie Chaplin is on Broadway a block south-west of the Eastern Columbia Building. The building directly behind him is the extant 1914 LA Apparel Mart Building, then known as the Marsh-Strong Building, at 112 W 9th St. The building behind the Texaco sign is the also extant 1928 The New Mart building, then known as the Harris Newmark Building, at 127 East 9th Street.

Wow, that is some expert-level spotting, HossC!

I have my doubts about it actually being Chaplin. In his heyday, Chaplin was easily as famous as Michael Jackson... and if one were to see a photo of “Michael Jackson”, in full on-stage costume dancing in the streets of Los Angeles, it would probably be fair to assume that it was an impersonator rather than the real deal.

And if Chaplin were to appear in public like that, there's a good chance he'd be getting mobbed. The people walking by in the background look pretty disinterested... maybe it is him, who knows?

By the way, is that a push broom lying in the street?

[Lwize]

I wasn't expecting this.

From LATimes.com:

Original Pantry in downtown to reopen with new owner, same staff

By Suhauna Hussain

The Original Pantry, the iconic eatery in downtown Los Angeles that closed earlier this year, is set to make a comeback.
The diner, which had been serving up hot coffee, burgers and breakfast platters for more than 100 years, was acquired this week by real estate developer Leo Pustilnikov.

Pustilnikov bought the Original Pantry’s nearly 8,000-square-foot building on James M. Wood Boulevard with the blessing of hospitality union Unite Here Local 11. The union, which represents Pantry workers, inked a deal with Pustilnikov ensuring that the diner would keep union representation and bring back all 25 workers who lost their jobs when it closed in March.

Pustilnikov has an eclectic set of real estate interests, having amassed high-end properties from Beverly Hills to Redondo Beach alongside a slew of supportive housing units on Skid Row . He plans to reopen the diner on New Year’s Eve, if he’s able to acquire the necessary permits and licenses in time.

“I wanted to buy the Pantry because it’s a piece of L.A. history,” Pustilnikov told The Times. “Some of those employees have worked there for almost 50 years, I’d like for them to be able to finish out their careers in a place they love and made successful. I never actually considered buying it without them.”

The restaurant’s former owner, the Richard J. Riordan Trust, abruptly shuttered the restaurant in March after a labor dispute. Pustilnikov acquired the restaurant building and a parking lot for patrons across the street for a total of $5.5 million in a sale that closed Thursday, he said.
On Thursday morning, the shuttered diner was adorned with festive red, white and black balloons. A cake decorated to look like a stack of pancakes dripping with maple syrup rested on a nearby folding table. Workers and their families, as well as union organizers, labor leaders and L.A. City Council members Ysabel Jurado and Curren Price gathered outside for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Now we can breathe,” said Diana Garcia, who has worked at the diner for 17 years. “We’re all excited to come back.”
Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, credited workers for staging protests and fundraisers to keep the diner open.

“The Pantry’s dishwashers, cooks, and servers — with more than 300 years of service between them — never gave up,” Petersen said in a statement.
The Original Pantry opened in 1924 and built its Los Angeles legacy on its 24-hour service, becoming a familiar haunt for night owls. The restaurant changed its location in the 1950s when the building of a freeway offramp forced it move. Then, former Mayor Richard Riordan took over the restaurant in 1981 as part of a larger land deal.

Tensions between ownership and workers kick-started in April 2023, when Pantry workers filed a lawsuit alleging unpaid wages for overtime, and rest and meal breaks. Two weeks later, Riordan died. Ownership of the diner then transferred to Riordan’s trust, which sought to sell the business.

Earlier this year, Unite Here Local 11 attempted to negotiate terms that would require any new owner to honor workers’ existing union contract. But after a tumultuous back and forth , ownership instead closed the restaurant and laid off its workers. The property was listed for sale two months later.

Some of Pustilnikov’s other inroads in downtown L.A. have been contentious. In 2011, he and two wealthy investors sought to purchase half a dozen aging buildings with a value of more than $100 million. But less than a year later, the deals fell through amid allegations of fraud.
Since then, Pustilnikov has built up his portfolio, and made moves last year to buy 1,500 Skid Row apartments.

His efforts to run one of the largest collections of supportive housing units in Los Angeles have faced some difficulties . But he has said that, with the project, he hopes to meet the overwhelming housing need in Skid Row by filling hundreds of vacancies in the units.

Times staff writers Paige St. John and Liam Dillon contributed to this report.

[Bristolian]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

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Mystery location / somewhere Downtown.

There's an old photo album for sale on eBay that includes the following snapshot.

Seller's description of the album:..."Vintage Charlie Chaplin? Blythe Desert Center Los Angeles CA Photo Album 1930s"

Looking at the eclectic eBay photo album from e_r's post I noticed these two images.





I know I'm venturing outside of Los Angeles here but my daughter lives in the Phoenix area and I make the drive out there quite regularly and am curious whenever I pass Desert Center about at the halfway mark. The milages on the sign post put it at Desert Center. This decaying hulk of a gas station still sits on the frontage road, Ragsdale Road named for the family who owned and developed Desert Center, on the north side of Interstate 10. It is clearly visible from the 10 today.


GSV

This one also still sits on Ragsdale Road, a bit east and actually in what is left of the town.

GSV

Desert center story here: https://www.desertsun.com/in-depth/life/...certain-future-desert-center/7694206002/

The modernization of the highway has changed the routing of the roads slightly but I feel that one of these two relics may be the replacement of Desert Center Garage from the photo album. I think the second one, in town is more likely.

[ethereal_reality]

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Very cool discovery, Bristolian. ..I'm glad someone (you) looked into those two photos from the album. ..Thanks!





This snapshot of a top hatted gentleman is also in the 'faux-Chaplin' album...I feel as if he might be a silent film actor.




Does he look familiar to anyone?



Let's take a closer look at his mug.



odinthor are those Dahlias he's holding?


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[odinthor]

The leaves (which would decide the matter) are obscured. Dahlias would be possible, e_r, as they take on all sorts of forms; Chrysanthemums would perhaps be my first choice though as they would be more common of a flower in that era to find in a florist's shop than Dahlias would be.

[ethereal_reality]

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Thanks, odinthor. I always appreciate your insightful help.

Originally Posted by Scott Charles

By the way, is that a push broom lying in the street?

Good eye, Scott Charles, I definitely didn't notice the push broom. I thought the head of the broom was a 'stop gap' for a rail car.


Oh, and thanks for figuring out the location via the Columbia Building, odinthor and HossC.

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[ethereal_reality]

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DON'S and MOM'S, a mystery location.


A small group of negatives have been listed on eBay.

Seller's description:.."14 Org 1963 LAMTA LOS ANGELES TROLLEY TRANSIT STREETCAR Railway Photo Negatives."



I'm going to concentrated on this one for the time being.


small group of engatives


Hmm, do you think there are enough clues to figure out the location?



oops, I almost forgot.

the seller included the envelopes but it's difficult to tell which envelope goes to which negative.




Get busy you lazy good-for-nothings.
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[ethereal_reality]

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And here's my 2nd favorite from the same group of negatives.



Note the Coffee Shop. (I love coffee)

I certainly hope the building is still standing.
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[ethereal_reality]

Detail of the above negative/photograph.


I couldn't help myself.



The seller says the negatives are all from 1963 but the two women (judging by their hats) look like they're dressed more like flappers.




Maybe they're in some sort of cult.




...
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[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

And here's my 2nd favorite from the same group of negatives.



Note the Coffee Shop. (I love coffee)

I certainly hope the building is still standing.

It is still standing. The Marietta Apartments were at 802 N Vermont Avenue with Marietta Grocery at 804. The Continental Coffee Shop was at 808 N Vermont Avenue.

The streetcar is is turning from Monroe Street, so this is from the middle envelope on the left.


GSV