noirish Los Angeles

[Earl Boebert]

I'm surprised that nobody has picked up on Larry Harnisch's latest noir story, "The Masked Marvel Murder." So I will do the td;dr bit:

Actor David G.G. Bacon, who appeared in Republic's "Masked Marvel" serial, was found knifed to death in his car in a bean field near Venice.

He lived at 8444 Magnolia Avenue with his wive, Greta Keller, who was 11 years his senior and 5 months pregnant.

He had been busted for "contributing to the delinquency of a minor:" a 15 year old newsboy.

It was discovered that he rented a secret hideaway at 8481 Kirkwood Avenue.

That's as far as Larry has gotten so far (www.ladailymirror.com) but come on, peeps, how much noirish can you get?

Cheers,

Earl

[Wig-Wag]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Largest gas tank in the world at the time 1926


ebay

Does anyone know where this behemoth was located?

-notice the small house at it's base. How would you have liked to live in the shadow of this thing? -pretty frightening.
also interesting is the 'Hermosa' billboard.

ER, I would hazard a guess that it was part of the Los Angeles Gas Company located opposite LA Union station.

See: http://americanfilmnoir.com/page21.html

Cheers,
Jack

[Barry Bird]

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson

This is a Hudson Bomber bound for lend-lease in Great Britain. My mother and Aunt Evelyn rode the street cars from Sunset and Silverlake Blvds everyday to work on these ungainly, but durable planes. Because of my mother's small stature (she was barely 5') she could fit in the tight quarters in the cockpit and wire the radios in.


Maybe they are both in this picture...


lockheed_1940s_hollywood_way
wesclark.com

Looks like maybe the day shift is getting off and the swing shift is coming in...

Oops!! Not a Hudson bomber, it's a Boeing 247, America's 1st modern airliner.
1st flight Feb 1933 and Introduced May 1933 with 75 being built....

[JeffDiego]

Earl:
Thanks for the info. on the mysterious "Masked Marvel Murder." Very interesting and ultra-L.A. noirish.

[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Largest gas tank in the world at the time 1926


ebay

Does anyone know where this behemoth was located?

-notice the small house at it's base. How would you have liked to live in the shadow of this thing? -pretty frightening.
also interesting is the 'Hermosa' billboard.

Originally Posted by Wig-Wag

ER, I would hazard a guess that it was part of the Los Angeles Gas Company located opposite LA Union station.

See: http://americanfilmnoir.com/page21.html

The person selling the picture advertised it as Long Beach, but I agree with Wig-Wag. Beaudry posted several news clippings about the gas holders back in post #3592, including the one below. The date fits with e_r's picture, and it includes the claim to be the "World's Largest" in the headline.

Originally Posted by Beaudry

May 13, 1925:

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by Barry Bird

Oops!! Not a Hudson bomber, it's a Boeing 247, America's 1st modern airliner.
1st flight Feb 1933 and Introduced May 1933 with 75 being built....

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson

I stand corrected. The single stabilizer was the tip-off...

as other than that, the two planes are very similar. What was a Boeing 247 doing at Lockheed?

Originally Posted by Earl Boebert

I think the picture was taken at the Union Air Terminal.

And then there was . . .


Stress testing with specially designated stress testing equipment. No opinion offered as to what aircraft or aircraft company was responsible for this lift structure, but how may attempts were made to get the Massey Harris airborne.
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics40/00069782.jpg http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=8902

[ConstructDTLA]

NVM I guess.

[ethereal_reality]

I was surprised to find this art deco gem in an out-of-the-way place.

GSV

-note the impressive rooftop flag pole


-it is located southeast of downtown/where mateo ends at 15th st.

google_aerial



-that's it in the center. you can see the blue-gray tower.

google_earth



-it somewhat resembles a small city hall or a department store.

GSV

nice lines

GSV


I'm hoping someone can help me decipher the name that used to be above the entrance.

-it looks like...hmmm...maybe... Baker R. something?

detail/GSV
__



I just found out the building is/was for sale

http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/17831...os-Angeles-CA/


http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/17831...os-Angeles-CA/

[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I'm hoping someone can help me decipher the name that used to be above the entrance.

-it looks like...hmmm...maybe... Baker R. something?

detail/GSV

The writing said "BARTH & DREYFUSS". They were a large textile company.

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks HossC! -you're awfully good at this.


Jan. 15, 1932 pan right--->


ebay

I was hoping to be able to read that street sign.
__

[ethereal_reality]

'The Good Ship Grace' at 2432 Hyperion Avenue, Silver Lake

GSV



-once known as the Haven of Rest Radio Studio

http://wikimapia.org/11935459/the-Good-Ship-Grace

some history

http://www.americanradiohistory.com/




'The Good Ship Grace' looking a little worse for wear in 1999.

Jesus E. Segado at http://www.skyscrapercity.com/
via http://www.you-are-here.com/building/ministry.html
__

[HossC]

I spotted this postcard on Ebay recently, and I can't find it in any previous postings. It's the Motel de Ville, 1123 West 7th Street.



Ebay

Knowing how the parallel blocks of nearby Wilshire and 6th have changed since this era, I thought there was little chance of finding it still standing. How wrong I was. The current owners have even made use of the original strange shapes on the blade sign. The only things that are missing are the pointy wall sign and the stone wall on the roadside building.


GSV

The Hotel Commodore/Commodore Apartments in the background look like the sort of place where something noirish might have happened. It's been there since at least the early '20s, but I haven't seen it mentioned before. I thought e_r might like the large roof sign .

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

'The Good Ship Grace' at 2432 Hyperion Avenue, Silver Lake

GSV



-once known as the Haven of Rest Radio Studio

Good grief....a ship marooned in a sea of grass in Silverlake.! Only in LA.

[CityBoyDoug]

Not sure if this has been posted before.


DOH

Detail

DOH

[CityBoyDoug]

From the RKO film "The Racket"...1951

Grand Ave. seen in the background.



RKO

[ethereal_reality]

Interesting photos CBD!

Originally Posted by HossC

I thought e_r might like the large roof sign .

-and you are correct sir. I believe the Commodore sign might be the largest rooftop sign left in all of Los Angeles!
__

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by HossC

The Hotel Commodore/Commodore Apartments in the background look like the sort of place where something noirish might have happened. It's been there since at least the early '20s.

-HossC, while snooping around in the area, I noticed an intriguing 'noirish' relic in the shadow of the Commodore sign.

-while the Commodore is located on 7th & Lucas, this wooden anomaly is on the same block, at the southeast corner of Lucas & Ingraham.

google_earth

looking northeast on Lucas.

GSV

-along Lucas Street

GSV

close-up/aerial view.

google_earth

the complex seems to have been built around this house on Ingraham. (note the Commodore sign between the eaves)

GSV

Can you imagine the noirish stories associated with this sprawling place from the turn of the century?
(I'd love to explore in it's various basements...and attics)
__

[Chuckaluck]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Jan. 15, 1932 pan right--->


ebay

I was hoping to be able to read that street sign.
__

Fascinating image. To my tired oculars, one of the street sign names has four letters and the building's address seems to be "2201."

Bbbbrrrrrrrr.

At first I mistook the snow for sand, something reminiscent of Manhattan Beaches' sand dunes (bottom) or somewhere in the desert. But the'32 date as the first recorded snowfall - throws me. No doubt '32 was a memorable winter, but pictures of Chaplin Studio's snow-covered frontage are dated '21, preceding the "first" allegedly recorded snowfall by 12 years. One might expect that snow on La Brea probably meant a few flakes nearby Hollywood? The LATimes reported that on January 15, 1932 downtown received 2" snowfall for the first time in 50 years. http://articles.latimes.com/2005/mar...surroundings10

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics08/00013599.jpg


(On the left side of the street there are several posts that could easily serve as hosts to parking meters. Given the date ('21) approximately two decades prior to the employment of meters, is there an obvious purpose for these posts? Fencing, ropeline, hitching posts?)
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics08/00013600.jpg

The Huntington's Iconic Japanese Garden was hit by the January '32 snow storm too.

http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single...8/id/297/rec/8






Evidently, there was skiing at the pre-Hollywood Bowl (during construction in the '20s) Per source, snow was man-made.
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics37/00053093.jpg




Manhattan Beach
http://activerain.com/image_store/up...2806782468.jpg

[Chuckaluck]

Pyroil, the wonder gas!


1932 - 1070 East Walnut, Pasadena (Currently occupied by Scientific Automotive (?))

For viewing difficulties: http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single...id/2845/rec/10

[Chuckaluck]

Mineral Water on Vine Street? I feel better already!


For viewing difficulties: http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single...id/4185/rec/17














1932




Of course there is always one skeptic watching from a nearby roof.