noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

1940s

Originally Posted by VictorAtomic

More recently the home was photoshopped with Rapper Iggy Azalea standing in front of it.

Thanks for pointing this out VictorAtomic, I surely would have missed it.

Makes me wonder how this obscure house caught the attention of the Azalea graphic designers.

[odinthor]

Adding a little to oldstuff's interesting info on Martin Wetzel (which piqued my interest), all but one of the following from the Los Angeles Times via ProQuest via the CSULB Library, not including items of little interest (political hoopla, mainly):

--10/6/1882: Wetzel is reported as having left "on Wednesday evening for Louisville, Kentucky, his old home." Either he was indeed born in Kentucky, or--trying to square it with my info from the 1870 census--he was born in Germany but the parental family early on came to Kentucky where he was brought up.

--9/22/1886: Rather cryptic: "The first thing done last evening on the re-assembling of the convention was to collect $1 from each of the 199 delegates present, Martin Wetzel pushing his favorite motion to a triumphant conclusion." Wetzel had been elected a delegate to the county Republican convention.

--3/23/1889: reported as having been made inspector of street sprinkling.

--7/5/1889: “The son of Martin Wetzel was badly hurt yesterday by a shooting instrument made by his own hands. He took a large cartridge shell and drilling a hole in the drum end, he loaded it with powder and rock, and placing the cartridge in a wooden stock, used his improvised gun for shooting cats and other things. The last load, however, was too heavy for the gun and it exploded. A portion of the shell struck the boy in the forehead, making a severe cut. Dr. Allen dressed the wound and says it is serious.”

--9/21/1893: “The chief reported that after the fire on the 16th inst., Assistant Chief McMahon suspended Capt. Martin Wetzel for being dilatory in picking up hose, and when spoken to about it, answered in an insolent manner.”

--12/7/1893: “It is understood, however, that the session was for the purpose of discussing certain charges against Martin Wetzel, of engine company No. 2, located on Sixteenth street. […] Just what the charges against Wetzel are have not been made public, but it is stated that he is charged with a violation of rule 27 of the department, which rule is in reference to intoxication.”

--And this from the Los Angeles Herald of 8/17/1898: “Martin Wetzel, a motorman on the electric road, was terribly injured this evening at about 6:15 oclock at the Chestnut street rendezvous. He was coupling two cars when, owing to a miscalculation, they came together and caught him and pinned him. His groin and leg were terribly bruised and lacerated and the organs were fearfully wrenched and crunched before the cars could be separated and the man released. He was brought at once to the receiving hospital and attended by Dr. Hodge, the company’s surgeon, and by Nurse Joraschky, who has had much experience with cases of the kind. Wetzel is a popular man on the road and has a family living on Daly street in Los Angeles.”

--I unfortunately didn't note down the date, but the second son who died--the one who had accidentally killed his brother--was killed in an industrial accident in which--as I believe they expressed it--due to his pluck, in having gotten entangled in machinery, he tried to extricate himself rather than to call out for help.

[ethereal_reality]

Excellent research on Martin Wetzel oldstuff and odinthor!

I wish the person that wrote Martin Wetzel's name on the back had placed a x by his photograph.




Here's a thought, if the photographs were placed in the composite alphabetically, perhaps Mr. Wetzel is one of the gentlemen at lower right.
__











I just realized oldstuff provided a link to a photograph of Martin Wetzel!



He doesn't appear to resemble any of the men on the composite.
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[Beaudry]

Sooooooo, you owe it to yourselves to immediately go here

http://digitallibrary.californiahist...landora%3A1015

as you will not be disappointed. Just one incredibly rare and previously unseen shot after another. By way of random example, Ninth and Gladys:

calhistorical


More info on it here.

[HossC]

Just like yesterday's Julius Shulman post, this one shows a theater designed by S Charles Lee. Unlike yesterday, we know where this one was. This is "Job Lee-LL: Lakewood Theatre (Lakewood, Calif.), 1946".



This time the auditorium is empty.



The last picture shows a close-up of the design on the wall.



All from Getty Research Institute

The theater's page at cinematreasures.org has some interesting information and more photos, but unfortunately they have the wrong address. This error is pointed out in the comments, but even the correction contains a spelling mistake in the address. The theater actually stood at 4501 E Carson Street, on the corner of Norse Way. From the article:

According to Maggie Valentine’s book “The Show Starts On The Sidewalk” the Lakewood Theatre was originally a theatre and town hall in Quincy, a town in California, which architect S. Charles Lee had designed. Due to a wartime restriction on building materials, in 1945 Lee had the wood sections of the building dismantled and moved to Long Beach and reassembled with brick and steel to construct a building seating 1,124. Movie listings show that for more than 30 years it was and independent theater.

The Lakewood apparently had a controversial time as the Pussycat Theatre, but went back to showing family movies before it closed. It was later demolished, and a 1991 office building now stands in its place.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by HossC

Lakewood Theatre (Lakewood, Calif.), 1946".

getty

The theater stood at 4501 E Carson Street, on the corner of Norse Way.

___________________________________________________________

Hoss, I thought you'd like this image. I happened upon it last night while going through some of my old files.


old file / ebay

There's your Lakewood Theater at the end of the block---->

(I haven't checked to see if any of the other buildings are still standing)

Att first I thought that was a cocktail lounge down by the theater, but now I think it says Pest Control.

As you know I like to find old noirish watering holes....pest control not so much

__

[esotouric]

You anticipate me, Beaudry!

As our friendly long dead mayor observes, I've blogged about a few of the more astonishing discoveries in the recently digitized Anton Wagner archive of 1932-33 greater Los Angeles photos, shot as reference material for his doctoral thesis on the impact of regional topography on living patterns of our residents. We'll have to wait several more years for the Getty's translation of his book, but in the meanwhile... what a delightful and surprising collection the California Historical Society has made available.

Don't click if you have work to do. It's addicting. Here's the liquidation sale at the Oviatt Building, ferchrissake!

Originally Posted by Beaudry

Sooooooo, you owe it to yourselves to immediately go here

http://digitallibrary.californiahist...landora%3A1015

as you will not be disappointed. Just one incredibly rare and previously unseen shot after another.... More info on it here.

[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Hoss, I thought you'd like this image. I happened upon it last night while going through some of my old files.


old file / ebay

(I haven't checked to see if any of the other buildings are still standing)

Thanks for the color picture of the Lakewood, e_r. At least some of the drugstore building survives - the front has been changed in the last few years. Back in 2008 it was painted turquoise! The old Peoples Bank building is also still standing.


GSV

[odinthor]

Originally Posted by HossC

Thanks for the color picture of the Lakewood, e_r. At least some of the drugstore building survives - the front has been changed in the last few years. Back in 2008 it was painted turquoise! The old Peoples Bank building is also still standing.


GSV

Gee, I lived just down the street from here for four years. It was when I was age 0-4, so unfortunately or fortunately I can't regale y'all with recollections or anecdotes. But my owner's manual issued at my birth requires that I do the following on occasions such as this, so, if you please [clears voice], ahem: "Yayyy, Lakewood!" OK, thank you for your patience, that will be all.

[ethereal_reality]

Here's an illustration by S. Charles Lee of the Lakewood Theater.


http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4741/photos/78642

It's interesting to see how it differs from what was actually built.



Value-engineered.

getty
Originally posted by HossC

__

[ethereal_reality]

'mystery' oven.


Glass-encased "Radio Snack Bar" at one of the Curries locations in Los Angeles [1946]


personal file / 2008




Any idea what this thing is?

detail

There's some sort of metal cylinder on top while inside the glass box there are twin tubes(?) and various 'bells & whistles'.

Prototype of the microwave?
__

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

'mystery' oven.
Any idea what this thing is?

detail

There's some sort of metal cylinder on top while inside the glass box there are twin tubes(?) and various 'bells & whistles'.


Prototype of the microwave?.
__

Well ER that is really cool. It could be a prototype because heat from Navy ship radar was discovered in 1945.
It looks a bit dangerous...was there shielding?

I saw my first microwave oven in a restaurant in Alhambra, CA. The owner took our family back to the kitchen to see the new wonder. This was back in 1954 and the owner Mr. Twohey was very proud of his new machine which was as big as a kitchen refrigerator. It stood almost 6 feet tall.


wiki files


gsv

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by Beaudry

You owe it to yourselves to immediately go here

http://digitallibrary.californiahist...landora%3A1015

Heeding your advice, here are a few shots of familiar terrain: Wilshire Blvd., La Brea Ave., Beverly Blvd. and La Cienega. A welcome supplement.





December '32Wilshire and New Hampshire
http://digitallibrary.californiahistoricalsociety.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A1224?solr_nav[id]=7ceb0d7aa20524d9f2c7&solr_nav[page]=0&solr_nav[offset]





December 1932 Wilshire and La Brea
http://digitallibrary.californiahistoricalsociety.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A1019?solr_nav[id]=7ceb0d7aa20524d9f2c7&solr_nav[page]=0&solr_nav[offset]




La Brea and Romaine. Crush that rock.
http://digitallibrary.californiahistoricalsociety.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A1275?solr_nav[id]=db84c7a54b7cb954dc64&solr_nav[page]=0&solr_nav[offset]





La Brea, north of Sunset (Chaplin's Studio would be behind the camera)
http://digitallibrary.californiahistoricalsociety.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A1414?solr_nav[id]=db84c7a54b7cb954dc64&solr_nav[page]=0&solr_nav[offset]



December '32Wilshire and Hauser
http://digitallibrary.californiahistoricalsociety.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A1100?solr_nav[id]=7ceb0d7aa20524d9f2c7&solr_nav[page]=0&solr_nav[offset]






January '33Wilshire looking west past Fairfax
http://digitallibrary.californiahistoricalsociety.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A1222?solr_nav[id]=7ceb0d7aa20524d9f2c7&solr_nav[page]=0&solr_nav[offset]










La Cienega near Beverly Blvd.






December '32 Oil derricks somewhere on or near Beverly Boulevard.
http://digitallibrary.californiahistoricalsociety.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A1413?solr_nav[id]=7ceb0d7aa20524d9f2c7&solr_nav[page]=0&solr_nav[offset]

[ProphetM]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here's an illustration by S. Charles Lee of the Lakewood Theater.


http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4741/photos/78642

It's interesting to see how it differs from what was actually built.



Value-engineered.

getty
Originally posted by HossC

__

Just as he was not above recycling the wood from another building, it seems that S. Charles Lee was not above a little recycling when it came to design as well! I give you the Huntridge Theater, Las Vegas, Nevada:


Photobucket

The Huntridge opened in October 1944, the year before the Lakewood, and although it also didn't get everything from the concept drawing, it did at least get the porthole in the pylon. And unlike the Lakewood, the Huntridge is still standing!


GSV

This photo shows both the Huntridge and a large retail building built later, that is attached to its right side. The theater building itself has the marquee at the corner, just like the Lakewood. That front corner also has a flagpole as in the concept drawing.

The Huntridge has been both a movie theater and a performance venue, and has been on the National Register since 1993. It suffered a roof collapse in 1995, thankfully several hours *before* it was to be used for a concert. Punk rock group Circle Jerks set up and played anyway, in the parking lot. As the subject of inadequate maintenance and on-again, off-again attempts at restoration, the Huntridge has had a rough time of it since then. It closed most recently in 2004. The most recent threat to its demolition was averted through a fundraiser in 2012, but unfortunately it has not reopened. It did get some exterior paint/freshening in 2013, though. It's much loved by the community but it's still kind of in limbo.


GSV

The pylon is wedge-shaped, by the way - it's wider at the back than it is at the front. The googlemobile drove all the way around it through the side parking lot/alley, so take a look around if you like:
https://goo.gl/maps/RV4t8FDtFi42

On both the front and the back side you can see indented wall segments, much like those on the front of the Lakewood.

[FredH]

Originally Posted by odinthor

It was that rival carriage/freightage firms (Phineas Banning vs., um, John Tomlinson I think) in the 1850s would race up to L.A. from taking on passengers at the docks in San Pedro, the end point being that point of Main St. at which, on one side, was the Bella Union Hotel, and on the other the Lafayette Hotel (there was a Halfway House in what is now Compton where they'd take a break on their way). The final stretch was that diagonal bit of San Pedro St. Adding to the fun, the abundant stray dogs of L.A. would chase the carriages, barking and howling. The rival passengers, 'tis said, would bet on the outcome. (The gist of the preceding is drawn from Harris Newmark's and Horace Bell's books.) Me, I'd bet that the passengers on both sides were considerably tumbled up by the time they stepped out of the coaches in L.A.

Ha! Thanks. That sounds real close to the old story I remember reading years ago.

And thanks HossC for those great maps. I wonder why they kept renaming the street.

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by Flyingwedge

Today it's at 2091 S. Harvard Blvd. -- with the Santa Monica Freeway across the street -- but when it was built by James Cuzner of the Kerckhoff-Cuzner Mill and Lumber Company, it was at 1991 S. Harvard.

The Los Angeles County Assessor website says this house was built in 1904 and that the house next to it was built in 1905; since the lot next door looks empty, I'll say this is a c. 1904 photo (although there are cracks near that small 3rd floor window, and zooming in reveals what looks like recent repair work):

USC Digital Library -- http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...5/id/502/rec/2


GSV

A new view of the Cuzner house, circa 1932-33... usually I want to take a chainsaw to vegetation obscuring architecture, but here mature landscaping gives the house much more of a settled air than is seen in other images.


CHS

[FredH]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

'mystery' oven.


Glass-encased "Radio Snack Bar" at one of the Curries locations in Los Angeles [1946]


personal file / 2008




Any idea what this thing is?

detail

There's some sort of metal cylinder on top while inside the glass box there are twin tubes(?) and various 'bells & whistles'.

Prototype of the microwave?
__

I'm not sure what this contraption was, but it looks dangerous...

,,,and that woman looks like Nurse Ratched

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

It's interesting to see how it differs from what was actually built.

Value-engineered.
________________________________

Originally Posted by HossC

According to Maggie Valentine’s book “The Show Starts On The Sidewalk” the Lakewood Theatre was originally a theatre and town hall in Quincy, a town in California, which architect S. Charles Lee had designed. Due to a wartime restriction on building materials, in 1945 Lee had the wood sections of the building dismantled and moved to Long Beach and reassembled...

________________________________

It's interesting to ponder that fact. That almost nothing new except war related things were allowed to be built or manufactured for a few years. Can you imagine how people would react in the U.S. now if they were told they couldn't do something?

I remember when I saw a screening of Hitchcock's film Shadow of a Doubt at AMPAS's Goldwyn Theatre several years ago. The evening's host mentioned that the 1943 film was mostly shot on location because they couldn't build all of the interior sets that Hitchcock wanted because of the restriction on building materials mentioned above.

Turns out, though, that if you want to see what a typical smaller town was like in the U.S. during WWII, watch this film. (On the big screen, of course!) Quite wonderful, especially a scene in a bar/restaurant with a waitress who, I believe, was one of several people they decided to cast who lived in Santa Rosa.

[FredH]

This is a 1933 photo from the great website that Beaudry found:


http://digitallibrary.californiahist...landora%3A1396

The caption reads: Piano box and L-shaped houses on Court Street circle


We discussed Court Circle at length a few years back. As you recall, it disappeared underneath the Harbor Freeway.


Historic Aerials


Historic Aerials


Historic Aerials

[Earl Boebert]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

'mystery' oven.


Glass-encased "Radio Snack Bar" at one of the Curries locations in Los Angeles [1946]


personal file / 2008




Any idea what this thing is?

detail

There's some sort of metal cylinder on top while inside the glass box there are twin tubes(?) and various 'bells & whistles'.

Prototype of the microwave?
__

Here's the obit of a guy who worked on the thing:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&GRid=41610530

Since it's lighting a fluorescent bulb in one of the pictures in the obit, looks like it generates RF instead of microwaves for heating.

Cheers,

Earl