noirish Los Angeles

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by MartinTurnbull

Apparently this shot of Wilshire Blvd was taken in August 1962.

But can anyone help me identify which stretch of it? I thought perhaps that tall black tower on the right with the vertical sign saying "STORAGE" might be a clue...?

Looking east from 9111 Wilshire

[Beaudry]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here are the three photographs of the Ponet Square Hotel [1971] I had planned to post a couple weeks ago...but didn't. I don't think we have seen before. (I could be wrong)

All from flickr

#1


_

First off let me say T-Men is my new favorite film, and I haven't even seen it. To your question about the pronunciation of gasometer, I always say gas-AH'-meh-ter, and no-one's ever corrected me (but they often ask what the hell I'm talking about).

Anyway, I wanted to add these two screengrabs from the A L Haley book; we saw them here but these are a bit clearer.






LA Times, April 1, 1906—the original two-story version; Ponet took out a building contract for another floor that October:

[HossC]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Looking east from 9111 Wilshire

You beat me to it, GW. Here's the "now" view that I had ready:


GSV

Wilshiremart (on the right of the original photo between the "Storage" and "Liquor" signs) was at 9100 Wilshire Boulevard, so we're looking east from near S Oakhurst Drive.

[corriganville]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Thanks corriganvilleand Hoss for finding that--the odd streetlamp made me wonder if it wasn't on a backlot somewhere. Only a few episodes after Building 86 was seen as the Lodestar Apartments, its entrance made a cameo as the Ogden Apartments:

Then there were the "Dorman Apartments"...perhaps another studio building?

It appears to be the old Executive Building 88, the west side, on the 20th Century Fox Studio lot.

Jerry

[HossC]

I came to the same conclusion, corriganville, but unlike Building 86, I didn't find many pictures of the Old Executive Building. Added to that, trees now hide a lot of the rear, which I think is the side used as the "Dorman Apartments" (the front is further from the road - see below). Google Maps would've let me spin around to get a better angle, but I went for a clearer image from Bing.


Bing Maps

Here's the grander front view.


Bing Maps

[corriganville]

Originally Posted by HossC

I came to the same conclusion, corriganville, but unlike Building 86, I didn't find many pictures of the Old Executive Building. Added to that, trees now hide a lot of the rear, which I think is the side used as the "Dorman Apartments" (the front is further from the road - see below). Google Maps would've let me spin around to get a better angle, but I went for a clearer image from Bing.


Bing Maps

Here's the grander front view.


Bing Maps

There is a new book out entitled "Twentieth Century Fox: A Century of Entertainment" by Michael Troyan, Jeffrey Paul Thompson, and Stephen X. Sylvester. The book is highly recommended for all of its images and information. Huge book. There are a lot of photos of building 88 in it.

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by HossC

You beat me to it, GW. Here's the "now" view that I had ready:


GSV

Wilshiremart (on the right of the original photo between the "Storage" and "Liquor" signs) was at 9100 Wilshire Boulevard, so we're looking east from near S Oakhurst Drive.
____________________________________________________

The building in the left center of this photo was a very famous Beverly Hills restaurant for nearly thirty years. Kate Mantillini. (9101 Wilshire Blvd.) It closed in 2014. Though the building itself is pretty non-descript, the clientele was not. I had a friend who worked there for 15 years, maybe longer. I know they filmed scenes for the movie HEAT (Pacino & DeNiro) there as well.

[MartinTurnbull]

I love how the Ken Murray Blackouts proudly proclaim their 3rd year. This shot is from 1944 so I wonder if they realized they'd run until 1949. I also love that we can see the distinct shape of the Brown Derby neon sign way in the background.

[HossC]

Originally Posted by Handsome Stranger

More noirish frame grabs! These are from T-Men (1947) which I viewed this past weekend. There are oodles of location shots. Some locations are obvious, others obscure.

I'm only about halfway through 'T-Men' (fun movie BTW), but I've worked out this location. Here's an interior shot.



Although the montage cuts in as the camera pans right, the Terminal Annex Building is clearly visible in the background. The Biscailuz Building is hidden by trees in the center.



That means that our mystery store is Firehouse #1, seen here as Tai Wo Tong Co.


LAPL

Here's an undated look across the Plaza from around the time that the movie was filmed.


Detail from USC Digital Library

We actually get a look at the firehouse a little earlier in the picture when it's visible at the top of Ferguson Alley.

"And so with a hazy mental picture of a vague character called 'The Schemer', Agent O'Brien arrived in Los Angeles to start the 2nd major phase of the investigation. He began the hunt for the elusive Schemer in Ferguson's [sic] Alley in a part of Old Chinatown across from Los Angeles Station."


All screengrabs Edward Small Productions/Reliance Pictures

[ethereal_reality]

Wow Hoss! You earned a 'Joan'

[Scott Charles]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

The building in the left center of this photo was a very famous Beverly Hills restaurant for nearly thirty years. Kate Mantillini. (9101 Wilshire Blvd.) It closed in 2014. Though the building itself is pretty non-descript, the clientele was not. I had a friend who worked there for 15 years, maybe longer. I know they filmed scenes for the movie HEAT (Pacino & DeNiro) there as well.

Kate Mantilini was one of my favorite restaurants. When I would see a movie at Laemmle's Music Hall across the street I'd usually have dinner at Kate Mantilini. I was saddened (and surprised) when I discovered that the restaurant had been shut down.

As a long-time boxing fan, one of my favorite things about the restaurant was the large mural they had of the 1985 world middleweight championship fight between “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler and Thomas “Hitman” Hearns.

link

link

From the muralist's website:

The way the story was told to me: Kate Mantilini was a boxing promoter in LA back in the 1930’s (a rarity in those days). A striking brunette, sporting red nails, she reportedly slept with a gun underneath her pillow. Owner Marilyn Lewis dedicated this restaurant to her mentor. She requested that a boxing themed mural be included to honor Kate. Thom Mayne and Michael Rotundi of Morphosis wanted a distinctive clean design. Thom suggested the inclusion of a ballerina…

Based on the classic middleweight match between Marvin Hagler and Tommy “Hitman” Hearns, the painting developed into a visual music composition in my mind and on paper, the ghostly dancer a hallucinatory representative of the black lights of unconsciousness. Morphosis also designed the orrery sculpture on the far end, which encapsulates various fragments of the building including the flying curve mural wall. The mural was painted in situ while the restaurant was being constructed, work the 2 – 10 p.m. shift, overlapping with the construction crew.

My dog, Sawdust, sleeps on the floor. Three weeks after I finished the painting, my son was born. Thanks, Susan.

Marvin Mervel was the supervising architect who made all this work, and Adam Lewis helped keep his mom Marilyn’s dream alive for 27 years. He told me the story that Marvin came in for dinner, saw the painting – and fell off his chair.

I wish I could have been there.

http://troutinhand.com/public-space/knockout/

[odinthor]

When--as always--searching for something else, I ran across in a lengthy story about Mr. Wrigley's purchase of Catalina this interesting bit about a hotel which was proposed for the Sugar Loaf peninsula (where the Casino was ultimately built). Pic and text image extracted and touched up.


L.A. Times of 2/13/1919, via ProQuest via CSULB Library

Its designed connection to the upper part of the adjoining slope, near where the Chimes tower is today, is an interesting feature, and would have been quite useful.

(And we see that we are hard upon the hundredth anniversary of the Wrigley purchase of Catalina, which went through February 12, 1919.)

[ethereal_reality]

Very interesting odinthor. I've never heard of this proposal before [now]

I have to say..the size of Mr. Wrigley's proposed hotel makes Sugar Loaf look a bit pitiful.

(that's suppose to be it on the left, correct?)

_

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by Scott Charles

Kate Mantilini was a boxing promoter in LA back in the 1930’s (a rarity in those days). A striking brunette, sporting red nails...
_________________________________________________________________

I was never able to find a photograph of her.

Originally Posted by Scott Charles

Kate Mantilini was one of my favorite restaurants. When I would see a movie at Laemmle's Music Hall across the street I'd usually have dinner at Kate Mantilini. I was saddened (and surprised) when I discovered that the restaurant had been shut down.

From the muralist's website:

_________________________________________________________________

Apparently it was both of the sons, described by the employees there as "idiots", who were ultimately responsible for the restaurant closing. The mother didn't want to run it any more and turned it over to the sons who didn't want to, either. Nor did they want to sell the business to anyone else. I was told that many of the numerous regular patrons wanted to buy it or take it over. The sons just wanted money and so they shut it down and, as yet, I don't believe they've sold the property to anyone else. Did I say "idiots?"

Remember the scenes from the movie L.A. STORY when everyone is talking about the new French restaurant all the rich and famous are going to in Beverly Hills and to our ears the name of it sounds like Lee-dee-oh's and then we see the neon name of the restaurant and it turns out to be: L'idiot...heh!

[odinthor]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Very interesting odinthor. I've never heard of this proposal before [now]

I have to say..the size of Mr. Wrigley's proposed hotel makes sugarloaf rock look a bit pitiful.

(that's suppose to be it on the left, correct?)

_

Yep, e_r, a surprising new one on me, too. It would be sacrilege to say anything against the Casino; but I almost wish the hotel had been built as planned. I think it would have had a lasting and good effect on Avalon's economy.

Yes, poor Sugar Loaf. I have a soft spot in my heart for that ugly rock!

[ethereal_reality]

Sugar Loaf's observation deck wouldn't have been as much of a tourist draw with a hotel towering over it right next door.

calisphere

I'm still amazed that women climbed those steep stairs wearing the huge dresses and petticoats. (or is it Penifores?) -be right back

__

[Handsome Stranger]

HossC, thanks for the follow-ups on T-Men. Much appreciated! I agree that it's a fun movie. Among the better B-movie noirs I've seen to this point.

PS - June Lockhart, then 22, shows up in the second half. She's almost completely unrecognizable.

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Sugar Loaf's observation deck wouldn't be as much of a tourist draw with a hotel towering over it right next door.



I'm still amazed that women climbed those steep stairs wearing the huge dresses and petticoats. (or is it Penifores?) -be right back

Petit Fours are a type cake that ladies serve at tea parties. Don't know what Penifores are....but they may be a type of dress that school girls wear. Hope we can get to the bottom of this.


ebay

[ethereal_reality]

You must have read my post when I typed 'Pentafore'. I googled it and immediately found out there's no T in the word. [hence the correction]
The word I meant was Penafore. (a collarless and sleeveless dress) ...sooooo I might have accidently led you astray CBD.

I should have just stuck with "huge dresses with petticoats." (I'm 99.9% sure..that the petticoats go underneath!)


Quick! someone find me a photograph of a turn-of-the-century woman climbing the damn steps.

_

[Handsome Stranger]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

Don't know what Penifores are...

I think he meant Pinafore. Here's one.