Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Handsome Stranger
[Source: BBC]
Could it be the same frame? I suspect as much. Could it possibly be the same corner as well?
|
I think somebody's got the wrong corner!
The close-up of the picture frame billboard in the BBC shot puts it on the northwest corner of Wilshire and Fairfax - diagonally across from the current site of the Peterson Auto Museum (where Hoss theorizes the frame was). You clearly see Johnie's Coffee Shop in the background of the BBC "recreation" shot.
Here's a view of Johnie's today (from GSV):
I cropped it wide so that you can see the street signs and the May Building (LACMA) across the street. The neon signs and roofline visible in the BBC shot are clearly still there on the Johnie's building today.
Johnie's is no longer operational, but fans of Googie architecture will rejoice that the building was designated a historic landmark in 2013. There are plans to put a Metro stop on that corner, so hopefully it can be done with sensitivity to the building.
Now, Johnie's was opened in 1956 and wasn't actually named Johnie's until the early 1960s. So that limits the timeframe in the BBC shot - it's not as early as the story it's telling.
However, if it is the right corner, then the current building to the left of Johnie's down Wilshire is 6111 Wilshire and the Marinello School of Beauty. The building looks to be the right footprint and general shape as the drama school, albeit significantly updated. However, based on the original Macao photo, seems to be too far away from the corner. Was there a drama school on Wilshire in that block in 1951?
Here's a bit of Marinello's next to Johnie's today (from GSV):
amy!