noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

That's some good sleuthing Godzilla!

If she was in silent films, I bet she used a stage name. I can't imagine her using Vittitoe.

__

[ethereal_reality]

Snapshot, Los Angeles August 1965.


eBay

I believe that's the Gower Street entrance to the old RKO Studios down the street.




I was pleased to see that the small bungalows visible in the 1965 snapshot are still there!


gsv



But there are about six of them.....so I'm not 100% sure which two appear in the vintage photograph.


here's one

detail / gsv



and here's another.

detail / gsv




Aerial showing the old RKO entrance and the line of bungalows on the opposite side of the street.


google_aerial
__

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

eBay

I was surprised to see Jean Arthur (mentioned earlier today by Martin Pal) was a featured player in "The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu" (1930).


newspaper clipping from http://www.njedge.net/~knapp/movies1.htm



Here are three shadowy publicity photos from "The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu", 1930.


http://filmnoirphotos.blogspot.com/2...an-arthur.html





http://filmnoirphotos.blogspot.com/2...an-arthur.html






http://filmnoirphotos.blogspot.com/2...an-arthur.html




and last but not least, a graphic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Re..._Dr._Fu_Manchu


__

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Snapshot, Los Angeles August 1965.

eBay
I was pleased to see that the small bungalows visible in the 1965 snapshot are still there!
But there are about six of them.....so I'm not 100% sure which two appear in the vintage photograph.
__

I think it must be No. 751 and No. 755:

gsv

P.S.

This whole group, with the possible exception of No. 751 (the only one with bars on the windows), look very cared for. I suspect they belong to the studio or related businesses. Maybe producers' bungalows or guest houses?

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

GatoVerde, I see what you're talking about now. I was deceived.


Since we're in the area....

We've seen this graceful pedestrian bridge only once before on NLA, way back on page 120 (posted by Los Angeles Past)*

I've enlarged it somewhat.



http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si.../id/5231/rec/7
__

Above we see the street side steps to the charming little bridge...lovely to be sure. But let's look below and see the terminus on the other side. It literally dumps you out into a virtual
no-man's-land. You have to clamber across a railroad right of way and over to a miniature station house. Not too people friendly. I guess you had to be tough in those days.

The concept of level boarding of trolleys was an idea that had not yet come of age back in 1935.


digitallibrary.usc.edu

[so-cal-bear]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Several months ago I asked if anyone remembered the tiny hold-out property that stood for years in front of the Pacific Design Center.
While going through some really old files of mine last night I found a photograph of it.

I remembered it as a house, but it turns out it was nothing more than a "shanty with a tar-paper roof".

Hugo's Plating, 8661 Melrose Avenue.

no doubt that's Hugo out front.

old file / possibly flickr




In this vertical photo you can see the blue glass of the Pacific Design Center behind the trees at the top.









I believe this layout from Interiors Magazine (1987) shows the location of Hugo's Plating (I placed a red arrow just below the notch in the property line)


Interiors http://socalarchhistory.blogspot.com...1_archive.html




excerpt from 1997 LATimes article

http://articles.latimes.com/1997-06-...-design-center





1998 LATimes. Bought for $450,000



http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jan/31/local/me-14008


__

That does not look like Hugo, When I was in my early 20's in the early 90's I worked in a store along Melrose Bl and Hugo was a regular customer. He was quite a character, always had fun stuff to talk about. He drove a beat up mid-80's burgundy 4 cyl Ford Mustang. He was very well spoken and courteous.

This is exactly how I remember seeing Hugo, never visited him at his Superfund toxic shack though

http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/...hoto/567416515

[ethereal_reality]

http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/...hoto/567416515

Thanks so-cal-bear.

[Earl Boebert]

Re: Mary Vittitoe of "Mary's Lighthouse"

A couple of census records show a Mary S Vittitoe of Los Angeles, born 1902, which would make her a plausible 18 at the time postcard came out.

Cheers,

Earl

[ethereal_reality]

This photograph accompanied an article about Frank Gehry's 'redesign' of the Los Angeles River. (the news just broke)http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...ry.html#page=1


http://www.latimes.com/

I'm trying to figure out what's going with the square opening and large steel cover(?) next to it. Are those 'piers' hollow?..it looks like you can see daylight through the other side.

Also look at all the cracks that have been haphazardly sealed below it.
__

[ethereal_reality]

Remember these two unsolved 'mystery' photographs?

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here are a couple enigmatic photographs from 1920s Los Angeles.

description from eBay.
"Vintage SAPS (letters on sign?) Los Angeles Aeroplane Junk-Yard Photo"


http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-SAPS...item28030d04d7

Is that Baldwin Hills in the distance?


And later in the day, I came across this second photograph.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-LOS-...item28032eb4ba

Does anyone have any ideas where this might be?
__

The seller just added a third photograph on eBay, so now hopefully we can figure out the location.



eBay

I'm leaving town for a couple days. I'll leave the sleuthing to you.

__

[HossC]

This article is from the April 1931 issue of Flying Magazine. It says that Arrigo Balboni's yard was on Riverside Drive. The 1932 CD gives the exact address as 1543 Riverside Drive.


books.google.com

And here's the man himself:

6/13/1933- Arrigo Balboni of Los Angeles poses with an airplane motor built in 1907. It is a 3-cylinder Elbridege used by Glen Martin in the 1910 air meet held in Los Angeles. The motor has no crank case, and the grease cups on the side supply lubrication for the bearings. The pilot had to return to the field every 15 minutes or so, to give the grease cups another turn. This motor was used by Glen Martin in 1910.

www.corbisimages.com

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Snapshot, Los Angeles August 1965.


eBay
__

This young lady reminds me of a 1965 version of Clara Bow.
(Who was still around at the time.)

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

This photograph accompanied an article about Frank Gehry's 'redesign' of the Los Angeles River. (the news just broke)http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...ry.html#page=1


__

Don't get me started on Frank Gehry... a non talent architect. One of his new college buildings on the east coast had to be torn down because it was impossible to maintain. That building was replaced by a ''normal'' building.

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

This young lady reminds me of a 1965 version of Clara Bow.
(Who was still around at the time.)

Note the orange circle in the color photo and the photo of Lucy and Desi leaving the Desilu Studio on Gower St.


ebay - originally posted by ER

privatelosangelestours

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I was surprised to see Jean Arthur (mentioned earlier today by Martin Pal) was a featured player in "The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu" (1930).


newspaper clipping from http://www.njedge.net/~knapp/movies1.htm
__

The same year Jean Arthur was doing her television series, Neil Hamilton was having
a bit more success playing Commissioner Gordon on the Batman television series.
___

P.S.: Also not a fan of Frank Gehry nor his designs.

[Earl Boebert]

And here's Commissioner Gordon-to-be Neil Hamilton with daughter/Batgirl-to-be Yvonne Craig in the 1958 Perry Mason "The Case of the Lazy Lover."



Cheers,

Earl

[sopas ej]

On this anniversary of the Tate-LaBianca murders, here's a collection of Rosemary LaBianca's credit cards. I guess even in 1969, women still weren't allowed to have their own credit cards? Mrs. Leno LaBianca... I don't even think I've seen a "Mr." or "Mrs." on a credit card before.

cielodrive.com

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Traffic 1954.

pan right-->


ebay

Notice the streetcar about to cross the bridge at far left. The median is already full of weeds even though the freeway is fairly new in 1954.

__

Even as a kid I was always struck by the sorry appearance of this freeway. It flows smack dab through the heart of a world class city and it looks this dreadful. Its really a poster child for an ugly freeway.

[Lwize]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

Even as a kid I was always struck by the sorry appearance of this freeway. It flows smack dab through the heart of a world class city and it looks this dreadful. Its really a poster child for an ugly freeway.

Forget the sad appearance. Think of the smog belched out by those cars idling along in traffic.

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by Lwize

Forget the sad appearance. Think of the smog belched out by those cars idling along in traffic.

I was remarking on the appearance not the smog....that's another issue.