noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by AlvaroLegido

So "noirish lighting" may sound absurd to Frenchs : "blackish lighting".

Well, it's the sharp contrast between the black color and subtle doses of sharp light that makes the wonder of these moods.

Chiaroscuro could be considered an appropriate term.

definition-
:pictorial representation in terms of light and shade without regard to color.

:the quality of being veiled or partly in shadow.

-more definitions here:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chiaroscuro

I have loved this word since my art history courses in college. It's seldom used to describe film, but it should be.
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Thanks for locating the 'sepia' buildings on Broadway Flyingwedge. -much appreciated.

[ethereal_reality]

found on ebay



detail

__

[ethereal_reality]

Dusk in 'Little Tokyo', circa 1962. ---> pan right

ebay

I can't quite read the hotel sign at far right. The neon employment sign on the large white building is interesting.
The modern GAS billboard seems oddly contemporary.
__

[Those Who Squirm!]

Originally Posted by alester young

All Communications Strictly Confidential.....I should hope so. Wonder what the chemical composition of these pills were? I suspect that Bromide could have figured in there.

Probably there was some kind of stimulant in there as well, possibly cocaine or ephedra/ephedrine.

[ethereal_reality]

Northwest corner of 7th and Hope Street circa 1925.

ebay

A very impressive rooftop billboard featuring twin radio towers.

reverse

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[Chuckaluck]

Originally Posted by AlvaroLegido

I guess you all know that "NOIR' in French means "BLACK". Movies like "Double Indemnity" were called "black movies" by French film critics. "NOIRISH" comes from that (and from Ethereal_Reality too).
So "noirish lighting" may sound absurd to Frenchs : "blackish lighting".

Well, it's the sharp contrast between the black color and subtle doses of sharp light that makes the wonder of these moods.

______________________________

Je ne sais pas.


Many words and phrases have several literal and figurative meanings. Whatever their original language origin, their usage typically defines their meaning. Although the term is not used as often as "noir," "blue film" has at least two literal meanings. Picasso's "Blue Period" can refer to either or both the predominating color in certain paintings and the mood associated with the artist and his work. It may also refer broadly to another term "depression." Come to think of it, the term "noir" is also not unlike the term "rock and roll" in that the latter also has both literal and figurative meanings that change with time.

When I hear the word, "noir," I tend to associate it to with words like "dark," "contrast," and "mystery." But there is plenty of room for "gray."

ER's first noir post was mighty dark, laden with contrast and shrouded in mystery. Q.E.D. (or is it ce qu'il fallait démontrer?)

______________________________

film noir
ˌfilm ˈnwär/
noun
noun: film noir

1. a style or genre of cinematographic film marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace. The term was originally applied (by a group of French critics) to American thriller or detective films made in the period 1944–54 and to the work of directors such as Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, and Billy Wilder.
Origin
mid 20th cent.: French, literally ‘black film.’

[H.L.P]

Hello,
I found these articles on Evergreen Cemetery in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles's first sanctioned cemetery.

I drive by there all the time and iv'e always wanted to walk around in it. I'm definitely gonna make a trip in a few weeks

I really like the first article, it has a lot of interesting noirish type stories,
when I read them I instantly thought to share them here.

http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures...e-heights.html

http://untappedcities.com/2013/02/11...memorial-park/

[Those Who Squirm!]

Originally Posted by Chuckaluck

Some of these images fit right in with the Hotel Nadeau. Source indicates Los Angeles (S. W. corner of 1st and Los Angeles Sts.), but the Ghirardelli's sign gives me pause. "L.M. Railsback Co." graphics seem very progressive but so does a Kerosene Tractor.

The 'Ghirardelli' sign is a bit surprising, but the ones advertising farm implements ring very true for L.A at a time when, besides small towns here and there, the city was mostly surrounded by farms and ranches.

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by Chuckaluck

______________________________

Je ne sais pas.

I saw a film once and noted that each scene was lit with "dark light".

[Chuckaluck]

Originally Posted by Those Who Squirm

The 'Ghirardelli' sign is a bit surprising, but the ones advertising farm implements ring very true for L.A at a time when, besides small towns here and there, the city was mostly surrounded by farms and ranches.

Thank you for your post. It serves as a reminder (to me) that there is value, both in reviewing older posts and finding the basis for new ones.

In retrospect, the venerable Hotel Nadeau had an inescapable attachment to the horse and buggy era. The advertising graphics and subject matter, e.g., internal combustion engines, seem far ahead of the Nadeau's time, and arguably presage the Nadeau's limited future. (Might not have felt the same toward a photo of the Richfield Tower festooned with cell phone equipment.)










Notice "Stronghold" http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/show...ostcount=13409

http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6059223&postcount=13409"]http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/show...ostcount=13409[/URL]

[Retired_in_Texas]

Originally Posted by alanlutz

OMG! LOL. How many "elegant men bought their ties there? And got a good deal on their watches too, while they were at it. Love it.

After seeing this photo several times I couldn't help but notice this "dump" of a store was sporting the old Mastercard credit card acceptance stickers in multiple places indicating, along with the "AM-AMFM" painted at the top of the window, that the photo was probably taken in the 1970s. Amazing that a "dump" like that could remain open.

[Chuckaluck]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

I saw a film once and noted that each scene was lit with "dark light".

Yep. I thought about "black light" too. But that shows all the imperfections and dirt on my Procol Harum album, entitled "A Whiter Shade of Pale."

For the most part, "black light" and the psychedelic posters enhanced by it, seems more than two full shades removed from "noir." Others may disagree.




http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/20...lo-d5fcneo.jpg




Couldn't resist.

Not likely to have been seen plastered on or near the Nadeau.

http://cs409416.vk.me/v409416665/38a1/45S_Mi_UxJg.jpg

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

found on ebay

There were two similarly named residential tracts near the corner of Moneta--now south Broadway--and Manchester, one within the city limits (above Manchester) and one below. The McCarthy Co marketed the one above (the "Moneta Manchester and Main St Tract"), the Standard Building Investment Co a similar one (the "Moneta-Manchester Bungalow Tract") outside of the city limits of the time (ca 1910). Both tracts had east-west streets that didn't quite match up with their continuations beyond their north-south street boundaries, as seen in ER's pic. Hard to tell for certain, but I'd say that this is the 200 block of West 86th Place or West 87th St in the Standard Building tract, probably east from Broadway. Not much today ads up other than the size of the bungalows, of which there are quite a few, many apparently now 100 years old.

Standard Building also had its "Standard Place Tract" just to the south of its first bungalow tract--the Harbor Freeway now plows directly through it.


And if all that isn't fascinating enough, I came across an old building about 15 blocks north along Moneta/Broadway--one that still stands with little its size nearby. I'm always fascinated to fins telephone poles in the same position--the one at far left, for instance. The wood can't have lasted nearly a century, can it have? Even in Southern California? Anyone know the answer to what everyone wants to know--how long do phone poles last?


LAPL

GSV

[Chuckaluck]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

I came across an old building about 15 blocks north along Moneta/Broadway--one that still stands with little its size nearby. I'm always fascinated to fins telephone poles in the same position--the one at far left, for instance. The wood can't have lasted nearly a century, can it have? Even in Southern California? Anyone know the answer to what everyone wants to know--how long do phone poles last?


LAPL

GSV

Nice find.

Regarding utility pole longevity, about ten years ago I was visiting the Hollywood area and got stuck in an unexpected traffic jam. The power to the traffic lights was out due to a power pole failure. The failed pole was in a residential backyard. We watched as the power company tried the least obtrusive methods of accessing the pole. A job foreman explained that his records indicated the pole had been in place since the early '30s and while it was only an original cross member that broke, they were going to replace the entire pole after so many years. He thought it would last another 20 or so years, but prudence warranted replacement. While not a direct answer to your question, there is anecdotal evidence of a potential 70 year lifespan.

This article seems to bear out this possibility, although the probability is, for obvious reasons, somewhat lower. http://www.woodpoles.org/documents/T...Pole_12-08.pdf



1895 - Pine Avenue, Long Beach
http://jpg1.lapl.org/00077/00077208.jpg

[3940dxer]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

...any idea what this is on the sidewalk?

posted earlier by flyingwedge

There appears to be a stick (umbrella?) poking out of it.
__

Walking around the Plaza yesterday I couldn't help but notice these "cages", which protect young trees that are planted along the sidewalk. Coincidence, or...?

[gemnewt]

Hello Everyone
I just ran across Norma Jeane Dougherty's (Marilyn Monroe) Contract
with 20th Century Fox Dated July 25, 1946 and an acceptance letter
dated February 10, 1947. On the contract it gives her address as
11348 Nebraska Ave. W. Los Angeles, Ca. I looked it up and I think
the house is still there however I don't know how to retrieve the photo
to show everyone. When I right click the mouse and try to copy the
image like most pictures the copy image is not displayed so what's the
trick? I'm sure you long time members already know if this picture has
been seen before. I just finished looking at all 824 pages of this great
forum, It took me a staggering 38 days and my index finger is now the
size of my thumb. So do you think any of the Masters of the Forum
could help me out or to save time you could look up this address and
do what you do best and post it here. I would still like to know how to
post Google pages. Thanks Guys
Gene

[ethereal_reality]

11348 Nebraska Avenue. -it's one of the few homes left in an area inundated with newer apartment buildings.

GSV

gemnewt, hit the 'print screen' key (upper right hand side on keyboard), then left click 'paint' in your on-screen start menu (the 'paint' program will open up a new window showing a blank), then hit Ctrl and V at the same time and the photograph should come up, and then you can right click. -microsoft

Perhaps there's an easier way. Anyone?

[WS1911]

Originally Posted by Chuckaluck

Thank you for your post. It serves as a reminder (to me) that there is value, both in reviewing older posts and finding the basis for new ones.

In retrospect, the venerable Hotel Nadeau had an inescapable attachment to the horse and buggy era. The advertising graphics and subject matter, e.g., internal combustion engines, seem far ahead of the Nadeau's time, and arguably presage the Nadeau's limited future. (Might not have felt the same toward a photo of the Richfield Tower festooned with cell phone equipment.)



Notice "Stronghold" http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/show...ostcount=13409

I couldn't resist adding a few anachronisms to your image.


modified image from Berkeley Digital Library

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by gemnewt

Hello Everyone
I just ran across Norma Jeane Dougherty's (Marilyn Monroe) Contract
with 20th Century Fox Dated July 25, 1946 and an acceptance letter
dated February 10, 1947. On the contract it gives her address as
11348 Nebraska Ave. W. Los Angeles, Ca. I looked it up and I think
the house is still there however I don't know how to retrieve the photo
to show everyone. When I right click the mouse and try to copy the
image like most pictures the copy image is not displayed so what's the
trick? I'm sure you long time members already know if this picture has
been seen before. I just finished looking at all 824 pages of this great
forum, It took me a staggering 38 days and my index finger is now the
size of my thumb. So do you think any of the Masters of the Forum
could help me out or to save time you could look up this address and
do what you do best and post it here. I would still like to know how to
post Google pages. Thanks Guys
Gene

I checked on Google earth and the building that Marilyn gives as her 1947 address no longer exists. At that address there's a large newer apartment building. I also checked the 1952 Aerial Historic map of that address and there appears to be various buildings on that block, none of which match the footprint of buildings appearing in 2013. In 1952 there does appear to be a small apartment building at that address...which is no longer there. I guess her former home is long gone....a victim of redevelopment.

[GaylordWilshire]

Well, CBD, I'm not sure which Google you're using, but 11384 Nebraska on mine indicates the house ER found.... Which may or may not be the actual structure that Monroe's Aunt Anna supposedly lived in in 1947, and whose address was apparently used on the contract.

To the east across the alley is 11334 Nebraska, a small apartment building that looks a though there's a chance it could have been there in 1947--a site called thisismarilyn.comhas a picture of 11334 and claims that it's 11348, despite the "34" being clearly visible.

11334:


The red dot indicates 11384 on my Google...