noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

Here's that mid-block location on Crenshaw.



gsv

former site of Alba Furniture (1961)

It's a fine looking building, especially the horizontal strip of detailing along the top.

this

detail




The detailing wasn't as easy to see back in 2009 with the entire facade was painted white.


gsv

I just realized the detailing can still hard to see at certain times of day because of the shadow of the overhang.
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[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Anyone have an idea where this particular oil well used to stand? It looks awfully close to this business section.
(of course there are other examples where oil wells mingle with the population .....like at the Beverly Center)


Originally posted by BifRayRock

detail

Actually, it looks more like a searchlight than an oil well (shouldn't there be vertical pipes visible?) -maybe it's offline

Look carefully. There are several (at least two) drilling platforms in the original wide shot.



You may have located a different Alba's. Market Street is to the left, but for someone unfamiliar with Inglewood, I am guessing the wider street is La Brea. Could Alba's have been close to 1041 N. La Brea? https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9772...2!8i6656?hl=en The La Tijera theater sign would be pointing toward the Southwest? Names of other businesses, e.g., "Rainbow Liquor" has a listing at 150 East Santa Barbara.

[ethereal_reality]

Tourmaline, you're absolutely right, this is the old Alba Furniture building.



gsv

Do you know why I'm so certain?


Look what's peeking out from behind this tree down the block.


detail

It's that tiny building with the curved barrel-like roof.



detail

Fun little discovery (to me anyway )

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[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by HossC

Crenshaw Theater, 1942

Hoss, I was looking at this beautiful photo & noticed a square dark area above the hood of the car.


I lightened the pic and a billboard came into view.



"R.H. Malon...something..?
realtors..."



I found a R.H. Malone Co. in the 1956 directory.


and it was situated right next door to the theater (hence the sign )


google_earth






And I believe this might be the same portable billboard for R. H. Malone Co. in GW's 1958 crime photo..



Could that be the same sign?

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[Bristolian]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Thanks for locating the building with the helicopter pads on top Bristolian and FW.

update:

Bristolian wrote:
"A smokestack from the Scattergood steam plant can be seen on the horizon."


http://waterandpower.org/museum/Earl...eneration.html

I think I might have solved my own mystery.

Could they have been referring to the steam plant due south?

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e_r,

I can't help either with the reason for the Twin Chimneys name. Unless someone else comes up with a better story I think we'll have to go with yours.

[FredH]

This is a stock shot from an early scene in Murder, My Sweet with Dick Powell.
Should be an easy one for the experts to identify the location. Notice that RKO is giving themselves a little plug.



Murder, My Sweet - RKO Radio Pictures, 1944

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by Chuckaluck

Worth a second/third/eight look -?

Pan Pacific Park aka Gardener Park.

Circa 1953 - Belmont SanChez's Studebaker, capable of reaching 200mph at Bonneville, UT.
HotRodNetwork


HotRodNetwork




SanChez has a colorful history. The name is connected with land speed records as well as involvement with development of recreational SCUBA equipment. Belmont SanChez (Sr.) may also be familiar to Long Beach'ers as having a Studebaker dealership located at 1350 American Ave. (American Ave was renamed Long Beach Blvd.)


June 16, 1953 - American Ave., Long Beach Another hot Summer night.


1350 American Ave.



Packard Dealer, Long Beach





The above images are part of a four-picture compilation all, apparently, from the same June '53 date. None of them are specifically identified or addressed other than Long Beach. http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/compou...coll2/id/60154


Safeway - Long Beach















Street




















South Shore Motors, Lincoln Mercury. Long Beach




More American Ave/Long Beach blvd. 1939 http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single...coll2/id/33838 and http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single...coll2/id/33836




















tom tom

[Ed Workman]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Originally posted by BifRayRock

detail

This looks more like a searchlight than an oil well (shouldn't there be vertical pipes visible?) -maybe it's offline

[/URL]
1961 L.A. city directory lapl

THe classic oil derrick was used while drilling the well and for maintenance of the pipe later if necessary. Today a portable machine is used.
The derrick was used to pull the drill string out of the hole, one section at a time, replace the bit etc, and put the string back in , one at a time. once the hole reached the desired bottom the string was pulled out and various fittings applied at the ground level. SOme of that was a complicated set of valves etc to allow shut-down of oil, protect against gas pressure blow out . The arrangement of pipes and valves was nick=named a "Christmas Tree"
The drilling floor was a very dangerous place, part of the reason the workmen were called "roughnecks". The drill string was connected piece by piece by threaded joints. The down hole part of the string was supported by a gripping turntable at floor level. The table - I forget the vernacular, was also rotated to drive the drill string and the bit at the bottom
The piece above the table was held by a chain wrapped around it to sort of control it when it was free as well as to keep it from rotating. Hence the possibilities of flapping loose chains, swinging pipe rotating machinery etc. leading to injury and death
Now then
Howard HUghes got his airplane money from his father's Hughes Tool CO. Hughes Sr invented the rotary bit and LEASED them to drillers

SO
NO pipes in the derrick except when drilling was being done

[oldstuff]

Originally Posted by Ed Workman

THe classic oil derrick was used while drilling the well and for maintenance of the pipe later if necessary. Today a portable machine is used.
The derrick was used to pull the drill string out of the hole, one section at a time, replace the bit etc, and put the string back in , one at a time. once the hole reached the desired bottom the string was pulled out and various fittings applied at the ground level. SOme of that was a complicated set of valves etc to allow shut-down of oil, protect against gas pressure blow out . The arrangement of pipes and valves was nick=named a "Christmas Tree"
The drilling floor was a very dangerous place, part of the reason the workmen were called "roughnecks". The drill string was connected piece by piece by threaded joints. The down hole part of the string was supported by a gripping turntable at floor level. The table - I forget the vernacular, was also rotated to drive the drill string and the bit at the bottom
The piece above the table was held by a chain wrapped around it to sort of control it when it was free as well as to keep it from rotating. Hence the possibilities of flapping loose chains, swinging pipe rotating machinery etc. leading to injury and death
Now then
Howard HUghes got his airplane money from his father's Hughes Tool CO. Hughes Sr invented the rotary bit and LEASED them to drillers

SO
NO pipes in the derrick except when drilling was being done

Somewhere at home I have a watch fob that belonged to my grandfather, who worked as a driller for Union Oil. It is fairly flat with an image on one side with the twin rotary drill bits. On the other side it says Hughes Tool Co.

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by Ed Workman

THe classic oil derrick was used while drilling the well and for maintenance of the pipe later if necessary. Today a portable machine is used.
The derrick was used to pull the drill string out of the hole, one section at a time, replace the bit etc, and put the string back in , one at a time. once the hole reached the desired bottom the string was pulled out and various fittings applied at the ground level. SOme of that was a complicated set of valves etc to allow shut-down of oil, protect against gas pressure blow out . The arrangement of pipes and valves was nick=named a "Christmas Tree"
The drilling floor was a very dangerous place, part of the reason the workmen were called "roughnecks". The drill string was connected piece by piece by threaded joints. The down hole part of the string was supported by a gripping turntable at floor level. The table - I forget the vernacular, was also rotated to drive the drill string and the bit at the bottom
The piece above the table was held by a chain wrapped around it to sort of control it when it was free as well as to keep it from rotating. Hence the possibilities of flapping loose chains, swinging pipe rotating machinery etc. leading to injury and death
Now then
Howard HUghes got his airplane money from his father's Hughes Tool CO. Hughes Sr invented the rotary bit and LEASED them to drillers

SO
NO pipes in the derrick except when drilling was being done

As mentioned above by Ed Workman

This is the famous rotary bit that Howard Hughes Sr. invented... that made son Howard Hughes a multi-millionaire playboy. The rest is history.

The rotary bit could cut through solid rock like a hot knife through butter. It totally changed the oil industry.


hughes tool co

[HossC]

Had a hard weekend? Why not relax at the beauty salon. This is Julius Shulman's "Job 13: Saks Fifth Avenue, Beauty Salon (Long Beach, Calif.), 1947". I'm afraid that I know very little about this type of business, so I'll just let you enjoy the pictures. I've left one out because it was similar to one here.









All from Getty Research Institute

[HossC]

Originally Posted by FredH

This is a stock shot from an early scene in Murder, My Sweet with Dick Powell.
Should be an easy one for the experts to identify the location. Notice that RKO is giving themselves a little plug.



Murder, My Sweet - RKO Radio Pictures, 1944

It's only on-screen for a couple of seconds, but I think this is RKO Proctor's 125th Street Theatre at 112-118 E 125th Street, Harlem, New York. As far as I can see, all the RKO Proctor's Theatres were around New York and New Jersey. There's a sign in the top left corner which says "Park Ave", which would be correct for this location, and the top line may say "E 125", but I'm guessing here. The crime-fiction novel Cotton Comes to Harlem by Chester Himes contains the line "They drove over to a White Rose bar at the corner of 125th and Park Avenue, across the street from the 125th Street railroad station, and parked the two-toned Chevrolet.". I know this is fiction, but it may have used real places like the White Rose Bar seen in the screengrab.

According to cinematreasures.org:

Built by Oscar Hammerstein as a playhouse named Columbus Theatre in 1890. It opened as the Miner’s Theatre October 11, 1899 with a production of “Romeo and Juliet”. It was sold to F.F. Proctor in 1899, and went over to presenting vaudeville. Around 1900 it became Keith & Proctor’s 125th Street Theatre and films were added to the programming in 1908. The Keith/Proctor partnership was dissolved in 1911. It was renamed Proctor’s Theatre and advertised as Proctor’s 125th Street Theatre. In 1926 a Wurlitzer organ was installed, and in that year, the seating capacity was given as 2,200.

It was taken over by RKO in the 1930’s. The RKO Proctor’s 125th Street was closed in late-1953. The building was converted into a church. In 1985, a fire broke out in the front of the building. It was damaged enough to eventually make it a dangerous structure and the theatre was demolished in 1987.

[FredH]

Thanks HossC. I only found RKO Proctors in the New York area too. The stock shots were shown as Philip Marlow (Dick Powell) was
ruminating about a couple of recent cases, and how big Los Angeles was getting to be.

Boy, you can't trust anyone these days.

[BifRayRock]

Familiar with Yor-Way Markets?

There were several in the LA area, including one at 5311 Santa Monica Blvd. - where Jon's is now. Another in Culver City on Washington Blvd.


August 17, 1959. Alibi Club? Highland Avenue? Route 66?
Many hints at the location. Source references "Casa Bonita Motel." That name is unclear in the photos. http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/compou...coll2/id/65441 Does not appear to have any connection with Santa Monica Blvd. near Highland Ave, although there was a Yor-Way Market at 5311 Santa Monica Blvd. There is a second image, but it is unclear what connection it has with the first Yor-Way. Alpha Beta below is gratuitous.





Yor-Way complete Market. (S&H green stamps)




Alibi Club! (I swear I was there - all night!)




Highland Ave. - Route 66














Could there have been a "Yor-Way" in Duarte or Monrovia? Rt. 66 ran through Foothill Blvd. and there is a Highland Ave. there. 1801 E. Huntington Drive?




Duarte Shopping Center, circa 1960
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics48/00043672.jpg
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics47/00043245.jpg



Duarte Shopping 1964. Alpha Beta
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics49/00044382.jpg

[ethereal_reality]

Originally posted by BifRayRock

Huntington

Bif, the old Packard Dealership building is still standing!


gsv



Here's an aerial to show the building's unique shape.


google_earth

The site of the F & M Bank is now an empty lot.



Today it's Horn's Collision Center, 1427 Long Beach Blvd.


http://www.roadarch.com/13/9/horns.jpg

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[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Originally posted by BifRayRock

Huntington

Bif, the old Packard Dealership building is still standing!


gsv

Thanks for the followup.


Long Beach Blvd. née American Ave., was clearly a happening place some 92 years ago.http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...coll65/id/5938


1924

[ethereal_reality]

'mystery' location.

Chanteclair Restaurant Hollywood California, 1940's


eBay





Enlarged for your inspection.


detail

The building is quite impressive, but it doesn't look familiar to me.


I thought I had lucked out when I found this matchbook, but it doesn't include an address!

ebay


ebay

but there's an additional clue on the inside.

ebay

Has anyone heard of Leo Curtner?
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The only 'Chanteclair' that appears in L.A. directories is a 'fur room' at 227 1/2 E. 7th Street (but that was back in the 1910s and 20s)





And when it's spelled this way----> 'Chanticleer'

The trail leads to the oft-discussed Tam-O-Shanter Inn in Los Feliz. (an early favorite on NLA)


http://www.rolandcommunications.com/tam

....the Tam-O-Shanter used to be Montgomery's 'Chanticleer Inn"




Here's the link to the 1940s 'Chanteclair' snapshot.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/153-vintage-...QAAOSwOyJX7GpQ

You can check out the matchbook here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1940s-Matchb...4AAOSw-7RVBeMy

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by BifRayRock;



[IMG

http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo14/MariposaPine/American%20Avenue%20in%20Long%20Beach%20ca.1924%20--%20Lft_zpsp0yq5tjq.jpg~original[/IMG]








[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

I always thought those poles in middle of the street were on Ocean Blvd. Here is Ocean Blvd. [below] in 1920.....looking east. Doesn't American Ave./Long Beach Blvd.. go north and south?

[FredH]

OK, Something a little different. Noirish Los Angeles - Rock and Roll Version.

In the early 1960's. Jan and Dean had a song called "Dead Man's Curve" about a street race along the Sunset Strip. The race started at Sunset and Vine
and headed west. But where is the dreaded "Dead Man's Curve"? Let's follow the lyrics: "I flew past La Brea, Schwabs, and Crescent Hts....He passed me
at Doheny and I started to swerve, but I pulled her out and there I was at dead man's curve.

So, according to the song. dead man's curve should be here:


Google Maps

In today's world, the guy in the Jaguar would have slammed into the City National Bank:


Google Street View

Was this all feasible back in 1963? I doubt it. We are talking about a four mile street race along the Sunset Strip. There are currently maybe
20-25 traffic lights along this stretch of the Strip? There had to be at least 15 back then. And what was the chance of the Strip being deserted
"late Friday night"?

Anyway, I always liked the song. This is the original version from Jan and Dean's 1963 album "Drag City". It has slightly different lyrics and is not
as highly produced as the single which came out in 1964. I'm pretty sure you are hearing Brian Wilson doing some backup vocals on the recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1Cu...=RDS1Cuekbklkg


Of course in April 1966, Jan Berry had his own version of the song. Speeding along Whittier Drive in Beverly Hills, he hit a parked truck in his Corvette.



The accident resulted in his being in a coma for months and having to rehabilitate himself from partial paralysis. He was never the same.

[ethereal_reality]

1980s

old file



I drove the google-mobile down to San Pedro and found the same wall (sans graffiti)


gsv

note the large clock under the R in the blade sign.




It's lit up in this screen-grab from Million Ways To Die' (1984)


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090568/


from 1984 to....

2009

Dona Junta https://www.blogger.com/profile/13243765116549656105


and in 2016


gsv

King's Liquor & Deli at 145 N. Pacific Avenue (the building was built in 1925)


note that the Mexicalis Barber Shop is now Liberty Tax Service....among other changes.
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