noirish Los Angeles

[Noircitydame]

Originally Posted by Earl Boebert

Billy De Wolf, Johnny Bachemin, Mary Mayo and the Frankie Carle Band (on the sign as “Carle Band”). Gig at the Terrace Room written up in Billboard Magazine, February 14, 1953. Run started on January 27. $2.00 cover charge.

De Wolfe was a comedian/actor, Bachemin a dancer, and Mayo a singer (a “scintillating blonde”). The reviewer was not terribly impressed with the show.

Cheers,

Earl

Nice. The ad for the shows 1/23/1953 opening from LAT:

[Earl Boebert]

Originally Posted by HossC

Well found, Earl. Here's that review.
NB. I've rearranged it into a single column.


books.google.com

I think Mr. Sippel had been reading Damon Runyon more than somewhat. "cleater?" "terrific mitt?" Oh dear.

Cheers,

Earl

[ethereal_reality]

"View of the ultra-smart Terrace Room in the Los Angeles Statler Hotel, showing patrons on opening night." [ca.1955(?), Oct. 26]


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/re...oll44/id/90865

I spy a film star or two.

"The stage in this room is hydraulically controlled and can be lowered and slid [sic] under the band dais to expose an ice rink for skating acts."

I had no idea they had ice skating acts in the Terrace Room at the Statler!
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[HossC]

I know we've visited Perino's on Wilshire a few times - MichaelRyerson posted several great Dick Whittington photographs in post #13583. Fab Fifties Fan also posted some pictures back in 2011, but sadly, the images are now missing. This is Julius Shulman's "Job 0116: Perino's Restaurant (Los Angeles, Calif.), between 1940 and 1941".



Here's a closer view of the side door.



And one of the interior.



All from Getty Research Institute

[Noircitydame]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

"View of the ultra-smart Terrace Room in the Los Angeles Statler Hotel, showing patrons on opening night." [ca.1955, Oct. 26]


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/re...oll44/id/90865

I spy a film star or two.

"The stage in this room is hydraulically controlled and can be lowered and slid [sic] under the band dais to expose an ice rink for skating acts."

I had no idea they had ice skating acts in the Terrace Room at the Statler!
__

Here's an ad for one of those acts, "Ice Ahoy" in April 1953
LAT

I didn't find anything on show openings in the Terrace Room for October 1955 or 1956.

The first headliner in the Terrace Room, coinciding with the hotel opening, in October 1952, was Cugie (Cugie sure got around).

10-27-1952

In October 1953 AND 1954 the Terrace Room was featuring Dorothy Shay, the "Park Avenue Hillbilly." in 1953 Ted Weems was the orchestra, in 1954 it was Skinnay Ennis.
http://retro.recordsale.de/cdpix/d/d...hillbillie.jpg
LAT

I found a little article and newspaper photo at the time of the October 1952 hotel opening about the auto entrance on Francisco St., by which it says "Guests may register and be taken by elevator directly to their rooms without having to pass through the lobby in travel-worn clothes."
LAT 10-27-52

[Beaudry]

Ok, one more.

Yes, the Hancock Park Bldg still stands:



And they're even making good use of the rooftop superstructure—



But the image at right caught my eye via the ol' GSV, specifically the 1930 French Provincial which, since 1974, has been the Craft and Folk Art Museum. I mean, who paints over brick like that? And then turns it into a postpsychedelic funkadoo? No matter how "folk art" that's supposed to be. I suppose I should be beyond grateful they left the lovely, mossy slate roof alone.

[AlvaroLegido]

Originally Posted by Noircitydame

[/URL]

[Frankie Carle held auditions for a new singer. He auditioned singers in person and on records. While he was listening to some records of singers, his wife slipped in a recording from a local radio broadcast. Frankie liked the singer on that record and, after he played it several times, decided that she was the singer he wanted for his band.
"Lo and behold", Frankie later exclaimed to Down Beat correspondant Harvey Siders, "who was singing on that record but my daughter, Margie. Unbeknownst to me while I was on the road she had been studying with Mary Martin's singing coach."
To avoid charges of nepotism, he billed her as "Marjorie Hughes" and kept her relationship to him a secret. It stayed secret for several months until she had her first big hit with the band, "Oh What it Seemed to Be" Then, feeling that she had established her right to sing with the band, he let the cat out of the bag"]

Quoted from the CD Circle CCD-146 Frankie Carle and his Orchestra 1944-1949 Notes by John S. Wilson

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Julian Eltinge

NYPL


NYPL

His house in Silver Lake was one of the first major Mediterranean houses in L.A., according to Gebhard and Winter.
Then and now:

LAT


LAT

I've seen better early shots of his house in books, but can't find any on the web.

Was this Silver Lake abode considered "The" Italian Palace?


Another interesting Mediterranean palazzo compared with Eltinge's was on 255 S New Hampshire Avenue. This was featured in January 1919's Photoplay. There "appear" to be a few vestigial structures from that era - nearby. Sadly, Ms. Wards' residence did not last long. Demolition and new building permits were issued in 1923. Who knew Napoleon had a connection with the Mid-Wilshire area? More about Fannie here>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fannie_Ward






http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w8XkL5B98h...tes+-1928B.jpg



http://ilarge.lisimg.com/image/72424...annie-ward.jpg

[BifRayRock]

At the same time and from the same issue (~Jan 1919), the Gish Girls (Dorothy, Lillian and Mae) resided at nearby 616 S. Serrano Avenue. A lot more on "Gishing" here: http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2013...othy-gish.html Prior residence, per 1916CD was 600 St. Paul Avenue. Per building records, the 616 S. Serrano structure went up in 1913 and down in 1960.










Some three blocks north and thirteen years later, a glimpse of the neighborhood's charm. (It appears that the Gish's moved on by the mid-'20s. Perhaps too many neighbors asked to borrow a cup of sugar. )


1932 - Looking south on Serrano from Third Street. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...d/38807/rec/15

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by Noircitydame

I found a little article and newspaper photo at the time of the October 1952 hotel opening about the auto entrance on Francisco St., by which it says "Guests may register and be taken by elevator directly to their rooms without having to pass through the lobby in travel-worn clothes."
LAT 10-27-52

My, what a thoughtful hotel accommodation. I'd rather die than have to pass through the main lobby in my travel-worn clothes.

I'm staying at the Statler from now on.

[ethereal_reality]

Here's the photograph the L.A. Times used for the above article. (note the two people in "traveling" clothes )



press photo

I had no idea this was showing the Francisco Street entrance. Thanks Noircitydame.

p.s. That valet is a dead ringer for Farley Granger.

__

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Beaudry

5820 Wilshire is making good use of the rooftop superstructure—

First time I've noticed that oval window on the side of the Craft & Folk Art Museum. Do you think there was one on the other side before 5820 was built?
I guess someone skinny could crawl between the two buildings and check it out. Any volunteers?


Here's that photograph from USC showing the 30 ton steel framework.

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/91295/rec/1

Thanks for all your hard work on the before & after comparison photos Beaudry. They were great!

[Noircitydame]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

My, what a thoughtful hotel accommodation. I'd rather die than have to pass through the main lobby in my travel-worn clothes.

I'm staying at the Statler from now on.

Me too. So much more civilized than changing clothes down the street in the Standard station bathroom.

[jg6544]

Originally Posted by HossC

I know we've visited Perino's on Wilshire a few times - MichaelRyerson posted several great Dick Whittington photographs in post #13583. Fab Fifties Fan also posted some pictures back in 2011, but sadly, the images are now missing. This is Julius Shulman's "Job 0116: Perino's Restaurant (Los Angeles, Calif.), between 1940 and 1941".



Here's a closer view of the side door.



And one of the interior.



All from Getty Research Institute

This was from the version of the restaurant that was in the 3900 block of Wilshire, several blocks west of the "new" version with the four-way banquette in the middle of the dining room.

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

At the same time and from the same issue (~Jan 1919), the Gish Girls (Dorothy, Lillian and Mae) resided at nearby 616 S. Serrano Avenue. A lot more on "Gishing" here: http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2013...othy-gish.html Prior residence, per 1916CD was 600 St. Paul Avenue. Per building records, structure went up in 1913 and down in 1960.

LAH



First, re 600 St. Paul Avenue, built by none other than John Parkinson as his own house in 1901. After the architect left for Wilshire Place in 1915, Mrs. Gish and her daughters moved in for a brief stay, apparently renting at least the living room (converted into a studio), from Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn, who had moved their famous school into the house. 600 was later moved and survived on Lake Street until 1951. The full story of the house is here: http://bit.ly/1V3b5uO


Re the "Ethele Francis Studio" sign on the lawn of the Serrano Street picture above: Calling herself a "face rejuvenator," Ethele Francis was the niece of Irehne Hobson (the peculiar spellings of their given names appears to have been a marketing gimmick), also an amateur plastic surgeon. Aunt and niece ran a number of Wilshire District beauty parlors, even after a botched facelift by the uncredentialed ladies resulted in a woman's blindness. (See 4444, 4451, and 3677 Wilshire Boulevard here: wilshireboulevardhouses.com)

[BifRayRock]

Thanks for the followup GW. Had a feeling you would pick up on Ethele's sign.

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

I used to live across the street from this building in 939 S Serrano. Here's a photo I snapped of the blaze from my rooftop:



The fire seemed pretty suspicious to me. No one living in the building and all of the sudden it burns in the middle of the night? The motive seems pretty clear: the owner wanted to tear it down and build something new, but could not since its a historic structure. So he burned it down so it could be red tagged. Keep in mind this part of Koreatown is extremely dense and there is a school directly behind the building. I don't know if there was any kind of investigation into the cause of the fire but there if not there damn well should have been.

Could have sworn I had seen the Linda Vista Apts. (939 S. Serrano) on NLA, but maybe not. Same with the Admiral Apts on Eighth and Serrano? http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/91208/rec/4


1933
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...d/37864/rec/16

GSV

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by jg6544

George Cukor's former home on Cordell Drive is on the market again.

Mr. Cukor at home.


http://moviestildawn.blogspot.com/20...kor-joint.html



The pool area.


[url]http://moviestildawn.blogspot


An exact replica of the exterior of the house and pool area was built at 20th Century Fox for the ill-fated film "Something's Got To Give".




20th Century Fox http://jmanusc.tripod.com/george.html


Real life.


Reel Life

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/459859811923688848/




http://shineyourlight-shineyourlight...yn-monroe.html


May 23, 1962


Marilyn Monroe was officially fired from "Something's Got To Give" on June 8, 1962...she died less than two months later on August 5th.
__

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/554365035352995788/

"In 1912 the Lubin Company purchased land for a movie studio on Fleming Street off of Sunset Boulevard.
Charles Ray took over the property in the 1920s after Kalem, Essanay and Jesse Hampton came and went."


Charles Ray (1891-1943) was an extraordinarily popular silent film star.


http://www.goldensilents.com/stars/charlesray.html

His first experience in film came with Thomas Ince's Studio in 1915. He was featured in many short films as a wholesome, simple country boy (he was from Indiana) The public loved him and clamored for more. He moved on to full-length features in the late teens and early 20s.

After forming his own production company, he placed most of his money into the mega-project, "The Courtship of Miles Standish" (1923).


-as Miles Standish.

http://silentcinema.com/THE_COURTSHI...hoto_1923.aspx

After an additional google search or two, I found this blurb in Photoplay (1923)


http://archive.org/stream/photoplayv...402/mode/thumb

But as I mentioned earlier, the film flopped, Mr. Ray's pockets were empty, and the tourist attraction never happened.
Eventually the "Mayflower" burned to the ground. Some critics later commented that the reception of "The Courtship of Miles Standish"
was so bad, Ray would have been better off keeping the boat and burning the film.

And get this, the film is now lost! No copies of Mr. Ray's epic are known to exist.

__

Strange that so little of the faux-Mayflower is available. Contemporary news/publicity suggests the studio had several public events to draw attention to the project, including one with with LA's Mayor and another with twenty-four jurists. All of the PR seems not surprisingly favorable. A couple of blurbs highlight the fact that much of the structure was metal to facilitate set breakdowns for various shots. This may have increased its salvage value. Note the studio address was once labeled Fleming Street, before being changed to Sunset.

I believe the film was screened at the Plymouth Congregational Church. (Maybe Ray was hoping more for prayers and a miracle.)The film clearly did not live up to its hype or it was not marketed well and on the heels of the bad Pilgrim news, there was speculation in one article that the City of LA considered acquiring the structure. Hard to speculate on the lost value of a make-believe Mayflower to a Metropolis that did little to save the Richfield, but it might have looked at home in Travel Town or next to the Space Shuttle.



From Exhibitor's Herald circa 1923

[ethereal_reality]

Excellent sleuthing BifRayRock! Thanks for digging up this extra information.
_

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Mr. Cukor at home.


http://moviestildawn.blogspot.com/20...kor-joint.html

The Oval Room



The pool area.


[url]http://moviestildawn.blogspot
__

This is George Towers with whom Cukor had a long affair ....until his death in 1983. He treated the young man like a son.

Cukor, in his will left almost everything to George Towers, [photos below] whom he became involved with in the 1950s, and whose college law school education he financed.

His fabulous home in the photos above was sold and its fabled William Haines-designed interiors renovated. If those walls could only talk!

MGM boss, Louis B. Mayer, once summoned Cukor to his office and asked him point blank, “Are you homosexual?”, Cukor’s reply: “Devotedly.”


George Towers by Bruce

More on Cukor, his fabulous parties and life here:
http://gaycitynews.nyc/always-elegant-george/