noirish Los Angeles

[GaylordWilshire]

Bring back wool swimsuits--so we can take them off

From diaryofamadinvalid.blogspot.com/2017/07/little-known-history-ymca-required-male.html. Nicely illustrated, as is http://www.frank-answers.com/frank-a...d-in-the-ymca/

"Within the YMCA, there was no national mandate, so each location decided for itself on its nude swimming policies. The tide began to shift in 1961 when Ervin Baugher, the general secretary of the Allentown, Pennsylvania, investigated.... YMCA reported to an executive YMCA conference that, basically, the reasons for nude swimming. Wool fibers and cleanliness no longer made sense for modern pools, which were then equipped with chlorine and powerful filtration systems. In fact, Baugher said the only rational reason to continue the tradition of nude swimming was 'encouraging a proper attitude toward the body.'” Absolutely.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by odinthor

Dang, HS beat me! By minutes, by minutes I tells ya!

originally posted by ODINTHOR / edited

Thanks Handsome Stranger and odinthor.


Here is Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Martha shortly after they arrived at the Biltmore Hotel on May 14, 1939.


historicimages





INFO.





Crown Prince Olav at Sycamore Grove, May 1939

Delivering his speech in Norwegian.

__

[acorn8332]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

Thanks, Acorn!

That makes a lot of sense and something I hadn't thought of before. (I guess because I had the image of lit Santa Claus's from the Spielberg film.) It also explains why I haven't seen any night shots, but there is a distinct lack of daytime photos as well.

I'm also now wondering, since both photos I've seen were facing west, were these made with Santa facing both ways? Probably, otherwise you'd just see Santa from behind.

(P.S.: I have corrected this in my original post, but "a bit west of Ivar" should "be a bit east of Ivar.")

Hey, Martin! I think Spielberg used the Santas because the script called for it. One of them falls on someone or something. I guess I'll have to watch the film again--something I thought I'd never do.

Until now, I never knew the Hollywood Blvd. Santas ever existed (outside of the film). I like the way that Santa appears to be holding the two lanterns of the street light!

[sadykadie2]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

You don't mean this feminine type, do you?



streetswing

Can't believe someone was able to take this photo of me when I thought I'd drawn the curtains!

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by HossC

The Hawaii Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard isn't new to NLA (see links below), but we haven't seen these Julius Shulman pictures before. This is "Job Lee-H: Hawaii Theatre, undated". As you can see, the set is undated. According to cinematreasures.org, the Hawaii Theatre opened on 6th May 1940. The information with this photoset credits S Charles Lee as architect, but Cinema Treasures and the online building records say the architect was Clarence J Smale. 'The Mill on the Floss' was released in 1936.



Here's a view of the back from near the screen.



The Hawaiian theme went all the way down the walls.




All from Getty Research Institute

As I said above, we've seen the Hawaii Theatre before, including color shots showing off its neon - see post #9959, post #29399 and post #29814. The theater has been in the hands of one religious organization or another since the mid-60s. Here's a reminder of how 5941 Hollywood Boulevard looks today.


GSV

1959 -5000 block, Hollywood Blvd. looking west.
https://66.media.tumblr.com/d8c8f644...fo1_r1_500.jpg

[BDiH]

Originally Posted by Tourmaline

1959 -5000 block, Hollywood Blvd. looking west.
https://66.media.tumblr.com/d8c8f644...fo1_r1_500.jpg

I remember driving down Hollywood Boulevard with my dad, when he pointed over to the Hawaii Theatre and said,

"Now, that makes me feel old!"

"What does?" I ask.

"I remember when they were building the Hawaii. Now, it's closing."

Now these many years later, I understand. I spent so many hours of the day and night in the Pix, the Marcal, the Apollo, the Iris, the Academy, the Oriental, the Clinton, the Hollywood, the Vogue, the Admiral, the Pacific and on and on. I remember when the Cinerama Dome was built, billed as the first new theater in Hollywood in 25 years. Tempus fugit, folks.

[Martin Pal]

Love the "Hawaii" blade sign, that must've been added at some point.

(BDiH, the Cinerama Dome opened the same year the Hawaii closed. The Hawaii had been open for 23 years; built in 1940.)

_______

Originally Posted by acorn8332

Hey, Martin! I think Spielberg used the Santas because the script called for it. One of them falls on someone or something. I guess I'll have to watch the film again--something I thought I'd never do.

Until now, I never knew the Hollywood Blvd. Santas ever existed (outside of the film). I like the way that Santa appears to be holding the two lanterns of the street light!
_________________________________________________________________

I like that, too. Very clever design element!

This Warner Bros. backlot shot of a set from Spielberg's 1941 shows a couple of the Santa Claus decorations they used in the film.
In the film the Santas are lighted and Santa's arms are by his side and he's not holding up the lanterns.

Photo by Alan Light

[Martin Pal]

.

ANOTHER SANTA!

Looking around the internet at other Hawaii Theatre information because of Tourmaline's post,
I happened upon another personal photograph taken of one of the Hollywood Blvd. Santa Claus decorations!



This one is facing east at the Admiral Theater on Hollywood Blvd., right before Vine Street.

Johnny Wareham

This was on a Facebook posting by Johnny Wareham. He writes:

From my mom's (Priscilla) old photo album. Written on back: "The little (green) arrow is pointing to where I worked during Xmas. [MP: The Broadway Department Store, I'm guessing.] Just up the street a little ways from the Taft building, still on Hollywood Blvd., is the 'Hitching Post.' Straight up from the Admiral theater, about 3 doors is 'Melody Lane' a quite well known restaurant."

The Admiral is showing "You Can't Get Away with Murder (released May 20, 1939) and "The Three Musketeers" (released February 17, 1939). The theatre showed double bills of second run films, so it's not entirely certain when this might be dated, but the earliest this photo could be dated is the holiday season of 1940 as the Admiral opened on May 16, 1940. [see next paragraph]

_______


The Los Angeles Theatres website, link HERE, has this to say about the Hitching Post location: "In late 1940 they weren't running newsreels but rather foreign films and advertising the theatre as the Tele View Revival. In 1941 it was renamed the Hitching Post." So perhaps the earliest the above photo could be dated is the holiday season of 1941. Anyone have access to L.A. Times or Examiner movie listings for the holidays in 1941? [see next paragraph]

_______


I found a color postcard and a Getty photo, link HERE, that have 1941 dated photos of Hollywood Blvd. with the lighted Christmas Trees, so we're narrowing down the "Santa Claus years" to what Acorn has surmised, they were installed during the blackout years of 1942, 1943 and 1944.

[ethereal_reality]

nzpetesmatteshot


Filming '1941'..a pretty good look at one of the Spielberg Santas illuminated

[ethereal_reality]

just found this.

from the movie 1941 nzpetesmatteshot

[ethereal_reality]

"1888 PHOTO...FAMILY BY HOUSE ON HILL ST, WAGON WITH SIGN, LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA." EBAY



EBAY


"Original c.1888 cabinet card Boudoir size photograph ( 8 1/2" x 5 1/4" ) showing early view with W. S. Allen family posing by their home
on 1622 South Hill Street in Los Angeles California.There are wagons on left and one with sign on it side, but I can not make up this sign." ebay description







I especially LOVE the coach house.


DETAIL

The wagon with the 'sign' is to the right of the coach house (next to the tall gentleman with the beard)

[HossC]

Here's the W S Allen house surrounded by greenery in a detail from a 1905 panorama.



I posted the full image in post #19318, some of which I've include below. The Allen house is near the center of the Baist map.

Originally Posted by HossC

"Panoramic view of downtown Los Angeles including St. Vincent's College, ca.1905"


USC Digital Library


www.historicmapworks.com

William S Allen had a wholesale and retail furniture and carpets business at 332-334 South Spring Street (per the 1891 CD). The same CD also lists Joseph W Barker, Josiah W Parker and Miss M Belle Parker living at 1622 South Hill Street. Miss Parker was W S Allen's bookkeeper. By 1893, a domestic named Miss Adele Glaser had also moved in (there's no mention of Mr Barker).

This circa 1898 image is the best picture of the business on Spring Street that I've found so far (you can see the name and number on the left).


USC Digital Library

Going back through the CDs, it appears that W S Allen previously had a furniture, carpets and wallpaper business with O T Barker at 324 and 326 N Main Street (1883-84 CD). O T Barker's sons later founded the eponymous Barker Bros furniture business.

[GaylordWilshire]

Excellent, HossC. Here's a little more on the Allen house. It's unclear as to whether he was the builder, but he seems to have moved into it ca 1889--he'd been living at 36 Pine Street (not sure where that is or was). The first address was 1512 S Hill...the 1891 renumbering altered that to 1622. William S. Allen died on May 24, 1902, while still living at 1622. His widow, Eliza, appears to have moved out of the house by mid 1908 or so, but she retained it as a rental...until March 1923 when BPs were issued for its demolition and replacement--Mrs. Allen having hired Morgan Walls & Morgan to build the strip of stores that are on the site today.



Allen ran this ad in the Herald frequently...


His obit:

LAH May 25, 1902

[HossC]

I carried on looking, and found this undated drawing of the east side of Spring Street which shows W S Allen's furniture and carpets store on the right.


LAPL

There's also this partial view of the store looking north.


LAPL

[HossC]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Here's a little more on the Allen house. It's unclear as to whether he was the builder, but he seems to have moved into it ca 1889--he'd been living at 36 Pine Street (not sure where that is or was).

Here's Pine Street on the 1890 Sanborn map. W Pine only ran between Grand and Main. It looks like E Pine also continued east of San Pedro Street. As far as I can tell, Pine had become 16th Street on the 1910 Baist map, but today's layout is so different, I'm not sure which street used to be Pine (16th between Grand and Main is now Venice Boulevard). Either way, it was very close to 1622 South Hill Street.


www.loc.gov

[ethereal_reality]

A M A Z I N G.............SLEUTHING !
..................................HossC......................GaylordWilshire


1622 S. Hill Street

[GaylordWilshire]

Yep, every house has a story...found these items regarding the Allen household, which did not live happily ever after...well, I suppose Eliza did...



LAH Oct 26, 1901

1622 S Hill St sat on Lots 22 & 24 in Block H of the Morris Vineyard Tract


"NOT A CENT FOR WIFE"...but 21 years later it would be her name on the building permits that redeveloped the parcel...


LAH May 28, 1902

Originally Posted by HossC

.... As far as I can tell, Pine had become 16th Street on the 1910 Baist map, but today's layout is so different, I'm not sure which street used to be Pine (16th between Grand and Main is now Venice Boulevard). Either way, it was very close to 1622 South Hill Street.

As for Pine Street...the Herald mentioned its renaming to 16th on Sept 15, 1891--which would be around the time of the renumberings north and south of First St that year; I'm thinking that Allen's address of 36 Pine was attached to the same property that was later 1512/1622 S Hill.

[ethereal_reality]

I like the artwork on this old decal from the 1940s. [asking $74.99]


EBAY

But the bear reminds me of THIS.



search purposes: Los Angeles City College Cubs

[ethereal_reality]

Have we ever visited The Officers Club?


Ebay

Hmmmmm...so what does SAMSO and AFCMD stand for?

__

[John Maddox Roberts]

AFCMD is Air Force Contract Management Division. No idea what SAMSO might be.