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  #6421  
Old Posted Feb 14, 2012, 11:57 PM
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Interesting comparison of the Lee Drugs Building G_W. Notice that 'El Capitan' is missing from the tower.



Quote:
Originally Posted by 3940dxer View Post

In my ongoing Laurel Canyon explorations I've been checking out Lookout Mountain, which has a long interesting and history. I'm slowly piecing the story together but am having a heckuva time shooting "now" photos -- the area has changed so much, most of the old landmarks are either gone, or seem invisible.
In your recent travels in Laurel Canyon did you see any remnants of this roadside stone wall with the arches? It's pretty cool looking.


found on ebay

Last edited by ethereal_reality; Feb 15, 2012 at 7:24 AM.
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  #6422  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 12:12 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire View Post

http://www.flickr.com/photos/truusbo...n/photostream/
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  #6423  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 1:24 AM
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This summer I came across this building while searching the South Central area. It's located on South Compton Avenue at 66th Street. At the time I couldn't find any information on it.


google street view







Well now I have a name! It was built in 1936 (dates vary) as the 1,000 seat Fox Gentry Theater.
Designed by noted architect S. Charles Lee, it was built on the former site of the Sunbeam Theater which had burned down.





http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/16246...os-Angeles-CA/







http://losangeleshistorian.com/wp-co...th-Compton.jpg




The building isn't located in a busy 'downtown-like' area so I was surprised to see the terrazzo designs in the sidewalks.


http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/HPIM0795.jpg







http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/HPIM0794.jpg






http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/HPIM0797.jpg



I would love to find a vintage photo when it was the Fox Gentry. I've searched both LAPL and USC and have found nothing.
Anyone have any clues as to where to look?

_____

Last edited by ethereal_reality; Feb 15, 2012 at 7:29 AM.
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  #6424  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 1:34 AM
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I found a Sunbeam Theater but this Sunbeam was in Highland Park at 5722 N. Figueroa Street.


http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...olNumber=25068
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  #6425  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 1:56 AM
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non sequitur: Music Center construction February 14th, 1966.


http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics47/00043015.jpg


The 2,100 seat Ahmanson Theater at left and the circular 750 seat Mark Taper Forum.

____

Last edited by ethereal_reality; Feb 15, 2012 at 7:25 AM.
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  #6426  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 2:18 AM
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The Fox Gentry, 1938

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  #6427  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 6:35 AM
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Wow! That was quick Gaylord_Wilshire! Thank you so much.

Last edited by ethereal_reality; Feb 15, 2012 at 7:30 AM.
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  #6428  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 9:54 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by minkykat View Post
Have been reading the book LA NOIR, enjoying it very much.

Hubby wants to know; what was the exact address of Mickey Cohen's bombed out manse? I know that it was on Moreno Ave. Anyone have the addy or some pictures?

Thanks!
I have just finished reading "L A Noir" and thoroughly enjoyed it - this prompted me to start looking for "noirish" films and I purchased "Double Indemnity" - excellent film and some of the settings looked familiar from previous pictures on this thread - but what fascinated about this film was - striking a match with the thumb. Was this a film trick - or the real thing ? Could you buy matches like this ? if they were that easy to light surely a pocket full of them was a dangerous thing ?
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  #6429  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 2:58 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bilbo View Post
I have just finished reading "L A Noir" and thoroughly enjoyed it - this prompted me to start looking for "noirish" films and I purchased "Double Indemnity" - excellent film and some of the settings looked familiar from previous pictures on this thread - but what fascinated about this film was - striking a match with the thumb. Was this a film trick - or the real thing ? Could you buy matches like this ? if they were that easy to light surely a pocket full of them was a dangerous thing ?
Old-fashioned wood strike-anywhere matches are still available here in Canada and are fairly easy to light one-handed. The biggest problem I have is getting it to work without breaking the stick. Also, don't get a fragment of the flaming head under your thumbnail. Sure they're dangerous in your pocket - that's why you carried them in a small cardboard matchbox. And it looks cool to do the one-handed light, eh (huh)!
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  #6430  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 4:48 PM
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Thanks for the reply - I can appreciate them being in a box - just in the film they were just taken out of his pocket - not a box - also they seemed long - much longer than a normal match. Surprised that they are still available in these days of over zealous "health & saftey" - are they still available in the U S ?
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  #6431  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 4:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality View Post
...In your recent travels in Laurel Canyon did you see any remnants of this roadside stone wall with the arches? It's pretty cool looking.


found on ebay
That little bridge was near the so called "Log House" (aka Tavern Inn?) In my LC explorations I'm working my way towards this spot, which is close to the old Houdini home. There's "a" little bridge near there, but I think the arched one has been replaced. Will have to get back to you on that!

BTW, I've been quiet here for the past week or so because all my spare time has been spent trying to unravel another Laurel Canyon mystery - the exact location of the former Lookout Mountain Inn, which was destroyed in a 1918 fire. The site has been extremely difficult to find, due to misinformation on the web and the shortage of (and lack of detail in) Laurel Canyon maps from that period. Even the L.A. Central Library had almost nothing on this area.

Do not fear, however. I think I've finally found the exact location and will be going back again to shoot some "now" photos. When I'm all done you'll see it here, of course!

I want to mention that I was very interested in the recent discussions here about the old industrial/warehouse neighborhood between Spring and Main, southeast of L.A. Historic State Park. This area is fascinating to drive through, and I know that it has some of the oldest commercial buildings in L.A.. There is one wedge shaped brick building that I think was a mill and goes back to about 1890. I think of this area as a little corner of L.A. that time forgot, and look forward to discussing it here.

Last edited by 3940dxer; Feb 15, 2012 at 8:16 PM.
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  #6432  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 5:19 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality View Post
I found a Sunbeam Theater but this Sunbeam was in Highland Park at 5722 N. Figueroa Street.


http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...olNumber=25068

Curiosity about the arroyo-stone column at left in the vintage shot above led me to the corner of S Ave 58 and N Figueroa... the post, which appears to have lettering on it that I can't make out, is presumably part of an entrance to a subdivision. Not surprisingly, it's gone, but I realized that the Sunbeam itself looks to still be there, aside from the criminal replacement of its facade. The sides in the two shots here appear to confirm this, as do some online descriptions of how the interior was carved up. Interestingly, there is a listing for Sunbeam Vintage at a side entrance, 106 S Ave 58 ("A Mid Century Furniture Collective"). A commenter on Cinema Treasures has this to say about the Sunbeam: "The facade of this theater (which looks like an odd hybrid of Spanish Mission and Art Nouveau) may have been removed in 1933. The July 28th issue of Southwest Builder and Contractor of that year says that architect Clifford Balch [a well-known theater architect] was preparing plans for the remodeling of the Sunbeam Theater in Highland Park."


Google

LAPL
Is that the name of a subdivision
under the ball?
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  #6433  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 6:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3940dxer View Post
That little bridge was near the so called "Log House" (aka Tavern Inn?) In my LC explorations I'm working my towards this spot, which is close to the old Houdini home. There's "a" little bridge near there, but I think the arched one has been replaced. Will have to get back to you on that!

BTW, I've been quiet here for the past week or so because all my spare time has been spent trying to unravel another Laurel Canyon mystery - the exact location of the former Lookout Mountain Inn, which was destroyed in a 1918 fire. The site has been extremely difficult to find, due to misinformation on the web and the shortage of (and lack of detail in) Laurel Canyon maps from that period. Even the L.A. Central Library had almost nothing on this area.

Do not fear, however. I think I've finally found the exact location and will be going back again to shoot some "now" photos. When I'm all done you'll see it here, of course!
David,

My grandparents used to live in Laurel Canyon so I used to hike around there a lot as a kid in the 1960's. I always found it a weird place, that "permanently unfinished" mansion, the Harry House, etc. In the 1980's I had friends who lived on "Love Street" (Rothdell Trail) and we used to see George Harrison and his pals all the time hanging around the area. The canyon has a rich musical history, that's for sure. Why do hippies love canyons? Never could figure it out. :^) Good luck in your explorations!
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  #6434  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 6:51 PM
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Here's another View of the Sunbeam on Fig


http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures...-district.html
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  #6435  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 7:55 PM
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LAPL

Here's the bank, even earlier. The lettering in the gable appears to be superimposed.
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  #6436  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 8:49 PM
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Bizarre Los Angeles


Oh, the crazy associations this photo set off when I came across it. First you have Dagwood Bumstead, a.k.a., Arthur Lake, seen here standing at right. Then you have Marion Davies, seated at center. To her right is Mrs. Lake, born--or was she?--Patricia Van Cleve (or Cleeve or Clive, depending on what you read). So it seems that for years Patricia was said to be William Randolph Hearst's niece; her ostensible aunt would haven been Mrs. Hearst, from whom the old man was never divorced. My brain is too taxed here now to remember for sure how Mr. Van Cleve Cleeve Clive figured in--I think he was Marion's sister's husband. Anyway, the Hollywood hush-hush on Patricia was that she was actually Willie & Marion's love child whom the Van Cleve Cleeve Clives took as an infant and pawned off as their own recently-deceased child, name and all. Later, Mr. Van Cleve Cleeve Clive kidnapped little Pat and took her away for five years, until Willie tracked her down and got her back to Marion's sister. Apparently Pat saw quite a bit of "Uncle Willie" and "Auntie Marion" while growing up; she later told Arthur about her true parentage on their wedding day. (She did not disclose it to the rest of her family until right before she died in the '90s.) So many exhausting tangents.... I remember reading about Arthur Lake being implicated--here's the noir hook--by one of the many wacked-out Dahlia experts in that death (Larry Harnisch's hilarious takedowns of such tales are worth reading: click here.) Then there is something I remember reading in some rag like Vanity Fair a few years ago... that Patricia was given to getting squiffed at parties, climbing onto tables, lifting her skirts and shouting, "Here's Pussy!!" (Unfortunately, no pictures of any of these performances seem to exist.) Marion, Patricia and Arthur are buried together at Hollywood Memorial Park.

To give the others in the photo their due: The blonde behind the candles is Mrs. Huntington Hartford; the man at left is Douglas Wood--no idea who he was--and Horace Brown, Marion's hubby at the time. I thought he was Hearst at first, since Patricia looks like him. But he--WRH--must have uttered ""Rosebud" by this time.

Rather than make this post any longer, I'll post something I just discovered about the Bumstead's real movie house next....

Last edited by GaylordWilshire; Mar 3, 2014 at 1:29 AM.
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  #6437  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 10:20 PM
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An American original: 4227 Agnes Ave., Studio City

Columbia Pictures
The original in Blondie Has Servant Trouble, 1940


Where the the Hollywood mythologizers of America--from moguls to art directors--got their vision of small-town and suburban America has always fascinated me. Having grown up on TV with its Springfields, Mayfields and -berrys, Morning Glory Circles, etc, not to mention the towns in old movies, I wanted to live on one of those streets. They reminded me of the street I did grow up on, but with more of a laugh track. Anyway, the old Blondie movies were shown pretty often when I was a kid--and the Bumstead's house was pure America of the sort I'm talking about. We've found quite a few of the real houses of movies and TV here before, but here's a site that turned me onto Agnes Avenue in Studio City: 1164.com. The site is a bit annoying to maneuver, but seems pretty well researched. The house above was actually used in the the first Blondie movies, and in some later ones; a duplicate built at the studio was also used in the series and then became the residences of several familar TV families. (I'm going with Agnes Avenue rather than Agnes Street, per the Thomas Guide.)

And here's Blondie's story: Penny Singleton
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  #6438  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2012, 11:14 PM
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Agnes Avenue reminded me of the many San Fernando Valley streets with unattractive names. Some might be called "old lady" names.

Besides Agnes we have Ethyl Ave., Mary Ellen Ave. (that one is not too bad), Matilja, Zelzah, Martha, and Hortense St.

Kling, Klump, and Cumpston aren't old lady names, but they sound pretty bad. Then there's the stigmatized, dysfunctional Cantlay St. -- you couldn't pay me to live on that street.

You don't see street names like that in Beverly Hills. I don't know who came up with these names or why, but the Valley has had an image problem ever since.

Last edited by 3940dxer; Feb 16, 2012 at 12:35 AM.
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  #6439  
Old Posted Feb 16, 2012, 1:22 AM
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Fredh, your Rodger Young Village post was very interesting. I had never heard of it before so seeing it on that map is pretty cool.
ethereal_reality:

I have driven up the 5 freeway twice since I posted the story. When I drive over the area that used to be the Rodger Young Village, I try to imagine that the Quanset huts are still there. When there are ten freeway lanes (just on the 5 freeway) crossing the area, it is very difficult to imagine the old housing area you are crossing over.

I also had never heard of the Rodger Young Village until I accidentally ran across it a couple of weeks ago. In everything I read, the people who lived there were very happy and thankful for the opportunity to live there.
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  #6440  
Old Posted Feb 16, 2012, 1:44 AM
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Originally Posted by 3940dxer View Post
Besides Agnes we have Ethyl Ave., Mary Ellen Ave. (that one is not too bad), Matilja, Zelzah, Martha, and Hortense St.
LAPL

Well, maybe Ethyl Avenue was named for the lead gasoline additive that came in some time in the '20s. Some people used to called premium gas "ethyl"....


LAPL
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