noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

Charles Ray placard in front of the Woodley Theater, 1917.


detail

Surprisingly, we have not seen the Woodley Theater on NLA (I checked 3x using two different methods)



Here's the complete photograph. -note the street number "838" on both the left and right sides of the photograph.


ampas_collection

A brief history.

Located at 838 S. Broadway, Los Angeles (you can clearly see the street numbers in the photograph above)

Seating: 900

Opened: September 25, 1913. It's not in the 1914 city directory, but it's in the 1915 and 1917 city directories as the Woodley.

This vaudeville theatre was also known as Woodley's Theatre. Woodley also opened the Optic Theatre on Main St.

In the 1918 and 1919 directories it's called the Riviera. In 1919 it's listed as the Victory.

Mack Sennett bought it in 1920 and after an expensive Spanish style remodel, he reopened it as the Mission in 1921 with "The Mark of Zorro."
The festivities included a personal appearance by Douglas Fairbanks.

Status: Demolished to make way for the Orpheum in 1925.
______________________________________________________________


Let's take another look at the artful decoration for 'A Dog Catcher's Love'.


detail


It appears the theater used this space above the entrance quite ingeniously.


https://theatretalks.files.wordpress...gue-medium.jpg

"Manager Edward Holland's splendid decoration for "A Royal Rogue", a Sennett-Keystone Comedy." -Motography, 1917

If you look closely there appears to be a gusher with a car on top in the middle of the 3D skyline.




Manager Holland went all out for "Teddy At The Throttle" (see Gloria Swanson run over by a train!)


https://theatretalks.files.wordpress...3/02/teddy.jpg

Mr. Holland installed a working boiler which kept twenty pounds of steam all day! The steam was allowed to leak through the injector valve
which created "a very realistic effect". In the 'fire box' there was a piece of red silk blown by an electric fan.







"Why Let Newspapers Kill The Billboards?"


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

The Woodley is advertising a Mack Sennett Film "Her Circus Knight" along with "Sapho" with Pauline Frederick. Both were March 1917 releases.






Lastly, here's a wonderful night-time view from the Huntington Archives.


http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/ref/co...coll2/id/14898

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by HossC

"Job 4104: Maxwell Starkman Associates, Gibraltar Savings (Fullerton, Calif.), 1966".

Was anyone else surprised by how small this couple looks in Hoss's photo?

detail

There's something about the design of the bank that belies it's actually size.

...the building appears so much larger than I expected.














made me think of this




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My apologies to J. Shulman for cropping his photograph.

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Hotel Maryland, Pasadena 1908


ebay

I really like this photograph. There's some nice detailing happening along the roof-line.
Is that a city streetlight, or something the Hotel Maryland put up? (I see it's on city property)
___

Originally Posted by Tourmaline

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTA5WDgwMA...qEJ!~~60_3.JPG

Originally Posted by Tourmaline

Hotel Maryland - no dates.
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics33/00036191.jpg


http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics33/00036189.jpg


The Maryland's putting green.
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics33/00036190.jpg


Mayday celebration at the Maryland.
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics22/00060548.jpg

More of the idyllic Hotel Maryland. These images are from a 1905 Jack London photo album. Some depict the crowd awaiting the Rose Parade. Others include a stop at Mt. Lowe's Echo Mt. Search light. http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/compou...3coll7/id/2988


















































































http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=2777



More on Mt. Lowe http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=1953

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by HossC

I can only find the Moscow Inn in the 1930 CD. The address of 8353 Sunset Boulevard puts it nearly opposite Sunset Tower. Today, Carney's is at 8351 Sunset Boulevard.


www.sunsettowerhotel.com

The tiled building behind the service station was probably the same one that housed the Casanova Club in 1936. It was at 8383 Sunset Boulevard.

https://jhgrahambooks.files.wordpres...b-casanova.jpg

8383 was situated on a large parcel owned by the Coyne family that straddled the boundary of what was the the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County territory. It had previously housed Prohibition-era nightclubs, the Moscow Inn and Club Ballyhoo, addressed as 8353 and 8373 respectively. With a key location across from the Sunset Tower apartments, 8383 Sunset seemed a sure hit, but like many nightspots on the Strip, its history is one of high-turnover and frequent name changes.https://jhgraham.com/2016/06/14/8383-sunset-blvd/

8383 debuted as Café Clement in November 1934, one of the nightspots that would earn this stretch of Sunset its nickname, “the Strip.” The exterior of the building was eclectic Spanish-Deco; the cuisine was French-Italian. Café Clement scored a coup in bringing out entertainer extrordinaire Martha Raye from New York for an exclusive singing engagement in February 1936. That same month, Café Clement became the Club Casanova.https://jhgraham.com/2016/06/14/8383-sunset-blvd/

https://jhgrahambooks.files.wordpres...83-ca-1938.jpg


Per source "approximately 1930s."

http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single...coll2/id/17979


http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single...coll2/id/17979

[HossC]

Thanks for getting to the bottom of that mystery, BRR.


---------------


We're staying in Pomona for today's Julius Shulman post. This is "Job 3718: William Ficker, Clark Brothers Buick (Pomona, Calif.), 1964".



A reverse look along the front.



I'll return to this detail view below.



I've omitted one image which only shows a pillar and a plant. At least this one has cars in it.



All from Getty Research Institute

The Clark Brothers' Buick dealership was 1100 East Holt Avenue. Is it a coincidence that that's the corner of Clark Avenue? The building is visible on the 1964 aerial image, but the 1965 view (below) is clearer. It's the one in the center. Looking at the later views, the building was torn down between 1980 and 1994.


Historic Aerials

Returning to the detail view above, I think this neighboring building across Clark Avenue is the same as the one in the Shulman picture.


GSV

I thought the motel from the detail view had gone, but it was further down the street than I thought, and the sign was hidden by a tree when looking from the east. It's next to a Donuts & Chinese Food restaurant.


GSV

[GaylordWilshire]

Unusual to see a GM dealer that sold both Buick and Oldsmobile...seems to me that Buick was usually teamed with Pontiac, Olds with Chevrolet or Cadillac.... more or less.

[ethereal_reality]

Yes, thanks for solving the Moscow Inn mystery once and for all BRR.

Originally Posted by J.H. Graham

"After suffering fire damage in December 1950, it was repaired and converted to office use."

I thought I spotted the fire damage, then I realized this photograph is dated 1936. (14 years too soon!) lol





The turret of the Chateau Marmont looks odd in this photograph; like it has some sort of platform at the top...or the peaked roof is too small or something.



detail



I still think that looks like fire damage

__

[Tourmaline]

Early '50s - Clark Bros. Buick-Olds in Pomona

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...806/PDOWN4.jpg

[ethereal_reality]

Surprisingly, I don't believe we've seen this interesting photograph on NLA. (yes, I searched)


"A small General Petroleum station in Los Angeles selling “Mobil” fuels and oil – note the early General “flying horse” signage."


http://theoldmotor.com/?p=159615

It's a bit strange how the service station is directly in front of the P.T.F. building.

The blogger didn't have the exact address (other than Los Angeles) but one of the comments said this is the corner of Aliso and Lyon streets.

(note the large 'American Toy Manufacturing Co.' sign on the side of the building.

[odinthor]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I can't let sleeping dogs lie.

[...]

We needed a team of bushwhackers (no offense odinthor) to tackle some of that overgrowth.

[...]

Strange to say, whacking bushes is one of the pleasures of Horticulture. As it happens, I spent Friday being a tree surgeon, with a stack of pieces of a 4-inch diameter tree limb as my reward.

In other news:

The movie short Teddy at the Throttle with Gloria Swanson was mentioned a little earlier. It's a quite enjoyable action comedy with equally short Bobby Vernon, more short Teddy the dog, and less short Wallace Beery!

Does anyone else get the Huntington Library publication Huntington Frontiers? The current issue has a few pages about the photo collection of Ernie Marquez, of the Rancho Boca de Santa Monica old Californio Marquez family, whom I know slightly through a mutual friend (Marquez donated his collection of just under 11,000 items (photos, etc.) to the Huntington. Several pix with the article: ca. 1950s Big Rock Beach Café in Malibu (on the magazine cover), Thompson Switchback Gravity Railroad in Santa Monica 1887, etc. etc.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Tourmaline

Early '50s - Clark Bros. Buick-Olds in Pomona

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...806/PDOWN4.jpg

Tourmaline, here's another image of the Clark Bros. building I just found on eBay.


ebay

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[HossC]

I found at least one of those pictures of Clark Bros when I was looking for an address. I concluded that it was a different, earlier location.


------------

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

"A small General Petroleum station in Los Angeles selling “Mobil” fuels and oil – note the early General “flying horse” signage."


http://theoldmotor.com/?p=159615

It's a bit strange how the service station is directly in front of the P.T.F. building.

The blogger didn't have the exact address (other than Los Angeles) but one of the comments said this is the corner of Aliso and Lyon streets.

Definitely the corner of Aliso and Lyon Streets. The service station was selling Violet Ray in 1932.


Detail of picture in USC Digital Library

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by "hossC'

The service station was selling Violet Ray in 1932.

Do you think 'Violet Ray' was purple gas?

"Dyed gas was very popular. Purple Martin was indeed purple, and Clark “Cherry Juice” was red." -OldMotor.com




Here's a closer look down the street (the service station is along the right edge of the photo)


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...id/65072/rec/8

The business on the left is 'Familian-Silver Plumbing Supplies'. (the gas-o-meter is deflated)



If you look closely there's a Lee's Coffee Shop (not to mention the two men working on the wheel of a trailer attached to a truck)


super_duper_detail




In this second photograph we're looking in the opposite direction with the General Petroleum station on the left.


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...id/65072/rec/8

__

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Unusual to see a GM dealer that sold both Buick and Oldsmobile...seems to me that Buick was usually teamed with Pontiac, Olds with Chevrolet or Cadillac.... more or less.

I recall my father saying, "Why buy a Buick when a Cadillac only costs about $300 more." That was his logic in the mid 1950s. Of course each brand had a very different public image.

[Earl Boebert]

In the "Man in the Grey Flannel Suit" days, GM marketed each brand as having a corresponding niche in the corporate hierarchy of places like IBM: Chevrolet for the plebes, Pontiac for the sporty set, Oldsmobile for middle and Cadillac for upper management. Buick was for doctors and independent businesspeople like realtors. How many people actually bought into that was another question.

Cheers,

Earl

[GaylordWilshire]

Ah yes, GM's hierarchy of brands developed by Alfred Sloan in the '20s.

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

I recall my father saying, "Why buy a Buick when a Cadillac only costs about $300 more." That was his logic in the mid 1950s. Of course each brand had a very different public image.

The richest people in my neighborhood drove anything but Cadillacs after the custom-bodied kind faded away, thinking them kinda tacky, as in "Big Hat, No Cattle"-- they liked foreign cars even then. The local mob drove Cadillacs--i.e., Carlos Marcello etc. The Kennedy-era Lincolns had the kind of 'understatement' the "un-gonnected" guys liked...otherwise, when it came to American, the fancy families drove Fords, Mercurys, Chevrolets, Oldsmobiles. Pontiacs were rarely seen, and definitely shunned were Plymouths and Dodges. (Just one kid's observation.)





The replacement building has a couple of arches to echo the past. (But could the old be buried in the new?)

[ethereal_reality]

Here's a tow truck from Clark Bros. in Pomona with various 'mystery' buildings in the background.


eBay



We first saw Clark Bros. last night.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=38052
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[ethereal_reality]

Ad found in the back of the 1932 Hollywood High School Yearbook.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/1932-HOLLYWO...3D111735702525


POINSETTIA 1932

Carl A. Bundy
Quill & Press
"Specialists in Yearbook Annuals"
1228 S. Flower Street
Los Angeles

Cover







close-up
detail

[GaylordWilshire]

Did not expect to find this...

[ethereal_reality]

gsv

Wow, I didn't think it was there either GW. And remarkably, it's still a printing company!