noirish Los Angeles

[GaylordWilshire]

L.A. Times photo

Mickey and LaVonne Cohen's house at 513 Moreno Ave., Brentwood, 1949. Wonder if it still looks anything like this? (Note the Caddy convertible in front. In addition to his bulletproof Fleetwood, Mickey was given to ordering two other Cadillacs every year--apparently with money he should have been sending to the IRS instead.)

Another shot:

L. A. Public Library

And more on the bulletproof Fleetwood, the Sherry's shootings, etc:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thed...-cohens-1.html

[gsjansen]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Mickey and LaVonne Cohen's house at 513 Moreno Ave., Brentwood, 1949. Wonder if it still looks anything like this? (Note the Caddy convertible in front. In addition to his bulletproof Fleetwood, Mickey was given to ordering two other Cadillacs every year--apparently with money he should have been sending to the IRS instead.)

apparently out of the pen, Mickey became a regular suburban kinda guy. here's a link to his new car after doing time............http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thed...key-cohen.html

a rambler!

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by gsjansen

apparently out of the pen, Mickey became a regular suburban kinda guy. here's a link to his new car after doing time............http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thed...key-cohen.html

a rambler!

I guess his good friend Billy Graham finally succeeded (along with the feds) in getting Mickey to give up his life of luxury. But there was continuity--as I understand it, these Ramblers had "bulletproof" 6-cylinder engines, descendants of which still power (or did until recently) Jeep Cherokees.

As for the house, that would be 13841 Wyandotte St. in Van Nuys. Then:

Pete Grant/L.A. Times

and Now: Check out the Google street view--the house appears to be almost EXACTLY the same 48 years later:

Google Street View
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=...-8&sa=N&tab=wl

[sopas ej]

Hehe, Van Nuys! According to zillow.com, that house in Van Nuys is currently only worth $299,500. Small house, too-- 2 bedrooms, 1,218 square feet.

His Brentwood house is currently worth $1,859,000... 4 bedrooms, 2,943 square feet and on an 18,000 square foot lot.

[ethereal_reality]

We covered the Sherry's shooting earlier in this thread as well.
In case anyone missed it....here it is.

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

sopas_ej wrote:
This is a wide angle shot showing Sherry's Restaurant (on the right side) where Mickey Cohen and 3 others were ambushed at 3:45 a.m. in front of the restaurant on the Sunset Strip. Mickey's car drove up to the curb and gunmen (hiding across the street under an advertising sign indicated in the area circled on the left side of the picture) opened fire with shotguns. The gunmen then sped away in a gray auto, tossing out the guns a block away. Mickey was the least seriously wounded. (File date: July 20, 1949)


lapl originally posted by sopas_ej

I thought it was interesting you posted the above pic sopas_ej.
I have three additional photos in my file from the USC archive.
(but I didn't have the one you posted)




above: where the shooters hid, behind the billboard.





above: stray bullet holes.





above: Cohen's car.

[ethereal_reality]

Sherry's was located at 9039 Sunset Blvd.

Before Sherry's it was Cafe La Maze, with the lounge area called The Key Club.




unknown


Above: You can see the Key Club painted on the side of the building.







Then it became Sherry's.







After Sherry's it was Gazzarri's.





Below: An advertisement from 1966.


gogonotes.blogspot




gogonotes.blogspot



Today, the venue at 9039 Sunset Blvd. is called The Key Club.
A homage to it's Cafe La Maze days?



I enjoyed the photographs of Venice Sopas_ej.
The opening shot of "Touch of Evil" is also very famous.
The camera follows Heston/Leigh for several blocks as they drive through the border town (actually Venice),
culminating in the explosion. That one scene is better than most entire movies.

[ethereal_reality]

Is it odd I'm quoting my own posts?

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

The Burbank Theater north of 6th Street, on the east side of Main Street in 1903.
If I remember correctly, this eventually became a venue for burlesque.



usc digital archive

Below: I found these photos/clipping in an old file of mine.


unknown




LIFE




LIFE







Below: Another downtown burlesque venue, the Follies Theatre at 337 S. Main Street.



latimesblog




Below: Here is Betty Rowland performing in L.A. in 1946.



ucla archives (I think)



Below: Check this out...it's really cool. Betty Rowland is one of the dancers.

http://vimeo.com/630123

[ethereal_reality]

You can spot the Follies Theatre in this photo of Main St.
This view is looking north from 4th Street.



usc digital archive







Below: In this 1918 photo you can see the Burbank Theater (on the left) long before it became a house of burlesque.



usc digital archive


Above: This view is looking south on Main Street from 6th Street.

[gsjansen]

More Mickey Cohen images.......

The result of the July 19th, 1949 hit attempt outside Sherry's, resulted in the death of Mickey's bodyguard Neddie Herbert who was shot in the back

Neddie Herbert laying on the sidewalk outside of Sherry's

Delmar Watson Photography

Neddie Herbert being placed in the ambulance outside Sherry's

LAPL

In February of 1950, another attempt was made on Micky's life by bombing his Brentwood Home

USC Digital Library

Mickey survived that attempt, However his mouthpeice and lawyer, Sammy Rummel did not fare that well. He was rubbed out inside his Laurel Canyon Home in December of 1950

Delmar Watson Photography

In August of 1948, Mickey and his cohorts Mike Howard, Sol Davis and James Rist were picked up by the L.A.P.D. and are photographed here, awaiting booking into the county pokie

LAPL

[gsjansen]

Here is a great photo of the Follies Burlesque house where our favorite Red Headed Ball of Fire burlesque queen is performing

Wesselman Collection/The Williams Partnership

The Follies theater is very prominently featured in the 1956 "B" movie the Indestructible Man with Lon Chaney. This movie also has one of the best scenes that shows angels flight,the Hillcrest Inn, as nt ealley between the Hillcrest and the Astor. I highly recommend it for all bunker hill/L.A. Noir enthusiasts.


A runway full of dames at the follies

Wesselman Collection/The Williams Partnership

[gsjansen]

Originally Posted by garfield

I see people are asking about historical buildings. I have a bit of a mystery that I'd like to solve if possible.

Below are a couple of pics of what appears to be a section of rail tracks. This was taken on the west side of the 3rd street tunnel. I thought this was the original location for Angels Flight before it was moved. However, all documentation on it states that it was on the east side of the 3rd street tunnel.

Does anyone know what this is? If not, could you point me in the right direction?

I believe that the structure is part of the electrical substation, and generation plant that was installed as part of the bunker hill CRA development plan. In photo below, which is from 1970. the engineering plant is clearly visble just to the North, (left), of the extended 3rd street tunnel


USC Digital Archive

Here is an amazing 1903 photograph of the western terminus of the third street tunnel taken from the very exact spot that you photographed it from


UCLA Library

Great Googleymoogly

[ethereal_reality]

^^^The Cohen photos are great gsjansen.



I'm intrigued at how the man is reading about the murder at the murder scene.
I never realized 'EXTRA' editions could hit the streets so fast.
I mean...that's amazing. I wouldn't think it would be possible.



Below are a couple more photos I had of the Samuel Rummel murder.


ucla





ucla

[ethereal_reality]

^^^Also, the two 'Follies' photos gsjansen posted are truly wonderful.




Below is the Belasco Theater at 337 S. Main Street, which is the same address as the Follies Theatre.



usc digital archive





My guess is that it's the same building refitted with a modern facade.
Does anyone know for sure if it's the same building?


Here's gsjansen's photograph again for comparison.


The Wessellman Collection/The Williams Partnership


OK....the more I look at it, the more I'm sure it's the same building.

[ethereal_reality]

Here is Betty Rowland (aka Ball of Fire) after being convicted of lewd conduct in 1952.



ucla


Not quite the Ball of Fire I expected. I think at this point she's more than a few years past her prime.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

usc digital archive


The Wessellman Collection/The Williams Partnership

OK....the more I look at it, the more I'm sure it's the same building.

I'm pretty sure it is indeed the same building. The proportions look the same as well as the way the windows go.

Unfortunately this building no longer exists; it's now the site of a surface parking lot. It's interesting to me that what was probably a "legitimate" theater at one time became a burlesque theater; plus the space that was once occupied by a tailor later on became a pawn shop. So within a few decades, that section of Main Street became somewhat seedy. That area apparently has been seedy for a long time. Only within the last decade has gentrification set in. It's still a "transitional" area, though.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

^^^The Cohen photos are great gsjansen.

I agree, great photos, gsjansen!

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Below are a couple more photos I had of the Samuel Rummel murder.


ucla

I gasped when I saw that picture. I didn't realize that this murder took place at that house on Laurel Canyon Blvd. I've been fascinated by that house ever since I was 18, when in college I made friends with a girl from North Hollywood, and when we'd hang out, we'd go from her house "over the hill" into Hollywood and beyond; but we'd get there by taking Laurel Canyon Blvd. and we'd pass by this huge Mediterranean-style mansion which in the late 1980s and well into the 1990s looked abandoned, complete with weeds; it always made me think of Norma Desmond's mansion in "Sunset Boulevard" and I would think of that line from the film that went something like "it was a huge mansion, the kind that crazy movie people built back in the crazy 20s..." I last drove by that house about a year or 2 ago and I assume someone does indeed live there now because it's all well-kept now, but somehow it looks tacky. I liked it better when it looked abandoned and run-down.

[gsjansen]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here is Betty Rowland (aka Ball of Fire) after being convicted of lewd conduct in 1952.



ucla


Not quite the Ball of Fire I expected. I think at this point she's more than a few years past her prime.

here's a link to a February 2009 LA Time article about The Red Headed Ball of Fire

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb...t/et-minskys27

betty in her prime


hubba hubba

more betty photos can be found here.....http://www.netropolitan.org/betty/bettyphotos.html

Burlesque Noir at it's best!

[gsjansen]

I know i'm new to this forum, (i have no idea why i hadn't stumbled on it before....A. I'm and Architect....B. I adore and am a complete L.A. Noir addict!)

I keep going back over the 9 months of this thread to make sure that i am not posting anything that has been posted before. If i fail in that endeavor, and do post something that has been covered previously, i do apologize......anyway,

no LA Noir forum is complete without a nod to Los Angeles Police Department Noir.

1st up is the man who's number one job was to quash Noir, Police Chief James Edgar "Two Guns" Davis


UCLA library

The most famous crime scene in Los Angeles History. The discovered severed torso of Elizabeth Short the Black Dahlia in
Leimert Park South Los Angeles

Bruce Henstell

OK, maybe this one ties the Black Dahlia for being the most famous murder scene. Benjamin Bugsy Siegel rubbed out in Beverly Hills

Delmar Watson Photography

The usual Suspects. a 1940 LAPD Lineup

USC Digital Archive

1930 LAPD Detective Squad Group group photo

Wesselman Collection/The Williams Partnership

And one more shot of the follies. in 1954 a korean war vet who had developed a crush on chorus girl Loretta Miller, went to the theater in pure desperation after never getting a response to his numerous love letters to her. Put a gun to his head, while clutching her 8 X 10 glossy photo, and put an end to his misery. The police found a note he had scrawled on a nearby wall which read........."Good-bye Angel Face"...........

Delmar Watson Photography

[gsjansen]

Fresh off the bus 1938. This is in front of the Broadway-Hollywood Department store at Hollywood and Vine. Small town girl looking to make it big on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Library of Congress

[gsjansen]

Another early morning atomic blast sunrise for downtown. March 7th, 1955

LAPL


1st televised atomic blast. the KTLA cameraman on top of the news truck looks awfully close

Tribune Broadcasting

Not really cold war noir, but hey, they could be tracking down a red scare story on top of court hill at 1st and hill street..............anyway, i absolutely love this photo, and it certainly does have a noir quality to it

LAPL