Vintage shots from days gone by!

I was just looking thru a file of literature this afternoon and found a very similar ad. 1946

 

This aerial photograph shows Beachwood and the original wooden Hollywood Sign along with
its searchlight (the dot below it (circa 1925)).

The Hollywoodland community is still being built with only a few houses showing.
The early roads carved into the hillsides are the same as what's used today.
Although hard to see, the retaining walls and steps are near complete.

The H to the left of the Hollywood Sign is not "a spare for the H in the Sign", It was placed on
the hillside by Hollywood High School and vanished long ago.





This photograph taken from just below the Hollywoodland Sign, showcases the western view
from Beachwood Canyon (circa 1925). At the time, Hollywoodland’s winding roads and Lake Hollywood
(Reservoir) were all new.








The original wooden sign was only designed to last about 18 month's and by the early 30's the sign
had become derelict.

The city acquired it and was going to tear it down but an outcry from the
people halted that although a decision was made to drop the last 4 letters from the sign
transforming it into the 'HOLLYWOOD' that everybody recognizes.

By the 1970's the 50 foot letters had again fallen into disrepair but a group of celebrities
donated much needed cash to rebuild the sign (this time in steel).

In 1978 Alice Cooper donated $27,000 to fix the first letter 'O' in honor of his friend Grouch'O' Marx
who had just recently past way.




























Notice the search light or 'dot' in many of the pics.

 

This "ridge" or Mountain that the current Hollywood sign rests on is known as Mount Lee. After legendary Don Lee the southern California radio station owner. He had his broadcast towers on that hill. Don Lee also was the west coast distributor for Cadillac, owner of Don Lee Cadillac, Don Lee Coachwork, which at some point acquired Earl Automotive Works, founded by J.W. Earl, father of Harley Earl who continued to work for Don Lee and at some point hired a young man named Frank Kurtis who learned/honed his coach/metalworking abilities at Don Lee. Of course Harley Earl went on to some fame at G.M. and of course Frank Kurtis made his name designing and building race cars, including at least one for Tommy Lee, Don Lee's heir, a KK2000 known as the Don Lee Spl. Which ran at Indianapolis in '48-'49 and if you have ever seen the movie "To Please A Lady" it was used for the staged race scenes and close up shots. Tom Malloy owns the car today.

 

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More Los Angeles History



From the LAPD files....(File date: July 20, 1949)
....(Notorious Gangster) Mickey Cohen and 3 others were ambushed at 3:45 a.m. in front of
Sherry's Restaurant at 9039 N. Sunset Blvd.
(That's Mickey's Cadillac across the street)

Misc bullet holes are seen in the rear fender of the car in the right foreground as the assailants
hid in the empty lot standing approximately right about where the pic was taken from.





Below is a wide angle shot showing Sherry's Restaurant (at right) where the 4 were ambushed.
Mickey's Cadillac drove up to the curb and gunmen (hiding under the billboard) opened fire.

The gunmen then sped away in a gray sedan tossing out their guns a short block away.
Mickey was the least seriously wounded of the four.







-Cohen's car in front of Sherry's.





Cohen had had the foresight to have is Cadillac bomb proofed (metal plated) as well as he had
3" thick glass installed just for the odd occasions when somebody was out for his life.









Two days after the assassination attempt, this picture was snapped of Mickey recovering while
reading Aggie Underwood's "Newspaperwoman."






-Mickey would live on only to be convicted of tax evasion (1950) spending 4 years behind bars.

In 1961, Cohen was again convicted of tax evasion and sent to Alcatraz. His heavily armored
Cadillac from this period was confiscated by the LAPD.
(It is now in private hands and on display at the Southward Car Museum in New Zealand).



Mickey Cohen at his rented house in the Valley while he was out on bail in 1962.
The Cadillac is long gone and Mickey now sports a Rambler,
(notice the address: 13841)?






"Mickey" Cohen (September 4, 1913 – July 29, 1976)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Cohen

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gangster27-2008oct27,0,2498425.story

 

A PETA pinup girl!!

 

I have seen pics of Don Lee's Cadillac dealership pop up several times in this thread
but never realized he was a broadcaster as well.

A quick search found the following:

Lee owned a string of west coast Radio stations and in the early 30's he aquired a license
for the experimentation of televsion signals.

He built his tower just above the Hollywoodland sign



and was assigned the broadcast letters
"W6XAO in Los Angeles" The station later became KTSL, then KNXT and according to
wikipedia, is currently KCBS-TV Los Angeles.
The ridge above the Hollywood sign, where Lee established his transmitter, is still known as
"Mount Lee."

Lee passed away in 1934

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Lee_(broadcaster)

 

How about these prices!!!?????
Remember these old drive in's????

 

Lovin the Wood

 

reminds me of artesia and long beach in the 50's

 

Nice, but not the Kilgore College Rangerettes . . . just sayin'

 

Born in '64, I have always been amazed at the ability of the blue collar man to convince the wife that dragging some rattlebox to the middle of nowhere, where she still had to cook and clean was some kind of vacation. They don't make ladies like that anymore.

 

Vacation? That's likely where they lived. When I was young, we lived in a trailer not much bigger than that one.

 

When the car was on display in CA (at Cars of the Stars IIRC?) it had a signboard next to it painted by Von Dutch; the heading read "Fashion Conscious MICKEY COHEN's 1950 Cadillac". The car went to New Zealand, but the sign sold at Barrett-Jackson in '07 to my boss (I forget what he paid but it wasn't much).

 

Yes it is....a Morton M5.
One of my favorites.

 

Lawyers, scientists, and supporters assembled during the Scopes monkey trial, Dayton, Tennessee, July 1925

 

Don, the '49 menus & '49 prices are GREAT!

 

Unusual building and unusual car. Especially considering posted at HAMB.
I recognise the car, but not the building...
Where is this shoot at?

 

Correct...
The cocktail tastes just terrible.
No good fuel either - as we have experienced.

 

#39212 Brussels World Fair 1958

 

Begium, here's a link.....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomium

 

Interesting, I always thought, that the Tatra T603 came about in the 60's.
This made me study and realize it was introduced already in 1955, thus this is not even first year model. I do not like the styling, but I have to admit it was ahead of it's time in 50's. Had an air cooled V8, too...

 

Willie Wirehand circa '51.

 

Parade lap and some of the participants at a slalom event at Charlotte Motor Speedway-1970 with it's lavish pit facilities.

 

I'll see your Willie Wirehand and raise you a Redi Killowatt, SouthUrn
This little guy was in a lot of electric company literature and even in power company provided comic books aimed at kids about electricity safety back in the 50s and 60s.

 

Test pilot needed

 

That's Lefty Mudersbach with his triple in 1960.

 

Custer Channel Wing CCW-5

 

That's the first 3 engine dragster I've ever seen