Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post: The Streets of L.A. in 1957 Continue reading the Original Blog Post
The right turn onto Hollywood blvd.with pedestrians in the crosswalk. Back then the car had the right of way. Today if a cop saw you do that you’d be ticketed in a heartbeat.
Thank You Jive-Bomber, cool scenery and times, when cars were real, and coming up the performance ladder. It seemed that where we lived then ( urban row homes ) the big status statement was what was parked in front of your house. At age nine, I was stunned to see a car that had two hood ornaments. Earlier, my father had schooled me that, the way to follow the road, ( country crown tops, where we then lived ) was to line your sight across the hood ornament to the right edge of the road. That would keep your car off of the middle giving opposing traffic room to pass. Upon seeing twin ornaments, I felt that would violate that rule. Any hoo I was riding with my step-dad in the city when a '57 Chevy passed. I yelled to my step-dad why did they do that. He gave no answer. I did not know then that later in life I would just have to own one ( 2 ).
cheers @Jive-Bomber ,that was neat. Back when people actually looked nicely dressed when going about daily stuff
Very cool. Like stepping back in time for a few moments. Thanks for opening this window in time to help remind us of how it was. More of this, please.
That blue Buick convertible seemed be going around the blocks... And that blue T-Bird almost became dinner!
The cars that are 10 years old or more look so different than the modern ones cruising around. Great video.
I moved to L.A. in 1965 from a town in Oklahoma with one paved street that ended one block south of my house. Downtown Los Angeles was still pretty much as it was in the video, but it was a culture shock for me. No matter where I went, there was something new. At home, the only Chinese food I had was from a can labeled "Chung King". Mexican food also came in a can and tasted nothing like the real thing. A black guy named Hawaiian Whitey introduced me to Chinatown and taught me how to use chopsticks. The large group of East L.A. Chicanos I rode motorcycle with introduced me to Mexican food and a way of life that included me as family. I learned a little about painting and customizing helping on their cars and motorcycles, and they helped me with my bike. Whittier Blvd. was the place to see the latest styles of hot rods, customs cars and bikes. For me, it was a great place to be.
Hey @alanp561 We also stayed in some friend's house in Boyle Heights. It was a small old house. We jammed in there for a little while between the trailer court and the old Craftsman house our dad bought in Long Beach. We were small kids, so we did not take up much room. Later on , we visited there as families grew in the small community within a community of Boyle Heights. Jnaki Today, it is a "rough" neighborhood and we have not seen it for over 70 years... Yikes!
Did you see that little blue Porsche 356 coupe wiz by? Wonder of it was an actor, an artist, a professor... Or just an affluent 50s gentleman with distinguished taste.
When my dad got out of the service in 1946 he bought a small lot east of Hollywood for $1,500 and with my grandpa and uncles built our home. My brother and I would ride our bikes up to the picture shows on Hollywood Blvd and never locked them, they were always there when we came out. My friends and I would ride our bikes up to Dean Jefferies shop and watch him paint some cool cars. 1957 brings back some great memories and also one bad one. From grammar school through high school the smog was so bad that when playing sports everyone had a hard time breathing. It's actually much better now. Thanks for the great video!!
Excellent video, thanks @Jive-Bomber for posting. Very, very busy there in 57. Cutting off pedestrians, nearly T boning a Tbird- some things haven't changed in 64 years
Several early Ramblers I spotted in that film, odd considering how extremely few seemed to have survived. The purple '56 Lincoln hardtop must have been really shocking looking in it's day.
Fogger -- you're right. We moved to SoCal in 1955(?) and I remember the air quality. Back them, everyone had an "incinerator" and burned our own trash. On the video, I saw one on the property across from us now, not in service, but it took a while to remember what it was. Also, the video showed a bunch of new 1957 cars -- a whole slug of them. Maybe their predecessors all didn't run as long as some of us think they did (or should've).
How true, Automotive wise, the first big step, to better air was that PCV valve to eliminate the road draft tube. My Uncle Had a gas station, where I wasted my youth. It sat on a hill on a main thoroughfare, just off multi-laned route US #1. Life got better ( in time ) in the years that followed the intro of PCV and later on, smog ( boo-hiss ) pumps.
I love these old videos. They seem way ahead of time. I take it a step further and Google earth intersections I can make out and see what’s changed.
Hello, It depended on where one lived. We had no choice as our dad made that decision. Yes, those backyard incinerators were prevalent from 1946 to 53 in older homes. But, in 1953, our first real tract home had none. So, not all of So Cal had those incinerators. Our first house was built prior to 1946. Our dad grew up in Terminal Island and San Pedro. The West winds were notorious for blasting through the channel and heading inland. That was one reason the air was so salty and if any smog was around back then, it was all blasted to the inland portions of So Cal. Even in modern times, the whole area was called "Hurricane Gulch" and as sailboat owners, had to take each day into consideration with all kinds of modifications to the sails to accommodate for the strong winds. Plus, everyone has heard of the moisture in the air in the Lion's Dragstrip area. It all came from the harbor areas and blew each day like clockwork. When the notorious Santana winds blow from the desert areas to the ocean, there is a battle along the coast, as to which one takes precedence. Jnaki For a kid who had asthma, it was not that bad as everyone says it was. Sure, the sky was a little brownish in color, but that was back towards the mountain ranges bordering the whole L.A. Metropolitan area. We lived within 3 miles of the ocean and everyday there was the standard West winds howling around the Palos Verdes Peninsula/San Pedro hill and it blew everything inland. It brought moisture almost everyday that lingered in the air. So, we almost never had the smoggy air to contend with during out young lives. During the football season, practices started in late August. Now, the West winds still blew into the whole coastal basin and the only reason we were all puffing was that it was 85 to 90 degrees on the football practice field. Not, smog. The air was clear as the winds did its daily job. When the fall season turned into the “Offshore or Santana wind” days, then we got the blast of red air back on the coast, although the stronger West winds had their time with the battle and as the land cooled, the West winds pushed back and got the upper edge against the invading air quality. Yes, we felt sorry for those that lived in the basin of the tall mountains and in the valleys. But, not all So Cal was inundated with bad air as it was pictured by those from “tales of So Cal, back in the day…” So, for you folks that were inundated with the Red Skies during the “smoggy days,” Here is what the red sky does along the coastline as the sun sets in the West. The sky always brought out the color slide film 35mm camera to record a great walk in the sunset… YRMV
Skies brownish? Foe us kids that never went to the beach living in East L.A. (Atlantic Blvd/Whittier Blvd) the sky was a beautiful light black. You could look towards the Sears building on Soto St. and see the shades of sky go from a darker black to the lighter shade of black and then blue. Additionally, the fragrance of the fertilizer plant on Bandini Blvd added to the ambiance also. Then in 1957 we moved to Orange County, and all was good.
The killer was West Covina east thru Fontana to San Bernardino. Before late 1967 I worked in the Balwin Hills oil fields which were always pretty clear because of the afternoon breeze over Playa Del Ray and San Tamonica. In late 1967 I started working in SoCal Edison’s power plants. The ones on the beach were great. Eliwada next to Kaiser Steel was unbearable in afternoons. By 1:00 you could only take short breaths. There were other steel mills in Cudahy and Bell in The City of Industry like Bethlehem and we pitied them like us.
Hello, I guess in 1957 there were drivers that did not give the right of way to crosswalk passengers. Those guys in the 51 Oldsmobile hardtop sedan are having a great time cruising in Los Angeles. Our dad had his 57 Buick two door Roadmaster by then and we did drive all over Los Angeles in that blue sedan. But, my brother had his 51 Oldsmobile 2 door post sedan and then driving in the 57 Buick was old hat. By the time I was driving, the 57 blue Buick was still around, but was on its last legs until 1963. From his long line of purchased Buick sedans, it was leave early in the morning and come home when it was dark and the traffic had died down. But, by 1963, he had his new Buick Riviera and no road was bad in his daily commute. Ha! Los Angeles was always crowded during the day. But, if one goes down Wilshire Boulevard, it is the main East-West road with all of the big office buildings and shopping centers. If one times it right, the traffic is less and the road trip is enjoyable. It always seemed that our dad knew the traffic patterns and we never saw jam ups or long lines of traffic at each signal. It pays to know where you are driving around on a daily basis. Jnaki The 51 Olds sedan made many trips to Los Angeles and back for visiting friends and places. So, it was no more back seat sitting in a large Buick sedan for those trips. As we grew up driving around So Cal, one learned the traffic patterns and at what time periods to get on the roads from point A to point B. Otherwise, there is too much traffic. Very early morning traffic when we went on our long road trips for surfing, there was little traffic. But, if the local destination was San Diego or Baja, Mexico, we had to leave when it was still dark in order to arrive prior to sunrise and miss all of the early morning traffic in the city centers along the way. Our dad used to get up and have his breakfast and leave for Los Angeles via side streets prior to the freeway being built. It was dark. He knew when to leave and come home back to our home in the Westside of Long Beach. When we were driving, we visited our friend in Los Angeles. At first, we were well versed in driving on Alameda Street as it was the big street that ran from the harbor area in Long Beach/Wilmington, going past the Lion’s Dragstrip entrance (in 1955) at 223rd street and continues on through several cities to lead to the Union Station (since 1939)and beyond. What is beyond, a block away? Why the famous Phillipe’s French Dipped Sandwich Restaurant that has been around since 1951. Knowing when to leave and what route makes driving fun and adventurous. So Cal has plenty of places to go and see. But, knowing when and where to drive is always a good thing in pre planning your route…YRMV Note: Yesterday, it rained for an hour or so in our So Cal coastal area. Now, the dry streets were soaked and the oil sheen was evident. So, long distance or even short distance driving is hindered and it was a nice day to sit inside and wonder... If we were in Los Angeles, it would have been an awful hour of driving around...
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