2026 is America's 250th Birthday, but how many even know that? "Semiquincentennial" is a mouthful compared to "Bicentennial," and 200 is a nice round number, but in 1976, the Bicentennial spirit permeated everyday life beyond July 4th in a nation trying to shed its '70s malaise.
The L.A. Marathon ends at Ave. of the Stars in Century City but the street lacks the allure of yesteryear, when premieres & drive-up to ABC Entertainment Center (incl. Plitt & Shubert theaters) really did leave you starry-eyed. Century City's soul was razed along with it in 2004.
Well, this is what voluteers are for!
The LA Marathon at 9:15 am at Hollywood & Hillhurst.
In possibly related news, Woodsy Owl was seen hitting the 'hoooch' in the Sunset Vons parking lot.
Belvedere Park (originally Soledad Park) in East L.A. dates to 1942 and was bifurcated by the Pomona Fwy in the 1960s but remains a gem. Grab yourself a burrito from La Azteca Tortilleria, eat it on the outdoor seating of the "floating" amphitheatre, and you can't have a bad day.
For the Dec. 21, 1937, premiere of "Snow White" at the Carthay Circle Theatre, Walt Disney created a "Dwarf Village" on the strip of median of today's McCarthy Vista south of Wilshire. It had working water wheels, hobbit houses, costumed dwarfs -- early hints of the park to come.
In 1971, the LA Dept. of Airports still had high hopes that an international airport would be built in Palmdale.
This promo is like something out of The Simpsons. Left to right, you have busy LAX, then Ontario, then regional Van Nuys, then bare-ass tumbleweed desert in Palmdale.
Agree!!!
Get 'em while they're young! It'll be fun.
I know I read/heard something from Doe mentioning this. Definitely will have to track that down again somehow.
Yes, Valley Village makes sense to be part of LA, especially since it really "identified" later, within my lifetime.
You can write a whole book on the shenanigans that went down in Sawtelle in the 1910s/1920s with regard to the drama there with regard to LA and internally. For now, will have to settle for several pages to it in my Inventing Paradise book. 😉
Depends on your community!
Tujunga was the last big holdout to join LA in 1932.
On April 11 (1 pm) at its Bolton Hall, I'll share some of the crazier annexation war-stories between LA and towns like Venice, Sawtelle (which LA took by force), and Barnes City (which had circus monkeys on its voting rolls).
Opened in 1970, the "X Theater" (originally "Adam & Eve Twin") at 5959 Hollywood Blvd. used to display a massive red "X" on its roof, lasting thru the '80s.
When the "X" sign was torn down, lore has it that John Doe from the band X rescued it from scrap and kept it for himself.
And.... the Nazis took as a model American segregation and racism.
In the 1930s, Harry Chandler's LA Times ran regular columns on eugenics. The Human Betterment Foundation (backed by Chandler) included PSAs like this one. By showing a clipped vine from infecting a tree, it endorsed forced vasectomies to stop impure bloodlines from undesirables.
GEO-QUIZ Answer: The LAX Theme Building.
Y'all earned an Easy A on this Monday! Gold stars all around. 👏
GEO-QUIZ: This old pic reminds me of the tripods from "War of the Worlds."
But it was actually the start of construction of a future LA landmark.
Any guesses...?
It really was a perk living in LA if you took advantage of it.
What?! This is an amazing story.
16 yrs old: Me & a bud take the NBC tour in Burbank. We're the ONLY LA folks there, we befriend an NBC page, he arranges for us to visit the Tonight Show stage. We stand on Johnny's monologue star, sit in his desk chair, meet him backstage, watch the show.
Greatest. Day. Ever.
Was he wearing a cape?
Loved that book in high school!
I had this poster.
Just the Kirkwood Bowl area.
Imagine continuing on the 2 Fwy north of Glendale & reaching Antelope Valley in 20 minutes.
A tunnel route for cars AND rail under the San Gabriels was proposed in the '60s but woulda cost $10 billion (in today's $'s). It was also billed as an escape route if the Russians attacked.
Music lovers: Wanna do a fun, unique LA tour? Sign up for the Laurel Canyon Hippie Hiking Tour, led by a husband/wife team. It's a 3-hour trek past iconic Laurel Cyn homes, hearing the stories behind '60s/'70s rock royalty. I had a blast, learned a lot!
laurelcanyontours.com
Great story!
In the olden days before selfies, autographs were the thing. My first ones, in the mid-'70s...
-Art Clokey, creator of "Gumby," at a Century City mall event.
-John Wooden, UCLA coaching legend, in the stands at Pauley Pavilion.
Any dorksters recall their first autographs?
