Marti’s department store opened in 1929 at 411 Pine Ave, corner of 4th St, Long Beach. The Depression killed it but what beautiful display windows! In fact, they’re not so much “display windows” as “display rooms” where customers could walk around the merch for a 360° view. ("now" photo Dec 2024.)

Mrs. Carl Christol poses next to her Studebaker coupe at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Center shopping mall, 3650 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. The center opened in 1947 which is when this photo was taken, so Mrs. Christol would have been shopping in a brand-spanking-new mall. What color is her car?

I am very happy to announce that the audiobook version of “Selznick’s Spotlight” (book 2 in the Hollywood’s Greatest Year trilogy) is now available. You can find it via Audible on Amazon. tinyurl.com/kcjca2np

This Sontag drug store stood on the SW corner of Sunset & Vine, Hollywood, kitty-corner from the NBC studios. This photo is from 1949, the same year NBC converted from radio to television. But the crowning glory is the billboard for Camel cigarettes which blew actual smoke.

The North Beach Bath House on Santa Monica beach does seem to have been popular with the locals. Given that this was taken in the late 1800s, they all would have been either fully dressed or wearing (probably uncomfortable wool) bathing suits that covered more than they exposed.

The North Beach Bath House on Santa Monica beach a block north of the pier (1894 - 1911) had a saltwater plunge, 300 dressing rooms, a ballroom, a rooftop observation deck, the Pavilion Restaurant, and a bowling alley. A one-stop beach destination! ("then" photo 1905, "now" photo August 2024)

This the living room and pool of the Lautner-designed Sheats-Goldstein House at 10104 Angelo View Dr, Beverly Hills (finished in 1963.) As we can see in this photo, the 4,500 sq feet home had lots of floor-to-ceiling windows to let in all that Southern California sunlight. ("now" photo: Wikipedia)

I recently viewed the "Hollywood in Miniature" model of 1930s Hollywood now owned by Hollywood Heritage. It's really worth seeing for yourself if you get the chance, but for those who can't, you can check out my blog to see a collection of my photos. wp.me/p5XK3w-8zo

This is the menswear store Zachary All at 5467 Wilshire Blvd. It seems to be quite a large store with something for everyone, hence, I’m guess the “all." I believe that’s a mid-1970s Buick Riviera parked out front, which makes sense because this photo was taken in 1978. ("now" photo May 2024)

Goodrich could have built a utilitarian tire factory at Olympic & Goodrich Blvds but they went with Spanish Colonial Revival. This photo is from 1930 which makes me wonder how many of their factory workers still had jobs once the Great Depression hit. ("now" photo July 2022)

Merced Theatre at 420 N. Main St #DTLA opened on January 30, 1871 and was only open for six years (thanks in part to a smallpox epidemic) but it remains the oldest surviving theater building in Los Angeles. ("now" photo May 2025)

The nine concentric circles that make up the bowl of the Hollywood Bowl are so famous that it can be easy to forget that it didn’t always look like that. This is the Hollywood Bowl’s second shell, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and which only lasted for the 1927 season.

A circa late 1940s photo of an LA Railway Yellow streetcar rolling along the “R” line. That route took Angelenos along 3rd St, 7th St, and Whittier Blvd. And going by that sign on the front – “Take This Car to Bullock’s Downtown” – I’d say it was en route to downtown Los Angeles.

In this 1939 photo, we’re looking north across Wilshire Blvd toward the Brown Derby restaurant at 3377 Wilshire Blvd. I'm sure it was pleasant to eat in the extension to the east with the umbrellas, but if I’m going to eat in the hat, I want to eat IN the hat. ("now" photo May 2024)

Back in the simpler, silent-movie days, before Fox Films merged with 20th Century Pictures, the William Fox Studios were at 1401 N. Western Ave. This 1925 photo reminds us how low-key movie studios were in stark contrast to the sprawling city-states they would later become. ("now" photo Dec 2024)

What a genius idea to set up the Hollywood Photo Studios booth next door to the Hollywood Canteen during WWII. Every single day, 100s of men went to the Canteen. Why not get 3 portraits for $1 to send to the folks back home? I bet they did a roaring trade. ("now" photo May 2022)

Looking north up Broadway #DTLA from 3rd St. I wonder if it was typical for 3 streetcars to be banked up like that, or had some mishap farther down Broadway caused a traffic jam? In the background, we can see the castle-like tower of the LA Times building at 1st St. ("now" photo May 2024)

Dr. Bridges shows off his "wreck-proof car" aka "The Lightning Bug" at 1110 N. Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, April 17, 1936. No shade to the good doctor, but it seems a mighty confident claim for a car that appears to have been patched together with a soldering iron, spit, and moxie.

Opening in 1940 on the Sunset Strip, Ciro’s quickly became LA’s premier exclusive nightclub. From the banner we can see Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were playing. Their nightclub era (before breaking into movies) was 1947 to ’49, so I’m calling this “circa late 1940s.” ("now" photo May 2024)

From the moment it opened in 1928 until the mid-1950s, LA City Hall stood out for miles around (because nothing could be taller than it). So it’s no surprise that its silhouette became an instant iconic landmark. It’s interesting to see it taking shape while it was taking shape. (now photo Dec 2023)

Looking north across Hill St to Pershing Square, 1929. A typically bustling day in #DTLA with regular buses, double-decker open-top buses, streetcars, and late-20s cars. This was back when Pershing Square was still a leafy, grassy, pleasant spot to sit and watch the world go by. (now photo Feb 2023)

To me, the name William “Buffalo Bill” Cody belongs in the 19th century so I was a little surprised to see this photo from 1903 in which we see Buffalo Bill parading down Broadway in downtown Los Angeles along with the performers of his famous Wild West Show.

Early March 1938, a series of catastrophic storms inundated SoCal with 11 inches of rain. Imagine how much power it took for the river to demolish the Colfax Ave bridge in North Hollywood like that. Not long after, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concreted the LA River. ("now" photo Feb 2023)

These cute vehicles made continuous circuits around LAX helping passengers to get from one airline terminal to another. That distinctive streetlamp with the 8 globes was known as a Sputnik streetlight because it resembled the Sputnik satellite, which launched in 1957.

Clocks from Olive View Hospital frozen at 6.01am, when the Sylmar earthquake struck on February 9, 1971. The hospital was so badly damaged that it was demolished. With all those clocks stopped at the same time, this photo has a bit of a “Twilight Zone” feel to it, doesn't it?

When the Hollywood Burbank Airport opened in 1930, it was United Airport, but that name only lasted until 1934 when it changed to Union Air Terminal, and then changed again in 1940 to Lockheed Air Terminal. And that was its name when this photo was taken sometime in the 1950s. (now photo April 2015)

Here's the Pantages Theatre on Hollywood Blvd on March 19, 1953, the night of the 25th Academy Awards. It was a landmark evening because the ceremony was televised the 1st time. The estimated audience that night was 40 million—not bad considering the population was 160 million. (now photo June 2024)

In 1924, the 10 millionth Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line and Ford sent it on a cross-country tour from NY to CA along the Lincoln Highway. In Newhall, CA, screen cowboy William S. Hart posed for this photo at his Horseshoe Ranch (now the William S. Hart Regional Park).

Philharmonic Auditorium (aka Clune’s) stood at 427 W. 5th St, corner of Olive in #DTLA. It overlooked Pershing Square and the Biltmore Hotel. Opening in 1906, it hosted operas, concerts, jazz, religious congregations, and movies until its demolition in 1985. ("now" photo May 2024)

In 1926, First National Pictures built their movie studios on Olive Ave in Burbank. In September 1928, Warners bought them. This photo is dated August 11, 1928, so this might have been one of the last times the soundstages were photographed with the First National logo. ("now" photo July 2024.)

We need only to look at Bette Davis to know which movie she was filming when this photo was taken.

This bungalow court was made up of old San Diego electric railway streetcars. It looks like two streetcars made up each bungalow. Each unit had three rooms and rented for $30 a month. This photo is dated February 3, 1941, and came from the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.

The Hollywood Bowl opened July 11, 1922, but it wasn’t until July 8, 1940, that "The Muse of Music, Dance, Drama" sculpture was added at the entrance. 22' high, 200' long, and made from 300 tons of granite, it depicts a kneeling woman holding a harp, symbolizing the arts. ("now" photo June 2024)

In this photo, we’re looking west across Pershing Square to the Biltmore Hotel under construction #DTLA. Work on the Biltmore began March 1922, and it opened on October 1, 1923. I love seeing the circular fountain. Wouldn’t it be nice if it were still there? ("now" photo December 2023)

But this is the first freeway opening I’ve seen from the Goodyear blimp! The opening of the Santa Monica Freeway was on January 29, 1965. I wonder if all those people were there for the blimp as it looks like it was flying unusually low. (This was taken west of La Cienega Blvd.)

The last time I bothered to take note, the San Diego Freeway (aka “the 405”) was 12 lanes across, but when this photo was taken on May 28, 1961, it was nothing more than a construction site of dirt tracks. We’re looking north up the 405 toward the Mulholland Dr. overpass. ("now" photo July 2024)

I’ve posted lots of photos taken at 7th & Broadway #DTLA but I’ve never seen a street sign that looks like this one with SEVENTH spelled out in full. I assume the other three sides do the same. Those two white signs were erected by the Automobile Club of Southern California.

I didn’t think LA’s congested freeways were already bumper to bumper like this by the early 1960s. This is the Hollywood Freeway (aka “the 101”) as the traffic s-l-o-w-l-y snakes its way out of downtown Los Angeles heading west into the San Fernando Valley. ("now" photo June 2025)

There is something about the combination of Sunset Blvd + Hollywood + nighttime + rain that makes for an irresistibly atmospheric combo. The photographer was standing on the southeast corner of Sunset and Vine, looking north past the NBC television studios in 1951. ("now" photo July 2024)

Sandwiched between the RKO years and the Paramount era, the studios at Melrose and Gower St were Desi Arnaz & Lucille Ball's Desilu. They were there from 1957 to 1967; this photo was taken in around 1964, by which time they had a full schedule of TV shows. ("now" photo May 2024)

The corner of 7th St & Broadway #DTLA was widely LA’s busiest intersection. But not in circa 1910. It’s remarkable for its dearth of traffic. One streetcar, one horseless carriage, a few horse-drawn carriage, and so few pedestrians that you could almost count them. ("now" photo February 2023)

Would I like to enjoy a splendid 50-cent lunch where joy reigns supreme? Why, yes, I would indeed? Care to join me?

Over January 9 to 11 in 1949, Pasadena saw an astonishing 6 inches of snow. (Pictured here is the City Hall.) I can’t imagine that they had snow plows or snow shovels, so I guess they did the best they could until it melted away. (The foothills in the distance got up to 14''!) ("now" photo Dec 2023)

Night shot of Danny's Donuts at Bellflower and Del Amo Blvds, Lakewood, 1954. It started out as a 24-hour donut shop that into Danny’s Coffee Shops, then ultimately changing its name to the ubiquitous Denny’s in 1961 to avoid confusion with another local chain called Coffee Dan’s.

Featuring "Motormat technology" The Track drive-in restaurant sent your order out via a conveyor belt. It opened in 1949 at 8201 Beverly Blvd. Motorists got to save a quarter (see “NO TIPPING” sign) however, with no need for waitresses The Track looks looks a tad impersonal. ("now" photo Dec 2018.)

I recently joined @holleysnaith on "Say It With History" to talk about the personal cost of fame in Golden Age Hollywood—and how I bring those stories into my historical fiction. Listen here: tinyurl.com/y7avnxxa #SayItWithHistory #OldHollywood #HistoricalFiction

We're looking along Angels Flight funicular from Olive St down to Hill St, #DTLA. When this photo was taken in 1966, the neighboring building had been razed, which left Angels Flight all by itself. Is it just me or does this make the ride look rather precarious and a bit scary?

These Mexican fan palms near W. Adams Blvd & Flower St were planted in the 1870s. This photo was taken in the 1930s so we’re seeing 50 to 60 years growth = around 70 feet tall. They typically max out between 80 to 100 feet, so these swaying towers had another 20 to 30 feet to go!

A woman boards a Western Ave bound LA Motor Bus at 2810 N. Beachwood Dr., Hollywoodland in 1923, the same year the Hollywoodland sign went up. The bus company launched their first regularly scheduled route along Western Ave, followed by a service along Wilshire Blvd then others. Now" photo July 2024

In this “very LA” shot from 1939, we’re looking north up Normandie Ave from around Franklin Ave. The thick foliage of mixed trees lining Normandie make a perfect frame for the Griffith Observatory, which sits on the southern slope of Mt Hollywood less than a mile away. ("now" photo May 2022)