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That's Topanga Plaza under construction in the background on the top right. View is looking west over Victory in 1963. The street with the pepper trees running left and right about in the middle is Canoga. Now Warner Center is where all those fields are. The biggest building was May Company anchoring the north side with the Broadway (not built yet in this photo) anchoring the eastside. "Monkey" Wards was in the middle.
The railway which goes up from the bottom and and curves to the right is now the busway.
The 405 in the Sepulveda Pass 1962.
Now Less smog
Now I think it is more expensive for housing per earning dollar but not sure
Now traffic on the 101 in the west San Fernando Valley (to the Conejo Valley and the Oxnard Plain) flows east to west in the mornings and west to east in the afternoon. It used to be the opposite.
Then many more aerospace companies in the San Fernando Valley: Lockheed, Hughes, Teledyne. Rocketdyne and Litton (Northrop Grumman) are basically the last of the glory days.
There was no such thing as a snowboard.
Then Dodger Stadium was about $3 for top deck and the outfield pavilions.
Then Anyone could afford a hockey ticket.
Air Raid sirens were tested last Friday of the month at 10AM.
One area code 213
LAX was single deck
Reseda (Gilmore and Jumilla streets looking north) Late 1950s
Hollywood Bowl Late 1950s
Tampa and Victory looking northwest early 1960s
Sherman Way and Topanga looking North East 1953
Chatsworth Park South 1955
Hidden Hills 1953
"Hey dad, did you get our Dodger Dogs?" (Dodger Stadium 1962)
Wrigley Field in Los Angeles where the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League played 1926 to 1957. It was located at at 42nd Place and Avalon Boulevard, basically on the other side of the 10 freeway from the Coliseum. The Los Angeles Angels of the American League (completely different franchise from the LA Angels of the PCL who moved to Spokane in 1958) played their first season here in 1961 then moved to Chavez Ravine (the Angel organization didn't call it Dodger Stadium) in 1962 where they played until Anaheim Stadium was built in 1967. I think it was then that the Los Angeles Angels (AL) became the California Angels.
Night Game at Los Angeles Wrigley Field
Demolition of Wrigley Field. Downtown Los Angeles in the background behind left field.
Anaheim Stadium (The Big "A") under construction. It was later enclosed for the Rams and then re-opened in the outfield to its present configuration. Amongst the most spotlessly clean stadiums I have ever been to.
Gilmore Field in Los Angeles, Home of the Hollywood Stars. Gilmore Field sat between Gilmore Stadium (a football field) and the famous Pan-Pacific Auditorium, along Beverly Boulevard. Must have been tough for a pitcher like at this time of the day as he is almost looking into the sun and pitching into a shadow. Left field points east.
Here's a good shot of Farmers Market, Gilmore Stadium, and Gilmore Field. CBS Television City is about there now. That is 3rd and Fairfax in the immediate foreground.
Mt Baldy Ski Lifts maybe 1959. The woman in the lower center of the picture is my mom.
San Gabriel Mission late 50s early 60s
Charles, used to go to both Gilmore and Wrigley:: I was a huge Angels Fan and my parents were HOllywood Stars fans: I was just a kid, not really a tom boy, but not many girls loved baseball the way I did. Also Mt B. went there many times and San Gabriel Mission wasn't that far from where I lived as a teenager.
I lived on Balboa Island as a child, back when poor people lived there--it was heaven on earth.
You were living on Balboa Island while I was living on Lido Lido Island, and we weren't rich by any means. Our house cost $19,000.
You're right. Heaven on earth indeed -- the Balboa Ferry, Harbor Christmas Cruise, Fun Zone (home of the frozen banana) and Pavilion, the Rendevous Room on the beach at Newport Pier, Flight of the Snowbirds, the Portugese Dory Fleet, all of it! Oh, yeah! Richard's Lido Market and the Crab Cooker on the penninsula, not to mention the Wedge and Little Corona.
I only wish my children could have experienced it.
IU was born in San Diego in the 40s to a military family and spent an impressionable part of my youth in Newport Beach in the 50s. In a way, those times were magical. Traffic was almost an unknown. We children played outside, mostly on the beaches, from dawn to dusk and there was no fear. Every adult was a parent and they all watched out for all of us, and reported us to our parents if we did something wrong. Neighbors knew and socialized with neighbors and houses and cars remained unlocked.
Orange County was aptly named. With the exception of Santa Ana it was a collection of small towns and villages separated by massive orange groves and you drove on two-lane roads to get from place to place. The air was filled with the perfume of the blossoms and fruit. You could see Catalina Island from the Newport Pier on most days of the year. Immigrants were invisible -- either working as dishwashers in restaurants or as maids and cooks who disappeared in the evening for the most part. Gangs were things in Chicago and New York and blacks knew their place which wasn't where the rest of us were.
Of course, it was an era of discrimination, the Korean War, the cold war, bomb shelters, almost universal smoking, constant cocktail parties and other unhealthy pursuits. Families appeared to be like those on Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best and Ozzie and Harriet but likely there was abuse. It just never got reported. Appearances were everything. Television was wholesome, if a bit violent (westerns), and you could tell the good guys from the bad guys by the color of their hats.
Then came the 60s and by the middle of them the impact of the late-50 freeways, the Vietnam War and massive social and moral changes began to be felt. This was followed by the major declines to the defense industry in the 70s, base closures in the 80s, massive migration, much of it illegal, oil embargos and shortages, the era of greed (on-going), strict and unrelenting bipartisanship, political correctness, social engineering, "celebrating our diversity"resulting in a loss of state and national character and the Golden State has continued to tarnish unabated.
My wife and I, both of us natives and in our 60s, are leaving the state of our births and youth forever by early Fall.
oh yes, the smoking, as for cocktail parties, well I think we still have those but we drink less as we are more aware of drinking and driving...
Of course there was no such thing as a cell phone or cordless one, everyone learned to use a type writer and we played our 78 records, followed by 45s and 331/3. Eventually we switched to 8 tracks. that was the 50s 60s and 70s.
I lived on Balboa Island as a child, back when poor people lived there--it was heaven on earth.
I graduated from John Muir in Pasadena in 1962--about a third of the students were black--our student body president included--and just about everyone I knew, black and white, went on to college of some sort. The movie "American Graffiti" was like home movies of that time--so true to the era. We spent Friday nights on the Sunset Strip, either cruising or going to this great pizza place whose name escapes me--and always went to Hollywood to see first run films. Wonderful days.
And California is still pretty darn good--despite the fact that it's being ruined by this insane state gov't.
About busing--to say that Nixon (who I never voted for) imposed busing to pit the races against each other is about the strangest thing I ever heard. Busing was promoted by liberals and civil rights activists--very few citizens, black or white, actually wanted it--which is why it died a quick death in most places.
California-- a little tarnished, but still the Golden State. Let's hope for a rebirth of common sense.
Mono, thanks, i didn't want to get into the Nixon thing as I don't think politics belongs in here on this thread, but you are right. I don't remember him having much to do with it.. If it had been his doing all school districts would have adopted it at the same time...Interesting you graduated from Muir.. You and I are about the only ones on here from areas NO East of L.A> I think.
Curmudgeon--boy does all that bring back memories! Richard's Market--went there all the time. I had a friend who lived on Lido. When I was about 8 I used to ride the ferry on my own to go to the library on the peninsula. You wouldn't let a child do that today. I always tell my kids I went to the Boy Scout Jamboree the road is named for.
I've been wracking my brain trying to remember the name of that restaurant on B.I.--it was a pirate name on Marine almost to Park. They started a Taco stand out front and I used to hear that it was the first taco stand in California (probably a lie--but still, fun).
Every summer we kids would make a mint trolling the sand for soda bottles left by the tourists--we'd turn them in for the deposit. I still remember that sort of haunted, lonely feeling on the day after Labor Day, when all the beaches were suddenly empty. Then there was Easter Week when the teenagers and college kids took over the island! Yikes!
nmnita--my husband grew up in Alhambra--went to Alhambra High. The San Gabriel Drive In was our favorite date place!
Muir was a great school back then--when we first moved to Altadena, my parents were warned not to have me go there--they said there were knife fights in the parking lot, etc. But I went anyway and never did see one. My senior year was the last year the La Canada kids went to Muir--after that they had their own high school.
Do you remember Bucky's on Valley? We used to have breakfast there a lot. The Hat? The Cabin Inn for steak sandwiches? How about Angelo's Pizza on Valley? We went there for pizza the night after our wedding--because we were leaving for Washington DC the next morning and knew we might never come back.
I've been wracking my brain trying to remember the name of that restaurant on B.I.--it was a pirate name on Marine almost to Park. They started a Taco stand out front and I used to hear that it was the first taco stand in California (probably a lie--but still, fun).
That wouldn't have ended up being one of the first Jolly Rogers, would it?
Golden memories indeed. I worked as a box boy at Richards during college in the early 60s and then again as a produce clerk when I returned from overseas in the late 60s. Dick Richards sold it to Arden-Mayfair in 1972 because he wanted to retire and none of his children wanted it. I was one of quite a number of fairly long-term employees laid-off immediately. Last time I was in Newport Beach it was a Vons.
Yup! A great library and bottle returns from the beaches were money in the bank!
PS. Here's a picture I just found of Marine Avenue in the '70s and, sure enough, there's the Jolly Roger.
Last edited by Curmudgeon; 03-28-2009 at 08:21 PM..
Reason: New Info
Of course! The Jolly Roger. Thank you so much--especially for the picture. I remember going to the Market across the street so often with my mother after school--Corona del Mar Elementary. What a kick to see it again!
I see you were in Korea. My husband went in the Army in '66-tho't he was going to Viet Nam, but got pulled out for White House Communications and we ended up in Wash. DC and then San Clemente. Wasn't bad duty, all in all.
Of course! The Jolly Roger. Thank you so much--especially for the picture. I remember going to the Market across the street so often with my mother after school--Corona del Mar Elementary. What a kick to see it again!
I see you were in Korea. My husband went in the Army in '66-tho't he was going to Viet Nam, but got pulled out for White House Communications and we ended up in Wash. DC and then San Clemente. Wasn't bad duty, all in all.
Thanks again for the trip down memory lane!
My pleasure. It was a great trip for me as well.
I enlisted in "66 for Vietnam and was sure that's where I was headed. Instead I was sent to OCS and after I was commissioned I was sent to Korea and the DMZ which, from Dec. '66 until Mar. '69 was a hot zone. I was there from Jun. '67 until Mar. '69. Was lucky enough to be stationed at the Pentagon during 1975-76 so we were in Washington for the Bicentennial. It was wonderful!
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