Jan 14, 2025
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THE DIRTY SECRET BETWEEN L.A. AND ITS WATER SUPPLY -- THE HEART OF THE MATTER IN "CHINATOWN."
PIC INFO: Resolution at 1330x1663 -- Spotlight on a "Chinatown" (1974) themed piece from the Atlantic article, "The Lies Los Angeles was Built Upon" -- "Chinatown" is about the secret history of how Los Angeles became a paradise — but it offers a warning for the city’s future," written by Chris Stanton, published July 25, 2024. Artwork by Clay Rodery.
"When Robert Towne sat down to write the screenplay for "Chinatown," he quickly found himself lost in a maze of his own making. He had set out to write a detective story in the tradition of Raymond Chandler, one that would pay tribute to the Los Angeles of his childhood -- a time before industrial smog choked the city, and before the Manson murders persuaded his friends to buy handguns and guard dogs. He wanted it to star his friend Jack Nicholson, whom he had first met in an acting class in the 1950s. And he planned to borrow liberally from a book on Southern California history that his then-girlfriend, Julie Payne, had found for him at the library.
If the movie was to be about Los Angeles itself, Towne wanted to intertwine the characters’ personal drama with some sordid local scandal — and where better to look for inspiration than the actual history of how the city had stolen water from a valley 250 miles away, ravaging the valley in the process? Towne had found an original sin on which to build his story, but the audacity of the crime and the sheer depth of conspiracy required to pull it off seemed impossible to fit into a screenplay. His first draft was about 340 pages."
-- THE ATLANTIC, "The Lies Los Angeles was Built Upon," by Chris Stanton, published June 25, 2024
Source: www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/06/chinatown-50th-anniversary-water-california/678780.
Interesting to see it referred to as a Tuesday.
THE BIGGEST BITE IN THE MONSTROUS BURGER HISTORY OF CLASSIC, VINTAGE LOS ANGELES.
PIC(S) INFO: Mega spotlight on “The Burger That Ate L.A," a now legendary and world famous burger joint on Melrose Ave. in the shape of a giant cheeseburger. "This amazing attempt at wackiness was designed by Solberg and Lowe Architects and created by owner David Alderman. "
MINI-OVERVIEW: "We all know that programmatic architecture in Los Angeles was very popular in the 1920s and 1930s, but here’s an example of a programmatic structure, during the 1980s and 1990s… The Burger That Ate L.A. was a latecomer in Los Angeles' venerable pantheon of fantasy architecture. It ranked up there with Randy's Donuts and Tail o' the Pup.
The Burger That Ate L.A. held its own on trendy Melrose Ave. The bun-shaped dome once devoured the corner of Stanley Avenue. The unconventional facade (with sesame seeds) was shaped like a giant cheeseburger had glass bricks forming as ketchup and oozing with onions. The structure also appeared to have a missing bite chomping on City Hall."
-- ALISON MARTINO'S "Vintage Los Angeles," "The Burger That Ate L.A.," published June 15, 2024
Source: http://martinostimemachine.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-burger-that-ate-la.html.
"WARNING! MONSTER BURGERS MUST BE HANDLED WITH CARE!"
PIC(S) INFO: Resolution at 987x1418 & 885x1304 -- Spotlight on cover art & menu offerings to the wacky, long long L.A. burger joint, The Burger that Ate L.A., located on the once world famous Melrose Avenue, in Los Angeles, California.
"They generally come off the griddle in a stunned condition, this state will not last long, so eat them quickly. Be careful to not drop any burger crumbs in your lap as they may regenerate and who knows what might happen then!"
-- THE BURGER THAT ATE L.A. menu "warning" to customers about their "monster" burgers
Source: https://martinostimemachine.blogspot.com/2014/07/melrose-ave-in-80s.html.
COFFEE SHOPS & HOLLYWOOD HOT SPOTS ON THE HISTORIC WEST SIDE -- I'LL HAVE THE SOUP OF THE DAY & A BROWN DERBY SPECIAL.
PIC(S) INFO: Mega spotlight on a vintage menu design for The Brown Derby Coffee Shop, on Wilshire in West Los Angeles, CA, USA, c. 1957.
OVERVIEW: "Opened in 1926, the original restaurant at 3427 Wilshire Boulevard remains the most famous due to its distinctive shape. Whimsical architecture was popular at the time, and the restaurant was designed to catch the eye of passing motorists. The Brown Derby name originated from a Malverne, New York-based restaurant of the same name that had been a popular hang-out for vaudevillians in the 1920s. It was founded by Wilson Mizner as a small cafe, across the street from the popular Hollywood hot spot the Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel. Wilson was the front man; Herbert K. Somborn owned the property and Jack L. Warner put up the money. Wilson Mizner sat in booth 50 almost every day.
The cafe was successful enough to warrant building a second branch later. The original, derby-shaped building was moved in 1937 to 3377 Wilshire Boulevard at the northeast corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Alexandria Avenue, about a block from its previous location (and directly across the street from the Ambassador Hotel).
In September 1980, the restaurant closed without warning. Local preservationists unsuccessfully tried to stop the building from being bulldozed, but the demolition was completed in November and replaced by a parking lot."
-- VINTAGE MENU ART
Source: https://vintagemenuart.com/products/the-brown-derby-coffee-shop-hollywood-1957.
MEANWHILE, ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF L.A.
PIC INFO: Spotlight on Homer Simpson street art across the street from world famous Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, Los Angeles, CA. Original Polaroid by "j05u-3."
See if you can guess what I'm having for breakfast right about now? Yup, you guessed it. Homer Simpson style. 🍩☕☀
Source: https://jimsstore.exblog.jp/31451344.
IN MEMORIAM: PIONEER TAKEOUT -- PIONEER CHICKEN: A FORMER L.A. FAST FOOD STAPLE.
PIC(S) INFO: Mega spotlight on promotional images and assorted ephemera of West Coast/Los Angeles, CA fast food hotspot, Pioneer Takeout, a.k.a., Pioneer Chicken.
I grew up in the East Hollywood/Los Feliz Village/Silverlake area, so, I definitely remember this restaurant well, and though I may have forgotten the exact flavors of the food, it was a place I was used to seeing for a great many years of my childhood. If anyone recalls there was a Pioneer off of Sunset Blvd. in between Silverlake and Los Feliz (very close to Virgil & Hillhurst), and its former location now hosts a really lame Del Taco. Dammit, bring back Pioneer!!
Source: https://psyne.co/pioneer-chicken.