1950s Wilshire Blvd

[HobieMarty]

The carspotting thread had me looking at similar videos and I came across this one.
Any of you folks from LA recognize anything in the video?
https://youtu.be/5fL8n_aAisQ

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[HobieMarty]

Here is another from the 1960s.

https://youtu.be/NEtol1sCrjg

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[look 171]

We started going down town in the late 70s. Dad had his jewellery making shop on 7 th and Hill. By the early to mid 80s, I was there often after high school helping out in the shop. Took the RTD bus that drove down Hill Street and like clock work, stopped at Pershing square. It hasn't changed much in the early part of the 80s from that 60s vid you posted and many of the buildings were still there. Now, not so much. Talk about going down memory lane? Thanks for posting.

Same with the Wilshire vid. Many of the old building were still there in the mid 80s. That was when I started driving and bought some stereo equip off some shops around the area. I grew up in Echo Park so those were the places, west side really, were the go to places.

[sc_rufctr]

OP video: The first thing that sticks out... The cars look organic.

The second video: They look bigger and more "rocket ship".

Not a lot of traffic in either video.

[jcwade]

Didn't get to LA until the early 60's as a child.
So much of this looks familiar. Some of it is still there.
Even today you can see the memories of that easier time.

If you can look past all the modern crap.

[drcoastline]

In the first vid the "Bombsheletrs" billboard (4:27) caught my eye. I can see what attracted my parents to California in those days as opposed to Philadlephia.

I guess not much is left from that era?

EDIT: quite a few bombshelter bilboards. I nteresting the amout of construction taking place. Also the range of vehciles, some look to be from the 1920's?

[porsche tech]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

OP video: The first thing that sticks out...

No homeless camped out on sidewalks.

[Seahawk]

[flatbutt]

No MCs that I saw.

[stevej37]

I didn't think that Fritos were around back then.

[Seahawk]

I completely forgot about Du-pars Restaurant.

Big treat in the 60's for the fam!

[herr_oberst]

•.Not much traffic
• Clean!
• Tons of parking
• Plenty of convertibles
• That woman at 10 minutes is fearless
• Surprising amount of aggressive driving, especially left turns.
• Colorization caused me to experience that 'uncanny valley' phenomenon a little
• Very few cars from the 20's and '30's
(I got to thinking about how many cars from the '90s are still out there, just chugging away! Nothing runs badly longer than a car from GM!)

[ckelly78z]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

No MCs that I saw.

I kept wanting to see the scooters/motorbikes that I was hearing in the 1950's video, but never did. I'm not sure that the soundtrack matched the video....still cool to see.

[speeder]

Colorization looks weird in this one. Also, the cars are not nearly as interesting as they would become just a few years later; by the mid/late '50s, there was a lot more variety and more sports cars, etc.

DuPar's is still around at the Original Farmers Market on 3rd and Fairfax, it is where Harry Bosch is eating w his ex-wife when she gets whacked. All of the other locations are sadly gone.

[Bob Kontak]

At 5:27-5:35 time marker in the 50's video is the The 1939 Streamline Moderne style May Company Wilshire building in Los Angeles that is captured but only the bottom floor.

It was later adapted for use as The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

(Above descriptions from Wiki)

I saw the May Company appliance store in the video and wondered if was affiliated with the May Company we had around Cleveland. It was, although different May family members ran the regional businesses, all reported into the parent May Co.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Company_California

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

At 5:27-5:35 time marker in the 50's video is the The 1939 Streamline Moderne style May Company Wilshire building in Los Angeles that is captured but only the bottom floor.

It was later adapted for use as The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

(Above descriptions from Wiki)

I saw the May Company appliance store in the video and wondered if was affiliated with the May Company we had around Cleveland. It was, although different May family members ran the regional businesses, all reported into the parent May Co.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Company_California

last time I drove by there, that funky building is still there. that was about 4 years ago. I just about stopped going down to Wilshire blvd all together due to the traffic.

[rcooled]

Life must've been pretty good in L.A. back in the '50s. Air relatively clean, plenty of water to go around, still lots of open space, and so little traffic...even on a main thoroughfare like Wilshire Blvd. Cool to see all the long-gone shops and restaurants and deco architecture. DuPars restaurant survives and still serves the best pancakes around. You can even get their pancake batter to go and make 'em at home.


Sign of the times...

[red 928]

hasn't changed much
except people drive faster and run red lights now

[red 928]

[red 928]