Sunset Strip 1963

[victorialynn2]

Forgive me if this has previously been posted. Check out this footage of the Sunset Strip.

 

What cars do you spot? How many red lights did he run? 

For those of you who have Facebook, check out this version that has a surprise ending not shown on the YouTube link:  https://fb.watch/6j2y5HxvV7/

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by victorialynn2 (see edit history)

[Terry Bond]

Reminds me of the times spent cruising Gratiot Ave in Detroit in 1966. Thanks for posting.

Terry

[John348]

EXCELLENT 

I love the 55 Nomad in front  of the car with the camera. I am surprised how new most of the cars were, and I would love to have taken a peek into the antique store

[Pfeil]

Can't tell you how many times I've been down that street in that time period.

Watched a 1968 episode of Adam 12 last night and they were working out of Venice division. They had a 211 at a restaurant I went to after senior prom night! 

 

So my reaction to victorialynn2 's youtube? I'll have one of those and that one over there and I'll take that one too! And thus, another video to drool over.

And now I'm leaving to go to the store and while driving I'll notice every car these days looks the same. 

[JamesR]

Very cool video! The Nomad as everyday driver is a hoot. I can't tell if that was David Janssen or Bobby Darin on that billboard. (Maybe neither.)

 

Must've been a pretty conspicuous camera taking the footage. Seems as if it was mounted on the front of the car rather than inside.

[victorialynn2]

Here is another video of Dallas in 1955. Lots of cars in the footage. 

 

 

 

[victorialynn2]

5 hours ago, JamesR said:

 

Must've been a pretty conspicuous camera taking the footage. Seems as if it was mounted on the front of the car rather than inside.

It looks that way and the Facebook version ends with this car running a red light and almost crashing into another car. Then I went back and realized he ran others also. 

[TAKerry]

Cool videos. We were on a California trip 30 some yrs ago. Spent the night in a hotel on Sunset strip. Right on the edge of seedy and bad! Ordered pizza in. Didnt have enough nerve to venture out after dark.

[Pfeil]

9 hours ago, John348 said:

EXCELLENT 

I love the 55 Nomad in front  of the car with the camera. I am surprised how new most of the cars were, and I would love to have taken a peek into the antique store

John, did you notice the woody in the last few frames next to the Nomad? Anyroad, here is a youtube of Sunset Blvd. in the 30's and at 2:56 is a antique store,

 Sunset Strip rolling street footage. 1930s

 

[Jim Skelly]

10 hours ago, Terry Bond said:

Reminds me of the times spent cruising Gratiot Ave in Detroit in 1966. Thanks for posting.

Terry

we lived by Telegraph 😀

[mike6024]

Really enjoy these videos. I went to Sunset a few times in the late 1980's. The Viila Nova became the Rainbow Grill.

Wonder if this Mermaid Club is the same place, before the Villa Nova?

Here is the German in Venice tour of the Rainbow

 

 

[Guest]

Pfeil,

               That is a great, early video of the busiest part of the strip!  Funny to still see residences then as well as vacant lots.

I can offer a little context here for those who have only seen Hollywood on TV or in the movies.  Hop in, let's go for a ride....

This video is actually shot in West Hollywood.  The center of Hollywood, at Vine Street, near Grauman's Chinese Theater with all those famous hand prints is about two miles to the northeast.

 

 

The Strip in this part of the video runs East-West and the car with camera is travelling West, showing the North side of the street.   The car starts from the approximate location of the present day Viper Room, famous for it's connection to Johnny Depp and River Phoenix, although the Viper Room is on the south side of the street (almost directly behind the cameraman).  At the time of this video the same building housed a grocery store.  If you look back to the northeast, you can almost see Mel's Drive-In.

 

 

As a fun side note, and just for reference, the 50's/60s TV show 77 Sunset Strip which showcased (and pretended to be next door to) Dean Martin's restaurant Dino's Lodge, was also on the south side of the strip a half mile to the east of the car's starting point. Addresses along the boulevard have 4 digits so 77 was not an actual address but sounded cool!

 

 

The car passes a service station which sat on the Northeast corner of N. Clark Street and Sunset Blvd.  Directly across Clark St. the car passes a nondescript white building with no visible signage out front.  That building today houses the world famous Whiskey A Go-Go.

 

 

Just steps to the west, today is the also famous Roxy Theater in the the same building that shows as the Westside Market in your video.

 

 

 

Right next door to the Westside Market in your video is the Mermaid Club at 2:02.  It still stands today as the Rainbow Bar & Grill, a true rock star hang out since 1972 where you could regularly see the likes of Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, David Lee Roth and many, many others.  Joey Covington of Jefferson Airplane (a true raconteur) lived here in Palm Springs and used to frequent my bar (almost daily in fact).  We would day trip to LA together and always visit the Rainbow.  Without fail there was someone (or something) notable there.

 

 

In between the building's incarnations as the Mermaid Club and the Rainbow, it was the Villa Nova for a quarter century, famous as the restaurant where Marilyn Monroe met Joe DiMaggio for a blind date....and you know the rest of that story!

 

 

Your video finishes up at Sunset and Doheny (yes, like the Beach Boys song) passing Maxime's cafe, another landmark spot back in the day.  Surprisingly the building still stands today, housing a liquor store and a few other businesses.  Doheny Drive is the eastern border of Beverly Hills.

 

 

 

If the car had continued west for just a little longer, it's only a minute or two from the Beverly Hills Hotel and Rodeo Drive, then the uber-exclusive Holmby Hills neighborhood and the Playboy Mansion, cross under the 405 Freeway through to Brentwood, winding down hill where one of the tight curves was made famous in 1964 by Jan & Dean's song Dead Man's Curve.  Then through Pacific Palisades and you pop out on the Pacific Coast Highway (known as Roosevelt Highway when this video was shot) at the edge of the ocean where, if you turn south, you'll find you're only about 3.5 miles from the Santa Monica Pier, marking the terminus of Route 66.

Hey, that was a fun ride!

Greg

Edited June 24, 2021 by GregLaR (see edit history)

[victorialynn2]

Loving all the other links posted and thanks @GregLaR for the extra info!

[Pfeil]

22 hours ago, GregLaR said:

Pfeil,

               That is a great, early video of the busiest part of the strip!  Funny to still see residences then as well as vacant lots.

I can offer a little context here for those who have only seen Hollywood on TV or in the movies.  Hop in, let's go for a ride....

This video is actually shot in West Hollywood.  The center of Hollywood, at Vine Street, near Grauman's Chinese Theater with all those famous hand prints is about two miles to the northeast.

 

 

The Strip in this part of the video runs East-West and the car with camera is travelling West, showing the North side of the street.   The car starts from the approximate location of the present day Viper Room, famous for it's connection to Johnny Depp and River Phoenix, although the Viper Room is on the south side of the street (almost directly behind the cameraman).  At the time of this video the same building housed a grocery store.  If you look back to the northeast, you can almost see Mel's Drive-In.

 

 

As a fun side note, and just for reference, the 50's/60s TV show 77 Sunset Strip which showcased (and pretended to be next door to) Dean Martin's restaurant Dino's Lodge, was also on the south side of the strip a half mile to the east of the car's starting point. Addresses along the boulevard have 4 digits so 77 was not an actual address but sounded cool!

 

 

The car passes a service station which sat on the Northeast corner of N. Clark Street and Sunset Blvd.  Directly across Clark St. the car passes a nondescript white building with no visible signage out front.  That building today houses the world famous Whiskey A Go-Go.

 

 

Just steps to the west, today is the also famous Roxy Theater in the the same building that shows as the Westside Market in your video.

 

 

 

Right next door to the Westside Market in your video is the Mermaid Club at 2:02.  It still stands today as the Rainbow Bar & Grill, a true rock star hang out since 1972 where you could regularly see the likes of Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, David Lee Roth and many, many others.  Joey Covington of Jefferson Airplane (a true raconteur) lived here in Palm Springs and used to frequent my bar (almost daily in fact).  We would day trip to LA together and always visit the Rainbow.  Without fail there was someone (or something) notable there.

 

 

In between the building's incarnations as the Mermaid Club and the Rainbow, it was the Villa Nova for a quarter century, famous as the restaurant where Marilyn Monroe met Joe DiMaggio for a blind date....and you know the rest of that story!

 

 

Your video finishes up at Sunset and Doheny (yes, like the Beach Boys song) passing Maxime's cafe, another landmark spot back in the day.  Surprisingly the building still stands today, housing a liquor store and a few other businesses.  Doheny Drive is the eastern border of Beverly Hills.

 

 

 

If the car had continued west for just a little longer, it's only a minute or two from the Beverly Hills Hotel and Rodeo Drive, then the uber-exclusive Holmby Hills neighborhood and the Playboy Mansion, cross under the 405 Freeway through to Brentwood, winding down hill where one of the tight curves was made famous in 1964 by Jan & Dean's song Dead Man's Curve.  Then through Pacific Palisades and you pop out on the Pacific Coast Highway (known as Roosevelt Highway when this video was shot) at the edge of the ocean where, if you turn south, you'll find you're only about 3.5 miles from the Santa Monica Pier, marking the terminus of Route 66.

Hey, that was a fun ride!

Greg

And when you get to the end at PCH you have this;

I would Surf this on my 2hr lunch when I went to SMC!

Edited June 25, 2021 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[BobinVirginia]

@victorialynn2

I enjoy your fun positivity! Thanks for posting. 

[Guest]

VL2,

                I got so involved in Pfeil's video last night that I completely forgot that I was making a comparison to your original video!

I found it interesting that these two vids, shot 30-some years apart, cover almost the identical area.  Your youtube link is great and runs just a bit longer.  I think the vantage point for the camera is taken above the windshield in a convertible.

Your vid starts at Horn Ave, just slightly west of the earlier one. This is the first red light the driver runs.  In the first curve on the left side of the street, where Larabee Street crosses Sunset, under the big multi-colored billboard you can see a black and white roof sign that reads "Melody Room".  That is the sight of the current Viper Room. 

 

 

In fact if you look (fast) in your color video, directly across the street at the white building with the blue sign that reads "Angel's Corner Liquor" as you pass it you'll recognize the same colonial style trim above the entrance door, showing that this is the same building that housed "Hollywood Press/Printing" shop at the starting point of in the 1930's video.

30 years later the Shell service station was still at the corner of N. Clark and Sunset but your video captured something very interesting.  In the white building with the blue awnings and sign that reads "Come to the Party" across from the service station (that today houses the Whiskey) there was a club called "The Party".  This was a very short lived women's club that was only in business from 1963 to 1964.  So a very small window to have caught that!

Right next door, looking like it may be under construction, is the "The Unicorn Coffee House" which, influenced by the British invasion, later became "The London Fog Night Club" famous for many bands but mostly for the Doors playing there before becoming the house band next door at the Whiskey a Go-Go.

 

 

Then you cross Hilldale Avenue heading towards the green light at Hammond St. where you can see the giant LARGO sign right next door to the Villa Nova.   

 

 

Largo (formerly the Westside Market in the 1930's vid) was a big burlesque theater showcasing the hottest girls on the strip (no pun intended) as well as stand up comedians until it's later incarnation as the Roxy.

 

 

Another point of interest to note is how many banks were still in this neighborhood in the early 60's.   This area was a pretty strong financial district originally.  Even the Whiskey a Go-Go location housed a bank formerly.  I don't think there are any banks left along that stretch now.

Anyway, you pass a couple more financial institutions and you're back at Doheny Drive and Maxime's.  I'm glad this video continues where the other stopped because it's incredible to still see the big blue, ca. 1910 house and a smaller green house of the same era, still standing on Sunset in the 1960's!  

The big red sign next door belonged to the Frascati Grill, today the nondescript location of "Hyde Sunset Kitchen & Cocktails".

 

 

But, across the street you can see the black and white sign of the Cock 'n Bull, which stood for 50 years (1937-87) an incredible feat for California.  This was a real hangout for the Hollywood crowd of the Golden Era.  Errol Flynn was a regular, as was Orson Welles, John Carradine, etc.

 

 

Of course, in sight of an obligatory bank back then as well.

 

And one final tidbit.   If you look quick at the last corner on the right hand side, before the car almost collides with the turquoise Chevrolet at Doheny Road (not to be confused with Doheny Drive two blocks back, but always is), you'll see a "Schwab's Pharmacy" which is pretty cool!   While this one is part of the small local chain owned by the Schwab brothers it is not the one of (supposed) Lana Turner fame but I'm pretty certain it doled out drugs to plenty of stars.

 

 

It's interesting to note how much changes in 30 some years and how much it stays the same if you really look close.

Thanks for sharing those great videos!

Cheers, Greg

 

 

 

 

 

          

[zepher]

Thanks Greg, for all the pictures.

In the mid 80's until the early 90's I did guitar tech, sound and lighting work for a band that played all the rock and roll spots all over Hollywood.

Every club and bar with a stage you posted I've been in, along with places around the area like the Palladium.

Gazzarri's is long gone but I spent more Friday and Saturday nights there than I can count.  The stage there had a horrible electrical system that would blow breakers if you had the band playing and too many stage lights up at the same time.

I even got a J-walking ticket right out front of The Rainbow.

After a set a bunch of us were crossing the street to grab a bite, nowhere near a crosswalk, and I was the only one dumb enough to stop when a cop yelled at us to stop.

Everyone else just kept walking and was inside and settled in by the time I caught up with them.

[Guest]

J-walking in West Hollywood!

A true and hardened outlaw! 😄

[JamesR]

On 6/24/2021 at 8:43 PM, victorialynn2 said:

Loving all the other links posted and thanks @GregLaR for the extra info!

 

I agree! Thanks Greg.  I personally believe the whole world loves 20th century California history, and not just because of Hollywood or the powerful entertainment industry. In the 1940's, 50's and even 60's, California probably embodied the most optimistic vision of the future for the very optimistic USA. Everyone wanted to live there; the climate was warm and sunny, a significant percentage of the state's borders was coastline and beaches,  Disneyland too (a real novelty back then.) More than any other state it was the birthplace of American car culture...and who can forget all those rust free old cars! California might not have the positive vibe that it once did, but some of those cool things still exist as cultural artifacts. Thanks for all the pictures and videos, folks! 

 

This isn't a video from California, but it's pretty close...Arizona. It's a movie from 1959 called The Edge of Eternity (not to be confused with From Here to Eternity.) I watched it the other day and was pleased to see so many cool old cars in nice shape as daily drivers...and in decent quality color, no less. As an added bonus, you'll probably learn more than you eve wanted to know about the bat guano industry (like, for example, there actually IS a bat guano industry.) It's not a bad movie, crime mystery...cool aerial shots of the grand canyon and a few cool old vintage aircraft, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John348]

This is a fantastic and interesting thread, I have learned so much, from the post here and my own digging around. 

[mike6024]

This place is near The Roxy. In the late 1980's I used to look in the windows when walking by, they seemed to exclusively have used Ferraris at the time. Would usually have at least a couple 308's.

[John348]

I stumbled upon this on my own about the Whisky a Go Go, growing up in NYC these places were just images on TV and from the Movies. I just got finished reading a book by John Densmore (drummer for the Doors) so that also peaked my curiosity in the LA scene.  I can't seem to figure out how to imbed the you-tube video into my post, I am sure it is simple, the best I can do is the link.

 

https://youtu.be/laJyZq5gNIM 

Edited June 28, 2021 by John348 (see edit history)

[mike6024]

I didn't know it referred to Go Go dancers, but it makes sense now.

[Pfeil]

3 hours ago, John348 said:

I stumbled upon this on my own about the Whisky a Go Go, growing up in NYC these places were just images on TV and from the Movies. I just got finished reading a book by John Densmore (drummer for the Doors) so that also peaked my curiosity in the LA scene.  I can't seem to figure out how to imbed the you-tube video into my post, I am sure it is simple, the best I can do is the link.

 

https://youtu.be/laJyZq5gNIM 

John, perhaps the imaginations and the images and hindsight are the best remembrances. I saw the DOORS just before they got banned from the Whisky. At that time you could still get in while underage. All I can say is it was bazar scene especially for underage kids. To some it was a open door to a different world, and to others like myself  made me do a button hook on that whole scene. A fellow drummer friend I used to know was in a couple of bands in the mid 60's and both bands had top ten hits in the L.A. area, anyroad one day friends found him up a tree naked. He had dropped the Leary tab. He got out of it and straightened himself out, but so many people had disastrously short lives.

How Jim Morrison got The Doors from Whiskey a Go Go (faroutmagazine.co.uk)

[John348]

On 6/23/2021 at 11:18 AM, victorialynn2 said:

Forgive me if this has previously been posted. Check out this footage of the Sunset Strip.

 

What cars do you spot? How many red lights did he run? 

For those of you who have Facebook, check out this version that has a surprise ending not shown on the YouTube link:  https://fb.watch/6j2y5HxvV7/

 

 

The soundtrack on the video Victoria started the thread with has such a "Pulp Fiction" Quentin Tarentino sound to it, Again as an East Coast NYC guy when I hear Sunset strip I vision/hear that type of music as well as LA Woman by the Doors painting that whole vibe. I think it is the intro's to both songs.  I have only been to California a few times and have never been to Sunset Strip. I don't want mean to hijack this fantastic thread

 

Could the original video have been a possible film project for a film student? Considering the quality, soundtrack, there was some production involved, just curious.  

In my curiosity of California in the 50's and 60's I came upon this video of Hollywood Blvd in 1957. again high quality production for an amateur it has a soundtrack, and also a near collision with a blue 1957 T-Bird at the 3:47 mark. some real great cars, in this one as well

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LpPKAhW9-s&t=32s 

Edited June 28, 2021 by John348 (see edit history)

[Guest]

8 hours ago, John348 said:

I stumbled upon this on my own about the Whisky a Go Go

Great video!

A little windowpane and everyone is "freestyle dancing".  

Edited June 28, 2021 by GregLaR (see edit history)

[victorialynn2]

7 hours ago, John348 said:

 

In my curiosity of California in the 50's and 60's I came upon this video of Hollywood Blvd in 1957. again high quality production for an amateur it has a soundtrack, and also a near collision with a blue 1957 T-Bird at the 3:47 mark. some real great cars, in this one as well

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LpPKAhW9-s&t=32s 

That is a great video John. Thanks for posting. What is with these guys nearly running into other cars while taping? 😂

[victorialynn2]

12 hours ago, John348 said:

 I can't seem to figure out how to imbed the you-tube video into my post, I am sure it is simple, the best I can do is the link.

 

https://youtu.be/laJyZq5gNIM 

It gives the option to me automatically. I’d guess either your OS or your browser needs updating in order for it to work. Links work also. 

[John348]

17 minutes ago, victorialynn2 said:

That is a great video John. Thanks for posting. What is with these guys nearly running into other cars while taping? 😂

 

I wonder if it was the same cinematographer? Both were professionally done and seem to be similar 

[Guest]

On 6/27/2021 at 12:52 AM, JamesR said:

 

This isn't a video from California, but it's pretty close...Arizona. It's a movie from 1959 called The Edge of Eternity (not to be confused with From Here to Eternity.) I watched it the other day and was pleased to see so many cool old cars in nice shape as daily drivers...and in decent quality color, no less. As an added bonus, you'll probably learn more than you eve wanted to know about the bat guano industry (like, for example, there actually IS a bat guano industry.) It's not a bad movie, crime mystery...cool aerial shots of the grand canyon and a few cool old vintage aircraft, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being a night owl has it's perks.

I just finished watching this movie James.  Really enjoyed it!

Thanks for the link.

[Pfeil]

19 hours ago, John348 said:

 

The soundtrack on the video Victoria started the thread with has such a "Pulp Fiction" Quentin Tarentino sound to it, Again as an East Coast NYC guy when I hear Sunset strip I vision/hear that type of music as well as LA Woman by the Doors painting that whole vibe. I think it is the intro's to both songs.  I have only been to California a few times and have never been to Sunset Strip. I don't want mean to hijack this fantastic thread

 

Could the original video have been a possible film project for a film student? Considering the quality, soundtrack, there was some production involved, just curious.  

In my curiosity of California in the 50's and 60's I came upon this video of Hollywood Blvd in 1957. again high quality production for an amateur it has a soundtrack, and also a near collision with a blue 1957 T-Bird at the 3:47 mark. some real great cars, in this one as well

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LpPKAhW9-s&t=32s 

Hey John, at about 2:00 in the film is a shot of A.E.ENGLAND Pontiac. Even though my Dad ordered our street/strip 1959 Catalina out of the L.A. zone office we had to pick a dealer for delivery and A.E. ENGLAND was it! My Dad also ordered and bought our 50 Pontiac from that dealer too. Sure brings back memories. Thanks a bunch!

[John348]

3 hours ago, Pfeil said:

Hey John, at about 2:00 in the film is a shot of A.E.ENGLAND Pontiac. Even though my Dad ordered our street/strip 1959 Catalina out of the L.A. zone office we had to pick a dealer for delivery and A.E. ENGLAND was it! My Dad also ordered and bought our 50 Pontiac from that dealer too. Sure brings back memories. Thanks a bunch!

 

I was waiting for you to comment on A E England Pontiac Dealership

[Pfeil]

5 hours ago, John348 said:

 

I was waiting for you to comment on A E England Pontiac Dealership

[John348]

I came upon this video of a drive on Sunset Strip taken in 2018, much of the architecture seems the same, at around the 5:00 minute mark it looks like the intersection where the 61 Chevy cut in front of the Camera car in the video submitted by Victoria.

Good stuff

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zcgCx2MjMQ&t=197s