The Golden Age of Los Angeles

When people think of 1970s Los Angeles, they picture a highlight reel. Palm trees, muscle cars, Hollywood glamour, police shows, and smog-filled skylines. But that version of LA is not how most people actually lived.

This documentary explores what everyday life in 1970s Los Angeles really felt like, beyond the movies and mythology. It looks at how Angelenos moved through the city, how neighborhoods functioned, how different groups still overlapped in shared spaces, and why daily life felt looser, more spontaneous, and more human than it does today.

Rather than focusing on celebrities or crime headlines, this film examines the routines, habits, and ordinary places that shaped life in 1970s LA. Car culture, neighborhood errands, shared public spaces, and the subtle social rules that made the city feel navigable without constant planning all played a role. These everyday patterns help explain why people who lived through that era still talk about “old LA” as if it were a completely different place.

Whether you grew up in Los Angeles during the 1970s, moved there later, or only know the city through pop culture, this video fills in the gap between myth and lived experience and helps explain how the city became what it is today.

Topics covered include 1970s Los Angeles, old LA, living in Los Angeles history, everyday life in 1970s LA, Los Angeles nostalgia, car culture in Los Angeles, LA neighborhood history, American city life, urban change, and what Los Angeles used to be like.