“ THE CITY AND AROUND LOS ANGELES ” 1920s LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA TRAVELOGUE XD95545

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Made by an unknown amateur filmmaker in the mid to late 1920s, this wonderful silent film features title cards and images of popular restaurants and tourist attractions in Los Angeles. It has some extremely interesting and rare footage of oddball roadside architecture aka vernacular architecture, as celebrated by author Jim Heimann. The date the film was shot is not known but it might have been over the course of several years, as it shows the Bulldog Diner (built in 1928) and a sign for the construction of the L.A. Coliseum (completed in 1923).

The film opens with black and white shots of the original Bulldog Café Diner (:16). This diner was situated at 1153 West Washington Blvd and opened in 1928. The cheeky pup faced joint lasted up until the 1960’s. Two hungry travelers (:28) approach the entrance. The original Brown Derby (:30) follows; another strange shaped and popular eatery. This is the Wilshire store originally opened in February of 1926. The Ambassador Hotel (:44); designed by architect Myron Hunt, opened in 1921. The Elk’s Club; the MacArthur Park Landmark is pictured (1:14). The building stands on South Park View Street and was designed in Art Deco style in the 1920’s. The Angelus Temple (1:52) appears in Echo Park. The Temple was founded in 1923. The founder’s name; Aimee Semple McPherson is prominently displayed on the building (2:19). Small market shops follow (2:39). Van de Kamp’s Bakery on the southeast corner of Wilshire Blvd and Tower Drive appears (3:11). The American flag waves in front of the vintage Union Gasoline station (3:12). Another general petroleum station (3:32) precludes an advertisement for Texaco ‘crack proof’ motor oil (3:38). The windmill spins above Van de Kamp’s (3:44). The adorable Wilshire Coffee Pot Café (3:46) offers Ben-Hur drip coffee. This chain precluded the popular Starbucks drive through establishments of today. It served the city’s growing car culture speedy access to caffeine. Two men wander through an unidentified city park (3:52). A sign (4:21) invites guests to the trendy Beverly Hills Hotel. This famous hotel was erected in May of 1912; two years prior to the founding of the city Beverly Hills. Palms line Sunset Boulevard (4:54). Bungalows are pictured nestled amid thick foliage (6:15). Wooly sheep dot a rolling hill (6:37). Chickens run amok within a chicken coop (6:58). A sign gloats the Sylmar Olive Orchard is California’s largest olive grove (7:19). This plant was situated on the corner of Roxford Street and San Fernando Road. Spring of 1898 saw about 200,000 trees planted and by 1906 the property earned the title of largest olive grove in the world. A camera view pans over orchards (7:38). Spindly tree branches sprout olives (7:58). A dirt road runs along the grove (8:25). Apricot blossoms hang from branches (9:16). Mountains line the long rows of groves (9:37). The massive memorial for the Los Angeles veterans of WW1; the LA Coliseum is featured. This building was erected in 1921 and would later host the 1932 Olympics. A sign notes the builders of the Coliseum were Edwards, Widley and Dixon Co. (9:52). The camera pans through a chain link fence at the massive stadium (10:01). The architecturally stunning St. Vincent de Paul church follows (10:34). A close shot captures the dome (10:58). The auto body shop at 7229 West Melrose (11:02) follows. A drive through car wash is pictured (11:10). Employees wipe down 1930’s style cars in the early car wash (11:14). Redondo Beach is captured from Palos Verdes (11:29) across the Santa Monica Bay. The Palos Verdes Lighthouse stands on the hills (11:44). San Pedro Harbor follows (12:01). The film concludes with a Catalina moon sunset (12:57).

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com