Am finally getting back to the series from the 1950 Pictorial California publication. This group of pages showcases Beverly Hills. In the first image, we see Sunset Municipal Park. It opened in 1915 and was referred to simply as Sunset Park, located just off Sunset Boulevard. The park was renamed in 1952 in honor of entertainer Will Rogers, who was appointed the first “Honorary Mayor” of Beverly Hills in 1926. How the area looked when I photographed it in August 2013:
On April 7, 1998, this park was put on the map for all the wrong reasons when singer George Michael was arrested for inappropriately using the restroom shown below with undercover cop Marcelo Rodriguez. $810 and 80 hours of community service cleared that incident all up. The restroom has since been torn down. Is nothing sacred anymore?
Across the street is the swanky Beverly Hills Hotel:
The rated a two-page feature.
Probably because they purchased an. The Chateau didn’t, thus they didn’t even rate a photo caption. Money talks…
The Beverly Hills Hotel, circa 2018:
The Polo Lounge, as seen twenty years ago for Easter 2006. It was a delicious brunch, as I recall. Mary Ann Mobley and Gary Collins were dining there as well, just two years before his DUI conviction. Maybe the Easter Bunny drove him to it.
More Pictorial California to come!
See more photos at my main website.
