Strolling Down Sunset Boulevard

On my recent trip to Hollywood, I decided to stroll down Sunset Boulevard for a variety of reasons: get some updated photos (it had been almost two years since I last did this), check out the Viper Room, and most importantly, get some exercise for Willis! First stop on my photo tour was Carneys Restaurant, famous for its hamburgers and hot dogs. While the exterior looks like it has seen better days, the interior was doing a rocking business!



The Comedy Store had a RIP tribute on its sign to the recently departed Gilbert Gottfried:



Back in the day, this building was home to the glamorous Ciro’s Nightclub:



Two more shots of the Comedy Store:





The Mondrian Hotel was built in 1959 as an apartment building, then converted to a hotel in 1985. Ian Schrager of Studio 54 fame took over the property in 1996 and that’s when it became a celebrity haven. When I first moved back to Southern California in 1999, the Skybar was the hottest nightspot in town. From a 1997 L.A. Times article:

Finally, L.A.'s coming of age—even New Yorkers are beginning to take this town seriously. East Coast club entrepreneur Rande Gerber, known for his Whisky Bars and Armani Cafes, just gave L.A. a tremendous gift—the Sky Bar at the Mondrian Hotel. It’s the most gorgeous nightspot this town’s seen in years—from its spectacular view of L.A., which you see while lounging poolside in the club’s patio, to the intimate bar area, which is softly adorned with sheer white curtains and open to the night. The club requires all guests to phone prior to arrival to be included on an advance guest list. Once inside, you feel as if you’re part of a sexy cocktail party. The music is soft and European, with sensuous, mid-tempo beats providing a backdrop to the L.A. night. In the Sky Bar’s one-month existence, the crowd has been a mix of mature, confident Hollywood players, young stars and starlets, and basically anybody who can weasel his or her way in.



Today, one would barely notice the sad looking little entrance that used to have people lining their way up and down the block, hoping that they would be allowed to go beyond the velvet rope to hob-nob with the celebrities from the rooftop lounge.



The Sunset Plaza shopping center is still around (first built in 1924), but the tenants and façades have obviously changed through the years. Famous former tenants include photographer George Hurrell, fashion designers Don Loper and Adrian, the Elizabeth Arden salon, and former actor turned interior designer William Haines.



The Rocky and Bullwinkle statue still stands at its new location near Sunset and Holloway Drive:



When it resided across from the Chateau Marmont, the statue rotated. Today, the pair stand still.



Looking like a space ship ready for take-off, the Mutato Muzika building was built in 1967 for Dr. Richard Alan Franklyn, a well-known Hollywood cosmetic surgeon and author of books like "The Art of Staying Young" and "Developing Bosom Beauty."

From the L.A. Conservancy site:

Franklyn wanted a building designed expressly for doing plastic surgery, with natural light streaming in through central skylights to illuminate the operating room. He got it, with a circular UFO-like building lit not only by skylights, but by elongated arched windows separated by simple concrete pilasters covering the entire circular façade. The architect Franklyn hired to design the building is said to be none other than Oscar Niemeyer, the world-famous Brazilian architect who designed the Mid-Century Modern buildings of Brasilia, as well as many others that changed the face of modern architecture around the world. Niemeyer was known for his love of curves over straight lines, so by that token the Beauty Pavilion certainly fits with the rest of his oeuvre. The architect was living and working primarily in Paris in the late 1960s, however, and most of his designs were monumental civic and institutional complexes around the world.



Fred Segal has a branch on Sunset; my heart still belongs to the one on Melrose:



Having grown up in the Watergate era and being familiar with the outspoken Martha Mitchell’s attempt to get the word out, I may have to check this one out:



Last stop on Willis’ long walk down Sunset Boulevard was the Viper Room, which is apparently in danger of being torn down and replaced by yet another mixed-use monstrosity.



While I hate to see historic buildings erased, I can’t say the exterior cries out for salvation. Maybe a good power wash would help.



I also can’t say I’ve ever been inside, either, so one way or the other I don’t have any personal ties to this one.







I had never noticed this side entrance before:



Willis was very glad to get back to the hotel for a beverage and snacks:



See more Sunset Boulevard photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: The Coat & Beanie Craze, Pt. 2

Finally, part two of the Coat and Beanie Craze post! Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) did the legwork to collect all of the instances that Shirley wore this type of clothing combo in her films. The first instance is from 1936’s, “Stowaway.” Shirley goes to Reno to prevent her adopted parents from getting a divorce. The judge (J. Edward Bromberg) is more than happy to assist her! As she turns away to go to the judge’s chambers, we can see the feathers that adorn her little beanie. This movie costume is one that didn’t surface in the 2015 Theriault’s auction, “Love, Shirley Temple.”



Two coat and beanie combos appear in “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” (1938). The first one has apparently disappeared over the years.



As Rebecca (Shirley) is ripped away from Sunnybrook Farm by her scheming stepfather (William Demarest), she sports this cute hat and beanie:



The coat came to auction, but sadly no beanie. From the auction catalog description:

ROSF: SILK DRESS, FLOWER DESIGN, COAT, WORN BY SHIRLEY TEMPLE IN "REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM" Lot Number: 456 The navy blue silk crepe dress has hidden front closure which opens to hidden pleats below the waist, and with two matching hidden pleat insets at the front and a gathered back, all allowing for easy and fluid movement. The inset color is a rich ecru which matches the two applique wildflowers, the piping, and the ecru covered decorative buttons. The dress has original studio label of 5349. Along with a woolen coat of matching color with white silk faille collar and piping. Generally excellent, back of coat collar a bit darkened. Included are two vintage photographs of Shirley wearing the costume. The costume was worn by Rebecca (Shirley Temple) in the 1938 film "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm". Realized Price: $8,500 Presale Estimate: 3000+



This is also the outfit that initially inspired my two posts! I was able to photograph the coat when it was on display at the Santa Monica History Museum:



As her character leaves the orphanage in “Little Miss Broadway” (1938), Shirley wears this beautiful coat and beanie.



From the auction description:

WEDGWOOD-BLUE WOOLEN COAT WITH SAWTOOTH ACCENTS WORN BY SHIRLEY TEMPLE AT EVENTS Lot Number: 325 Of a rich wedgewood-blue color, the lightweight woolen coat with self-covered buttons features suit lapels of ivory silk faille, and is decorated with vertical bands of dark blue sawtooth-shaped appliques.The coat was worn by Shirley Temple for various social and publicity events in the late 1930s. Realized Price: $4,250 Presale Estimate: 500+





It isn’t long before Shirley has another costume change into (what else?) a coat and beanie. This one is worn during the “We Should Be Together” number with George Murphy.



This time, the beanie hat was included in the 2015 auction!

BLUE WOOLEN COAT WITH COLLAR, HANDKERCHIEF, BERET WORN BY SHIRLEY IN "LITTLE MISS BROADWAY" Lot Number: 323 The blue woolen double-breasted coat has a fine Belgian lace collar, breast pocket with lace-edged hankie, and two pockets with flaps. Along with a blue woolen beret. Included are two vintage photographs of Shirley Temple wearing the costume. The costume was worn by Betsy (Shirley Temple) in the 1938 film "Little Miss Broadway", notably in the song and dance routine "We Should Be Together" with George Murphy, and on various publicity occasions. Realized Price: $6,250 Presale Estimate: 3000+ 



As Shirley attempts to escape the truant officer, she wears combo #3!



BROWN WOOLEN COAT WORN BY SHIRLEY TEMPLE FOR PUBLICITY EVENTS Lot Number: 551 Of woven brown wool, with double-breasted construction, side-slit pockets and wide lapels, the richly lined coat is trimmed with two amusing lapel pins depicting Tyrolean style figures. The coat was worn by Shirley Temple for various publicity events including a promotion for the Los Angeles Railway Co., of which a vintage photograph is included. Realized Price: $1,700 Presale Estimate: 500+



Could there possibly be a fourth combo? You betcha’!



BROWN CASHMERE WOOLEN COAT WORN BY SHIRLEY TEMPLE IN THE 1938 FILM "LITTLE MISS BROADWAY" Lot Number: 326 Of light brown cashmere wool, the silk-satin lined coat features nine self-covered buttons that extend down the front, dainty rounded collar, curved collar with flap covers, and decorative leaf-shaped trapunto quilting at the front and back shoulders and sleeves. Generally excellent, a few tiny moth holes. Included is a vintage photograph of Betsy (Shirley Temple) wearing the coat from the 1938 film "Little Miss Broadway", notably as Betsy escapes from the orphanage to help save the Hotel Variety, hitching a ride on the bike handlebars of the newspaper delivery boy. Realized Price: $4,750 Presale Estimate: 1000+



This fifth ensemble is worn in the courtroom scene, and also shows up in the publicity photos taken during Eleanor Roosevelt’s visit to 20th Century-Fox:




FINE COUTURIER COAT WORN BY SHIRLEY TEMPLE IN PUBLICITY PHOTOGRAPHS Lot Number: 103 Of finest midnight-blue wool with very narrow pinstripes, the tapered coat has reverse stripe six-button placket front, three petite flap pockets, ivory silk faille collar with knife-cut lapels and detachable matching yoke with toggle button closure, silk faille fold-up cuffs. Generally excellent. The coat is tagged "13809 Temple" indicating it may have appeared in a late 1930s/early 1940s film, and definitely was used by Shirley Temple in a number of publicity photographs, including this in which Hedda Hopper is shown signing Shirley's autograph book. In addition to Shirley Temple’s use of the coat in publicity photographs, she also wore the coat in “Little Miss Broadway” while singing “Thank You For the Use of the Hall”. Realized Price: $3,500 Presale Estimate: 500+



“Just Around the Corner” (1938) only has one coat and beanie:



Again, another instance where the beanie has disappeared!

BLUE BOUCLE WOOLEN COAT WORN BY SHIRLEY TEMPLE IN THE 1938 FILM "JUST AROUND THE CORNER" Lot Number: 462 Of powder blue boucle wool, the faux double-breasted coat has self-covered buttons, curve-shaped pockets (one with lace handkerchief), striped silk faille collar and cuffs, and blue silk crepe lining. The coat has original studio inventory number 14714. Included are two vintage photographs of Shirley Temple wearing the coat, once with her co-stars of the 1938 film, and once in a publicity photograph as she was arriving to serve as Grand Marshall of the 1939 Tournament of Roses Parade. The costume was worn by Penny (Shirley Temple) in opening scenes of the 1938 film "Just Around the Corner" as she arrives at the Riverview to find she no longer lives in the penthouse, but rather in a basement apartment. The costume designer for the film was Gwen Wakeling. Realized Price: $5,000 Presale Estimate: 1000+



My very favorite coat and beanie worn by Shirley is from her final film at Fox, “Young People” (1940). Unfortunately, this one has also apparently disappeared over the years.



One can hope that the missing beanies and other ensembles are squirreled away in somebody’s closet/drawer, waiting to be discovered!

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Monday with Musso & Frank

It had been seven years since my last visit to the oldest restaurant in Hollywood, Musso & Frank Grill. Would it disappoint? Had it been tarnished by the pandemic like so many other places that allowed their customer service and quality to slip in order to recoup the losses?



As far as the food and drink go, the answer is a resoundingly positive “no”; you can expect the same delicious food that patrons have been experiencing since it opened in 1919.



The atmosphere has not changed, either. You can still expect to see the historic murals, the phone booths where gossip columnists phoned in their stories, and the signature red leather booths.



This is where all the news was first broken:



The wedge salad was out of this world; just the right balance of iceberg lettuce and tasty toppings:



The Chicken Parmesan was tender and delicious; definitely one of the best I have ever had.



I tried the new signature desert, the Club 1919 Sundae, named after the year the restaurant was founded. It’s the Musso and Frank take on Bananas Foster, made with California ice cream. It’s all in the details.



Note the anniversary drink stirrer, celebrating the 100 year anniversary (well, technically 103 years, but the pandemic obviously screwed everything up).



The one disappointment had to do with the staff. Our waiter had been there for six years, but I can’t say that’s a positive thing. Perhaps Josh was having a bad night. He forgot to bring my cocktail; once reminded, he rushed off to get it and promptly brought it back without an apology. At the end of the meal (with no checking in after our dinners were served), he hastily dumped a complimentary dessert in front of me saying it was for forgetting my drink. While it was nice to have the free dessert, his lack of service during the meal was not customary for the Musso & Frank I experienced in the past. One other sour note came from General Manager, Andrea Scuto. I walked Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) to the restroom so she wouldn’t get lost. The previous time I was at Musso & Frank in 2015, I took pictures of the architectural details (as I so often do). The Manager on duty at the time came up to me and offered to give me a tour around while I took my photos and even explained many of the historic details that I would have missed had he not done so. That was not the case with Scuto. He told me in no uncertain terms that I should not be taking photos as it was not allowed. While I understand the policy (to protect certain guests from “paparazzi”), I am also aware that there are many ways to deliver the same message and his tone with me (a paying guest) was extremely rude and accusatory. Anyone with two eyes could see my camera was aimed at the top of the phone booth and nowhere near any patrons. As I continued to stand near the phone booth, waiting for Melissa to return from the restroom, he paced by a few times to make sure I wasn’t taking pictures, eyes glaring at my camera. Next thing I knew he was whispering to another Manager and not very subtly motioning towards me. As soon as Melissa returned, I walked over to the other Manager and let him know how rude Scuto had been. He was very apologetic and when we were finished our meal, checked in at our table to see how the meal was and then toured us around the restaurant, showing us some of the banquet rooms and discussing the history of the restaurant. THAT’S how you do customer service. Would I go back? Of course. The overall experience was very good; you can’t judge a place on two bad apples.

See more Musso & Frank photos at my main website.

Summer of ’86 and The Apple Pan

It was May 1986 and I was on top of the world, or at least it felt that way. I had just graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and was ready to conquer the world. My friend Rob (the guy with the cast on his leg) had gone with me to San Diego for Spring Break and fell in love with Southern California living.



When he got a chance for a summer internship in Los Angeles, he grabbed it, staying at the FIJI (Phi Gamma Delta) house on the UCLA campus.



I crashed there for about a month, fruitlessly attempting to find employment but also enjoying partying and time at the beach. One of my favorite memories was a late-night meal at The Apple Pan restaurant on Pico Boulevard. Back in those days, there were no cellphones for selfies or capturing every moment of one’s life. Instead, you just enjoyed what was going on let the gray matter take care of the memories.



Rob’s Honda was stolen from the FIJI house on his first day there; the day before I flew back to Philly the car was recovered. It obviously looked a little different from when he last saw it.



Flash forward to 2022 and I was perusing Hamburger America, the book about classic joints that served the best burgers across the nation. The Apple Pan on Pico Boulevard near Westwood was listed and it sure did stir up my memories. Knowing how time and especially the recent pandemic had scorched many a business, I vowed to return as quickly as I could before this place potentially bit the dust. I am so glad that I did!



While I had changed during the last 36 years, the outside of The Apple Pan looked about the same.





The stools I recall sitting on with Rob and his buddy are no longer open to the public; instead, customers are directed to sit in a picnic area at the back of the restaurant. I was a bit sad that I was unable to sit inside and watch the burgers being made as I had back in 1986, but times changes everything and I was grateful to have the opportunity to savor one of these burgers again.





The menu:



Melissa (aka “The Colonel’), visiting from New Jersey, posed with our large bag of goodies which only took about 15 minutes to get.



My Hickory Burger and fries were delish.



So was the freshly baked apple pie and ice cream, which came with a little plastic container of apple juice/sauce.



Melissa and Shirley Jean (from Baltimore) would agree; good quality lasts forever!



The food was tasty, but I truly missed the retro experience of enjoying the food inside a true “joint” while eating off china and drinking from a paper cup placed inside a retro metal cupholder. Pandemic: you suck.

See more Apple Pan in Los Angeles photos at my main website.