Save The Viper Room!

And yet another Hollywood/Los Angeles landmark appears to be poised to bite the dust. The infamous Viper Room on Sunset Boulevard has apparently been slated for the wrecking ball. I learned about this from the IG account of CC Devere. From her Save the Viper Room webpage:

The 101-year-old building started as a grocery store, then began to feature live music in the 1940s. It has been the Cotton Club, the Greenwich Village Inn, the Rue Angel, the Melody Room, Filthy McNasty’s (the façade was recently recreated at the Viper Room for filming of “Daisy Jones and the Six”), the Central, and, since 1993, the Viper Room. 

The club has appeared in music videos (Go-Go’s, “Our Lips Are Sealed”) and on film (“The Doors”, “Valley Girl”). Some of the world’s greatest musicians have played at the Viper Room: Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Iggy Pop, Courtney Love, Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen, Natalie Cole, Weezer, Pearl Jam, Queens of the Stone Age, and the list goes on…

And yes, it is notorious for Molly Bloom’s poker game (“Molly’s Game”) and for the tragic death of River Phoenix.



The Viper Room is an irreplaceable part of West Hollywood’s history. A reconfigured club in a new building is just not going to be the same - part of the Viper Room experience is in navigating the club’s labyrinthine, two-level layout. The plan for 8850 Sunset has also been linked to possible corruption.

We are asking the property owners and the City of West Hollywood to treat the Viper Room with the respect it has earned - ideally by leaving it alone (the proposed 15-story development will dwarf everything in West Hollywood), or, failing that, by incorporating the existing building into the new one (the Coca-Cola bottling plant was created by combining four older buildings).

The Viper Room is simply too important to lose.

Here’s a short list of some of the other Sunset Boulevard landmarks that have met the wrecking ball. The Mocambo Club:



The Garden of Allah Hotel complex:



Schwab’s Pharmacy and Googies Diner:



And while it wasn’t on Sunset Boulevard, this L.A. landmark was just as important:



Let’s get real; re-created history is not the same is REAL history! Please be sure to sign the petition to help save the Viper Room!

See more Sunset Boulevard photos at my main website.

Getting Nosey at the Castle, 1958

This August 1958 image of the Sleeping Beauty Castle Diorama exit at Disneyland was a must, as I didn’t have a good shot in my collection. When I received it, I noticed that there was a lot of “digging for buried treasure” as the saying goes. I love the look of shame the woman on the right of this detailed view is giving. Note the Carnation cup on the bench:



Nothing subtle about this little boy wiping the goods away while Mama sees how many tickets are left. Note the souvenir Diorama booklet she is holding in her right hand. And how about that handbag? I wonder if she bought it in Frontierland at the Arcade?



That bag very well could have been a same day purchase!



The cover of the souvenir booklet:



The final detail shot shows two little boys most likely attempting to figure out how many more attractions they can ride with their remaining tickets. Note the guide map/booklet being perused on the right side of this shot:



See more Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Diorama photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Scenes From A Wedding

In 1945, seventeen-year-old Shirley Temple was busy preparing for her wedding to Sergeant John Agar. On August 14, there was a bridal shower in Beverly Hills with all of her school chums from Westlake School for Girls. On September 10, Shirley was seen holding hands with her mother, Gertrude, as they headed to the Beverly Hills dressmaker to get her bridal ensemble.



The shot below shows them leaving the shop.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF., SEPT. 10 — SHIRLEY SHOPS FOR WEDDING DRESS. Shirley Temple, accompanied by her mother, Mrs. George Temple, leaves a dressmaking shop here today after picking out her wedding dress. The young screen actress will become the bride of Sgt. John Agar sometime between Sept. 15 and 22, depending on when Agar is granted a furlough.



A week later, Shirley had to sign her autograph yet again, this time to get her marriage license.

While her fiancé, Sgt. John G. Agar, Jr., looks on, Shirley Temple, 17-year-old screen actress, signs an application for a marriage license issued to them in Glendale, Calif., Sept. 17. Their wedding will take place Sept. 19 in Los Angeles.



Unfortunately, you can’t read the writing on the license, but you can at least see the ring on her finger!



Every 1940s bride had to have an official wedding photo:



Wouldn’t you love to have been a fly on the wall to hear the pre-wedding chatter?



The actual wedding ceremony:



Just a few press photographers to cover Shirley’s exit from the church. Oh those paparazzi!



Presenting Mrs. and Mr. John Agar:



Recognize the doors?



The exterior of the Wilshire United Methodist Church (where the wedding occurred) as it looks now:



Back at Shirley’s home, the couple go upstairs to change clothes for their honeymoon:



Getting pelted with rice as they leave:



Shirley’s wedding dress was auctioned off in 2015 by Theriault’s. From the catalog description:

The ivory satin wedding gown, designed by Howard Greer, is decorated with appliqué scrolls composed of tiny pearls edging the bodice, tiny pearls dotting the bodice, a row of silk-covered buttons at the back which disguise the zipper closure, slightly dropped waist and long flowing skirt with very extended train. Along with a firm wired loop-shaped coronet with very extended tulle veil and train, ivory satin pearl-encrusted gloves and an Alençon lace handkerchief. The designer, Howard Greer, a 1920s costume designer for Paramount, opened his own couture studio in 1927, specializing in fine personal couture for actresses and society women, including this wedding gown for Shirley Temple which encompassed his favored look of fitted torsos with stunning accents.



Need to feel like you were there? Here’s the vintage newsreel footage:



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Hamburger America, Pt. 1

In sifting through my book collection, I stumbled upon one from 2008 that I had yet to really read, titled Hamburger America: A State-By_state Guide to 100 Great Burger Joints. As I thumbed through it, I realized I had actually been to a few, including the Northgate Soda Shop in Greenville, South Carolina.



During my one-and-only trip to Greenville in 2017, I dined at this spot located on Main Street.



I had to get their classic Pimiento Cheeseburger. According to the Hamburger America book, “You’ll either love it or hate it,” one of the waitresses was quoted as saying. Made fresh every day, the Pimiento spread is a combo of mayonnaise, cheddar, and diced pimientos.



The place was a veritable museum of antiques that I could have spent days looking at.



This vintage photo shows how the Soda Shop looked “back in the day.”



…and how it looks now (or at least when I visited in 2017):



In reading the book, I realized that many of these old joints have bit the dust, including one in San Diego (Western Steakburger) that I’d never sampled. I also learned that while I was in Memphis in 2009, I shot the neon sign for another legendary burger joint:



…without even knowing the history of what was going on inside. The burgers have been cooked in the same grease for the last 90 years (or at least until the time of the book being published). Talk about tasting history! When the restaurant was moved from its original location to Beale Street, police escorts accompanied the van that carried the historic buckets of grease to make sure they got to their destination safely!

Folks, don’t ever take history for granted. Now you see it, (chances are) now you don’t. With that in mind, I plan on hitting the Apple Pan next time I'm in LA!

See more Greenville photos at my main website.

The Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs

The historic Plaza Theatre in downtown Palm Springs was designed by architect Harry Williams in 1936. The Spanish Colonial style building opened on December 12, 1936 with the premiere of “Camille,” with Greta Garbo (who supposedly slipped into the theatre after the lights went down) and Robert Taylor, who came with Barbara Stanwyck (they married a few years later). This venue featured “live” performances by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Jack Benny, and Bob Hope. The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy radio program was broadcast from the Plaza. Today, it is in a state of sad disrepair, but with the promise of restoration on the horizon.



Just a few days ago, the theatre received the welcome news of a $5 million contribution. “When I heard about that donation I almost hit the floor,” said J.R. Roberts, former Palm Springs city council member. “I couldn’t believe it, but I’m a softie for charity, so I had no trouble accepting it.” Roberts is the head of “Help Save The Plaza Theatre,” the group that’s working to return the venue to its former glory. Shortly after leaving the council in 2019, Roberts set up the non-profit Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation, which would raise the money to pay for the restoration.



Plaza Theatre is owned by the city, and city officials agreed to let city staff help with the project. The city has worked with Gensler, an international architectural firm based in Los Angeles, and Chattel Inc. an historic preservation consulting firm in Sherman Oaks. Both firms developed a tentative restoration plan, one meant to be a jumping-off point for the project, not a final blueprint. “The city council wanted to know what it was dealing with when we got started,” said Roberts, who said Gensler and Chattel are no longer involved in the project. “It’s a common practice with something like this.” 670 new seats will be installed, along with major infrastructure repairs, installation of new theatrical equipment and improvements to the building’s structural design. The latter will ensure the building (shuttered since 2014) meets fire prevention and American Disabilities Act requirements. Previously it had 800 seats. One Debbie-Downer commented:

I still want an answer...WHERE will everyone park.six hundred plus seats...based on 2 people per car...a minimum of 300 parking spots must be available...that is CREATED since they do not currently exist.



All kidding aside, it’s a fair question to ask, as the downtown area is not the easiest to navigate for visitors.



As you can see, all those photos I recently took are of the outside. I have yet to step inside the currently shuttered facility.



Naturally, I would love to photograph it, even (or should I say especially) in its current state of decay.



Anyone have connections?



If all goes as planned, fundraising for the restoration will be finished by the end of this year, and the work will be completed in late 2023 or early 2024, according to Roberts.

See more Palm Springs photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley and the President

A day late, this Temple Tuesday is in honor of yesterday’s Presidents’ Day. In late 1935, President Roosevelt sent Shirley Temple an autographed photo of himself. According to the press release:

Shirley Temple’s big dimpled smile is caused by a letter she received yesterday from President Roosevelt, appointing her his special messenger to deliver his autographed photograph to Bill Robinson, colored dancer, who appeared with the child star in “The Littlest Rebel” at Twentieth Century-Fox. The President also included a personally signed photo for Shirley, who is currently playing in “Captain January.”

Zooming in for a close-up of FDR’s photo:



The autographed photo has survived all these years and was auctioned off in 2015 at the Love, Shirley Temple Theriault’s auction. From the catalog description:

A sepia vintage photograph of FDR is ink-autographed "To Shirley Temple from Franklin D. Roosevelt". Along with another photograph of Shirley proudly holding this photograph, and with a letter from M.H. McIntyre, Assistant Secretary to the President, talking of the photo and "the trade you and I made", then noting "Thank you for being so lovely to us when we made our little visit to the studio. I loved your house, your dollhouse, and everything you showed me". The letter is dated October 29, 1935, and included is the postmarked envelope from The White House.

Realized Price: $3,600 • Presale Estimate: $800+



During the filming of the courtroom scene for “Little Miss Broadway,” First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt paid a visit to Shirley. From the vintage press blurb:

‘First Ladies’ Meet’
Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Lady of the Nation in Southern California on a lecture tour, and Shirley Temple, First Lady of the Screen Box Office, are shown as they chatted together when Mrs. Roosevelt visited Shirley on the set of her newest picture, “Little Miss Broadway,” on a tour of some of the Hollywood Movie Studios. Geography and Grandchildren formed the chief topics of conversation.



I can’t help but notice that in both photos, Shirley has a somewhat distracted unfocused gaze as dear Eleanor babbles on. Most likely, Shirley was thinking about work, because as she learned at the early age of four, “Time is money!”



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Monday Main Street Memories

Welcome to Main Street, U.S.A., circa 1956. You have entered the Magic Kingdom and arrived at Town Square, where you can choose between a newfangled Horseless Carriage or the Horse-Drawn Streetcar.

I dig those signage closeups! Just think; only 10¢ to get to the Castle!



Note the horse with not only a very special hat, but the “D” monograms on its blinkers.



Over at the Fire Department, one could surmise that Walt and family are sleeping in, judging by the closed blinds.



Another 10¢ option to take you to Central Plaza/The Castle:



Meanwhile on Main Street, Rudolph Valentino is entertaining the guests at the Main Street Cinema:



Note the Keystone Kop’s hat behind the placard:



And you all expected me to post a shot from Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. I sure fooled you!

See more Disneyland Main Street photos at my main website.