Grand opening of Crawford’s Village in El Monte, “the world’s largest food basket” on October 18th, 1947.

Welcome to the grand opening of Crawford’s Village in El Monte, where a hungry crowd showed up for a drawing to give away “the world’s largest food basket” on October 18th, 1947.

Really, this was a grand RE-opening as W.H. Crawford first opened his El Monte location in the late 1930s, but looking to both keep up with the times and to stand a fighting chance in the incredibly competitive supermarket boom of the 1940s, they redesigned the property to become the world’s “Biggest Little Country Store,” which they reopened with a raffle to win an enormous food basket (pictured herein), and it looks like they were giving out free food as well.

For context, this was during the LA’s post-war housing shortage, and was at a time when grocery prices were being driven up by high inflation (reported at 14.4% - more than five points higher than its peak following covid). In fact, four days before these were taken, Congress had launched an investigation into high food prices across Los Angeles and W.H. Crawford himself testified his view that consumers needed to be educated on alternatives to the highest-priced items, which would invariably lower demand on those items and free him up from having to keep stocking them, only to rot on his shelves. According to his testimony, he was passing on 33% of his losses to consumers, but couldn’t go any lower as he was already operated at a profit of less than two percent.

Given that crisis, you can understand why this turned put to be such a popular event that evening, and why they continued the giveaways even after prices were brought back down.

Ultimately, this iteration of Crawford’s would catch fire in February 1948, just four months after these photos were taken. Four months after that, Crawford announced his plans to rebuild with a 50,000-square-foot building that would include a coffee bar, a flower shop, and a postal substation. It was estimated to cost $500,000 (equal to $6.9 Million today), and would be completed later that year.

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Photos by Allan Grant for LIFE Magazine

Special thanks to Gary Cliser's blog on Crawford's which filled in some gaps for me on the story. Thank you to Forgotten Los Angeles.

Hill and 8th St., LA, 1929

1929, Pedestrians and a traffic cop face off at the intersection of Hill and 8th St. According to the Union Bank & Trust clock, it's 1:30 in the afternoon. On the left is the Garfield Building, awnings from The Owl Drug Co., Van de Kamp's Bakery and Ted's Tie and Robe Shop shade the sidewalk. "Herberts Cafe" vertical sign edges the Jeweler's Exchange Building, center. The Alhambra Theater in the Edward D. Silent Building advertises the "Love Doctor, a Talkie" in its marquee. Another vertical sign, this one for Birch and Smith Furniture Co., is just before the theater. (Security Pacific National Bank Collection).  Thank you to LAPL.  Though I've used this search engine to little success, it does in general contain some old photos of LA and surrounding area.  I tried this site, too, Remains of LA, but no luck on finding Herbert's Cafe. 

Mrs. Mike, 1949

I saw this movie as a kid late at night after everyone in the house was asleep.  I liked the title, "Mrs. Mike," because Mike was and is my name, and I thought it'd be nice to entertain what a "Mrs. Mike," a wife for Mike, might look and act like.  And I liked Dick Powell.  And though I remember the dramatic part of the story regarding the diphtheria epidemic, I'd forgotten or overlooked how it was really about the shortages of vaccine serum.  The acting and script were terrific.  Loved the backdrop of a Canadian forest, canoeing across deep forest lakes and rivers and the struggle for life between the Mike and his wife, Kathy.  The cynic in me says that Dick Powel was made a star because he supported key industries, like the vaccine industry, but like I said, that's the cynic in me.  I hope I am wrong.

This author Neglected Films does a nice review, dated July 31, 2024.

Barbara Stanwyck, 1907-1990

Thanks to Terence Butcher. 

Barbara Stanwyck, 1907-1990. 

Parking in DWTN Los Angeles, 1957

Thanks to Forgotten Los Angeles.

Photos aren’t captioned, but here are the ones I’ve figured out. Comment if you recognize others.

• 1-2. Wilshire & Grand

• 3-4. The Pigeon Hole parking garage at 644 S. Flower

• 5. Entrance to the garage under Pershing Square

• 6. Pershing garage interior (i think)

• 7-12. Unknown. Love the guy kicking the meter in 12.

•13-16. Unknown, but bottom of 13 indicates Beverly Hills

•17-20. The May Company’s old parking structure (w/ Park La Brea visible in the distance)

[1927] The demolition of the Paul De Longpre residence. It was located on the west side of Cahuenga Blvd. at Hollywood Blvd. and featured Moorish architecture and a large garden. Whiting Wrecking Co. is doing the job. 2nd Image. Undated exterior view of the Mission Revival/Islamic style Hollywood residence and gardens of artist Paul de Longpre. 3rd Image. 1906 exterior view of the Paul De Longpre residence. (Security Pacific National Bank Collection). Thanks to LAPL.

Demolition of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Building located at 1151 S. Broadway, 1968

What is this, Demolition Thursday?