Pictures from Hawaii during the V-J Day Celebrations after the news was announced of the surrender of Japan, August 14, 1945

V-J Day in Los Angeles / Hollywood, California when news is announced of the surrender of Japan, August 14, 1945

Pictures from V-J Day in Los Angeles / Hollywood, California when news is announced of the surrender of Japan - August 14, 1945

Note the intent to surrender was announced by Japan on August 15, 1945, but due to time zone differences it was still August 14th in the US.

Walter Sanders Photographer

LIFE Magazine Archives / WWP-PD

Dad's Friends

Yeah, there aren't a lot of, ahem, edifying songs about the town.  Too bad.  Because my memory of LA is essentially Dad, LA Police Academy, Dodgers Stadium, Clifton's Cafeteria, Olvera Street, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Grand Avenue, Tom Donovan's Texaco station at Figueroa and Sunset, Elysian Park, Courtyard Foot Bridge connecting us from Broadway to Spring, the Plaza Mission, the Coliseum with tailgating parties with Chuck Pullman wolfing down burritos and Pepsi from Pedro's midst the smell of cigar smoke and distant mumblings punctuated by guttural laughter, Union Station [with Dad, that was more just to visit the interior], Lincoln Park, the San Antonio Winery, Barbara Ann's Day Old Bakery, the Grand Star Chinese restaurant where he held his retirement party, Barrigan's, of course, Little Joe's in which I'd never set foot but Charlen and Chuck Pullman did.  Dad really was the bridge between multiple generations, giving life, love, and fun and beautiful memories to anyone who would accept it.   

1908, Eastlake Park boathouse, aka Lincoln Park, the counter to Westlake west of Downtown LA. Thanks to Tom Anderson @ Los Angeles.

He liked to drive past Lincoln Park on Valley east, then left and north onto Soto to get to Huntington Drive.  He'd often point to a hospital on the south side of Valley [maybe the buildings were just the public health buildings and not a hospital, I could not tell] then reminisce how he was an orderly in a hospital as a young man.  Whether true or fiction, the story worked.  I never forgot his commitment to service.  And as we drove through that area, we'd hear a cryptic word about Maimi, as if he were driving through the memories of his youth more than on a boulevard.  On only a couple of occasions did we stop at Lincoln Park there with the lagoon and paddle boats.  It's just terrible to have all of these wonderful memories of a place, more of a playground than a metropolis, and not able to have him in our physical presence to thank him for unique experiences that we took for "this is just how things are; doesn't everybody do this?"  

Then there's all the visiting folks in hospitals, where he graded the hospital based on the quality of their chili in the basement cafeteria, oh, and oyster crackers.  If they didn't have oyster crackers, he'd almost curse the hospital.  It was the chili at the Dept. of Water & Power that he praised most and caused me to assess that modern building with extra beauty.

What stuns me is that you guys were much closer to Dad when you started working with him in DTLA.  And yet no stories from ya'll.  Would be nice to have gotten a few stories between Dad and Conroy since they worked together.  

This conversation started on March 27, 2026 

"None of Dad's friends were from the Marine Corps."

Okay, thanks.  That helps.

"The only person that I knew of that Dad mentioned being in the Marine Corps was Jim Stockham (Mom's brother)."

I thought Cruz was in the Marines with Dad.  He doesn't have to be, it's just that's one of many unconfirmed stories I carried in my head.

"I think Dad knew Dan O'Donnell from Cathedral HS.  This is a guess on my part.  The reason I say that is because there is a picture of Dad and Dan O'Donnell (1933) at Uncle Charlie and Aunt May's farm in Colorado.  I don't know how they got there, possibly rode with Ma n Pa to visit relatives back there.  And, yes, Dan O'Donnell also drew cartoons, too, I believe."

Okay, I do recall now that Dad knew O'Donnell from Cathedral.  Is that photo of them in that set of pics on that memory stick you sent out?  Doesn't have to be.  You'd done a lot of work on all of those family pics.  I said that Dad liked O'Donnell's art because Mom told me that one time in the years after Dad's passing.

"Yes, the Colorado Lagoon did have a platform to jump off of or dive from, I believe."  

Corroboration is always a good thing.  Thanks for that.

"I don't remember going to any other cafeteria at a place of business in DTLA other than the DWP.  I think we did it maybe twice in the six years from when I started working in DTLA in 1968 til 1976 when Dad retired."  

Okay.

"Funny thing, too, I remember Dad referring to Barragan's so many times, how much he liked, but I never went there with him.  It wasn't til many, many years later a bunch were invited to celebrate Marilyn D's birthday there one time.  And, I wasn't impressed."

He loved it because he had several lunches there with work friends.  Plus, I think Dad's appetite was easy to please at Mexican restaurants--2 cheese enchiladas, rice and beans, and a Coors.  I went there a few times with friends, and I liked their shrimp and rice with beans and a Coors.  Oh, yeah.  It's good.  It's in the heart of Echo Park, so old LA.  Had charm.

"O'Donnell, Penny, Sullivan, Conroy, Cruz none were in the Marine Corps."

That is good to know.  Thanks, Dan.

"I remember "running into" Dan O'Donnell at the Sears Roebuck on Soto St in LA in the late 70's or early 80's.  I recognized him, I told him who I was, and we talked for a few minutes.  He was working there as a Security Guard.  He and his wife had divorced, and he had some difficult issues he was dealing with for several years.  I meant to get a contact info. for him, but forget."

That's interesting.  I presume he had kids.  Do you know whereabouts in LA he lived?

You guys remember Cecil, the neighbor in San Gabriel who used to make Dad's glasses?  I think he moved to Duarte, and he ran into Mom one time at the Bank of America there across the street from Steamboat where I worked as short order cook and manager.  I think he may even made a brief stop to Duarte to have coffee with Mom for a few minutes to review the days.  Once we were in Duarte, Dad used to have his glasses made by the father of a classmate, John Shandley.  So John Shandley's dad who lived just 2 to 3 blocks south of us off of Greenbank designed Dad's glasses.  I think he did Mary's glasses too when she first started needing them. 

"We used to shop at that Sears when we lived in LA on Virgil Ave.."  

 

Which Sears?  Not the Mail Order building where Mom worked?

"I never heard Dad talk about Dan O'Donnell's artwork/cartoons, and I don't know if anything was ever published."  

Yeah, for me, it was Mom who remembers Dad's admiration for his O'Donnell's skills.

"And, as far as Penny, I don't know how Dad knew him.  Maybe, Charlen remembers overhearing what was their connection."

I see.  Maybe Chuck can ask Charlen.  

"I have a vague memory of a connection through writing or drawing, but this is purely speculative on my part."

That's a start.  Thanks Dan for your great efforts here.  I definitely got a sharper picture of relationships and histories.  Thank you.

Eastlake Park boathouse, aka Lincoln Park, 1908

1908, Eastlake Park boathouse, aka Lincoln Park, the counter to Westlake west of Downtown LA. Thanks to Tom Anderson @ Los Angeles.

I asked a few members of the family back on April 6, 2023 if they had any recollection of Lincoln Park or its previous iteration of Selig Zoo.

Anyone recall Dad talking about going to the Sellg Zoo in Lincoln Park?  I ask because he would occasionally drive past Lincoln Park on Valley Blvd coming out of Downtown from Main Street and then head north on Soto to Huntington Drive back in the day.  He'd reminisce often about Lincoln Park and how he used to work at the County Hospital. as a volunteer changing bed pans.  Oh, what fun.  But that was Dad's civic spirit.  I presume that was pre-WWII.

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.

—

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?

JOHN GARZA: In the 1920s, archaeologists discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun in Egypt. That discovery fascinated the entire world. Hollywood went all in on Egyptian themes.

In the 1920s, archaeologists discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun in Egypt. That discovery fascinated the entire world. It happened right around the time the motion picture industry was becoming the biggest form of entertainment alongside radio.

Hollywood went all in on Egyptian themes. From Rudolph Valentino to Cleopatra to The Mummy, Egyptian-inspired movies were everywhere. It became one of the biggest cultural trends of the era because of that discovery.  --John Garza

John Garza took a minute to clear things up. 

Shut up with the whole “Islamic architecture” BS. Always trying to make everything into a race issue. The people who do this stuff are the true racists. Because everything in their mentality revolves around race and religion. And the people who are so shocked by that, are the people who just see other people as just ordinary human being. Not by labels and segregation into type.

I’m five generations from Los Angeles. My great grandfather was a builder. Built many of these structures, you are talking about in this post.

So let me tell you how the Gothic look became popular in Los Angeles.

In the 1920s, archaeologists discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun in Egypt. That discovery fascinated the entire world. It happened right around the time the motion picture industry was becoming the biggest form of entertainment alongside radio.

Hollywood went all in on Egyptian themes. From Rudolph Valentino to Cleopatra to The Mummy, Egyptian-inspired movies were everywhere. It became one of the biggest cultural trends of the era because of that discovery.

From there, the influence spread into fashion. The flapper look emerged, shaped partly by the women’s liberation movement and partly by the fascination with ancient Egyptian styles. Women started cutting their hair into the short bob that became iconic. Women started painting their faces like the statues in the ancient pyramids along with the Jewels of the Goth look of the flapper movement. Los Angeles also embraced Egyptian Revival architecture, along with other Mediterranean-inspired styles, and buildings reflecting those influences started appearing throughout the city.

It had nothing to do with Islam. I can’t stand this new generation trying to make everything about race or religion, or immediately jumping to “Islamophobia.” This was simply a fashion trend, like every generation has. Trends come and go, and they’re often inspired by history and archaeology. In this case, the influence came from the discovery of the ancient Egyptian tombs—not from Islam. Also a lot of other architecture was also influenced by the Spanish mission buildings of California that have been here since the 1700s. That whole Mediterranean Spanish look that was so famous during the Spanish era of California… was also a very great influence in the architecture of Los Angeles Angeles during the 1920s. That is why many of the old palace style movie theaters in Los Angeles look like Egypt Egyptian tombs inside. Some of these theaters are spectacular.

I could tell you all about LA and it’s true history, my friends. My family’s been here in Los Angeles since the 1880s. That’s just my mom’s family. My father’s family has been here in California for hundreds of years since it was the Spanish colonies. When my family migrated to Los Angeles in 1887 there was nothing here but dirt fields and farms all the way to the horizon. My great grandfather became a builder. My family friends and neighbors watched Los Angeles literally rise up from the ground. And I knew all of those people.

I could teach you about Los Angeles history, my friends. Not this BS that these bougie LA wannabe like to post. THE POSTCARD VERSION OF LA.

I mean… Los Angeles was established as a city in 1781. When it was still New Spain. Hollywood didn’t even come into the picture until the late 1920s. The Hollywood sign was just a Real Estate sign. It wasn’t associated with the movies until the late 1920s early 30s. After the Real Estate was all sold off, the sign was just left to rot. By the late 1920s, everybody was calling it, Hollywood. The European settlers started settling in California during the 1600s. Not exactly your bougie postcard version of LA.

I don’t look any of this stuff up. I speak from the point of view of somebody who is fifth generation BORN in Los Angeles. 

My number one reason for being so corrective in my posts when it comes to any history, I know. Because we are in an information war. History is getting rewritten through technology. Bounce it around the echo chamber enough times, and history gets rewritten. To me it is very important to keep the facts to our history. That is my only reason for all of the comments I make on every historic page.

I am also the author of Pacific Red Car.

Demolition of Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, begins, 1957

[1957] Demolition of the Bunker Hill structure known as "Melrose Hotel" located at 138 South Grand Avenue. Built in 1881, it was a Victorian mansion with overlapping shingles, cupolas, and domes, and eventually became a hotel apartment. When built, the hotel proper was attached to the mansion which became its annex. (Peter Antheil - Security Pacific National Bank Collection)

[undated] A corner view from across the street on Bunker Hill of two Victorian style hotels on the 100 block of S. Grand Ave., the Richelieu (at 142) on the corner and the Hotel Melrose (at 130) to its left. (Los Angeles Public Library Legacy Collection)

[2024] Google Maps

Memories of El Monte, 1910-1978

“Memories of El Monte”

So, I’ve been re-listening to a lot of my old Zappa albums recently. I think I have 40 of the canonical 62, plus some of the posthumous compilations, so it’s a lot. For the most part, I’ve spared the more normal amongst you from my deep love for his weirdness, but his song “Memories of El Monte” has now been stuck in my head for days, so I’ve put together a collection of historic shots of El Monte (and South El Monte) to pair it with.

Frank was just 22 when he co-wrote the song with Ray Collins for The Penguins in 1963, and it was a favorite of Art Laboe, who would frequently play it on his show, but I’m using the more recently-released version of Frank performing it at The Whisky with The Mothers in 1968.

-

Photos:

1. The El Monte Drive-In, taken by Elisa Leonelli 1978

2. El Monte’s famous Legion Stadium, open from 1927 to 1974, when it was torn down.

3. Simon’s Drive-In, El Monte location, 1940s

4. A young woman at Gay’s Lion Farm, late 1920s

5. El Monte Theatre on Main, 1948

6. Main Street near Center,, ca. 1952

7. Clyde Beatty’s circus comes to town, 1950

8. “Moooo!!!” ca. 1952

9. Tumbleweed Theatre, 1939 - was at 11918 Garvey

10. El Monte Union High School, 1910

11. Unspecified neighborhood in El Monte, 1952

12. Postcard view of Crawford’s Village Store, 1950s

13. Flooding on Foothill near Valley, 1952

14. Starlite Drive-In, taken by Leonelli in 1978

15. Microtech Plant, taken by Julius Shulman in 1960. Was at 1201 N. Arden Dr. - address no longer exists.

16. Pitkin Bros. Richfield Station, 1936, taken by Shulman

17. El Monte Airport (now San Gabriel Airport), 1971

18. 700 tons of scrap tire stock at the Pacific R&H Chemical Corporation, looks 1920s.

19. P&J Motors on Garvey, taken 1977 by John Margolies

20. An RTD bus cruises past rush hour on the 10

—

Claremont Colleges - 1,14

Pasadena Star News - 2

Huntington - 3

LAPL - 4,7,17

LA Theatres Blog - 5

USC - 6,8,11,13,19

UCLA - 9,20

CA State Library - 10

Crawford’s Blog - 12

Getty - 15,16

Library of Congress - 18

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbZTYosDw8_/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Will never forget the kids and adults from the old Duarte neighborhood, kids like Sean Moore, Kevin Moore, Eriq Bergquist, Keith Larsen, Lenny and Kenny Baca, Randy Reagan, Kevin Williams from Duarte with whom I ran Cross Country, Stuart Greene who was a great friend to me after high school.  He'd invite me out to shoot pool locally.  He was very good.  He even invited me to work a few days with him on a construction site.  I didn't have the knack like he did.  He did everything with excellence from construction to shooting pool to throwing an insane curveball.  His brother, Marc, was a fierce competitor in Cross Country.  Not sure if Marc participated in any other sports.  

But I learned this morning that Cecil Tom Moore, Sean's father, died the same year as Kevin, 2011.  Tom passed in July, 2011, whereas Kevin passed in May, probably leaving his siblings, mom and dad inconsolable.  

Kevin Moore, 1957-2011.

I met Debbie at Tom's funeral, and distraught myself over what to say, flubbed some awkward condolence.  Hugs generally help but maybe not in this case.  

"Pancho & Lefty," 1983

"Pancho met his match, you know 

On the deserts down in Mexico"

"Pancho & Lefty," 1983.  

Living on the road my friend
Is gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron
Your breath as hard as kerosene
You weren't your mama's only boy
But her favorite one, it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye
And sank into your dreams

Pancho was a bandit, boys
His horse was fast as polished steel
He wore his gun outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel
Pancho met his match, you know
On the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dying words
Ah, but that's the way it goes

An all the federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him hang around
Out of kindness, I suppose

Lefty, he can't sing the blues
All night long like he used to
The dust that Pancho bit down south
Ended up in lefty's mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go
There ain't nobody knows

An all the federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose

The poets tell how Pancho fell
And Lefty's living in cheap hotels
The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold
So the story ends, we're told
Pancho needs your prayers, it's true
Save a few for Lefty too
He just did what he had to do
And now he's growing old

A few great federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose

A few great federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose

Jason Williams played streetball in the NBA, 1998-2011.

Maybe the most entertaining point guard to ever watch.

He play streetball in the NBA #jasonwilliams #NBA #basketball #tiktokcam... https://t.co/0KQAQfSspo via @YouTube

— Mike Walgenbach (@Walgenbach82743) July 6, 2026

Jason Williams, born 1975.   

"How Soon Is Now?" 1984

Heard this song, "How Soon Is Now?", 1984, in a Starbucks this afternoon.  Reminded me of the early 80s.  Here are the lyrics.  The Smiths are terrific and so is the great Morrissey.

 

I probably heard the remastered version since the song went on forever, meaning 7 minutes.

Huffy Bicycles Factory, Foothill Blvd., Azusa, 1962

This was interesting.  Now if I could only find the location and the name of that bike shop in Baldwin Park on south Ramona.  

Thank you to Jerry Tuckness @ Azusa Buzz.  I don't recall ever stepping foot into the factory.  I am sure that I drove past it more than a dozen times. 

Glendora used to be home to many military academies . . .

The pictures below depict Harding Military Academy......they closed their doors in 1972......due to a major drop in enrollment..........

"Glendora used to be home to many military academies, which have since been converted into either churches or private school facilities. These academies included Brown Military Academy, now St. Lucy's Priory High School and Church of the Open Door on Sierra Madre, and Harding Military Academy, whose property is now home to North Glendora Private, a prestigious private community adjacent to Easly Canyon atop Glendora Avenue." Per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glendora,_California

The pictures below depict Harding Military Academy......they closed their doors in 1972......due to a major drop in enrollment..........

Supertramp's "Dreamer," 1974 and 1990.

Back in the late 1970s, early 1980s, Supertramp was for me such a fresh sound on the music scene followed by Alan Parsons Band, Jethro Tull, Styx, But this 1974 song, "Dreamer," is not so optimistic, dreamy, or hopeful but rather an indictment against unproductive minds. 

When "Dreamer" had been released in 1974, its B-side "Bloody Well Right" was more popular in North America. 

Decent analysis of the lyrics.  

The lyrics.  The lyrics sound more like a mom or dad scolding a child who is lost. 

Dreamer, you know you are a dreamer
Well, can you put your hands in your head? Oh no
I said, "Dreamer, you're nothing but a dreamer"
Well, can you put your hands in your head? Oh no

I said, "Far out, what a day, a year, a life it is"
You know, well you know you had it comin' to you
Now there's not a lot I can do

Dreamer, you stupid little dreamer
So now you put your head in your hands, oh no

I said, "Far out, what a day, a year, a life this is"
You know, well you know you had it comin' to you
Now there's not a lot I can do

If I could see something
You can see anything you want, boy
If I could be someone
You can be anyone, celebrate, boy

Well, if I can do something
You can do something
If I could do anything
But can you do something out of this world?

Take a dream on a Sunday
Take a life, take a holiday
Take a lie, take a dreamer
Dream (dream), dream (dream)
Dream (dream), deam (dream) along

Dreamer, dream, dream along
C'mon and dream and dream along
C'mon and dream and dream along
C'mon and dream and dream along

Dreamer, you know you are a dreamer
Can you put your hands in your head? Oh no
I said dreamer, you're nothing but a dreamer
Can you put your hands in your head? Oh no, oh no.

"My Mother Says I Have Irish Eyes"

pic.twitter.com/jCdhIrdpt2

— The Center for Anti-White Studies. (CAWS.) (@TheWPCenter) June 16, 2026

I don’t listen to modern music anymore because instead of giving us talented and beautiful artists like this who sing wholesome songs to lift the people up they force lady Gaga on us with degenerate songs filled with pornographic demons.

Does anyone know who this is?? pic.twitter.com/jy4KVuMGUK

— Leonarda Jonie (@Leonardaisfunny) April 12, 2026

The gal above is Isabel Dumma.

"The Story Behind an Iconic Troubles' Photo," Dieter Reinisch, Wednesday, 21 Sep 2022. 

LA TIMES BUILDING: Looking east on First Street in downtown Los Angeles, 1940s

1940s.  Looking east on First Street in downtown Los Angeles, 1940s (Photo: Martin Turnbull).  Thanks to John Nelson.

Wikiwand says, "Los Angeles Times Building (1935–2018), street address 202 W. First Street, original structure on the southwest corner of 1st and Spring . . . ."  But that don't look like the "southwest corner."  It looks like the southeast corner of Broadway to me.

1985, Game 3 National Playoffs @ the Forum, Lakers vs. Celtics. Lakers were even, 1-1, coming back to LA for Game 3.

I post this, one, because I liked Larry Bird, thought he had talent, but when you're watching players play in your era you kind of take them for granted unless they earn a name and accolades for themselves the way Bird did, the way Kareem did, the way Jamaal Wilkes did, the way Magic Johnson did, and the way that Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlin, Gail Goodrich, Happy Hairston, Earl Monroe, James Worthy, Doctor Julius Erving did.  I especially liked Norm Nixon of the early 80s and late 70s.  Such a great field commander as point guard.  The Lakers and Celtic went at it in 3 consecutive championship playoffs.  

The younger generation never got to see Larry Bird move like this.. pic.twitter.com/rfV2qTXTpT

— Larry Legend☘️ (@LarryBirdDaily) June 4, 2026

The Lakers and Celtic went at it in 2 consecutive championship playoffs, 1984, 1985, 

The 1983 NBA playoffs ended with the Philadelphia 76ers defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4–0 in the NBA Finals, with Moses Malone named Finals MVP. The 1984 NBA playoffs concluded with the Boston Celtics defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4–3 in the NBA Finals, with Larry Bird named Finals MVP. The 1985 NBA playoffs ended with the Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Boston Celtics 4–2 in the NBA Finals.

In 1982, the Lakers went to battle against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Magic Johnson was named Finals MVP in 1982 when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 4–2.

But for the 1985 series, I went to Game 3 at the Forum in the Lakers vs. Celtics. It was magical. I was invited to the game by a UPS coworker, Rick, who lived in Diamond Bar, lived in a nice townhome with his wife. It's odd. I recall one time during that season, he invited me over to his house to watch a Laker game, drink a few beer, and snack on chips and dip. I said, sure, I'll join you. It was fun. Just the two of us. Not much conversation, but we were both avid Laker, Magic, Kareen, and Worthy fans that we couldn't have been happier watching the game with a coworker. It was a few weeks later that Rick asked me to a playoff game at the Forum, Game 3. Hard to say no to that, so I went. It was a thrill of a lifetime. The Forum crowd was absolutely nuts. Lakers won and took a 2-1 lead in the championship. But a few months later, I was gathering my things in the lockers at UPS, and I saw two plain clothes detectives come in and handcuff Rick, and they took him away. Apparently, he was selling cocaine.