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