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Hollywood’s first 50 years, until the freeway changed history — and defined the future


Earl Carroll Theatre: Hollywood’s Entertainment Palace
Earl Carroll built Hollywood’s premier entertainment palace for his princess: singer-dancer-actress Beryl Wallace—whom he immortalized...
May 26, 2023


6-Year-Old Marilyn Monroe at the Hollywood Bowl (Photo Exclusive)
In 1933, little Norma Jean was selected by her elementary school to be one of the children who form the event’s “living cross.”
Apr 7, 2023


The Crossroads of the World
In Hollywood, the Crossroads of the World intersect at Sunset Boulevard and Las Palmas Avenue. Built in 1936, the multi-national...
Feb 4, 2023


Hollywood’s Bright Spot: LA Gas & Electric Corp.
Los Angeles Gas and Electric’s sales office on Ivar Avenue was introduced in 1937 as “another bright spot in the incandescent radiance of...
Jan 9, 2023


Peacock Alley: The Pride of Vine Street
Decades before Capitol Records arrived on Vine Street, the block north of Hollywood Boulevard was projected to be Peacock Alley, a...
Dec 20, 2022


Hollywood Center Motel’s Seedy Past
Over the past century, 6720 Sunset Boulevard has seen murder, prostitution, rockstars … but it all began with a wife-swapping scandal!...
Dec 7, 2022


Gogerty & Weyl’s Forgotten Building
Henry L. Gogerty and Carl Jules Weyl left their architectural imprint all over Hollywood: the Baine Building, Yucca Vine Tower, Hollywood...
Nov 19, 2022


Pierce Brothers Hollywood Mortuary
What better location for a funeral home … than directly across the street from Hollywood Cemetery, now known as Hollywood Forever. The...
Oct 19, 2022


The Circus Cafe
The Circus Cafe was not for kids—the cocktail lounge inside Albert Sheetz Mission Candies at 6656 Hollywood Boulevard served up adult...
Sep 13, 2022


Clara Bow’s It Cafe
The “It Girl” created the “It” nightspot in Hollywood. Clara Bow came out of a three-year retirement in 1937 to open the It Café, located...
Sep 3, 2022


Hollywood Wedding Chapel (1918-1960s)
Kathryn Baird Sullivan realized her long-cherished dream to “launch brides and grooms happily on their marital ways” when she turned her...
Sep 3, 2022


Hollywood’s First Tourist Attraction (1901-1927)
Before the Hollywood sign or Walk of Fame, the first tourist attraction in town was Paul de Longpre’s enchanting gardens on Cahuenga. In...
Sep 3, 2022


Max Factor Studio
Hollywood queens trusted their faces to the makeup king, Max Factor. From his Highland Avenue studio, the brilliant beautician...
Sep 3, 2022


Esther Ralston’s Beauty Salon
Who wouldn’t want to look like a Hollywood star? Esther Ralston—“The American Venus”—cashed in on her famous face in 1931 with an...
Sep 3, 2022


J.J. Newberry: One-Stop Five and Dime
Before Hollywood Boulevard catered to tourists, it was a destination for locals—and J.J. Newberry at the corner of Whitley Avenue was a...
Sep 3, 2022


The Screen Stars Shop
At the Screen Stars Shop, you could pick up a gown worn by Vilma Banky, pair of Mary Pickford’s shoes, or a suit right off the back of...
Sep 2, 2022


The Finest Jewelry Shop in Hollywood
The finest jewelry shop in Hollywood, Robert Gail was a cut above the rest. Its grand opening in 1929 was treated as a movie...
Sep 2, 2022


The Rise and Fall of NBC Radio City
NBC Radio City was one of Hollywood’s largest projects of the 1930s—and spectators were invited to watch its construction at the...
Sep 2, 2022


Yamashiro’s Historic Past
One of Hollywood’s oldest landmarks, Yamashiro is a work of art. In 1911, German-born brothers Adolph and Eugene Bernheimer purchased...
Sep 1, 2022
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