L.A. COLOR

Comedy Alert

2005-07-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

I could not resist this follow-up to the Anthony Hopkins photo. In the summer of 2005 it is the wide awake Ellen DeGeneres who charms us from the fly tower of The Music Box at the Henry Fonda Theater, apparently alerting us to some humorous potential in the area around Hollywood and Vine and publicizing the June issue of Los Angeles Magazine, the "Comedy Issue." Ellen also happens to be providing a beacon for French General, a small accessories shop hidden away nearby on Vista Del Mar Avenue.

Toluca Lake

2005-07-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

Toluca Lake is an exclusive section of the North Hollywood area of Los Angeles tucked up against Burbank and the Los Angeles River in the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley. After reading a piece about Humphrey Bogart golfing at the Lakeside Golf Club and the cast of The Maltese Falcon partying nightly at the club, I went to see the golf club and the lake. I found the golf course, but am not sure I found the lake. There are some beautiful homes in the area, but is there a lake? I walked along Valley Spring Lane. Couldn't find the lake. I walked along Navajo Avanue. Couldn't locate any lake. Toluca Lake Avenue. No lake to be seen. Was I to believe the map or my lying eyes? At the end of Clybourn Avenue, just before the locked back gate of the Lakeside Golf Club I found a spot where through the tree branches a glimple of water was available. I took this photo, but it looked more like a pond at the time. A small corner of the lake? Hard to tell.

I began to ask people. Is there really a lake in Toluca Lake? The replies were usually, "I don't know" or "Yes, but I've never seen it." Apparently there are quite a lot of people in the neighborhood who do not know whether there is a lake or not. Indeed, there are a fair number who actually believe there is no lake. A manager in a restaurant told me, "They call this Toluca Lake, but I don't know why. There's not a lake here." Most folks are like me after my visit. They believe there is a lake, but have not seen it. I met a woman on the street who told me that when she was a girl she would ride her bike along the lake, but no more. Today it is tightly ringed by houses, and she said the only way she sees the lake now from the outside is to catch a chance glimpse through uncovered windows.

The Toluca Lake Chamber of Commerce reports that there are two lakes, and they have a photo gallery. I also found some photos online from 1930, 1945, 1956 and of the swans which are a symbol of the lake. Google Maps has a nifty satellite photo of the area which shows the lake. You will need to enter toluca lake ca in the search box, click the Search and Satellite buttons and then zoom in using the scale at left. The beautiful homes, the golf club, the proximity to film and TV studios at Disney, NBC, Warner Brothers and Universal and for some, the lake, have made Toluca Lake a magnet for entertainment celebrities through the years, from Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby on through Dorothy Lamour, Red Foxx and Tennessee Ernie Ford and then Frankie Avalon, Andy Griffith and Goldie Hawn to more recently Denzel Washington, George Lopez and Kirsten Dunst, just to name a few. Yes, there is a lake in Toluca Lake.

Independence Day

2005-06-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

Ennis-Brown House

2005-06-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

Frank Lloyd Wright's Mayan masterpiece on Glendower Avenue is named for its first and last resident owners. Charles and Mabel Ennis commissioned Wright to build their home during the roaring 1920s when construction boomed across Los Angeles. Augustus Brown donated the property to the Trust for Preservation of Cultural Heritage in 1980 to preserve it as a museum with visitor tours. Wright had read L.A. perfectly. The house is innovative, unusual, abnormal, controversial. Was the mortarless concrete "textile block" structural technique a solid idea or not? Does the house blend with the hill or dominate? From its sunny Los Feliz hilltop site the home competes for attention with the Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign. Its architecture is grand and commanding. It has appeared in countless films, TV shows, music videos, commercials and fashion magazine layouts. It's a genuine Hollywood star, the home of Vincent Price in House On Haunted Hill, of Harrison Ford in Blade Runner, of Steve Martin in Grand Canyon. The home's official Web site has a long list of productions.

E-B is a star. It may not have an Oscar, but it is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, has been designated a California State Landmark and was one of the first of L.A. City's Historic-Cultural Monuments. Alas, it's a crumbling, sun-addled, shaken star of advancing age that now needs extra pampering. The Northridge earthquake of 1994 led to the partial collapse of a retaining wall and the structural support for the dining room. Repairs have remained in the planning stage. Record rainfall at the close of 2004 caused more damage. The filming and tours have stopped and so have the revenues they generate. The current severe crisis was recognized earlier this month when the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private non-profit body chartered by the U.S. Congress placed the Ennis-Brown House on its list of the 11 most endangered sites in the USA. (press release 6/2/05) A fund raising effort is now under way to meet immediate needs and supplement official grants to raise the $12 to $15 million needed to restore this treasure. The Art Deco Society of L.A. also has donation information.

A note on the photo of the front gate above: Frank Lloyd Wright's work shows in the massive temple-like structure and the rectangular designs of the concrete blocks, but the curves of the iron work were created by Julius Dietzman. Additional resources: L.A. Conservancy, NPR radio program archive.

Cole's

2005-06-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

Cole's is an L.A. survivor. By local standards almost everything in the place is old, the mahogany bar, the Tiffany shades, the tables made from the sides of retired trolley cars, the photos on the walls. Even the cash register is old, 50 years old, and won't take a price over $9.99. They had a bartender in employ for 62 years, but he retired in 1985. Not much has changed on the menu since 1908 when Harry Cole opened the PE Buffet and originated the French Dip Sandwich.

The site, the Pacific Electric Building at 6th & Main, was completed by California mogul Henry Huntigton in 1905, not only to be the center of his PE Red Car rail network, but a lavish 9-story skyscraper office building as well, with the exclusive Jonathan Club nestled in the upper floors. A vital spot, at peak 100,000 passengers passed through the electric rail hub daily, many of them stopping for food and drink at Cole's. But, the automobile and the end of the 1950s brought great change to Southern California. After the last Red Car rolled out of the PE building in 1961, downtown L.A. continued its sharp decline, and at one point Cole's was the only business open in the building. Still, through the years the Hollywood dream factory has made good use of Cole's; 500 productions of film, TV and commercials have used the site, including Forrest Gump, L.A. Confidential, NYPD Blue, The X-Files and recently Mr. and Mrs. Smith. In 1974 the city added Cole's to its list of Historic-Cultural Monuments as the oldest bar and restaurant in Los Angeles.

Now, with downtown L.A. resurging, Cole's may be entering a new phase. The Pacific Electric Building is under restoration and will join the increasing number of "loft" residences downtown. Though Cole's has only had three owners in its history, it has been reported that L.A. nightlife wizard Marc Smith is purchasing the establishment and will restore it "to its former glory." I hope Cole's own cultural policy is not changed. Beyond the cafeteria food and the full bar, Cole's has offered prose and poetry readings and music performances. No need to wait. On Wednesday, July 27, you can get a double shot of L.A. lore when local alternative/country band "I See Hawks In L.A." plays once again at this venerable L.A. venue.

Talmadge Street

2005-06-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

An apartment building lights up Talmadge Street with turquoise, yellow and salmon. In the area where Los Feliz gives way to Franklin Hills and Silver Lake, this is just two blocks north of the Prospect Studios, formerly the ABC Television Center and earlier still, Warner Brothers and the Vitagraph Studio. From silent films in 1915 through the first "talkie," The Jazz Singer, and later The Lawrence Welk Show, American Bandstand, Let's Make A Deal, General Hospital and others, this neighborhood has seen it all. Norma and Constance Talmadge began with Vitagraph in New York and became huge stars of the silent movie era. Their name was applied to the steet along the west edge of the studio's lot in Los Angeles, but their films have not been as well preserved. Constance is known for comedy. Norma Talmadge is considered by many to be among film's top few truly great dramatic actresses, but degraded by others as "emotional." Their charm and appeal live on here, signposts to the memories of Valentino, Pickford, Barrymore, Garbo, Laurel & Hardy, Martin & Lewis, The Beatles and many, many more.

Grand Performances

2005-06-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Updated 6/26/05: Angelenos turned out last night for the screening of an L.A. classic, Billy Wilder's 1944 murder scheme film noir, Double Indemnity, the second presentation of the season of Grand Performances, the outdoor performing arts series at California Plaza, downtown. David Kipen, book critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, and CalArts Critical Studies faculty member Norman Klein opened the event with a discussion on noir and L.A. Klein observed that noir, its paranoia and complexity, is a powerful concept of the 20th century and made the point that Double Indemnity began the unconscious nightmare vision of Los Angeles, dangerous, racist, crazy; began the romance with and hatred of the city that seems today tilting in favor of romance. Klein's books include The History of Forgetting: Los Angeles and the Erasure of Memory, Bleeding Through: Layers of Los Angeles, 1920-86 and The Vatican to Vegas: The History of Special Effects.

The film, with screenplay by Wilder and L.A. storyteller Raymond Chandler, provides a 1940s glimplse of the city, including the Hollywood Bowl, the Glendale train station, a fabulous open atrium downtown office building and Barbara Stanwyck's house on the hill that is described as "Los Feliz," but actually is a little further west and higher in the Hollywood Hills between Beachwood and Cahuenga. Checking out the house today, at the corner of Quebec Drive and El Contento Drive, is a bit of a let down. Alterations through the years have changed its look, and homes built later block the film's wide open view across Quebec to the city below. The arched double garage doors have been replaced by a single, so it's difficult to relive the creepy scene where Fred MacMurray hides in the back seat of the car. Still, it's a notable house and a lovely neighborhood. Walking the nearby streets and hiking up the hill on Creston Drive for great views of the city, Lake Hollywood and the Hollywood Sign will likely support Klein's notion about romance.

Walk to The Greek

2005-06-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

One of the extra treats of taking in a concert at The Greek Theatre in Griffith Park is the wide tree-lined approach along Vermont Avenue before it enters the park. Many beautiful homes grace this route, and you might enhance your visit by parking below and walking up Vermont or Hillhurst and Vermont to The Greek. Valet parking at the theatre is $40. Other parking nearby is $10, but as they say, "be aware that it is stacked parking." So, if you can park for $10 or less below Los Feliz Boulevard, you may want to try the walk, about 20 to 30 minutes from Los Feliz to The Greek. As usual, a varied group of shows awaits the summer. Wilco, Tom Jones, Robert Plant, The Black Eyed Peas, The White Stripes, James Brown. James Brown? Yes, in August. If you are headed for that one be sure to check out the once again available "Beat The Devil" short film at BMWFilms.com. The Godfather and Gary Oldman struggle at the Crossroads, and we get the benefit.

Capitol Records

2005-06-04T23:25:00.000-07:00

Yours truly at work in the street outside Capitol Records, whose landmark platter stack building is part of a larger complex at Vine and Yucca Streets. The windows along Yucca have large displays of Capitol's current artists. These change with the times, but at this writing, besides Coldplay, the windows feature Shelby Lynne, The Redwalls, Fischerspooner, Lisa Marie Presley, Shout Out Louds and Faith Evans. Along Vine The Beatles seem to have a more permanent position just in front of John Lennon's star in the sidewalk.

Palm Fruit

2005-06-04T21:47:00.000-07:00

Catalina Street. Palm fruit. I understand these are edible, but I haven't tried them yet . . . Great supplement for your bird's diet! Jokes aside, there are thousands of varieties of palms, and once you start to look, you will see many colors and sizes of fruit, or drupes. A good spot for palm lovers is the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino, which has a Palm Garden containing 200 species. Another major garden is the L.A. County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia. Also check out the Palm Society of Southern California.

Yuca's

2005-06-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

Socorro "Mama" Herrera opened Yuca's on Hillhurst near Ambrose in 1976 with her husband Jaime. When I first ate here a few years ago there was already a glowing write-up from the New York Times posted on the window. Couldn't argue with that. My cochinita pibil burrito was delicious, sublime. Many, many burritos later (always pibil, carnitas, chile verde or machaca) I marvel that I am delighted each and every time, that I never tire of this place. I always feel sustained, nourished and grateful. Little wonder then that Yuca's has earned loyal local fans and also been lauded in print by USA Today, Sunset, Vanity Fair, GQ, Elle, Travel & Leisure and the L.A. Times. The latest recognition of achievement for this pint-sized cocina comes from no less than the James Beard Foundation. Note the snapshots from the awards ceremony in May to the right of the window. Yuca's was honored as one of four "American Classics" for 2005, a restaurant with "timeless appeal, beloved for quality food that reflects the history and character of its community." Beloved is exactly the right word for Yuca's.

Cahuenga

2005-06-01T23:54:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles artist Margaret Garcia set out to make momentous history visible with her work in tile at the Metro Red Line Universal City Station. You can imagine that "Universal" is not the original name of this place. Campo de Cahuenga was the name in 1847 when John C. Fremont and Andres Pico signed the treaty of Capitulation here, ending hostilities in California in the Mexican-American War and preparing for the yielding of "California" to the U.S.A. The territory would become not just the state of California, but also Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, and part of Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. Garcia's brilliant tiles cover several panels with the remembrance of the peoples who met, struggled and sought peace and honor in this land, the indigenous Gabrielinos, the Mexican and African settlers and the U.S. immigrants. Edward F. Beale, a hero of the U.S. forces, went on to a storied career in the west. Beale Air Force Base is his namesake. Note: the original lead photo for this article is here.

Balcony

2005-05-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

Finley Avenue. What should we call the color of this house?

Edge, No Edge

2005-05-31T17:59:00.000-07:00

Fred 62, a self-described retro-kitsch diner on Vermont. Eat now, dine later, they say. From the Thai Cobb Salad to the Mac Daddy & Cheese the menu items may have oddball names, but the food brought to your table is consistently finer than expected. Open 24/7 is the deeply hip kicker that raises Fred to landmark status in the Los Feliz village. Palermo Italian Restaurant has earned the same status the hard way. Manicotti Alla Siciliana, comfort, tradition and plentiful portions for decades.

Green Wall, Blue Door

2005-05-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

An open door along Fernwood Avenue in Franklin Hills. A policy perhaps, or the beginning of a story.

Manor Style

2005-05-27T23:29:00.000-07:00

Though far less famous than the Griffith Observatory or the Greek Theater, the Los Feliz Manor Apartments hold equal status as a definitive icon of the area. Like the haven of Griffith Park and the deodar cedars along wide Los Feliz Boulevard, the Manor rests deep in the heart and soul of the neighborhood, a guardian and reminder of Los Feliz style since 1929.

Classic Hollywood

2005-05-27T23:02:00.000-07:00

For what seemed a very long while at the end of 2004 and into 2005, there was no escaping the gaze of Anthony Hopkins as he surveyed the area around Hollywood and Vine from his position on the fly tower of The Music Box at the Henry Fonda Theater, willing all who passed to purchase the November issue of Los Angeles Magizine.