Early 1950's Los Angeles were you there ?

hawkdon said:
LOVE ALL THOSE OLD CARS/TRUCKS~~~ACTUALLY IN '57
I WAS JUST SOUTH OF THERE, A PLACE NAMED IMPERIAL BEACH NAV COMM STATION FOR THE NAVY...LOVED THE BEACHES....OOOOPPPS JUST RECALLED THAT I WAS
SOUTH OF SAN DIEGO INSTEAD OF L.A......SO SORRY...
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I have to agree, I loved those beaches much better and back then they were less crowded than those by L.A. The drive itself was worth it.
 

I enjoyed the video, and seeing the old cars and how people dresssed - - - but no, I wasn't there except once, in 2012, and will never return. Nothing against Los Angeles or the people - I just feel too much at home; won't be going that way again.
 
Before my time, but I used to enjoy the beaches in that part of California, especially Venice, Manhattan and Santa Monica. The women on these beaches are or were beautiful. I haven’t been back since 2009.

Really enjoy the cars in the video. Some go back into the 40’s. My Grandpa had a pickup like one of the trucks shown. Don’t see those anymore.
 
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Enjoyed the video. I was born in L.A. and raised in one of the suburbs. Judging by some of the signs I saw and the hills I suspect this is the San Fernando valley, just north of downtown L.A.

I didn't go downtown much in those days, but in 57' when I was a senior in high school, I and a couple buddies took a streetcar in to the main library to do some research for term papers. We walked around bit and had lunch at Clifton's Cafeteria and got approached by a bum who wanted us to buy him a drink. It was a fun day, but I never did turn in that paper.
 
Nathan said:
Moved to LA from Monterey, Mexico in 1955. Lived in Westchester where LAX is now located. Used to see the red electric trolley cars moving down the tracks. Clean public transportation, eventually torn out and replaced with petroleum guzzling busses.
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Maybe I flew over your house. I flew into LAX several times. I liked it best when the traffic controller would send me out over the Pacific and come in over part of the city. Just looking at that blue water gave me a happy feeling.

I think my best runway was 6Right or 24Left, depending on which way the wind was blowing.
 
Trade said:
I grew up in Pinellas County Florida in the 1950's. What I know about Los Angeles came from watching Dragnet.

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A lot of the black & white TV shows were filmed in LA or surrounding areas. When I feel like stepping back in time I'll watch Perry Mason, Dragnet, or Highway Patrol, where you can hear Broderick Crawford tell the dispatcher over the radio- "21-50 baby".
 
Was just a tyke when that was filmed. Loved looking at all the old vehicle models, the way people dressed, the billboards and signs, and all those valley orchards that were soon all gone. The colorization tends to make red elements pinks and purples.

Although I was born in downtown LA, we only lived in the San Fernando Valley a couple years before my dad moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. But our family did occasionally visit later LA due to relatives and parent friends. Always loved being taken down to Santa Monica Beach. What I especially recall in that era was the distinctive smell of LA smog that at times one's eyes felt too. Almost all new homes had swimming pools. Well, our cheap cheap home had a small red brick ten foot diameter pool maybe 8 inches deep.

The later parts after 4:40 was all in San Fernando Valley where vast numbers of new homes, boulevards, and infrastructure was built during the 1950s through 1960s.
 
Another nice video. The first part shows traveling east on Wilshire Blvd. heading towards downtown L.A. I think that Carnation Bldg. is still in use by the company. Then it goes west, passing Fairfax and the iconic May Co. Bldg. on the corner (now the Saban Bldg.). Then there's one stretch I'm not too sure of, before it transitions to the Valley, traveling the spars (at that time) Ventura Blvd.-- first east, then west.

I didn't get to L.A. until the late '60s, but much of the city area looks the same, although with different businesses occupying the buildings now. It was a great town to live in at one time, but it started going to hell in the '80s.
 
I visited an aunt there, once in the mid 1950s and again in the late 60s. Lots of changes over those years. Too busy for me as it is any big city. I do love the old cars in the video. I liked the beaches the best. I did visit Disneyland and Knots Berry Farm and in the early 70s, was there for the last time to see the National Fuel A Drag Races. The best part of those trips was Route 66.
 
Deya said:
I visited an aunt there, once in the mid 1950s and again in the late 60s. Lots of changes over those years. Too busy for me as it is any big city. I do love the old cars in the video. I liked the beaches the best. I did visit Disneyland and Knots Berry Farm and in the early 70s, was there for the last time to see the National Fuel A Drag Races. The best part of those trips was Route 66.
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You wouldn't know Knotts now. The Knott family sold it to Six Flags and they made big changes, mostly thrill rides. When I was a teen, it was free to get in. They made their money from the restaurant and shops. It was a cheap date, walk around and buy some candy at the general store. Now, admission is $62 and you pay to park.
 
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CaliS said:
Before my time, but I sure love old movies and pictures and such - seeing how things used to look!

and those CARS!!! :love: :love: :love:
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yes I agree.. I love the old cars...even today I go to Vintage car shows because I love the old cars from the 40's, 50's and 60's..

I think everywhere in the 50's and 60's were beautiful places ( except the uk where we were still building after the devastation of the war)... but parts of the USA, were stunning.. and way ahead of it's time...
 
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I was there in the early 70's. I love watching these old films, no matter what city, state, province or country. You're seeing people who have been dead for 50, 60, 70+ years. Sometimes over 100 years. But here they are again, alive in their younger days, and reliving one of their days. I saw some old Studebakers, and noticed it was before turn signals. One man had to stick his arm out of the window to signal his intention to turn. In the more rural areas, the speed limit was 25. I laughed when I saw the truck labelled Pabst. Even back then, you have to keep the stores stocked with beer.
 
When you are watching these old films, you notice that some people notice that you are filming and that they will be in the film. Others are totally oblivious to what you are doing. The ones that notice you, may go on and tell relatives and friends about it. But they would never even think that people 70 or 80 years in the future, will be watching them on a device called a computer.
 
Paladin1950 said:
When you are watching these old films, you notice that some people notice that you are filming and that they will be in the film. Others are totally oblivious to what you are doing. The ones that notice you, may go on and tell relatives and friends about it. But they would never even think that people 70 or 80 years in the future, will be watching them on a device called a computer.
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exactly , I often thing precisely those thoughts....
I'll look at old videos, and film and often remark how those people in the films would have been incredulous to thing people were watching them 100 years on...

..even my own parents and gradparents .. when I look at old footage of them... they would have been astonished and delighted if they'd known that I was still looking at them on film when I was 70 years old...
 

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