Alison Martino's "Lost" Angeles

THE BEVERLY HILLS LIBRARY 1965. Demolished.

2011-07-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

I have such fond memories of the Mid Century Modern library that was located in Beverly Hills It was a child's dream during the 60s and 70s. It had a state of the art screening with a step down living room environment. Every month they would invite guest speaker from a popular show or movie to read books to the kids. I remember a very well dressed Suzanne Pleshette reading Hansel and Gretel to us. Only in Hollywood, and in this case, only in Beverly Hills. The fountains were also extremely charming. The mosaic on the sides of the building depicted an abstraction of book spines. The Library opened on October 10th, on Rexford, Dr. in 1965 and was designed by Martin Stern. Stern was the designer of Mid Century homes in Trousedale and Encino, many Las Vegas strip Hotels and restaurants and all three Ship's coffee shops in the L.A. area. Sadly, this building was demolished in the 80's so a bigger library and more offices could be built in a generic looking Spanish/Moorish Revival Style. And it's totally "charmless."

The exterior of the old public library, which had featured a mosaic resembling books on a shelf, appeared in stock shots in The Brady Bunch as Mike Brady's office building.

I have NO idea why they tore this MASTERPIECE down to build that generic, unauthentic and boring replacement that stands today...but that's LA. Here today, ripped down tomorrow. I wish we could dig this back up along with fountains too!

THE FISH SHANTY

2011-04-29T05:24:00.000-07:00

Located at the messy intersection of La Cienega Boulevard, San Vicente Boulevard and Burton Way, the Fish Shanty was known to Los Angeles residents as "that place where you walk in through the whale's mouth." If you did, you got pretty good seafood served to you by friendly waitresses who seemed to have been there forever. We miss the cuisine and we miss entering via the whale's jaws and feeling, just for the moment, like Pinocchio.

SUNSET STRIP VIDEOS taken in the 1960s.

2011-04-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

Guarenteed to blow your mind. Take a ride down Sunset Strip in 1964. Do you recognize anything? Do the Largo club and Villa Nova look familiar? I bet they do because today they are better known as The Roxy and the Rainbow. But they still looked incredble and colorful in 1964.

Now headed the opposite direction in the evening.

That was just the tip of the ice berg. Below are incredible gems I discovered years back on a project I was producing. Sunset Blvd in 1967! I believe this footage was shot for the MOD SQAUD. Gorgeous colorful day time shots of Dino's Lodge, The Plush Pup, The Sea Witch, Belinda Boutique, The Jay Ward Shop, the Fifth Estate coffee shop, Lyn Savings, and Padora's box to just name a few in this mind bending footage. I discovered this footage from a footage house called, PRODUCERS LIBRARY many years ago. I highly recommend checking them out for any projects that relate to this time.

Sunset driving east from Holloway to Crecsent Heights

The Bistro in Beverly Hills

2011-02-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

The Bistro catered for decades to high-powered crowd thick with denizens of the film industry and high society. The Bistro was a favorite of Billy Wilder and Elizabeth Taylor and was remembered for having a lot of CLASS. It closed it's doors when Woflgang Puck bought the property for Spago's new location on Canon in Beverly Hills.

That is my stylish grandmother in go go boots and my amazing mom on the right having her baby shower at The Bistro in 1970. That would be little me inside there! So I guess you could say I was at the Bistro too!

Owner Kurt Niklas, owner and maitre d' Jimmy Murphy of the Bistro restaurant in Beverly Hills, Calif., 1972

The Cock 'n Bull on Sunset Strip

2011-02-18T20:23:00.001-08:00

Built in 1937

Irreverence was always in great supply at the Cock'n Bull, a mock British tavern favored by notables ranging from artists like Ed Ruscha and actor Richard Burton to rock singer Rod Stewart and his entire soccer team.

I remember sawdust on the floor and a blaring fireplace and my father entertaining his industry friends. I remember asking Beatrice Straight for her autograph because I had just seen Poltergeist at the Plitt theatre that day . There is no restaurant in Los Angeles that has left more of an imprint in my mind. Later in the 80's I saw Sean Penn and Madonna dining with friends. Luckily we lived very close by and frequented it a lot.

The restaurant spanned succeeding eras of nightclubs, coffee houses, discotheques, topless bars and rock clubs in the neighborhood which is hard to do by Los Angeles standards. The Cock'n Bull became an automobile dealership in 1987. There is a plaque above the entrance in honor of this institution.

Click on the picture to enlarge the menu. :)

Scandia Restaurant located on Sunset Strip / Beverly Hills

2011-02-18T18:58:00.001-08:00

Scandia. 9040 Sunset. 1946-1989.

Some of my earliest memories are at Scandia. Of course I went with my parents. I was lucky they never left me with baby sitters. We settled into what felt like regal red leather chairs in the nearby bright, glass-walled dining room that seemed to float over lit-up Los Angeles. We drove into Scandia’s huge driveway where you knew Warren Beatty or Natalie Wood would soon emerge from a sleek black car and into this mid century modern building. Near the entrance was a moody, rat pack wooden bar. The Scandia chefs served perfect Swedish meatballs in silver platters. Beer mugs with names of notable Scandia ‘Club of the Vikings’ guests such as Errol Flynn were displayed.

Scandia was very elegant with paneled woods, copper and brass fixtures, bright red chairs, royal blue and white china and crystal vases. The principal decorations were coats of arms. Specialties here included "Lammesaddel", "Viking Sword", "Hamlets Dagger" (fresh lobster pieces non-greasily fried with exquisite tartar sauce) , and Danish pastries. Scandia Restaurant had an award winning wine cellar with over 30,000 bottles of wine in the '80s. From 1950 through 1980, this restaurant received Holiday Magazine awards. Scandia Restaurant also received many other accolades for the cuisine. They served their last meal on May 4th. 1989. The restaurant tried to open a few times as other residencies, but have failed. The structure is still standing vacant today on the corner of Sunset and Doheny. Wish I could say, "Meet me at Scandia", but at least we still have Dan Tana's.

The Villa Nova, 9015 Sunset Strip

2011-02-18T16:54:00.001-08:00

This restaurant was originally called the Mermaid Cafe built in the late 1920's. In 1933 it premiered as The Villa Nova and taken over by film director Vincente Minnelli and silent film actor-director Allen Dale. Dale had a strict rule: No press allowed," Crean said. Marilyn Monroe went on her first (blind) date with Joe DiMaggio in 1953, and director Minnelli chose it as the spot to propose to Judy Garland. The Villa Nova was sold in early 1972 to Elmer Valentine, Lou Adler, and Mario Maglieri. The named it The Rainbow as a tribute to Judy Garland. Originally they wanted to name it Over The Rainbow, but could not get clearance. On April 16, 1972, the Rainbow had a huge opening starting with a kick off party for Elton John. It quickly became known as a hangout for celebrities of all types. John Belushi ate his last meal here (lentil soup) at table #16. The owner is still Mario Maglieri.

Villa Nova and Club Largo seen in this 1966 photo. Largo became the Roxy. See my Largo entry for extended groovy info.

Largo on Sunset Strip

2011-02-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

Club LARGO opened on Sunset Strip by Chuck Landis. A burlesque club that featured comedians and the most exotic girls in filmland. Before it was Largo it had been the Westside Market and Hazen's market. Today it is better known as THE ROXY. Next door to Largo was the Villa Nova which became the Rainbow Bar and Grill. The structure is still the same. See my entry for the Villa Nova for more info.

Table / Postcard Pop Up Flyer for Largo

Back in the day this building was called the Westside Market. Today it's the world famous Roxy. As you can see the building is very much the same.

LARGO was filmed for the movie, "Marlowe". Here is the clip...

The Trip on Sunset Strip

2011-02-18T14:02:00.000-08:00

In 1965 Valentine and partners opened "The Trip" at 8572 Sunset Boulevard right next to the towering Playboy Club building. The Trip was located in the former popular '60's jazz club called the Crescendo. There was a comedy club upstairs called the Interlude. The Trip was short lived (Oct 1966-May 1967) however there was quite a music scene going on here. This is where the Byrds and the Velvet Underground & Nico would play regularly.

The Whisky a Go-Go, the Galaxy, the London Fog, Gazzari's, the Crescendo, the Interlude, the Trip; these were some of the clubs of the era where the scene met crowds of kids streaming into town from all points east to find the soundtrack to this tradition-shaking new youth culture.

P.J.'s night club

2011-02-18T04:25:00.000-08:00

Elmer Valentine moved to California and joined with partners from Chicago to open a nightclub called P.J.’s, named after the Manhattan bar P. J. Clarke’s. It was the first swinging go Go club in Los Angeles. In 1963, visiting Europe with the idea of becoming an expatriate, he happened to visit a discothèque in ...Paris called Whisky à Go Go and was enthralled by the enthusiastic young dancers. Mr. Valentine invested $20,000 of his profits from his share in P.J.’s in what became the Whisky A Go Go. He gave a one-year contract to Johnny Rivers, then a 21-year-old rocker and bluesman, who turned out to be wildly popular. And that was the birth of the Whisky A Go Go.

Many albums were recorded at P.J.'s during this period.

In the 70s, this joint was better known as the rock club, "The Starwood" that showcased bands like the Jam and the Ramones.

The Aquarius Theater

2009-09-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

above is the Aquarius Theater in 1970. It was painted psychedelic for the opening of Hair. But before it was the Aquarius it was many different incarnations. Below was it's first manifestation, The Earl Carroll Theater.

Earol Carroll's 1939
The Moulin Rouge 1961

In 1938 the Earl Carroll Theatre supper club opened on the Sunset Strip. A wall of movie star signatures and a large neon likeness of entertainer Beryl Wallace faced Sunset Boulevard, in what was then a hopping part of nighttime Hollywood near the Palladium and the NBC radio studios. The nightclub later became (loosely in order) the Moulin Rouge. In 1966 Phil Spector filmed The Big TNT Show, "when the IN crowd turned out to see the IN show." Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, The Byrds, Joan Baez and Ike and Tina Turner were among the acts, while Frank Zappa was spotted in the audience. The Club changed owners again in 1966 and was renamed the "Hullabaloo" . In 1967 the classic building got a phychedelic paintjob and became"Aquarius Theater," where The Doors once performed. "Star Search" also made its home there in the 80's. Nickelodeon signed lease in 1997 and the structure still remains.) {}">Groovy teens seated on stairs at Dave Hull's Hullabaloo club on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles, Calif., 1965

Tiny Naylors on Sunset Blvd.

2009-09-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

Tiny Naylors opened it 1958 on Sunset Blvd and was one of California's original googie-style restaurants. It was founded by W.W. Tiny Naylor. Naylor who got the nick name Tiny because he was 6'4" and weighted 320 lbs. His first restaurant was called Biff's - named after his son, in 1948. The Tiny Naylor chain started in 1957 at Wilshire and Virgil. Tiny Naylor died in 1959. The Naylor family also founded Du Par's which it still owns and operates. The architecture for Tiny Naylors was designed in 1949 by Douglas Honnold. Until it's demolition in1984, Tinys was known for it's curbside service - girls on roller skates, T-shirts, and and skimpy costumes. different for those days. Teenagers cruised here. women used to come there in carloads. It was a big place for everyone. Northwest corner of Sunset and La Brea.
Tiny Naylor's 1974

Tiny Naylor's facing demolition in 1984

Sadly today it's a El Polo Loco

Ships Coffee Shop

2009-09-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

Oh how I miss ships and the toasters on the counters! A true Southern California Coffee Shop treasure, Ships Restaurant, epitomized all that was right about the googie age. Designed by Martin Stern Jr., Ships was famous for its Coffee Shop Modern style, from the restaurant itself to the spellbinding "space-age" marquee in front. From the busy West Los Angeles location near village Westwood to the La Cienega hotspot, Ships was a favorite hangout for both Southern California locals and passersby. This coffee shop may have been a warm-up before tackling the Vegas Strip in the 1950's. But alas, like all good things, the beloved Ships closed in the 90's. Ships is another epic teenage memory. I'll never forget taking a homeless "Wild Man Fisher" there for a pastrami sandy.

Notice the lighting fixtures, straight from the 1960's.

Coffee Dan's on Hollywood Blvd early 1960's

2009-09-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

Gazzarri's 9093 Sunset Strip

2009-09-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

When the Twist craze took over the nation, Bill Gazzarri took notice. In 1965 Gazzarri purchased a small restaurant previously called the Comedians located at 9039 Sunset Boulevard. After some remodeling, he transformed it into the swingingest rock 'n roll dinery in the neighborhood. When Garrarri opened his twist club in May 1965 it was called Hollywood a Go-Go.

Gazzarri's was associated with Hollywood A Go Go, a local music TV show on KHJ-TV Channel. Gazzarri's on the Sunset Strip had a raised dance floor, a split level stage and an elaborate lighting system. The dance club featured live musicians on the stage with recorded music (canned) used for dancing during breaks taken my the musicians. However, it continued to served the same Italian dinners made famous by Mama Gazzarri at the original Gazzarri's on La Cienega. Bill Gazzarri would take color movies of dancers in action and then show them on screens the next day placed on either sides of the dance floor. People would come back to the club hoping to see themselves dancing on the big screen. The old clubs along the Sunset Strip became a haven for the young and hip to hang out. At first they congregated at coffee shops, underground theaters and jazz joints. In 1963-64, the Sunset Strip turned into a meeting place for beatniks in leather jackets, mini skirts and mod srippes pants pants, Jerked and Mashed Potatoed the night away. With the Beatle invasion in 1964, teens migrated in mass to clubs that played the new rock sound with the groovy dance beat. Suddenly there were a slew of twist clubs in town catering to the young 16-and-up crowd. These clubs included: the Peppermint West in Hollywood, the Whisky A Go-Go, the Galaxy (8717 Sunset), P.J.'s (8151 Santa Monica), the Action (8265 W Santa Monica), the Haunted House (6315 Hollywood Blvd), the Crescendo (8572 Sunset) and It's Boss (former Ciro's restaurant (8433 Sunset Blvd), The Hulabaloo Club and the Sea Witch. In the '80, Gazzarri's became a favorite hang-out for glam metal bands with the big hair. In 1991 Bill Gazzarri died. Gazzarri's closed down in 1992. In 1994 Northridge Earthquake damaged Gazzarri's beyond repair and it was torn down and became the Key Club.

Gazzarri's was originally located on L.A.'s Restaurant Row on La Cienega Boulevard.

Wallichs Music City

2009-09-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

Glenn Wallichs owned the biggest record store in Los Angeles. Wallichs Music City record store opened in 1940 and was located in Hollywood on the corner of Sunset and Vine across the street from the art deco NBC building. It was the premier music store in Southern California for decades. It was a special store and a place to go for tickets, sheet music, LP's and 45's, tapes (8 track and cassette). They also sold TV's and musical instruments. It It was the first music store to seal record albums in cellophane and put them in display racks for customers. It was also the first to have demonstration rooms for listening. Wallich also owned created Capitol records. My dad has been a recording artist for Capitol records since 1952. He would go into Wallichs, see his records on display and then walk upstairs to Capitol offices. The Original Capitol Records recording studio was located on Melrose next to Paramount Studios. . They eventually moved to the Capitol Tower in 1956 and the old studios became Dot records. As Capitol was being built my dad watched as the building was inspired to represent a stack of records. His Gold record is still in hallway next to The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and the Beach Boys. Not too shabby dad. Wallichs closed in 1978. Hopefully Capitol Records will stand forever. Below are the listening booths circa 1956.

The Luau in Beverly Hills. Steven Crane's Tiki oasis on Rodeo Drive

2009-09-10T05:28:00.003-07:00

The Luau, opened in 1953 on Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills. It was owned by Lana Turner's husband, Steven Crane and it was a popular celebrity hangout. throughout the 50’s, 60’s and 70s. They had big Tiki Gods, Polynesian Chairs, drinks on fire and a moat around the joint with a bridge leading to the entrance. My parents were regulars and went there for years until they closed. I celebrated my first birthday at the infamous Luau. Now I need to build my time machine and go have a double with Lana Turner!

This 1959 Magazine "Movie Screen Year Book" featured a celebrity section called Hollywood Teens shown below. Caption read: "Judy Harriet does the Hulu, While Annette Funicello and Roberta Shore sip pineapple punch at the Luau in Beverly Hills. To judge by the expressions there may have been more then just pineapple in the punch. Roberta Shore, who is a Mormon, keeps the straw away from her lips." Yea sure!

Chasin's famous Chili recipe

2009-09-10T01:59:00.000-07:00

This is the stuff of which Hollywood legends are made. Rumor has it back when Elizabeth Taylor was filming Cleopatra in Rome she craved the chili made at Chasen's Restaurant in Los Angeles so much that she was willing to pay $100 just to have the order shipped to her. For years the recipe remained a closely guarded secret. It seemed the owner David Chasen came to the restaurant every Sunday to privately cook up a batch which he would freeze for the week, believing that the chili was best when reheated.

CHASIN'S CHLI RECIPE

1/2 pound dried pinto beans
Water
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups onions, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup butter
2 pounds beef chuck, coarsely chopped
1 pound pork shoulder, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup Gebhardt's brand chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

"I cherish the menu I snagged from Casin's on closing night."

The Party Soundtrack by Henry Mancini

2009-09-10T01:12:00.000-07:00

Henry Mancini is one of my favorite composers. One of my favorite soundtracks all all time is from 'The Party" with Peter Sellers. I saw it on the Z cannel back in the day and was totally blown away my the visuals and the music. I remember paying 100 dollars for the LP at the very over priced record store (remember record stores) on Melrose called, "Records." That was their actual phone number. One of my favorite moments was meeting Henry Mancini at Pavarotti's Birthday party many years ago. I rushed home to get the record and he signed it.He didn't remember the melody to the movie and I hummed it for him. Surreal indeed. He was such a class act. Birdie Num Num!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKrQaH9ELqA

There's A Girl In My Soup

2009-09-10T00:54:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite movies

of all time. Humour, mod

styles, sixites british

kitch. Also, the song over the

credits is very catchy! There

are no words to discribe

how much I love Goldie

Hawn and Peter Sellers.

It's a great film, and the best

gag is the very last line.

Try it, you'll like it.

The Mayfair in Century City

2009-09-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

Before Gelson's in Century City, there was the Mayfair Market. It became Gelson's in the 70's. I remember getting lost and hiding from my mom in the produce section. It looked just like this from what I remember. I also made it a ritual to run down this ramp from Cliftons cafe down to the market. Once my mom said she thought someone kidnapped me running up that ramp. I was only playing. Sorry mom. A classic googie, mid century market. So happy to find these pix. :)

Of course it looks noting like this now, but the market is still located in the mall in the same place. You can see how it looked in technicolor in the Watler Matthau movie, "The Guide For The Married Man." A great movie for LA history including scenes shot in the original Century City Mall and Kiddieland / Beverly Park (which is now the dreadful Beverly Center).

now this song is in my head....

Abbey Road Billboard

2009-09-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

As I collect more and more billboard photos along the sunset strip in the 60s and 70's, I came across these 2 shots of the Beatles Abbey Road. But if you look closely at these two photos - you will notice Paul's head is missing in the polaroid photo. Trip! Rumor has it some high school kids sawed it down in the middle of the night and it ended up in someone's bedroom. Another Paul is dead hoax perhaps? Capitol never "repaired" Paul, leaving the billboard as it was.

The Dudley Doo Right Emporium

2009-09-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

Santa Monica Mall - Pre 3rd Street 3rd street promenade

2009-09-09T19:44:00.001-07:00

No Starbucks? No Gap? How can this be? This was the Santa Monica mall in the 60 - until its make over in the early 90's. My mother used to walk this mall when she had lay overs during her steward days. When she later relocated to LA, she took me here often. This is one of my favorite childhood memories. The mall is well preserved in Pee Wee's big adventure. The Bicycle store was a real shop.

This is the Record Store John Cryer sang his best Otis Redding in Pretty in Pink

Sneeky Pete's

2009-09-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

This 1966 ariel shot shows The Whiskey A Go Go, The Original Hamburger Hamlet, The London Fog (The Doors are the headliners), and Sneeky Pete's. Dukes coffee house took over Sneeky Pete's. My parents frequented the place all of the time and took me there when I was a baby. I wish I had better memories of it, although I remember the red and black awning vividly.

This was a classic joint on the Sunset Strip located on the same street as the Whiskey A Go Go. I've been lucky enough to find a matchbook and an ashtray.

groovy mid century modern movie sets

2009-09-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

The Party

Oceans 11

The Cube

Robert Mcginnis

2009-09-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

Starting with his first cover in 1958, Robert McGinnis has painted almost 1,100 pulp fiction novals. Eleven hundred!!! No wonder his works looked familiar. Gracing the covers of mysteries, detective stories, westerns, romance, gothic tales and adventure stories. He is also responsible for movie poster art such as Casino Royale, The Man with the golden Arm, and Breakfast At Tiffany's.

Mosiac Tiles in LAX Airport

2009-09-09T03:07:00.000-07:00

When I think of the LAX airport, I think of these mosaic walls that are miraculously still standing! These groovy walls were constructed in 1965 for TWA. Now Delta and Alaska airlines is the home to these historic walls. I just rediscovered them when I returned back from Seattle this year. I was over welmed by the instant childhood memories they brought back. I hope they stand tall for years to come. You can catch the colorful mid century walls in all their glory in the Lee Marvin movie, POINT BLANK, and in the opening sequence of JACKIE BROWN.

Coming home from Alaska not too long ago I was lucky enough to shoot some of the wall. I waited until everyone was gone. It was sort or erie.

The ABC Entertainment Center

2009-09-09T02:17:00.000-07:00

Oh how I miss The ABC Entertainment Center in Century City. It was located right across the street from the Century Plaza (which is also in trouble). It was the coolest Mid Century out door plaza ever. It was home to the Shubert theater, Harry's Bar (where I would see Andrew Loyd Webber sipping a vodka martini in a dimly lit booth), The Playboy Club and the Plitt theater. The Plitt was a gigantic movie theater that had massive rocking chairs. I have so many incredible memories in this theater. I saw just about every block buster from my childhood including Starwars and Jaws. I miss the complex so much I can't even drive down Ave of the Stars anymore to see the shamless CAA offices that have replaced it. The Century Plaza now stares at soul-less glass and steel building. I have given up on LOS ANGELES presevering or protecting any structures anymore. We have lost so much these past few years. The city is a giant coffin and in it lies the corpse of my youth. These are some fantastic photos. I am also posting an Olivia Newton John video that was shot here to get a better sense how magical this place was.

"The Classic Cat Strip Club" on Sunset Strip

2009-09-09T01:59:00.001-07:00

The Classic Cat Strip Club Located at 8844 Sunset Boulevard in the heart of the Strip, The Classic Cat was the largest, most luxurious topless club of them all. You can see the Club to the left of this Photo. The club shut down in the 80's and became Tower Video. Scenes from this club were recreated for the Bob Crane movie "Autofocus".

The Strip in 1974 - Before Tower Video

Before The Classic Cat, it was The jerry Lewis Club. It opened it 1959 and closed in 1964. . If you look through the abandoned windows, you can see where The Classic Cat stage was. That is the section of Tower I remember that was raised up higher then the rest of the store. One of the strip poles is still intact as well. You can see a great re creation of The Classic Cat in the movie AUTO FOCUS.

Below is a pic of the property for lease as it stands today. As you can see it's the same drive way as the Jerry Lewis Club- just a lot more brick was added to cover the plaster and apparently Jerry's face!

Dino's Lodge on Sunset Strip

2009-09-09T01:09:00.000-07:00

Remember the opening to 77 Sunset Strip? And that big happy face smilin down on you? That was Dean Martin's restaurant located at 8524 Sunset Boulevard. For 27 years this neon sign of Dean Martin was one of Hollywood's campiest icons. Serving home-style Italian food and grilled entrees in a wood-paneled atmosphere meant to replicate the great roue's den. But by the early seventies, this restaurant that had once hosted parties for Frank Sinatra descended into a tourist trap and was abandoned by its celebrity clientele.

Almost everybody wants to own a "joint". Dean Martin was no exception! He had 'Dino's Lodge' on the Sunset Strip (it was the backdrop of that great TV show "77 Sunset Strip" during the 50's. He had 'Deans' in Miami. And, after the boys flew the coop, leaving their roost at the Sands. He had a small cabaret type club at the Riveria Hotel simply called 'Dinos Den'. What I have been lucky enough to get my hands on is a rare ashtray and matchbooks that hang out on my bar.

The Pink Pussy Cat. 7969 Santa Monica Blvd.

2009-09-09T00:57:00.000-07:00

The Pink Pussycat - burlesque house that was located in Hollywood was one of the most successful, celebrated and profusely feathered nightclubs of its era. Located near the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, the club was a popular destination of tourists and locals alike, known for its glittering stage shows and equally glittering celebrity clientele.

It was a favorite watering hole of the Rat Pack, and for good reason. Mrs. Schiller shrewdly gave her dancers stage names like Fran Sinatra, Samya Davis Jr., Deena Martin and Peeler Lawford, and the originals soon showed up to inspect their namesakes.

The club was also internationally famous for its attached institution of higher learning, the Pink Pussycat College of Strip Tease, familiarly called the Navel Academy of the West.

With the decline of burlesque theaters in the postwar years, a wave of more respectable if scarcely less naked establishments rushed in to take their place. Perhaps the best known of these was the Pink Pussycat, which literally embodied the transition between the seamy bump and grind of the burlesque house and the upscale gentlemen’s club of today. (you can read the entire article on the comment below post by Mark :)
In the late ’70s it turned into a discotheque renamed Peanuts. And today it's known as Club Voyeur housed in the same building.

I am starting to collect memorabilia from LA's strip clubs from the 1960's. I've collected ashtrays, logo napkins, matchbooks and certified certificates. God love Ebay and local thrift shops.