Vintage Los Angeles

09/04/2026

It’s so cute how this other page constantly uses my photo without photo credit.  Anyway, that’s me y’all!

Posing by the stereo, which is complete with a tuner, turntable and cassette player. She looks a bit like me when I was young.

09/03/2026

A huge thank-you to Howard Green, Vice President of Studio Communications (and longtime head of publicity), for The Walt Disney Studios for giving VINTAGE LA an unforgettable tour of Walt Disney’s original office at Disney Studios in Burbank today!

In 2015 Walt's office was put back with all his original furniture, piano, trinkets, and awards. It was lovingly curated by Disney expert & Chief Archivist Dave Smith. The piano Richard Sherman played is also in this office and Walt's Britannica book collection across the way ends in 1966 - the year Walt died. Kind of poignant and overwhelming to see in person.  Everything you see inside this office is original.

This was truly an unforgettable experience and happy to share these photos with you today. Everything you see in this office is original from when Walt Disney had his offices here. From the furniture to the pens & pencils on the desk - to the tiny miniatures, figurines & collectibles - to the photos and all of the ephemera and books and everything you see on the desks and throughout the 5 rooms.

09/03/2026

Seventeen glorious minutes of Super 8 footage of Beverly Hills, filmed in December 1970 by my friend childhood friend Jack Black! (No, not the actor 🤪)!

Before Beverly Hills became an international luxury brand lined with high-end fashion stores such as Gucci, Dior, Cartier and Louis Vuitton, it was a charming little village—much like Larchmont or Westwood Villages. It had small supermarkets, barbershops, camera shops, toy stores, historic theaters, book stores, cheap parking lots, and unique, one-of-a-kind cafés and boutiques. All with FABULOUS KITSCHY SIGNAGE. Many with quaint awnings too. It truly felt far more like a close-knit community than the international luxury destination it is today.

Rodeo Drive’s transformation had begun when Giorgio Beverly Hills opened in 1961. (Gucci arrived in 1968) but, in December of 1970, the area still retained much of its local character. During the remainder of the 1970s, more prestigious designers arrived and Rodeo Drive was deliberately promoted worldwide as the shopping destination of the rich and famous. Today, Beverly Hills is dominated by international fashion houses, elaborate flagship stores, luxury hotels and expensive restaurants, but in 1970 it felt more personal, varied and unmistakably local.

I recently had this incredible footage transferred from Jack’s original Super 8 film stash.

You’ll see quick shots of Trader Vic’s, Wilson’s House of Suede, Century City, Morely Drugs, Ah Fong’s, Jacopo’s, La Scala Boutique, The Gramophone Records, Cafe Swiss, JJ Newberry, The Luau, Nate n Al, Beverly Stationary, Toy Mart, Beverly Pets, Beverly Hills Camera Shop, Continental Candies, Jerginson’s, Livingston’s, Geary’s, Rexall OWL Drugs, the Beverly Theatre, the Hallmark Shop, Children’s Bootery, Rudnick’s, Harry Harris Shoes, Swiss Cafe, Beverly Hills Hardware, Food King, Thrifty (and inside), the old Beverly Hills Library (that appeared to look like a row of books), Abigail flowers, Wonderbread trucks, The Wilshire Theatre, Orange Julius, House Of Pies, 31 Flavors, the 76 Gas Station, the Beverly Wilshire, Saks Fifth Ave, I Magnin, the old post office & Fire station, the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Beverly Hilton.

I’m sure there’s so much more I missed… so, let us know what you also see in this remarkable footage that has never been seen before today! It’s a remarkable time capsule of Beverly Hills as it looked more than 55 years ago!

Seventeen glorious minutes of Super 8 footage of Beverly Hills, fil...

09/02/2026

Plaza West Covina, 1960s.
You can see WOOLWORTH’S in the reflection

09/02/2026

“K R O Q! The Roq of the 80s!”

Former KROQ entrance.
117 S. Los Robles Ave. Pasadena.

Submitted by Jason Horton

09/01/2026

87 RINGY DINGHIES today for Lily Tomlin on her birthday

“And that’s the truth!”

09/01/2026

“Hey! Ho! Let’s go!”

Look who attended last night’s 50th-anniversary celebration of the Ramones at Hollywood Forever Cemetery! After an energetic concert featuring Billie Joe Armstrong and Billy Idol, the event concluded with a screening of CARRIE. John Travolta was there to introduce the film—and he brought his co-star, Nancy Allen along too! CARRIE also turns 50 this year!

And in 1981, Nancy and John went on to star in Brian DePalma’ thriller, BLOW OUT

📸

09/01/2026

Matchbook’s from Carroll O’Connor’s Place

Carroll’s restaurant was originally called The Ginger Man. He opened it with actor Patrick O’Neal in 1978 at 369 North Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills.

In 1990, it was remodeled and renamed Carroll O’Connor’s Place. It had the atmosphere of an elegant neighborhood tavern—dark wood, a large bar, walls covered with photographs, white tablecloths, piano music and late-night jazz. It closed around 1994, and the address later became Drai’s Café.

VINTAGE LA ARCHIVES

08/31/2026

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Provided to YouTube by Rhino/Warner RecordsCalifornia Sun (2017 R...

08/30/2026

Yesterday, a mystery photo I posted of a Hamburger Hamlet location generated quite a discussion! Hundreds of people commented, trying to identify the location shown in this first photo.

Many suggested it was the Hamburger Hamlet on Sunset Boulevard near Doheny, but here’s why that doesn’t seem possible: Before becoming the second Hamburger Hamlet location on Sunset, it was called Covey’s Diner, and later it became a Schwab’s delicatessen. As you can see in these earlier photos, the original restaurant projected outward from the office building. In the mystery photo, however, the restaurant’s façade is flush with the building—so it couldn’t have been the Sunset Boulevard location.

Here is a timeline of photos, (starting with photo 2) featuring the structure’s first incarnation called Covey’s, followed by Schwab's, then Hamburger Hamlet, and how the location appears today.

So, according to all of yesterday’s comments, the location in the FIRST photo was either Ventura Boulevard or Wilshire Boulevard. At least we can rule out Sunset Boulevard, since, as you can see, it doesn’t align with the other photos. It’s definitely not the Hollywood location either, because that restaurant also extended outward from the building.

The majority of you say it’s was Ventura and Van Nuys. Thanks for playing along and helping identify its location!