News of the Weak Week

The Elvis line comes from this:

The best jokes are the ones you have to explain.

Sincere Imports actually sells cool stuff!

Here’s an article about how racism and redevelopment forced the people of Chinatown to move.

I only listed 18 movies (including the glorious GARFIELD: THE MOVIE), but at least 147 movies and shows have filmed there. I’m sure that number is higher.

Olvera Street, where Los Angeles officially started, was originally called Vine Street because a bunch of Italian winery folk had shops there. Antonio Pelanconi came later and took over Pelanconi House, the building that eventually came to house La Golondrina. I’ve been in some of the spaces not open to the public, and it’s pretty obvious from how they’re constructed that the building has been around a long time- well before current building codes, that’s for sure. Here’s an article about Italians at the Pueblo that became Los Angeles.

The Original Pantry has been open for 97 years. It is Los Angeles Historic/Cultural Monument Number 255. As you might expect, it’s also been used as a film & TV location.

Here it is in Knocked Up. Warning: this scene has one of those swear word things.

That’s right- they said “grandfather.”

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More stuff about stuff

I don’t know why I got confused about which version of Psycho filmed at that lot. Hitchcock filmed the original when he was at Universal, which is less than a mile up the street. A couple of years ago the current dealer held a screening right before Halloween.

Look how close it is to Universal!

That sheepskin seat cover place really was a bit of a miracle. I have no idea what arcane magic they used to keep it open so long.

I can’t believe that I talked about different artists who drew Batman but didn’t mention Neal Adams, the comic artist legend who now runs a comic shop within a couple of miles of the statue.

He draws a cool Batman, that’s for sure.

I haven’t been to his shop yet, but that’s only because COVID is keeping me out of all non-essential stores. Get your shots, people!

Also shot at Johnie’s: the “I can get you a toe” scene from Big Lebowski.

The May Company Building (which, in spite of my failing brain’s insistence otherwise, never had anything to do with Bullocks) is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument number 566. It’s been used as an exhibition space for LACMA, but hasn’t yet opened as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum. They’re still hoping to open in December. I hope so, too. Get your shots, people!

This ride:

Well, I don’t care about history.

I didn’t realize until I wrote the title of this post how silly it is to pair a history lesson with a guy from the band that sang “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School.”

If you’d like to see more about the Battle of Providencia, this guy has created a 20 minute video (with actors and sets and stuff!):

I can actually identify a couple of these guys now. I couldn’t do that six hours ago.

Hollywood Forever really is an amazing place to explore. Tons of old school famous people are buried there. There are amazing headstones and memorials, but there are also simple markers made with pipes. Not fancy pipes; regular plumbing pipes. I’ve taken a few pictures there over the years. Here’s a set of them.

Today I saw a marker for someone I hadn’t noticed before: Holly Woodlawn.