The Academy Theater in Inglewood was showing Errol Flynn and Bette Davis in “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex” when this photo was taken in 1939. Today we call the roll of South Bay movie theaters of the distant, and in some cases more recent, past that are no longer in existence. First ofContinue reading “South Bay movie theaters of the past”
Author Archives: Sam Gnerre
The Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet sets sail from its Hampton Roads, Virginia home port in this U.S. Navy photo. From December 16, 1907 through Febraury 22, 1909, sixteen American battleships undertook a then-unprecedented 46,000-mile round-the-world cruise. The idea for the voyage of the “Great White Fleet” (the ships all had bright white hulls) came fromContinue reading “The Great White Fleet”
Bloodshed on the docks
Before the unionization movement came to a tipping point 75 years ago in 1934, here’s what working on the docks was like: For a chance at 95 cents an hour and almost no benefits, workers had to line up before sunup to be picked or passed over in a process called the “shape-up.” (The photo atContinue reading “Bloodshed on the docks”
Spring training with the Cubs on Catalina Island
Spring training baseball action at the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field facility on Catalina Island in the 1920s. Chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr.’s twin interests in baseball and Catalina Island – he bought Catalina in 1919, and gained a controlling interest in the Cubs in 1921 – dovetailed nicely when he made the decision toContinue reading “Spring training with the Cubs on Catalina Island”
The wreck of the Katie Flickenger
Ships line up to dock at Redondo Beach in this circa 1895 photo. Redondo Beach’s history as a port dates back to the late 19th century, with talk of building a harbor there dating back to 1877. By 1903, three piers had been constructed, Wharf #1, Wharf #2 and Wharf #3, and traffic intoContinue reading “The wreck of the Katie Flickenger”
The South Bay surf music scene revolved around Club Bel Air in Redondo Beach
The interior of the Revelaire Club in Redondo Beach, which began as Club Bel Air in 1962. Photo courtesy of Peggi Collins. The warehouse-like building at 312 S. Catalina Avenue in Redondo Beach began its brief but influential life as an entertainment venue with the founding of the Club Bel Air there inContinue reading “The South Bay surf music scene revolved around Club Bel Air in Redondo Beach”
Redondo Beach’s original, short-lived Endless Pier
This 1917 postcard shows the Endless Pier from the air. Tourism was the Redondo Beach’s main source of income in the early part of the 20th century: Redondo had a luxury hotel (the Hotel Redondo), a popular amusement area (El Paseo), a salt water plunge and a tent city where tourists could stay for aContinue reading “Redondo Beach’s original, short-lived Endless Pier”
South Bay water towers
The El Segundo water tower with its new string of energy-saving LED lights is shown in this December 2007 Daily Breeze file photo by Brad Graverson. At last count, there were more than 60 water tanks in the South Bay, with a total capacity of more than 100 million gallons. The largest one isContinue reading “South Bay water towers”
The night that fire destroyed Hollywood Park
This 1946 photo shows the Hollywood Park racetrack as it existed before the fire. Note the stables at the upper right, the infield lakes, and the oil derricks at the upper left of the photo. Hollywood Park in Inglewood eventually will close for good to make way for a large development. Hollywood Park Tomorrow, as theContinue reading “The night that fire destroyed Hollywood Park”
‘Last Night on Beacon Street’
By all accounts, the bash thrown on San Pedro’s Beacon Street on the night of Saturday, August 21, 1971 was quite a party. The genesis of the “Last Night on Beacon Street” began with the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce in 1958, when it began the movement to bring redevelopment to the deteriorating area. “TheContinue reading “‘Last Night on Beacon Street’”
