THIS LINK SEEMS TO NOT BE ACTIVE ANYMORE BUT I CAN’T HELP LEAVING MY MEMORIES HERE: I WAS BORN ON 30TH STREET IN LOS ANGELES EAST OF VERMONT AVENUE IN 1937 12 HOUSES FROM THE THEATER. AND LIVED THERE UNTIL 1952 WHEN THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD POST WWII BEGAN A WUICK DECAY. AROUND 1960 USC BEGAN BUYING UP ALL THE AGING PROPERTIES IN A LARGE AREA AROUND THE LA TOSCA AND AGAIN THE FINAL BLOW STRUCK WHEN THE WATTS RIOTS GAVE THE COUP DE GRACE TO A HUGE AREA OF L.A.
AND VERMONT AVENUE BECAME THE SLUM IT REMAINS TO THIS DAY NORTH OF USC AND SOUTH ALL THE WAY TO THE SOUTH BAY. WHITE FLIGHT DOOMED THE NEIGHBORHOOD SAVE THE IMMEDIATE AREA AROUND USC.
THE THEATER ITSELF WAS DISMANTLED AROUND THE EARLY 1960’S I’D SAY, AS I WORKED AS A YOUNG ADULT IN DOWNTOWN L.A. AND HAD OCCASION ONCE OR TWICE TO DRIVE BY MY OLD CHILDHOOD NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE OTHER LITTLE THEATERS IN THE AREA WERE THE “TROJAN” ON JEFFERSON BLVD. AT HOOVER, ALSO LONG GONE AND A BIGGER THEATER CALLED THE “BOULEVARD” AT WASHINGTON AND VERMONT. THERE WAS A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF RACISM IN L.A. DURING THE 1950’S AND BEYOND AND (I’M SIMPLY SPEAKING THE TRUTH HERE – FROM MY CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES) AND WHEN THE BOULEVARD’S CLIENTELE CHANGED FROM PREDOMINATELY WHITE TO BLACK, THE THEATER DECLINED AND WAS EVENTUALLY ALSO CLOSED. THE AREA NORTH OF VERMONT AND JEFFERSON/ADAMS IS STILL A WAR ZONE BUT MUCH OF THE AREA HAS BEEN PURCHASED BY USC OVER THE DECADES AND IS SLOWLY BECOMING RE-HABBED FOR STUDENT HOUSING AS THE UNIVERSITY SPREADS IN SCOPE.
AS ANYONE WHO LIVES IN SOUTH CENTRAL L.A. KNOWS, THE AREA POST THE WATTS RIOTS FROM APPROXIMATELY MANCHESTER TO THE SOUTH AND NORTH TO THE 101 FREEWAY WAS BEEN PRETTY MUCH DESTROYED AND THE BUILDINGS STILL CIRCA THE 1920’S IN DESHABILE. KOREATOWN IS SLOWLY EATING AWAY FROM THE NORTH SOUTH OF OLYMPIC AND WHILE THE BUILDINGS ARE STILL ROTTEN TO THE CORE, A LIVELY COMMERCIAL ATMOSPHERE PREVAILS.
ANOTHER WORLD, ANOTHER TIME, BUT THE LA TOSCA WILL ALWAYS REMAIN IN MY MEMORY: SMALL, OLD, SHABBILY CLEAN AND ALL THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS FROM ALL DIRECTIONS HAVING A GOOD TIME EVERY SATURDAY FOR 5 CENTS!
THE TROJAN CHARGED 7 CENTS! VERY UPSCALE! AND THE BOULEVARD 10 CENTS.
WE WERE DEPRESSION BABIES AND 5 CENTS WAS LIKE A DOLLAR TODAY.
HOPE THIS STRIKES A CHORD WITH SOMEONE WHO MIGHT READ THIS.
K THORSEN
AT ANY RATE, THE LA TOSCA THEATER WAS A BIG PART OF MY CHILDHOOD AS IT HAD ALL THE KID TYPE MOVIES ON WEEKENDS, ALL THE TARZAN MOVIES, ALL THE WESTERNS OF THE 1940’S AND EARLY 50’S AND ON SATURDAYS, THE THEATER WAS PACKED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS. THERE WERE TWO FEATURES !!!, THREE CARTOONS (BUGS BUNNY, THE ROADRUNNER, ETC) AND A CONTEST FOR KIDS CHOSEN FROM THE AUDIENCE. SIMPLE CONTESTS, I.E., A HERSHEY BAR WAS ATTACHED TO A LONG STRING, 6 KIDS WERE LINED UP ON STAGE WITH THE END OF THE STRING IN THEIR TEETH AND THE KID THAT COULD “EAT” THE STRING TO BRING THE CANDY TO THEIR MOUTH, WON THE CANDY BAR! THE STRING WAS GATHERED UP IN ONE’S TEETH AND HELD IN THE MOUTH, NOT SWALLOWED, OF COURSE, UNTIL WE GOT OUR TEETH IN THE HERSHEY BAR WRAPPER. USUALLY A BOY WON, BUT ONCE IN A WHILE A GIRL WOULD BE VICTORIOUS! BECAUSE WE WERE ALL POOR, THAT CANDY BAR WAS INDEED WORTH THE STRUGGLE. OTHER GAMES LIKE THAT WERE PLAYED WITH VARIOUS CANDY BARS THE PRIZE. FOR WE POOR KIDS, THOSE SATURDAY MOVIES WERE THE STANDOUT OF OUR WEEKENDS AS MOST OF OUR FAMILIES HAD NO CARS DURING WWII AND LIKE US, NO CARS UNTIL AROUND 1950. AS I RECALL THE LA TOSCA CHANGED HANDS AROUND THE TIME I LEFT AND BRIEFLY BEFORE WE MOVED IN 1952, SWITCHED TO GERMAN MOVIES. BY THEN WE WERE TEENAGED AND HAD MOVED ON TO BIGGER THEATERS.
THIS LINK SEEMS TO NOT BE ACTIVE ANYMORE BUT I CAN’T HELP LEAVING MY MEMORIES HERE: I WAS BORN ON 30TH STREET IN LOS ANGELES EAST OF VERMONT AVENUE IN 1937 12 HOUSES FROM THE THEATER. AND LIVED THERE UNTIL 1952 WHEN THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD POST WWII BEGAN A WUICK DECAY. AROUND 1960 USC BEGAN BUYING UP ALL THE AGING PROPERTIES IN A LARGE AREA AROUND THE LA TOSCA AND AGAIN THE FINAL BLOW STRUCK WHEN THE WATTS RIOTS GAVE THE COUP DE GRACE TO A HUGE AREA OF L.A.
AND VERMONT AVENUE BECAME THE SLUM IT REMAINS TO THIS DAY NORTH OF USC AND SOUTH ALL THE WAY TO THE SOUTH BAY. WHITE FLIGHT DOOMED THE NEIGHBORHOOD SAVE THE IMMEDIATE AREA AROUND USC.
THE THEATER ITSELF WAS DISMANTLED AROUND THE EARLY 1960’S I’D SAY, AS I WORKED AS A YOUNG ADULT IN DOWNTOWN L.A. AND HAD OCCASION ONCE OR TWICE TO DRIVE BY MY OLD CHILDHOOD NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE OTHER LITTLE THEATERS IN THE AREA WERE THE “TROJAN” ON JEFFERSON BLVD. AT HOOVER, ALSO LONG GONE AND A BIGGER THEATER CALLED THE “BOULEVARD” AT WASHINGTON AND VERMONT. THERE WAS A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF RACISM IN L.A. DURING THE 1950’S AND BEYOND AND (I’M SIMPLY SPEAKING THE TRUTH HERE – FROM MY CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES) AND WHEN THE BOULEVARD’S CLIENTELE CHANGED FROM PREDOMINATELY WHITE TO BLACK, THE THEATER DECLINED AND WAS EVENTUALLY ALSO CLOSED. THE AREA NORTH OF VERMONT AND JEFFERSON/ADAMS IS STILL A WAR ZONE BUT MUCH OF THE AREA HAS BEEN PURCHASED BY USC OVER THE DECADES AND IS SLOWLY BECOMING RE-HABBED FOR STUDENT HOUSING AS THE UNIVERSITY SPREADS IN SCOPE.
AS ANYONE WHO LIVES IN SOUTH CENTRAL L.A. KNOWS, THE AREA POST THE WATTS RIOTS FROM APPROXIMATELY MANCHESTER TO THE SOUTH AND NORTH TO THE 101 FREEWAY WAS BEEN PRETTY MUCH DESTROYED AND THE BUILDINGS STILL CIRCA THE 1920’S IN DESHABILE. KOREATOWN IS SLOWLY EATING AWAY FROM THE NORTH SOUTH OF OLYMPIC AND WHILE THE BUILDINGS ARE STILL ROTTEN TO THE CORE, A LIVELY COMMERCIAL ATMOSPHERE PREVAILS.
ANOTHER WORLD, ANOTHER TIME, BUT THE LA TOSCA WILL ALWAYS REMAIN IN MY MEMORY: SMALL, OLD, SHABBILY CLEAN AND ALL THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS FROM ALL DIRECTIONS HAVING A GOOD TIME EVERY SATURDAY FOR 5 CENTS!
THE TROJAN CHARGED 7 CENTS! VERY UPSCALE! AND THE BOULEVARD 10 CENTS.
WE WERE DEPRESSION BABIES AND 5 CENTS WAS LIKE A DOLLAR TODAY.
HOPE THIS STRIKES A CHORD WITH SOMEONE WHO MIGHT READ THIS.
K THORSEN
AT ANY RATE, THE LA TOSCA THEATER WAS A BIG PART OF MY CHILDHOOD AS IT HAD ALL THE KID TYPE MOVIES ON WEEKENDS, ALL THE TARZAN MOVIES, ALL THE WESTERNS OF THE 1940’S AND EARLY 50’S AND ON SATURDAYS, THE THEATER WAS PACKED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS. THERE WERE TWO FEATURES !!!, THREE CARTOONS (BUGS BUNNY, THE ROADRUNNER, ETC) AND A CONTEST FOR KIDS CHOSEN FROM THE AUDIENCE. SIMPLE CONTESTS, I.E., A HERSHEY BAR WAS ATTACHED TO A LONG STRING, 6 KIDS WERE LINED UP ON STAGE WITH THE END OF THE STRING IN THEIR TEETH AND THE KID THAT COULD “EAT” THE STRING TO BRING THE CANDY TO THEIR MOUTH, WON THE CANDY BAR! THE STRING WAS GATHERED UP IN ONE’S TEETH AND HELD IN THE MOUTH, NOT SWALLOWED, OF COURSE, UNTIL WE GOT OUR TEETH IN THE HERSHEY BAR WRAPPER. USUALLY A BOY WON, BUT ONCE IN A WHILE A GIRL WOULD BE VICTORIOUS! BECAUSE WE WERE ALL POOR, THAT CANDY BAR WAS INDEED WORTH THE STRUGGLE. OTHER GAMES LIKE THAT WERE PLAYED WITH VARIOUS CANDY BARS THE PRIZE. FOR WE POOR KIDS, THOSE SATURDAY MOVIES WERE THE STANDOUT OF OUR WEEKENDS AS MOST OF OUR FAMILIES HAD NO CARS DURING WWII AND LIKE US, NO CARS UNTIL AROUND 1950. AS I RECALL THE LA TOSCA CHANGED HANDS AROUND THE TIME I LEFT AND BRIEFLY BEFORE WE MOVED IN 1952, SWITCHED TO GERMAN MOVIES. BY THEN WE WERE TEENAGED AND HAD MOVED ON TO BIGGER THEATERS.