I remember the plastic animals at Marineland! You put coins in a machine and the machine “made” the animals. Like the one at Graumann’s Chinese Theatre.
I think the bookstore you’re referring to in Riviera Village was Catalina Books. I knew the owners, Fred and Alice. Unfortunately, the shop went from a tri-level art supplies/music/book store to just a tiny bookstore in the eighties. When Fred and Alice lost their lease, Fred got Alzheimer’s Disease and Alice had to take a job as a clerk at Morgan Moore’s Stationery.
Catalina Books carried the coolest stuff! I bought my first very own 45 rpm record there — with my own money! It was Roy Orbison’s “Crying” backed by “Only The Lonely.” And I remember buying a Fugs album there — but I had to ask Fred for it because they kept the questionable stuff behind the counter.
Terrance just e-mailed me about The Insomniac. A beatnick joint in Hermosa. Any old beatnicks here? It was the neatest place, with a great bookstore downstairs.
As for Marineland … . I was dragged to see those dumb fish twice a year every year. We always went on a school field trip there, and of course my parents just had to take us kids. I don’t think anybody closed Marineland for economic reasons. I think those boring fish just bored visitors half to death!
I make have been a freakish kid, but I loved the Cole Porter medley. Well, I loved musicals more than any other movies, so I guess it fits. I must not have been at The Fox the day of your experiment, Bruce … I think I would’ve remembered it!
Yes, we really are a weird little group here, aren’t we? The Fox, The Strand, The Biltmore … . Anybody remember The Windjammer restaurant?
People used to think both the Del Mar Hotel and the Biltmore Hotel in Hermosa Beach were haunted. We used to sit outside the Biltmore at night and wait for ghosts. Jeez, we were dumb!
Schrader, ask your mom if she remembers the “haunted” Biltmore.
P.S. Something just struck me. An old friend of mine (I don’t have a current address for him) worked as an usher at either The Fox Redondo, The Fox Hermosa, The Strand, or possibly The Loyola. He said it was his first job, so it would have been the mid-late sixties. His name is Gary Altobella. Does that name ring a bell for anybody? If so, I’ll try to track him down. Sally
Schrader, Beachum sounds familiar. My maiden name is Parmer. Do anything for you?
I remember Roy! And one time, there was a big prize. I’m guessing it was a bike, because I never had my own bike and always wanted one. Anybody remember that?
George, I know what you mean about growing up in theatres, and having it protect you from the rest of your life. I grew up in Hollywood Riviera, in a dysfunctional extended-family situation, and all I did was dance and read. When West Side Story played at The Strand, I sat through every show I could get to, as long as it ran. After about the second week, I told my mother I was changing from ballet to jazz dance, which also got me involved in theatre. (I eventually became a Theatre Arts teacher.) Movies were, and still are, magic.
I have a great black-and-white shot of The Strand (well, The Marina) being torn down. It shows the theatre entirely gutted, construction workers with axes going at it, and the only thing standing is the “Tickets” sign. It depresses me every time I look at it.
I remember being seated in the front row during “The Swiss Family Robinson.” Forty-five years later, my neck still hurts. And now I know why!
Bruce, I think Heloise (of Hints From Heloise) must have hung out at the Fox during your popcorn experiment. She suggests that to “freshen” your house and put people in a good mood, you should stick a bag of popcorn in the microwave when you see guests pull up outside. You tear the bag open as they walk through the door and they get a blast of good-memory-provoking popcorn. It works. You were ahead of your time!
I spent all my weekends during the late fifties at either the Fox or the Strand, and I don’t remember mice or a weird smell. Ah, the ignorance of youth! I’m waiting to hear Brucie’s next story … .
I remember the Fox Redondo from the fifties, when I was a kid. The first movie I ever saw was a double-bill … “Moby Dick” and “Prince Valiant.” I remember sitting against the front door of the Fox in the sixties the day “A Hard Day’s Night” premiered. I was in the balcony with Terrance (his posts are above) when “Ship of Fools” played. Does anybody remember how the railing on the balcony came detached if you leaned on it too hard? Several of us girls just about fell into the orchestra by pushing on that railing during a closed-circuit rock concert. The Fox Redondo holds so many wonderful memories … . Please, anyone with photos, please post them!
I remember the plastic animals at Marineland! You put coins in a machine and the machine “made” the animals. Like the one at Graumann’s Chinese Theatre.
I think the bookstore you’re referring to in Riviera Village was Catalina Books. I knew the owners, Fred and Alice. Unfortunately, the shop went from a tri-level art supplies/music/book store to just a tiny bookstore in the eighties. When Fred and Alice lost their lease, Fred got Alzheimer’s Disease and Alice had to take a job as a clerk at Morgan Moore’s Stationery.
Catalina Books carried the coolest stuff! I bought my first very own 45 rpm record there — with my own money! It was Roy Orbison’s “Crying” backed by “Only The Lonely.” And I remember buying a Fugs album there — but I had to ask Fred for it because they kept the questionable stuff behind the counter.
Terrance just e-mailed me about The Insomniac. A beatnick joint in Hermosa. Any old beatnicks here? It was the neatest place, with a great bookstore downstairs.
As for Marineland … . I was dragged to see those dumb fish twice a year every year. We always went on a school field trip there, and of course my parents just had to take us kids. I don’t think anybody closed Marineland for economic reasons. I think those boring fish just bored visitors half to death!
I make have been a freakish kid, but I loved the Cole Porter medley. Well, I loved musicals more than any other movies, so I guess it fits. I must not have been at The Fox the day of your experiment, Bruce … I think I would’ve remembered it!
Yes, we really are a weird little group here, aren’t we? The Fox, The Strand, The Biltmore … . Anybody remember The Windjammer restaurant?
People used to think both the Del Mar Hotel and the Biltmore Hotel in Hermosa Beach were haunted. We used to sit outside the Biltmore at night and wait for ghosts. Jeez, we were dumb!
Schrader, ask your mom if she remembers the “haunted” Biltmore.
P.S. Something just struck me. An old friend of mine (I don’t have a current address for him) worked as an usher at either The Fox Redondo, The Fox Hermosa, The Strand, or possibly The Loyola. He said it was his first job, so it would have been the mid-late sixties. His name is Gary Altobella. Does that name ring a bell for anybody? If so, I’ll try to track him down. Sally
Schrader, Beachum sounds familiar. My maiden name is Parmer. Do anything for you?
I remember Roy! And one time, there was a big prize. I’m guessing it was a bike, because I never had my own bike and always wanted one. Anybody remember that?
George, I know what you mean about growing up in theatres, and having it protect you from the rest of your life. I grew up in Hollywood Riviera, in a dysfunctional extended-family situation, and all I did was dance and read. When West Side Story played at The Strand, I sat through every show I could get to, as long as it ran. After about the second week, I told my mother I was changing from ballet to jazz dance, which also got me involved in theatre. (I eventually became a Theatre Arts teacher.) Movies were, and still are, magic.
I have a great black-and-white shot of The Strand (well, The Marina) being torn down. It shows the theatre entirely gutted, construction workers with axes going at it, and the only thing standing is the “Tickets” sign. It depresses me every time I look at it.
I remember being seated in the front row during “The Swiss Family Robinson.” Forty-five years later, my neck still hurts. And now I know why!
Bruce, I think Heloise (of Hints From Heloise) must have hung out at the Fox during your popcorn experiment. She suggests that to “freshen” your house and put people in a good mood, you should stick a bag of popcorn in the microwave when you see guests pull up outside. You tear the bag open as they walk through the door and they get a blast of good-memory-provoking popcorn. It works. You were ahead of your time!
I spent all my weekends during the late fifties at either the Fox or the Strand, and I don’t remember mice or a weird smell. Ah, the ignorance of youth! I’m waiting to hear Brucie’s next story … .
I remember the Fox Redondo from the fifties, when I was a kid. The first movie I ever saw was a double-bill … “Moby Dick” and “Prince Valiant.” I remember sitting against the front door of the Fox in the sixties the day “A Hard Day’s Night” premiered. I was in the balcony with Terrance (his posts are above) when “Ship of Fools” played. Does anybody remember how the railing on the balcony came detached if you leaned on it too hard? Several of us girls just about fell into the orchestra by pushing on that railing during a closed-circuit rock concert. The Fox Redondo holds so many wonderful memories … . Please, anyone with photos, please post them!