Happy Repeal Day everybody!

On this, the 77th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition - Happy Repeal Day everybody!

How did Los Angeles celebrate repeal? As responsibly as they did any other day during prohibition - the Los Angeles Times reported-
'Hundreds of gallons of wines, whisky, brandy and other strong liquors were rushed to more than 10,000 retailers in Southern Califronia' but the anticipated rush to purchase 'failed to materialize' and drinkers celebrated quietly. Though beer still seemed to be very popular....

Los Angeles sentiment during prohibition

Mirrored that of the nation from January 16, 1920 to December 4, 1933.

Halloween in Los Angeles - 1920s Part Four

Halloween 1926 - The Switzer-land Club in upper Arroyo Seco Canyon held their annual Halloween party complete with elaborate decorations, games and dancing. The pier parties in Venice were fairly quiet this year due partly to a rumor among small boys that a 48-hour jail sentence awaited any mischief makers. For the thousands of attendees to pier events there were only twenty-five arrests, including four who 'used too much liquid in their festivities.' Other liquor raid arrests across the city included twenty people (including three women) in Redondo, Santa Monica, Belvedere and Watts. During the Belvedere arrest six five-gallon stills were found in operation along with ten gallons of whisky and nineteen barrels of mash. Apparently it was great sport to remove 'for sale' signs from vacant lots as the police department was brought in by the Los Angeles Realty Board to 'exert every effort to the end that property damage and rowdyism be reduced to a minimum' on vacant properties.

Halloween 1927 - Sebastian's Cotton Club in Culver City promised a gigantic Halloween celebration that included: forty festive dancers, singers, actors and entertainers in four great revues, souvenirs and ham and eggs at sunrise. Dancing till 4 a.m., open all nite. The San Fernando City Jail was the site of a party held for an exclusive gathering of forty 'small boys with door-bell ringing tendencies' ranging in age from 10 to 16 years old. They were put to work popping corn and eating the results. This Halloween showed a 25 percent increase in the number of arrests in the city for drunkenness - 106 over the course of the weekend - including five women.

Halloween in Los Angeles - 1920s Part Three

Halloween 1924 - Thousands descended on downtown streets to celebrate. Early in the evening a red-haired 'Charlie Chaplin' ran amongst traffic and tried (unsuccessfully) to climb into the car of two beautiful young women. A 200-pound man dressed as a 'bottle baby' lead quite a crowd through the streets as he carried a huge bottle of milk. The Biltmore threw a swell shindig, it's ballroom and foyer decorated in orange and black. A highlight of the event was a novelty 'radium dance' complete with ballet girls in burlesque witch costumes, their bodies coated with phosphorus and carrying mechanical black cats.

Halloween 1925 - In Los Angeles all 950 police officers on the day watch were ordered to stay on duty throughout the night to 'prevent all destruction of property and undue annoyance of persons by those celebrating the occasion'. The Sheriff's 'dry squad' put quite a damper on festivities in Culver City by arresting fifteen Halloween revelers at the Green Mill and Nightingale cafes on Washington Blvd. The piers all celebrate. The Ocean Park Pier, in celebration of its first Halloween, gave special prizes (to the best costume I'm assuming). The Edgewater Club held a dinner dance for members with the Edgewater band providing the music. The Venice Pier ballroom once again hosted yama yama girls, Spanish dons, sheiks and assorted clowns. Chief of Police Andy Davilla welcomed all who sought a 'good, clean, wholesome time' but had no patience for 'the element which will insist on breaking laws.' By the end of the night more than sixty celebrants in Venice had been arrested for intoxication, reckless driving and disturbing the peace. With Venice and Culver City feeling the pinch why wasn't their any news of arrests in its sinful sister city, Vernon?

What Went Before? 861 N. Seward

In 1932 this location was home to the Astrologist Club, a hangout for artists and movie studio folk. It was raided on February 11, 1932 in what the press dubbed the 'Peephole' case, because of the method of discovery. Prohibition agents trying to raid the club were denied entrance on their initial demand for entry. Following their second demand agents peeked through the miniature wickets of the thick door and claimed they saw the bartender smashing bottles (of 'apparent intoxicants') into the sink. On their third demand agents punched their fist through the wallboard above the transom and attempted to reach down to the bar. They gained entrance and found a small hidden supply of liquor behind a back bar ('evidence in a quantity sufficient for arrest'), leading to the arrest of five men. The building's owner J.C. McCormick sued for the return of his 'personal property', stating that the agents illegally entered the club without a search warrant. Amazingly in February 1933 United States District Judge W.P. James ordered the return of all evidence (including furniture and bar equipment) seized during the raid -adding that the Prohibition agents acted without cause and too hastily during the raid. The court also ruled not to pursue the prosecution of those arrested.

What Went Before? 3634-3636 Beverly Blvd

This 13-story building began life in 1928 as the American Storage Building. In addition to storage units, the Bud Murray School for Stage and Lewis S. Hart Auctioneer were also early tenants of the building. However most of the fun was being had on the 13th floor. Longtime cafe man E.W. 'Curley' Bordwell opened the Roof Garden in September 1928, a 'nite club de luxe' which featured dancing to the sounds of George Redman's Famous "Roof Garden Orchestra". They were apparently so famous that by early October a remote controlled broadcasting station operated by KMTR had been installed and George Redman's jazz orchestra could be heard nightly on KMTR from 10pm to 11pm. Curley's place must have been swinging during daylight hours as well - Chris Mann & His Roof Garden Melody Boys were broadcast live daily from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.

Curley and his landlord had a quick falling out and by December 22, 1928 the Roof Garden had given way to 'Thirteenth Heaven', a night club with a rip-snorting theme. The elevator to the club was manned by 'St. Peter', the waiters sported wings and the musicians and attendants wore clothes 'intended to produce a spiritual illusion.' Curley didn't take this lying down and sued the American Storage Building owners for being wrongfully ejected from a cafe that he equipped and opened himself.

Perhaps it was the heavenly theme or perhaps it was the lawsuit but 'Thirteenth Heaven' didn't even make it to it's first anniversary. The Roof Garden Cafe was re-opened in late September 1929... without Curley.

By 1931 the 'Los Angeles Press Club' moved into the building and began having problems of their own. Their biggest problem was getting caught brewing beer during Prohibition. The 'Los Angeles Press Club' was raided March 18, 1931. Dry agents discovered a complete beer plant, 21 twelve-gallon crocks of beer mash, 203 bottles of beer - ninety of which were on ice (for the members no doubt).

The 41 Club (see the previous entry for their location at 833 S. Spring) took up residence briefly in late 1931 before making the move to Spring Street. They too were raided, and approximately $10,000 worth of liquor was found in secret compartments (comparable to $139,000 in 2008). It took the Feds a year to prosecute those involved and auction off the furnishings of the club.

By the mid-1940s the building held various military organizations such as the Air Technical Service Command Headquarters and the War Assets Administration. For many years after the war it was also the headquarters for Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company. It's pretty quiet around there today....

Happy New Year! (mid-1920s Version)

Federal and state law enforcement want to remind you that the Volstead Act still stands regardless of the fact that it is New Years! That society gal you've been dancing with? She's an undercover agent. The coronet player in the orchestra- he's undercover too. You WILL be caught!

And for those of you planning 'church meetings' on New Years Eve-- you'll find yourself short of sacramental wine, we just seized 20,000 gallons which we currently have under lock and key.

Just to keep things safe all motor vehicles will be barred on Broadway (between Third and Ninth) and on Sixth Street (between Main and Hill). You may now safely wander all over the streets so long as you stay off the streetcar tracks. They'll be running as usual.

Happy New Year! (mid-1910s Version)

Pre-Prohibition merriment!! Two hundred thousand revelers descend upon downtown Los Angeles- from First to Tenth streets, from Hill to Main streets. The biggest crowds could be found on Broadway (lined with theaters/theatres) and Spring ("Wall Street of the West"). According to The Times "It was a drunken crowd, a crowd not drunk with liquid measures, but intoxicated to frenzy by exhilaration that was pregnant with resolve to shoot the city onward in the modern rush for supremacy, commercial, industrial and financial." Heady times indeed.

You can still check out the sites for yourself!