Book Reviews

SpringReading

Los Angeles has developed one of the most successful historic preservation programs in the nation.Across the city,historic preservation is now transforming Los Angeles,while also pointing the way for other cities to use preservation to revitalize their neighborhoods and build community.PreservingLosAngeles:HowHistoricPlacesCanTransform America ' sCities,written by Ken Bernstein—who oversees Los Angeles ’ s Office of Historic Resources—tells how historic preservation has revived neighborhoods,created a Downtown renaissance, and guided the future of the city.With more than 300 full-color images,Preserving Los Angeles is an authoritative chronicle of urban transformation,a guide for citizens and urban practitioners alike who hope to preserve the unique culture of their own cities.

In this captivating portrait of the notorious Jewish gangster who ascended from impoverished beginnings to the glittering Las Vegas strip, author Michael Shnayerson sets out not to absolve BugsySiegel but rather to understand him in all his complexity. In a brief life,Benjamin “Bugsy ” Siegel (1906–1947) rose from desperate poverty to a kingdom of his own making in Las Vegas.Through the 1920s,1930s, and most of the 1940s,Bugsy Siegel and his longtime partner in crime Meyer Lansky engaged in innumerable acts of violence.As World War II ended,Siegel saw the potential for a huge,elegant casino resort in the sands of Las Vegas.Jewish gangsters built nearly all the Vegas casinos that followed.Then,one by one,they disappeared.Siegel’ s story laces through a larger,generational story of eastern European Jewish immigrants in the early- to mid-twentieth century.

George Chakiris famously played the angry gang leader Bernardo in the film version of West Side Story (1961), for which he won an Oscar for best supporting actor. “I know exactly where my gratitude belongs, ” Chakiris writes, “ and I still marvel at how, unbeknownst to me at the time, the joyful path of my life was paved one night in 1949 when Jerome Robbins sat Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents down in his apartment and announced, ‘I have an idea. Lindsay Harrison, My West Side Story, is an insider ' s look at how this theatrical and cinematic landmark evolved from a conversation.

In Chris Hillman ’ s memoir Time

Between: My Life as a Byrd,

Burrito Brother, and Beyond he takes readers behind the curtain of his quintessentially Southern California musical journey.Arguably the primary architect of what came to be known as country rock,after playing the Southern California folk and bluegrass circuit,

Hillman joined David Crosby,Roger McGuinn,Gene

Clark and Michael Clark as an original member of The

Byrds.He went on to partner with Gram Parsons to launch The Flying Burrito Brothers.Hillman then embarked on a prolific recording career as a member of Stephen Stills ' Manassas,as a solo artist; and in a trio with his fellow former Byrds Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark.In the 1980s,Hillman launched a successful country career when he formed The Desert Rose Band which scored eight Top 10 country hits.He ’ s been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and has since released a number of solo albums including Bidin ' MyTime, produced by Tom Petty.

From surf music to hot-rod records to the sunny pop of the Beach Boys,Jan & Dean,the Byrds,and the Mama ’ s & the Papa ’ s,Joel Selwin ’ s HollywoodEden captures the fresh blossom of a young generation who came together in the epic spring of the 1960s to invent the myth of the California Paradise.Central to the story is a group of sun-kissed teens from the University High School class of 1959 that included Jan & Dean,Nancy Sinatra,and future members of the Beach Boys who came of age in Los Angeles at the dawn of a new golden era.What began as a light-hearted frolic under sunny skies ended up crashing down to earth just a few short but action-packed years later.A rock’ n ’ roll opera loaded with violence,deceit,intrigue,low comedy,and high drama,it’ s the story of a group of young artists and musicians who bumped heads,crashed cars,and ultimately flew too close to the sun.DH

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Hollywood Tower

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

6000 Santa Monica Blvd. (323) 469-1181. The final resting place of many Hollywood legends including Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Cecil B. De Mille, Marion Davies, Tyrone Power, Peter Lorre, Peter Finch, “Bugsy ” Siegel, John Huston, Johnny Ramone and others. Noteworthy are the Mausoleum ’ s stained-glass windows, possibly by Tiffany. www.hollywoodforever.com

Hollywood Gateway/The Four Silver Ladies

La Brea Ave. at Hollywood Blvd. Gazebo depicts Dolores Del Rio, Anna Mae Wong, Mae West, and Dorothy Dandridge. Designed by Catherine Harwicke and sculpted by Harl West.

Hollywood & Highland

6801 Hollywood Blvd. (323) 817-0200. Features the re-created scale set of D.W. Griffith’ s 1916 classic film Intolerance. Its Dolby Theatre is the home of the Academy Awards. Note artist Erika Rothenberg ’ s Road to Hollywood in Babylon Court. www.hollywoodandhighland.com

Hollywood High School

1521 N. Highland Ave. (323) 993-1700. Famous alumni include James Garner, John Ritter, Jason Robards, Jr., Stefanie Powers, Jean Peters, Rick and David Nelson, Sally Kellerman, Charlene Tilton and Carol Burnett. WPA-built Art Deco science and liberal arts buildings. (See “Murals in Hollywood”) www.hollywoodhighschool.net

Hollywood Hills

From Los Feliz to Beverly Hills, developed in the 20s, intriguing secluded historic neighborhoods offer historical perspective above the city that hums and shimmers below.

Hollywood Palladium

6215 Sunset Blvd. Opened October 30, 1940 with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and his vocalists, including Frank Sinatra. Hollywood's dance and music venue for over 70 years. www.hollywoodpalladium.com

Hollywood Post Office

1615 Wilcox Ave. Built in 1936 and on the National Register of Historic Places. Wood relief The Horseman, carved by WPA artist Gordon Newell in 1937.

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

7000 Hollywood Blvd. (323) 856-1970. Built in 1927, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were among the original owners. The first Academy Awards banquet held in the hotel’ s Blossom Room in 1929. Recently renovated to reflect 21st century taste honors its illustrious history, it is Hollywood’ s favorite hotel. www.thehollywoodroosevelt.com

Hollywood Sign

Built on Mt. Lee in 1923 for $21,000 as a temporary sign to promote Hollywoodland real estate development, the 50-foot-high letters were made of wood and with 20-watt bulbs around each letter. In the 70s the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce spearheaded the campaign to rebuild the sign with support from a diverse group of people (including Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner, rock star Alice Cooper, cowboy Gene Autry and singer Andy Williams) each pledging $27,000 per letter for a new, all-metal landmark. www.hollywoodsign.org

Hollywood Tower Apartments

6200 Franklin Ave. Recently renovated historic apartments with French-Norman architectural details appeal to those with a taste for glamour, romance, mystery and fine craftsmanship. www.thehollywoodtower.com

Hollywoodland Stone Gates

Beachwood Dr. Built of rock quarried from Griffith Park and designated a monument in 1968. Beachwood Village was immortalized as a town of zombies in the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers and is one of Hollywood’ s favorite hillside neighborhoods.

Richard Neutra-designed Lovell House

Janes House

6541 Hollywood Blvd. A true remnant of the past, the 1903 Queen Anne style Victorian residence was the Misses Janes Kindergarten School from 1911-1926. Attending were the children of Cecil B. DeMille, Jesse Lasky, Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin.

The Knickerbocker Hotel

1714 Ivar Avenue. (323) 463-0096. Built in 1925, it was a glamorous hotel popular with celebrities. Errol Flynn lived here when he first came to Hollywood and both Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley stayed many times. Harry Houdini was a guest and his widow held a séance on the roof in 1936. Sadly, Director D.W. Griffith (Birth of a Nation and Intolerance) lived here a mostly forgotten man until his death in 1948. Now a senior residence.

Lake Hollywood

A glimpse of this mountain

“lake ” nestled in the hills will make you forget that you ’ re in a major city. Used as a location for countless movies and TV shows—a replica of the dam cracked and burst in the movie Earthquake. Superb view of Hollywood Sign. Walking, hiking, biking from 5am–Sunset.

Las Palmas Hotel

1738 N. Las Palmas. Julia Roberts ’ digs before business with Richard Gere moved her “ uptown ” to Beverly Hills in Pretty Woman. Also, Kramer ’ s residence when he moved from New York to Hollywood on TV’ s Seinfeld.

Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial

1355 N. Cahuenga Blvd. The LAFD houses its historic firefighting collection dating back to the 1880’ s in the 1930 Hollywood Fire Station No. 27. Outdoor sculpture memorializes fallen firefighters. www.lafdmuseum.org

Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens

5333 Zoo Dr. (323) 644-4200. At Griffith Park. Where the real wildlife is! One of the world’ s finest zoos. Advance tickets recommended. Open daily. www.lazoo.org

Magic Castle

7001 Franklin Ave. (323) 851-3313. The chateaustyle mansion was built in 1909 by Rollin B. Lane. Now world-famous private club for magicians. Operated by the Academy of Magical Arts, a nonprofit organization of 5,000 magicians and magic fans for over 40 years. www.magiccastle.com Original Farmers Market

Max Factor Building

1660 N. Highland Ave. Opened in 1935 with a “ premiere ” attended by Claudette Colbert, Rita Hayworth, Marlene Dietrich and Judy Garland. It was headquarters for the cosmetics company founded by Max Factor who coined the term “ makeup. ”

Montecito Apartments

6650 Franklin Ave. Fine example of art deco style with Mayan influence, listed in National Register of Historical Places. Was home to James Cagney, Mickey Rooney, Geraldine Page, Rip Torn, George C. Scott, Ben Vereen and Ronald Reagan. Now a residence for seniors.

Mulholland Fountain

Los Feliz Blvd. and Riverside Dr. Dedicated August 1, 1940, as a memorial to William Mulholland who engineered the 238-mile-long aqueduct that brought water to L.A. from the Owens River Valley in 1913. Its location marks the spot where the young Irish immigrant lived near the L.A. River.

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Murals in Hollywood

An array of murals provide diversion to the urban streetscape. Don ’t miss the spectacular L.A. Jazz tiled mural by Richard Wyatt at Capitol Records on Vine St.See Eloy Torrez ’ Legends of Cinema on Hollywood High’ s Auditorium on Highland Ave. On Hudson north of Hollywood Blvd. find Alfredo de Batuc ’ s A Tribute to Delores Del Rio. Thomas Suriya ’ s You Are The Star is at southwest corner of Wilcox and Hollywood Blvd. On Argyle and Franklin is an untitled mural by the late Dan Collins. See George Sportelli’ s Nancy Sinatra steps away from Hollywood Blvd. on Wilcox, Frank Sinatra and Johnny Cash (look up) on Las Palmas south of Hollywood Blvd., Tony Curtis and Charles Bronson (on utility box) at Bronson and Hollywood Blvd. McNeilly's Jim Morrison and Marilyn are near LaBrea and Hollywood and Hector Ponce ’ s mural Tribute to Hollywood faces west near Santa Monica Blvd. and Wilton.

Musso & Frank Grill

6667 Hollywood Blvd. (323) 467-7788. Hollywood’ s oldest restaurant (1919) was a popular hangout for writers. William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Chandler, Nathaniel West, Ernest Hemingway and Dashiell Hammett. Featured in Tarantino ’ s Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood. www.mussoandfrank.com (See DINING)

Ozzie & Harriet Nelson’s House

1822 Camino Palmero. Home of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson for about 40 years and where David and Rick Nelson grew up. Hollywood High School, their alma mater, is only a few blocks away. (Do not disturb occupants.)

Orchard Gables

1277 Wilcox Ave. A Historical and Cultural Landmark, this arts & crafts European- style cottage built in 1904 is one of the early homes built before moviemakers arrived in the pastoral Cahuenga Valley. This section of Hollywood was known as Colegrove, founded by U.S. Senator Cornelius Cole.

Pantages Theatre

6233 Hollywood Blvd. (323) 468-1770. The last theatre built by magnate Alexander Pantages is historical and cultural landmark and the first art deco movie palace in the U.S. Opened in 1930 with The Floradora Girl starring Marion Davies and a live show featuring Al Jolson as MC. Hosted the Academy Awards from 1949-1959 and Emmy Awards in the 70s. Howard Hughes once had offices upstairs. www.hollywoodpantages.com

Rock Walk

7425 Sunset Blvd. Founded Nov 13, 1985, handprints, signatures, and memorabilia from the greatest musical performers and innovators who contributed the most to the growth of Rock ‘ n Roll. www.guitarcenter.com/rockwalk.gc Pantages Theater

Sunset Strip

Doheny Dr. to Crescent Hts. Once-favorite night spots such as the Trocadero, Mocambo and Ciro

’ s were located outside the city limits in unincorporated county land. Today the Strip with its assortment of boutiques, restaurants, nightclubs and hotels is part of West Hollywood.

Sunset Tower Hotel

8358 W. Sunset Blvd. (323) 654-7100. Completed in 1931. Originally 46 apartments, and home to such stars as Marilyn Monroe, Errol Flynn, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, the Gabor Sisters and many more. Now a 64room luxury hotel and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. www.sunsettowerhotel.com

TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman’s)

6925 Hollywood Blvd. Built by Sid Grauman in 1927 and a Hollywood icon. The famous footprint ceremonies were inaugurated in 1927 by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. www.tclchinesetheatres.com

Universal CityWalk

100 Universal City Plaza. (818) 622-9841. Los Angeles ’ landmark urban entertainment, shopping and dining complex, located adjacent to Universal Studios Hollywood. Open daily. www.citywalkhollywood.com (See Studios)

Vedanta Society Hollywood Temple

1946 Vedanta Pl. (323) 465-7114. Founded by Swami Prabhavananda in 1929, preaches the philosophical basis of Hinduism in historic setting. This temple has long attracted many Hollywood luminaries to pray and meditate including Aldous Huxley, Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. Open daily. www.vedanta.org

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