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Wallichs Music City
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Gazzarri's 9093 Sunset Strip
When the Twist craze took over the nation, Bill Gazzarri took notice. In 1965 Gazzarri purchased a small restaurant previously called the Comedians located at 9039 Sunset Boulevard. After some remodeling, he transformed it into the swingingest rock 'n roll dinery in the neighborhood. When Garrarri opened his twist club in May 1965 it was called Hollywood a Go-Go.
Gazzarri's was associated with Hollywood A Go Go, a local music TV show on KHJ-TV Channel. Gazzarri's on the Sunset Strip had a raised dance floor, a split level stage and an elaborate lighting system. The dance club featured live musicians on the stage with recorded music (canned) used for dancing during breaks taken my the musicians. However, it continued to served the same Italian dinners made famous by Mama Gazzarri at the original Gazzarri's on La Cienega. Bill Gazzarri would take color movies of dancers in action and then show them on screens the next day placed on either sides of the dance floor. People would come back to the club hoping to see themselves dancing on the big screen. The old clubs along the Sunset Strip became a haven for the young and hip to hang out. At first they congregated at coffee shops, underground theaters and jazz joints. In 1963-64, the Sunset Strip turned into a meeting place for beatniks in leather jackets, mini skirts and mod srippes pants pants, Jerked and Mashed Potatoed the night away. With the Beatle invasion in 1964, teens migrated in mass to clubs that played the new rock sound with the groovy dance beat. Suddenly there were a slew of twist clubs in town catering to the young 16-and-up crowd. These clubs included: the Peppermint West in Hollywood, the Whisky A Go-Go, the Galaxy (8717 Sunset), P.J.'s (8151 Santa Monica), the Action (8265 W Santa Monica), the Haunted House (6315 Hollywood Blvd), the Crescendo (8572 Sunset) and It's Boss (former Ciro's restaurant (8433 Sunset Blvd), The Hulabaloo Club and the Sea Witch. In the '80, Gazzarri's became a favorite hang-out for glam metal bands with the big hair. In 1991 Bill Gazzarri died. Gazzarri's closed down in 1992. In 1994 Northridge Earthquake damaged Gazzarri's beyond repair and it was torn down and became the Key Club.
Gazzarri's was originally located on L.A.'s Restaurant Row on La Cienega Boulevard.
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Coffee Dan's on Hollywood Blvd early 1960's
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Ships Coffee Shop
Oh how I miss ships and the toasters on the counters! A true Southern California Coffee Shop treasure, Ships Restaurant, epitomized all that was right about the googie age. Designed by Martin Stern Jr., Ships was famous for its Coffee Shop Modern style, from the restaurant itself to the spellbinding "space-age" marquee in front. From the busy West Los Angeles location near village Westwood to the La Cienega hotspot, Ships was a favorite hangout for both Southern California locals and passersby. This coffee shop may have been a warm-up before tackling the Vegas Strip in the 1950's. But alas, like all good things, the beloved Ships closed in the 90's. Ships is another epic teenage memory. I'll never forget taking a homeless "Wild Man Fisher" there for a pastrami sandy.
Notice the lighting fixtures, straight from the 1960's.
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Tiny Naylors on Sunset Blvd.
Tiny Naylors opened it 1958 on Sunset Blvd and was one of California's original googie-style restaurants. It was founded by W.W. Tiny Naylor. Naylor who got the nick name Tiny because he was 6'4" and weighted 320 lbs. His first restaurant was called Biff's - named after his son, in 1948. The Tiny Naylor chain started in 1957 at Wilshire and Virgil. Tiny Naylor died in 1959. The Naylor family also founded Du Par's which it still owns and operates. The architecture for Tiny Naylors was designed in 1949 by Douglas Honnold. Until it's demolition in1984, Tinys was known for it's curbside service - girls on roller skates, T-shirts, and and skimpy costumes. different for those days. Teenagers cruised here. women used to come there in carloads. It was a big place for everyone. Northwest corner of Sunset and La Brea. 
Tiny Naylor's 1974
Tiny Naylor's facing demolition in 1984
Sadly today it's a El Polo Loco
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The Aquarius Theater
above is the Aquarius Theater in 1970. It was painted psychedelic for the opening of Hair. But before it was the Aquarius it was many different incarnations. Below was it's first manifestation, The Earl Carroll Theater.
Earol Carroll's 1939
The Moulin Rouge 1961
In 1938 the Earl Carroll Theatre supper club opened on the Sunset Strip. A wall of movie star signatures and a large neon likeness of entertainer Beryl Wallace faced Sunset Boulevard, in what was then a hopping part of nighttime Hollywood near the Palladium and the NBC radio studios. The nightclub later became (loosely in order) the Moulin Rouge. In 1966 Phil Spector filmed The Big TNT Show, "when the IN crowd turned out to see the IN show." Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, The Byrds, Joan Baez and Ike and Tina Turner were among the acts, while Frank Zappa was spotted in the audience. The Club changed owners again in 1966 and was renamed the "Hullabaloo" . In 1967 the classic building got a phychedelic paintjob and became"Aquarius Theater," where The Doors once performed. "Star Search" also made its home there in the 80's. Nickelodeon signed lease in 1997 and the structure still remains.) {}">
Groovy teens seated on stairs at Dave Hull's Hullabaloo club on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles, Calif., 1965
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P.J.'s night club
Elmer Valentine moved to California and joined with partners from Chicago to open a nightclub called P.J.’s, named after the Manhattan bar P. J. Clarke’s. It was the first swinging go Go club in Los Angeles. In 1963, visiting Europe with the idea of becoming an expatriate, he happened to visit a discothèque in ...Paris called Whisky à Go Go and was enthralled by the enthusiastic young dancers. Mr. Valentine invested $20,000 of his profits from his share in P.J.’s in what became the Whisky A Go Go. He gave a one-year contract to Johnny Rivers, then a 21-year-old rocker and bluesman, who turned out to be wildly popular. And that was the birth of the Whisky A Go Go.
Many albums were recorded at P.J.'s during this period. In the 70s, this joint was better known as the rock club, "The Starwood" that showcased bands like the Jam and the Ramones.
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The Trip on Sunset Strip
In 1965 Valentine and partners opened "TheTrip" at 8572 Sunset Boulevard right next to the towering Playboy Club building. The Trip was located in the former popular '60's jazz club called the Crescendo. There was a comedy club upstairs called the Interlude. The Trip was short lived (Oct 1966-May 1967) however there was quite a music scene going on here. This is where the Byrds and the Velvet Underground & Nico would play regularly. 
The Whisky a Go-Go, the Galaxy, the London Fog, Gazzari's, the Crescendo, the Interlude, the Trip; these were some of the clubs of the era where the scene met crowds of kids streaming into town from all points east to find the soundtrack to this tradition-shaking new youth culture.
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Largo on Sunset Strip
Club LARGO opened on Sunset Strip by Chuck Landis. A burlesque club that featured comedians and the most exotic girls in filmland. Before it was Largo it had been the Westside Market and Hazen's market. Today it is better known as THE ROXY. Next door to Largo was the Villa Nova which became the Rainbow Bar and Grill. The structure is still the same. See my entry for the Villa Nova for more info.
Table / Postcard Pop Up Flyer for Largo
Back in the day this building was called the Westside Market. Today it's the world famous
Roxy. As you can see the building is very much the same.
LARGO was filmed for the movie, "Marlowe". Here is the clip...
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The Villa Nova, 9015 Sunset Strip
This restaurant was originally called the Mermaid Cafe built in the late 1920's. In 1933 it premiered as The Villa Nova and taken over by film director Vincente Minnelli and silent film actor-director Allen Dale. Dale had a strict rule: No press allowed," Crean said. Marilyn Monroe went on her first (blind) date with Joe DiMaggio in 1953, and director Minnelli chose it as the spot to propose to Judy Garland. The Villa Nova was sold in early 1972 to Elmer Valentine, Lou Adler, and Mario Maglieri. The named it The Rainbow as a tribute to Judy Garland. Originally they wanted to name it Over The Rainbow, but could not get clearance. On April 16, 1972, the Rainbow had a huge opening starting with a kick off party for Elton John. It quickly became known as a hangout for celebrities of all types. John Belushi ate his last meal here (lentil soup) at table #16. The owner is still Mario Maglieri.
Villa Nova and Club Largo seen in this 1966 photo. Largo became the Roxy. See my Largo entry for extended groovy info.
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Scandia Restaurant located on Sunset Strip / Beverly Hills
Scandia. 9040 Sunset. 1946-1989.
Some of my earliest memories are at Scandia. Of course I went with my parents. I was lucky they never left me with baby sitters. We settled into what felt like regal red leather chairs in the nearby bright, glass-walled dining room that seemed to float over lit-up Los Angeles. We drove into Scandia’s huge driveway where you knew Warren Beatty or Natalie Wood would soon emerge from a sleek black car and into this mid century modern building. Near the entrance was a moody, rat pack wooden bar. The Scandia chefs served perfect Swedish meatballs in silver platters. Beer mugs with names of notable Scandia ‘Club of the Vikings’ guests such as Errol Flynn were displayed.
Scandia was very elegant with paneled woods, copper and brass fixtures, bright red chairs, royal blue and white china and crystal vases. The principal decorations were coats of arms. Specialties here included "Lammesaddel", "Viking Sword", "Hamlets Dagger" (fresh lobster pieces non-greasily fried with exquisite tartar sauce) , and Danish pastries. Scandia Restaurant had an award winning wine cellar with over 30,000 bottles of wine in the '80s. From 1950 through 1980, this restaurant received Holiday Magazine awards. Scandia Restaurant also received many other accolades for the cuisine. They served their last meal on May 4th. 1989. The restaurant tried to open a few times as other residencies, but have failed. The structure is still standing vacant today on the corner of Sunset and Doheny. Wish I could say, "Meet me at Scandia", but at least we still have Dan Tana's. 
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The Cock 'n Bull on Sunset Strip
Built in 1937
Irreverence was always in great supply at the Cock'n Bull, a mock British tavern favored by notables ranging from artists like Ed Ruscha and actor Richard Burton to rock singer Rod Stewart and his entire soccer team.
I remember sawdust on the floor and a blaring fireplace and my father entertaining his industry friends. I remember asking Beatrice Straight for her autograph because I had just seen Poltergeist at the Plitt theatre that day . There is no restaurant in Los Angeles that has left more of an imprint in my mind. Later in the 80's I saw Sean Penn and Madonna dining with friends. Luckily we lived very close by and frequented it a lot.
The restaurant spanned succeeding eras of nightclubs, coffee houses, discotheques, topless bars and rock clubs in the neighborhood which is hard to do by Los Angeles standards. The Cock'n Bull became an automobile dealership in 1987. There is a plaque above the entrance in honor of this institution.
Click on the picture to enlarge the menu. :)
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The Bistro in Beverly Hills
The Bistro catered for decades to high-powered crowd thick with denizens of the film industry and high society. The Bistro was a favorite of Billy Wilder and Elizabeth Taylor and was remembered for having a lot of CLASS. It closed it's doors when Woflgang Puck bought the property for Spago's new location on Canon in Beverly Hills. 
That is my stylish grandmother in go go boots and my amazing mom on the right having her baby shower at The Bistro in 1970. That would be little me inside there! So I guess you could say I was at the Bistro too!
Owner Kurt Niklas, owner and maitre d' Jimmy Murphy of the Bistro restaurant in Beverly Hills, Calif., 1972
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SUNSET STRIP VIDEOS taken in the 1960s.
Guarenteed to blow your mind. Take a ride down Sunset Strip in 1964. Do you recognize anything? Do the Largo club and Villa Nova look familiar? I bet they do because today they are better known as The Roxy and the Rainbow. But they still looked incredble and colorful in 1964.
Now headed the opposite direction in the evening.
Sunset driving east from Holloway to Crecsent Heights
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THE FISH SHANTY
Located at the messy intersection of La Cienega Boulevard, San Vicente Boulevard and Burton Way, the Fish Shanty was known to Los Angeles residents as "that place where you walk in through the whale's mouth." If you did, you got pretty good seafood served to you by friendly waitresses who seemed to have been there forever. We miss the cuisine and we miss entering via the whale's jaws and feeling, just for the moment, like Pinocchio.
A screen grab from the 1966 film "The Loved One"
Today this new apartment building has taken it's place built by Rick Caruso.
Too bad they didn't at least rebuilt the whale's mouth as the entrance to the Trader Joes that is located as the main entrance - not seen in this rendering...
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Beverly Hills Library - demolished
I have such fond memories of the Mid Century Modern library that was located in Beverly Hills It was a child's dream during the 60s and 70s. It had a state of the art screening with a step down living room environment. Every month they would invite guest speaker from a popular show or movie to read books to the kids. I remember a very well dressed Suzanne Pleshette reading Hansel and Gretel to us. Only in Hollywood, and in this case, only in Beverly Hills. The fountains were also extremely charming. The mosaic on the sides of the building depicted an abstraction of book spines. The Library opened on October 10th, on Rexford, Dr. in 1965 and was designed by Martin Stern. Stern was the designer of Mid Century Homes in Trousdale and Encino, many Las Vegas Hotels, and restaurants including all 3 "Ship's" Coffee Shops in the LA area that have sadly also been demolished.
Tragically, this Mid Century Marvel was demolished in the 1980s so a bigger library and more offices could be built in its place. The new structure looks like a generic fake Spanish style/ Moorish Revival debacle right out of MIAMI VICE. What were they thinking!
Tragically, this Mid Century Marvel was demolished in the 1980s so a bigger library and more offices could be built in its place. The new structure looks like a generic fake Spanish style/ Moorish Revival debacle right out of MIAMI VICE. What were they thinking!
The exterior of the old public library, which had featured a mosaic resembling books on a shelf, appeared in stock shots in The Brady Bunch as Mike Brady's office building.
I have NO idea why they tore this MASTERPIECE down to build that generic, unauthentic and boring replacement that stands today...but that's LA. Here today, ripped down tomorrow. I wish we could dig this back up along with fountains too!
I have heard through the years that some of the original structure is underneath the new Facade. If you see somone in the middle of the night with a ladder and a hammer that might be me... SHHHHHHH
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OSKO'S nightclub located at 333 South La Cienega.
Osko's: The holy grail of the disco clubs in Los Angeles.
This futuristic 60s design looked like very reminiscent of the LAX Theme building or the Ticket office at POP looked almost like a space ship had landed at the Intersection of La Cienega and San Vicente.
This was the club used in the movie "Thank God It's Friday". That place was so much fun. The dancing, the beautiful people, the energy!!!! I remember dancing here during it's final days in the late 90s when it became a rock club. And now, like everything else, it's a discount high- end Loehman's department store. Cheap.... we need the high life again!
OSKO'S on La Cienega.The OKSO'S building was many incarnations before. First starting with The Gas Light in 1963
And then The Millionaires Club in 1965. This time they added drapes to the claw. enormous chandelier that was visible from the street, that would brightly announce the Millionaires Club.
Then 1520 AD in the mid 1960s - back to its original white
A few years later during the psychedelic era, this building got a wild make over for CLIMAX II in 1969. The murals blended right into the landscape and only lasted one year and took 7 months to get it back to it's original color. I can't imagine how many gallons of paint that must have taken.
This building also sat just south of The Captains Table - now Loehmann's department store.
An article on the artists that painted the murals.
An Osko's napkin - ebay score!
What a shame they tore down that Mid Century Masterpiece and put up a god awful ugly building in it's place.
Does any one know of any other incarnations of this building or have any knowledge of what each club was like? Would love to hear your stories. I am forever fascinated with it.
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The Pan Pacific Auditorium.
The Pan Pacific Auditorium
The Pan Pacific closed in 1974 and sadly decayed over the years until mysteriously burning down in 1989. I remember the days roller skating all over the property always hoping to get a chance to see the inside.
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I watched it's demise alongside thousands of other Angelinos from a short distance go up in flames. LA never recovered after losing this gem. But you can see a recreation of it at Disney's California Adventure theme park. It is also preserved on Celluloid in the Film Xanadu.
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The Islander on La Cienega
385 North La Cienega
Going to the Islander was like going to Polynesian Tiki Heaven.
Iremember that spectacular torch-flanked entrance and bridge that lead you into this theme restaurant.
In the 80s it was tragically transformed into an Acapulco Restaurant and was demolished in the summer of 2012.
Today the enormous property is under construction to make way for a new five-story plus mezzanine, 125-unit multi-family apartment building.
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ABOUT: This page was created to celebrate Los Angeles and YOUR history living it. Come explore thousands of vintage photographs and rare footage of the City of LA! Feel free to post your own personal photos or your favorite monuments and places. VLA is the next best thing to a time machine.
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