A PEEK AT CHATSWORTH IN 1951

BUILDING A GREAT MUSEUM FOR THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

Sixty three years ago downtown Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley looked a lot like it does today, except for the priceless vintage automobiles.  Writing to Fran Irvine on Sunnydell Trail in Hollywood, Emme said on her August 1951 postcard, "Dear Fran, Hope Orman and family have arrived and all ok. I am busy preparing to move. Packing a few things every day. Everything ok. Hope to see you soon. Emme".

Vintage postcards from Chatsworth, California 1951 - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2014.  (click on imafges to enlarge them.)  Chatsworth Market, Valley Country Cafe.

VALLEY GIRLS AT CAMP HOLLYWOODLAND 1950 1951

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY                      2013

In 1926, the city of Los Angeles opened Hollywoodland Girls Camp in Griffith Park. It was, and continues to be one of our region's greatest successes. 

When I discovered a childhood photo album belonging to my wife, I found these snapshots of her Girl Scouts adventures in 1950 and 1951 at Camp Hollywoodland. Since I am always after my friends and associates to go through their family photos and scrapbooks to share Valley-related images with The Museum, the scrapbooks demanded that I practice what I've been preaching. I hope you enjoy the pictures taken by a little North Hollywood girl 62 long years ago. 

 Riverside Avenue School Girl Scouts - on their way to Camp Hollywood in Griffith Park. 1950. Can you imagine children being transported like this today? (click on these images to enlarge them.)

 Camp Hollywoodland 1950 - sleeping under the stars -

 "Our cabin" 1951 - Camp Hollywoodland - photos courtesy of Janne Fecht

 Camp Hollywoodland counselor Lark - 1951 -

 Camp Hollywoodland cabin 1950 

 Camp Hollywoodland's swimming pool from hillside. 1950 

 Three way tunnel - near camp Hollywoodland

 Campgrounds - Camp Hollywoodland 

 Girl campers and councilors at Camp Hollywoodland - 1951

 Camp Hollywoodland

 Camp Hollywoodland councilor "Bunnie" 1951 

"Our cabin" Camp Hollywoodland 1951

MARIE WILSON BOMBSHELL BLONDE

DISCOVERING OUR VALLEY              2013

Actress Marie Wilson lived only a short life. She died in 1972 and was buried in Burbank in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills. For most of her career, Marie played roles of "the blonde bombshell."

 

Commercial postcard mailed November 27, 1951 - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2013.  (click on image to enlarge it.) 

 

"Marie Wilson, lovely firm star, shows how with the flip of a switch,STANTHONY keeps

 the kitchen pleasantly cool and free from greasy walls and cooking odors."

In 1951, the Stanthony Corporation  was located at

6900 San Fernando Road

Glendale, CA    ROckwell 9-1316

BOB HOPE'S PROPERTY IN TOLUCA LAKE - 1951

DISCOVERING OUR VALLEY      2011

Mr. Glenn E. Mueller of Diamond Bar shares this insight into the famous Bob and Dolores Hope home in Toluca Lake.

“My folks & I lived at 4348 Ledge Ave. in what's now Toluca Lake, during 1941 to 1951, it was North Hollywood . . .

My dad had an aerial photo taken in 1944 which includes Bob Hope's house on the left. The street running up the top of the picture is Woodbridge and Bloomfield runs "into our driveway." 

(Click on photograph to enlarge it.)

Future Home for Bob and Dolores Hope

I graduated both North Hollywood Jr. High and the North Hollywood High School  S-54 class . . My sister, Marilyn, was a graduate of both but S-56 from North Hollywood High School

The 2nd attachment is when "we" sold the house. Bob Hope bought it to live in while his mansion was renovated. Then he subdivided the three acres we had and sold off the lots. Hope brought his residence property line up to the driveway and behind the four car garage (not 3 as mentioned in the LA Times) which increased his golfing area.

That $70,000 sale price is now going for $2,500,000.00 and that's just for the driveway up behind the house and down the south side of the house to Ledge.  The pool was built in 1946 . . . . “

EARLY CRESPI PHOTOGRAPHS

DISCOVERING OUR VALLEY  2011

Among the gifts to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from the estate of Catherine Olson are these great photographs of early Catholic community in Encino. (click on images to enlarge)

From 1947 to 1951, the members of Carmelite Order used this building. sometimes referred to as the Gray House, as their monastic residence.

Once serving as a Carmelite Monastery, this building was later used as a convent for Catholic nuns and today serves Our Lady of Grace Church in Encino as the parish offices. It served as a monastery from 1947 to 1951.

 The Roman Catholic Carmelite Monastery in Encino, California.  The monastery was dedicated on the 27th of August 1951.

 Three Carmelite priests at the entrance of their future monastery taken early in 1951. The priests, (left to right) are Father Enda, Father Patrick and Father Ignatius. Over their traditional Catholic cassocks, they wear a brown serape-like garment called a scapular. This marks their Order's origin around the year 1150 AD on Mount Carmel in the modern state of Israel. The official title of their religious community is The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
In 1959 these Catholic priests opened Crespi Carmelite High School, which their Order still operates today. It is named for the Franciscan priest, Father Jaun Crespi, who accompanied the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola in his first expedition to the San Fernando Valley in 1769.

RADIO KWIK BURBANK CALIFORNIA

DISCOVERING OUR VALLEY   2011

KWIK ink blotter between 1947 and 1951 - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2011.  (click on image to enlarge)

Radio KWIK 1490 was licenced by the Federal Communication Commission on the 8^th of May, 1947. The station operated on 250 watts of power day and night. But, after two years KWIK was in trouble for “technical violations.”

By 1951, the station which operated from 20 West Burbank Boulevard, couldn’t be saved even by its spiffy blotter advertisements. It lost its license in May of that year, and the “Voice of the San Fernando Valley” went off the air.

JIMMIE HODGES COWBOY MUSIC FROM TARZANA

2009 The Year of Valley History
Apple Valley Romance Sheet Music 1959 - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley by Gary Fredburg - December 2009

Hey Jerry, You've got the wrong valley!
Well, considering the title of this sheet music donated this week to The Museum by Gary Fredburg, at first glance you'd seem to be right. But, if you look at the sign at the bottom left, you will discover that Apple Valley Roman was written by Jimmie Hodges working out of Tarzana, California in the San Fernando Valley.
Published in 1959, this music was distributed by Jimmie Hodges Publications at 18528 Collins Street in Tarzana. In that year, Apple Valley was considered just over 90 miles from Hodges' business.

If you would like to be a part of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley's effort to preserve our music heritage, call today and pledge your support. 1 (818) 347-9665

BEVERLY GRAF's MEMORIES OF PANORAMA CITY AND THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

In response to the May 17, 2009 posting on this blog of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, Beverly Graf wrote:

"What I can tell you is on the page with the Panorama City pictures, that you identified the first picture as probably a school. The next 3 photos I believe are Panorama Market.

Before my family moved from Burbank to Northridge in August of 1951, we used to drive out to the new "Super Market" every Friday night. Usually, my sister and I stayed in the car and if we were good, we always got an ice cream cone ( we usually fought like normal siblings, but the moment we saw Mom and Pop, we were angels....that was our pact :-). I can still see the area around the Market as viewed from the parking lot. It was just fields, no other stores, even Thrifty's, it came later.

The market was so big, compared to Bill's Ranch Market in Burbank, where we usually shopped before this market opened.
The meat and fish counter were along the east wall of the store (parking lot side). Then going west were the aisles of canned goods, the shelves ran from north to south, including a coffee grinder to grind the bag of coffee beans you would purchase. I always loved it when I found a stray coffee bean to suck on. The produce section must have been on the west side of the store. On the north side....across from the check out counters was a sundries area that included toys.

The meat counter ran the entire length of the east side from the entrance south and included not only fresh meats, but seafood as well. When my parents had the money they would get jumbo prawns.

Later came the dime store and a hardware store. When we moved in 1999, the hardware store was still there.
If you look at the picture of Panorama City in the 50's you will see how the sign above the market being constructed matches the market in the 60"s

Has anyone remembered Burts Market, on Saticoy St. in Reseda, just west of White Oak? It said it had the coldest beer in the Valley, had a great candy area for kids, including dill pickles in wax and kept accounts on cards ( like recipe cards) that you could settle on payday. I've got check stubs for my parents paying their bills in the 50's.
Also, in the same area, there used to be a seasonal stream that ran down White Oak, where we would go and collect tadpoles. At about that same time west of White Oak and north of Saticoy was a walnut orchard, as was on the southeast corner of Saticoy and Louise, before it became a Ralphs Market.

Long ago and far away, but a wonderful place to grow up in.
Thank you so much for the work you are doing.
Beverly Graf"

The San Fernando Valley, in the heart of the Creative Capital of the World, deserves a great Museum of history and culture.

THE VALUE OF A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE - ORPHA KLINKER 1851

Chinese Woman - Newspaper image by Orpha Klinker - Herald Express 1951 - Gift of Phyllis Hansen 2008 - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley (click on image to enlarge)
On Saturday February 24, 1951, the people of Los Angeles who paid their 7¢ for a Herald Express newspaper, read an article entitled: "Etchers Honor L.A. Artist - Orpha Klinker Gets Top Award From Cal. Society." This week the original article was donated to her Museum by Phyllis Hansen.
What is the importance of an article describing an art show held in conjunction with "High Tea" at the Ambassador Hotel? Let's take a look.
The article featured two newspaper images that document the existence of two important art works by the great California Orpha Klinker.
1) A landscape of the High Sierra country.
2) Study of a Chinese Girl
The date of the works exhibition was May 1951 at the Dolphin Court of the Ambassador Hotel. Two honors received by Orpha Klinker from the California Society of Etchers for her work "Winter Snows."

Said the article's author Alma May Cook, "Orpha Klinker probably does more work and delivers more lectures than any other woman painter in Southern California."

High Sierras - Newspaper image by Orpha Klinker - Herald Express 1951 - Gift of Phyllis Hansen 2008 - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley (click on image to enlarge)



Your Museum collects the works and information on California artists. Orpha Klinker is of special importance to our organization.

The San Fernando Valley, the heart of the Creative Capital of the World, deserves a great Museum of history and art.