Unless you grew up in Los Angeles, you probably won't love this video as much as I do. Someone has restored and colorized footage of driving up and down a stretch of Wilshire Boulevard in the fifties. A friend of mine in the comments section pegs it as the the week of August 1, 1951, which is seven months before I was born — but I do remember this street looking very much like this.
In the opening shot, you'll see a building with a windmill on it. That's the Van DeKamp's restaurant that was on the corner of Wilshire and Masselin. In 1969, I took one of my first dates — a nice lady named Lynne — there for dinner. Then we proceeded to the Ivar Theatre in Hollywood where we saw what I think was the last performance of the L.A. company of the musical, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Gary Burghoff was playing Charlie Brown. There's now an Office Depot where that Van DeKamp's used to be and I have been known to buy office supplies there.
Moments after that, we pass a Ralphs Market which then occupied part of a block. Then a few doors down was an outlet of Du-Par's restaurant which was there into the eighties when they tore it down. In fact, they tore down everything on that block that wasn't a Ralphs so Ralphs could expand and have the whole block to itself. I ate at that Du-Par's many times and have shopped at that Ralphs.
A block or so down from there, you'll see an Ontra Cafeteria and then the El Rey Theatre. The El Rey is still there. I wish the Ontra was but there's now a Smart & Final in its place…and I could go through the whole video like this. Watch and you'll see a lot of great old buildings including the May Company department store which was vacant for years and is now opening as the new Academy of Motion Pictures museum.
You'll also pass a medical building where around 1965, Dr. Nathan M. Seltzer — called by some "The Orthodontist to the Stars' Kids" — fitted me with braces. I should write about Dr. Seltzer here some time but not now…