Southern California In The 50s And 60s

[Steve Holmes]

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Any enthusiast of history will get a kick out of these beautiful, full colour, film archives showing various parts of a relaxed, pretty, and clean Southern California during the 1950s and 60s. Enjoy these for what they are, take in the beautiful cars of the period, the shops, the creative advertising signage, and the well dressed people.This was a country that was going places, and everyone else wanted what America had.

Hollywood Blvd 1957:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7LpPKAhW9-s

[Steve Holmes]

Sunset Strip 1963:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT2tU_zAxuc&feature=related

[Steve Holmes]

Hollywood Blvd 1965:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXnB8brkWxQ&feature=related

[Steve Holmes]

Los Angeles In The 50s:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n77NxU0CHPw&feature=related

[Steve Holmes]

Sunset Strip 1966:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJK9kHvnMgY&feature=relmfu

[Kiwiboss]

This is fantastic Steve, as a kid my grandparents use to have box's of Popular Mechanics and US HotRod magazines, hot summer days in the late 60's early 70's at Waihi beach out on the veranda reading them from cover to cover i grew up think, hell i gotta go to this place "America" and they all showed the US from the 50's and 60's and what the latest gadgets where offcourse nothing was available in NZ at the time!! I finally made it in 1981 aged 22 and even them it was like going to the moon. I remember buying a pair of boots and the shop assistant using a scanner for the price, i thought "what the hell" space age stuff!! my how the world has changed!!

Those of you that travelled early to the US must have seen it all, Fantastic

Dale M

[Bruce302]

Real cowboys don't buy their boots, they carve them from a chunk of solid beef hide.

[Kiwiboss]

Real cowboys don't buy their boots, they carve them from a chunk of solid beef hide.

Sorry Bruce, i confess im not a real cowboy!! though i've been called one over the years, LOL

Dale M

[Steve Holmes]

Real cowboys don't buy their boots, they carve them from a chunk of solid beef hide.

Are you drunk again Bruce?

[Steve Holmes]

This is fantastic Steve, as a kid my grandparents use to have box's of Popular Mechanics and US HotRod magazines, hot summer days in the late 60's early 70's at Waihi beach out on the veranda reading them from cover to cover i grew up think, hell i gotta go to this place "America" and they all showed the US from the 50's and 60's and what the latest gadgets where offcourse nothing was available in NZ at the time!! I finally made it in 1981 aged 22 and even them it was like going to the moon. I remember buying a pair of boots and the shop assistant using a scanner for the price, i thought "what the hell" space age stuff!! my how the world has changed!!

Those of you that travelled early to the US must have seen it all, Fantastic

Dale M

Yeah they're neat aye Dale! Note the almost complete lack of foreign cars, its almost all American, barring the odd British car. But no Japanese cars whatsoever. A complete contrast to how those streets would look today.

[Steve Holmes]

Just a few related photos I seem to have amassed from various places:

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[Steve Holmes]

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[Steve Holmes]

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[mid-year]

The videos from the sixties are terrific,I love picking out the "furrin" cars...everything from a Renault Floride to MGA,s and Morris,s.

Great Stuff!

Pete.

[zombie289]

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Old town Covina is about 10 mins away from me, looks quite similar to that pic today, lots of older stores still there, clippinger chevrolet, which used to be Russ Davis Ford (of Gas Ronda drag racing fame) and the Covina theater which has been restored, we go to see shows there 3-4 times a year. They have a neat old bookstore and hobby shop too.

[Steve Holmes]

Hey Pauly, thats awesome! Its great to know that area still looks much the same. So many places lose their personality because someone decides old buildings need to be demolished and replace by ugly modern glass and alloy boxes.

But I bet the cars aren't nearly as cool now as they were in that photo!

[zombie289]

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[Steve Holmes]

Wow, thats cool. Is that a modern photo?

[zombie289]

Yeah Steve, taken last year, and it's still there