Sweet life. A never ending stretch of palm fringed coastline. Rolling waves. Salty fresh air and long sunny days. Bougainvillea wrapped terraces. Glorious Pacific Ocean sunsets, from Aliso Viejo to Zuma. A gold-lit horizon. Cocktails served against infinite water views. This is Southern California.
Stretches of grassy spaces. Laguna’s steep cliff faces. Mountains overlooking a beautiful Malibu beach. Santa Monica and its famous Pier. The twinkling lights of a widespread LA. Winding hikes through Runyon Canyon. Ah, those uphill climbs! Don’t despair – they’re worth the million dollar views, once you get to the top.
From Hollywood Hills to Beverly Hills. Immaculate gardens and imaginative homes. Clean architectural lines and ranch designs. All things retro-inspired. Traditional colonial Spanish styles: elegant archways and terracotta tiles. Deck chairs, cabanas; lunch served poolside. A climate that inspires outdoor living. Such a sweet life.
The eternal glitter of The Golden Age. Silver screen and Technicolour. Hollywood stars – always remembered, never forgotten. The glamour and the rock’n’roll. The music; the movies; and, the awards. A place of Oscars-worthy moments. The buzz of the paparazzi. The bustle of the press – the who’s who, and the best dressed. The show goes on.
Inspired, this is Southern California in monochrome style, with a splash of colour. Enjoy!
Keith Richards and Ron Wood, Los Angeles, CA, 1979 ~ Copyright Henry Diltz
Capitol Records in LA, 1959 ~ Unknown
Night: New Host International restaurant at Los Angeles airport, 1962 ~ Photograph by Ralph Crane
Los Angeles Development Boom, 1953 ~ Photograph by J.R. Eyerman
Actress Martha Hyer talking on the phone in the living room of her luxurious home, Beverly Hills, 1959 ~ Photograph Leonard Mccombe
The two photographs below show a “A landmark image in the history of modern architecture: Julius Shulman’s nighttime shot of Ann Lightbody and Cynthia Murfee in Case Study House No. 22, the Stahl residence in the Hollywood Hills, overlooking Sunset Boulevard. Architect: Pierre Koenig. The photo, taken with a Swiss-made Sinar 4×5 view camera, is a double exposure: Seven minutes for the background, then a flash shot for the interior, the house lights having been replaced with flashbulbs.”
Julius Shulman photographing the Stahl residence
Night time shot of the house, 1960 ~ Photograph by Julius Shulman
Rosen House In Los Angeles ~ Photograph Michael Rougier
Segel House on Carbon Beach, Malibu ~ Photograph by Julius Shulman
Marilyn in Malibu, 1962 ~ Photograph by George Barris
Malibu, 1938 ~ Photograph by Alfred Eisestaedt
Malibu, 1961 ~ Photograph Allan Grant
Seaside Home, CA, 1945 ~ Photograph Nina Leen
President Richard M. Nixon's Residence In San Clemente ~Photograph Arthur Schatz
Actress Singer Doris Day driving Universal Production Dept. golf cart as she waves at a saluting security guard at Universal's movie lot , 1963 ~ Photograph John Dominis
Street set used in production of movie westerns on Paramount Studios ranch, Hollywood, 1937 ~ Photograph Margaret Bourke-White
Gregory Peck at Universal City construction site, 1963 ~ LIFE magazine
Actors (L-R) Gregory Peck, Joanne Woodward, Paul Newman, Sophia Loren, Doris Day (back to camera), Cary Grant, Ronald Reagan and Dorothy Malone listening to director Parker during rehearsals for 30th annual Academy Awards
Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Bob Hope, David Niven during a break from rehearsals for 30th annual Academy Awards show at the RKO Pantages theater, 1958 ~ Photograph Leonard Mccombe
Natalie Wood & Warren Beatty at Academy Awards, LA, 1963 ~ Photograph by Allan Grant
Audrey Hepburn wins Oscar for Best Actress in Roman Holiday, 1953 ~ Unknown
Photographers with Grace Kelly and Marlon Brando, Oscars winners for Best Actress & Actor at the 27th annual Academy Awards ceremony, RKO Pantages theater, 1955 ~ Photograph by George Silk
The 1958 Governors Ball; Elizabeth Taylor with her first Academy Award for Butterfield 8 in 1961 ~ LIFE magazine
Actor Paul Newman as a guest on Hollywood Diary Program, 1958 ~ Photograph Leonard Mccombe
Alfred Hitchcock with the MGM lion, 1958
Looking east towards Hollywood and Vine, LA, 1945
Hollywood Blvd, 1953
I love Los Angeles. It reinvents itself every two days. ~ Billy Connolly
New Host International restaurant at Los Angeles airport, 1962 ~ Photograph by Ralph Crane
'Beatles' arrive at airport on 2nd US tour, LA, 1964 ~ Photograph by Bill Ray
John Lautner’s Chemosphere house, 1961 © Julius Shulman J. Paul Getty Trust
Interior of Segel House (shown previously) ~ Photograph by Julius Shulman
Actress Bette Davis skimming through the morning papers, Beverly Hills, 1939 ~ Photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt
Hollywood Guides, 1938 ~ Photograph Alfred Eisenstaedt
Joan Crawford at home in LA, 1949 ~ Unknown
Palms, 1932 ~ Photograph Alfred Eisenstaedt
Humphrey Bogart in his Hollywood Home ~ Architectural Digest
Hollywood Hills, 1938 ~ Photograph Alfred Eisenstaedt
Hollywood -Night Beverly Hills, 1938 ~ Photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt
Schwabs on Sunset Blvd, 1960
Drive-In Movie, LA, 1949 ~ Photograph J.R. Eyerman
Silvertop Hollywood Dawn, 1972 ~ Available at Michel H.Lord Gallery
