AtD (37) pp. 1040 ff Misc. Background and On Broadway

[Paul Mackin]

Mark Kohut wrote:
> Misc background? Nathanael West, a TRP influence, whose 100th anniversary is this year, wrote about Southern California (and Hollywood) in 'Day of the Locust" : "West likens the inhabitant of the southland as a participant in a masquerade"  ..Or just an FYI.
>
> p. 1040 Broadway (L.A.) --from wiki
> One of the oldest streets in the city, this section of Broadway (originally called Fort Street) was laid out as part of the 1849 plan of Los Angeles made by Lieutenant Edward Ord. Broadway from First Street to Olympic Boulevard was for more than fifty years the main commercial street of Los Angeles and one of its premier theater districts as well, containing a vast number of historic buildings and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
>
> Before World War II, Broadway was considered by many to be the center of the city, where residents came to catch movies at ornate movie palaces and shop at department stores.
>   
This is the locale of the book I guess I feel most connected to. My 
future parents moved to L.A. in the early twenties and I was born near 
mid-decade. I habituated the Broadway movie theaters and other 
attractions a lot during the WW II years.  By that time new movies had 
their West Coast openings on Hollywood Blvd. as well as on Broadway, but 
I much preferred to see them on Broadway.  We lived about half way 
between, but I loved the trolley ride downtown.

I think Pynchon gets by-gone L.A. fairly well. Overall, the feel seems 
right. The "three levels of security" in Lew's office is a little joke.  
Everyone knows private eyes didn't have a lot of security.  My 
impression is that the L.A. and Hollywood of my day was extremely 
relaxed about any kind of "security." At least in situations I would be 
likely to encounter.   High school or college kids could wander into 
exclusive beach clubs etc and hang around for hours sometimes before 
being asked to leave.

Pynchon is good on Southern Cal but he's not quite a native speaker.  
For example, while one would go "up to" Santa Barbara, it doesn't sound 
at all right going "up to" Hollywood.  One goes "over to" Hollywood. 
Hollywood does have its "hills" but you don't start up into them unless 
you are already as far as, say, Hollywood and Vine. (oddly, you might 
possibly get away with saying  "up to Pasadena" although "over to" would 
be more common)

Santa Barbara sounded pretty authentic.  I didn't really know the old 
downtown Santa Barbara--before the mission decor took over a few years 
after the goings on with Lew.

The state picnics are well done.  Been to a number of them.

P.


> 'vast interior court below a domed skylight"....colours more intense...
> like a natural building only heightened......like the movies, I might throw out. 
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> "stunt" performers. another little bi-location joke? Doppelganger joke?
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> :The 1930's marked the beginning of Hollywood's glory days. It was during this action-filled period that the modern profession of stunts truly began.--History of Stunts
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> A little anachronous here? {we are in the 20s] Probably there were some earlier, perhaps especially for starlets.
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