TO SEE MY HOME IN EAST PASADENA This neighborhood exploration is about tiny East Pasadena. Despite its name, East Pasadena is an independent community and no more a part of the city of Pasadena than are South Pasadena or Altadena. Historically it was a much larger community but through many annexations it has shrunk to … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring East Pasadena
Month: July 2013
California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Laguna Beach
A WEARY ROVER'S DREAM INTRODUCTION Laguna Beach is a quirky, affluent community in South Orange County. The city is the third oldest in Orange County, after San Juan Capistrano and Anaheim. It is widely known for its vibrant arts scene and environmental treasures. It's long seemed to me that dated and inaccurate stereotypes of Los Angeles … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Laguna Beach
No Enclave — Exploring the Remains of Los Angeles’s Little Italy
Los Angeles and Orange counties are home to many official and unofficial (but widely recognized) ethnic enclaves, including Cambodia Town, Chinatown, Filipinotown, Koreatown, Little Armenia, Little Arabia, Little Bangladesh, Little Brazil, Little Ethiopia, Little India, Little Osaka, Little Russia, Little Saigon, Little Seoul, Little Tokyo, Oaxacatown, Tehrangeles, and Thai Town. Attempting to gain official recognition are … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring the Remains of Los Angeles’s Little Italy
Tales of the Texas Rangers — Police Procedural with a Lone Star Twist
It took me a while to discover the brilliant radio drama, Tales of the Texas Rangers. I inferred from its name that it was a juvenile Western -- possibly a derivative of The Lone Ranger. Even though The Lone Ranger provided my childhood introduction I have never been a fan of white hat vs. black hat … Continue reading Tales of the Texas Rangers — Police Procedural with a Lone Star Twist
Somebody Knows and Wanted — Golden Age Radio’s Great Unsolved Mysteries
In the wake of Dragnet's success for NBC (after having been rejected by CBS), radio audiences more and more craved authenticity from their crime dramas. Programs like Gang Busters (1936-1957) and This is Your FBI (1945-1953) claimed to be based on authentic cases, but were less realistic and adult in tone than the true crime … Continue reading Somebody Knows and Wanted — Golden Age Radio’s Great Unsolved Mysteries