The Cooper Do-nuts Uprising

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 8 Comments

Cooper Do-nuts sign (image source: Stephen Seemayer and Pamela Wilson's film, Young Turks (1982) May 1959: Seven years before Silver Lake's Black Cat Riot and ten before New York's Stonewall riots, a group of drag queens, trans women, and hustlers clashed with LAPD officers at a location of the local Cooper Do-nuts (also known as Cooper's Donut Depot, Cooper's Doughnuts … Continue reading The Cooper Do-nuts Uprising

Dragnet – The greatest police procedural and realest of the real

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 6 Comments

DUMMM DAH-DUM DUM Though nowadays the Dragnet franchise is best  emembered today as a TV series (or two TV series), it began existence as was most exceptional as a radio drama. Dragnet starred Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday, an LAPD detective who, when the series began, lived at home with his mother and later on his own in a Silver Lake bachelor pad. It first aired on 3 June, … Continue reading Dragnet – The greatest police procedural and realest of the real

Pan-Asian Metropolis — Sriracha 101: Dispelling myths and misinformation about Sriracha

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 9 Comments

Huy Fong sriracha (source: NPR) As much as I try to resist the urge to be a know-it-all (and recognize the fact that I don’t, in fact, even know that much – especially about the very things most worth knowing), occasionally I have to get all Bobby Fletcher (the famous checkersmaster) and drop some science of the … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Sriracha 101: Dispelling myths and misinformation about Sriracha

Southland Parks — Exploring Dodger Stadium Without Baseball

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 6 Comments

I don't like baseball. Despite that fact, I have for some time entertained the idea of visiting and exploring Dodger Stadium. Dodger Stadium has long struck me as one of Los Angeles' greatest examples of monumental architecture, and I'm not completely sure why it's not more of an establishing shot cliché for films set in … Continue reading Southland Parks — Exploring Dodger Stadium Without Baseball

Introduction to Subcultural Anthropology: Perry Boys

~ Eric Brightwell ~ Leave a comment

  18 May was the 104th birthday of Fred Perry. As someone who'd generally rather poorly play any sport than watch others, no matter how good, this occasion in and of itself didn't mean much to me. Fred Perry was, I've read, a great tennis player but I reckon his name conjures up images of … Continue reading Introduction to Subcultural Anthropology: Perry Boys

Urban Rambles — Exploring From Confluence to Atwater Along San Fernando Road

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 1 Comment

Los Angeles is often characterized as a city in which one simply cannot exist without a car. And yet, as the millions of Angelenos who bicycle, take public transit, or walk will tell you, driving a car is no way to get to know the city. Since Los Angeles County is even larger than the … Continue reading Urban Rambles — Exploring From Confluence to Atwater Along San Fernando Road

Pan-Asian Metropolis — East of the Eastside, the Far Eastside

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 4 Comments

All around the world large, multicultural cities often contain recognized, small, distinct ethnic enclaves. Los Angeles, by some measures the most diverse city in the universe, is no exception. These neighborhoods are often more ephemeral than others -- coming and going in a reflection of changing patterns of immigration, marginalization, assimilation and development. In the … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — East of the Eastside, the Far Eastside

Los Angeles’s Secret, Foreign Language Movie Theater Scene

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 4 Comments

Los Angeles is a film town -- maybe the film town. Like the Hollywood district contained within it, the name "Los Angeles" a metonym for the American film industry in the minds of many. "La La Land," "The Entertainment Capital of the World" and all that. I love movies; however, in my mind, the Hollywood film thing actually … Continue reading Los Angeles’s Secret, Foreign Language Movie Theater Scene

Happy Beltane! Your guide to observances and Beltane in popular culture

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 2 Comments

Happy Beltane! John Collier's Queen Quinevere's maying (1900)   Tonight at sundown begins Beltane (also spelled Beltain, Bealtaine, Bealltainn, Boaltinn, and Boaldyn), a Gaelic holiday marking the beginning of summer (which in the Gaelic calendar takes place at the midpoint between the spring equinox and summer solstice). Historically it was observed throughout the British Isles. … Continue reading Happy Beltane! Your guide to observances and Beltane in popular culture

Happy Birthday, Johnny Madero, Pier 23

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 1 Comment

On this date (23 April) back in 1947, the radio drama Johnny Madero, Pier 23 made its debut. It was the second detective drama that resulted from the collaboration of Jack Webb and Richard L. Breen.  St. Regis Hotel in 1904 Jack Webb was born 2 April, 1920, in Santa Monica, California, the son of Margaret … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Johnny Madero, Pier 23