Daddy-O sports smart sunglasses and junior a snappy sailor cap for their official parking lot portrait. But this isn’t just any ‘ol parking lot. This is Eastland, the first freeway side shopping center ever built in SoCal. The year was 1957. Eastland was a utopian island of retail shops and suburban services surrounded by a sea of asphalt thoughtfully divided into 10,000 spaces. It’s pure mid-century modern. And how about Clifton’s space-age super signage? “Cafeteria” is handwritten like a title on a drive-in movie screen in a friendly font that epitomizes the stylistic mood of the era.

Trips to Eastland are among my earliest childhood memories. My family enjoyed many a fine meal at this very Clifton’s. That’s why even among the many thousands of images in my “Slibrary” Collection, this slide is a personal fave of mine.

I’m likely to include the Parking Lot Posers in my June 9 slide show performance, Architecture in Los Angeles, at Getty Center, celebrating SoCal’s underrated and unsung mid-century modern and more! Currently all of the seats are spoken for but we are hoping to announce a second date soon!

Cheers to Space-Age Super Signage and YOU!

Charles Phoenix
April 17, 2013

Part 2:

This live comedy performance takes us on a tour to Disneyland, the granddaddy of all theme parks. Experience the early days of Main Street USA, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland, all in glorious KODACHROME color. Get the backstory of legendary and long-gone attractions including House of the Future, Monorail, Flying Saucers, Carousel of Progress, and more. Also, see the ill-fated Disneyland wannabe theme park, Freedomland USA, that opened in New York City in 1960, and much more!

This very special evening is part of the museum’s “ANIMANTE YOUR NIGHT” series. In addition to Charles’ performance, guests will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, presented by the TIKI OASIS gang. Exotic cocktails from Smuggler’s Cove and the Tiki Room’s legendary Dole Whip will be served!

It’s a Springtime Dinner Delight!

This sheep-shaped Easter Sunday main course is the savory reinvention of the classic lamb cake. Perfect for that post egg-hunt holiday dinner served with pride alongside your favorite springtime side dishes.

What you’ll need:

3 lbs your fave meatloaf mix
4 lbs potatoes mashed
1 bag of frozen corn
1 bag of frozen peas
Bunch of carrots

Dyed Easter Eggs

Lamb Cake Mold (find it here)

Large piping bag with star tip

14″ round platter

Instructions:

Bake your favorite meatloaf recipe in each of the two sides of the lamb cake mold. Remove from pans, drain off all that excess fat. Fill star tipped piping bag with mashed potatoes. “Glue” lamb front and back together with mashed potatoes. Firmly place whole lamb loaf on mound of mashed potatoes. Finish lamb with piped mashed potatoes to resemble a thick coat of wool. Finish mashed potato mound with thawed peas and corn. Quarter carrots and press into mashed potato base creating a starburst. Give your little lamb a face of pea eyes and a small carrot chip nose/mouth combo. Then circle the delightful dish with 18 dyed eggs. Ring the Easter dinner bell, gathers guest around the dining room table and present your Easter Meatloaf of Lamb. Take time to let everyone take pix, slice, serve and enjoy! Happy Easter … meatloaf of lamb !!!

Experience SoCal’s stylish structures of the space age like you never have before! Charles leads a fun-fueled slide show adventure in search of LA’s undiscovered mid-century architectural gems.

Charles also shares spectacular vintage Kodachrome images of legendary local landmarks and architectural oddities from his “Slibrary” archive and more!

How much are we all loving that giant knight-in-shining armor pointing to the door of the “new” salesroom, the utilitarian-yet-modern billboard-of-a-building and beautiful grove of date-bearing palms peeking over the roof. In the realm of classic American roadside attractions, Shields Date Garden is one of the greatest.

Over the years, I’ve scarfed down their delicious and nutritious dates, slurped their super sweet date shakes and, of course, watched “The Romance and Sex Life of a Date” in the Romance Theater. Next year, Shields will celebrate its 90th anniversary. Miraculously, the place looks virtually the same today as it did 60 years ago when this very special slide was taken.

This slide is special not just because it’s a great image. It’s extra special because it survived being run over by a car, actually several cars. Yep. Here’s what happened:

Prepping for my recent show in Palm Springs, I called Shields to ask if they had any vintage slides I could look through. Soon I was in their inner sanctum perusing hundreds of vintage slides. I set aside a small stack of my faves and when I was done, I kindly asked the owner if I could borrow them to scan. Much to my surprise, she said I could keep them.

I boxed the slides to go, said goodbye, and as I walked out to my car, I was mesmerized by the picture prefect late afternoon sunlight glowing golden on the big giant knight in shining armor. Photo op! I flagged down the first tourist I could find and asked him take my picture with the iconic desert landmark. “Say cheese,” I did!

Rushed to get back to Palm Springs, I hopped in the car to head up the highway. As I was driving, I reached over to the passenger seat to grab the slides to look at them … and they weren’t there. Hmmm, where are they? The backseat? No. Oh, I put them in the trunk … they’re not in the trunk. Oh NOOOO … I left them on the roof of the car!

Quicker than I could say “oh #$%!!!,” I made a big illegal U-turn and sped back to the scene. Exactly as I imagined they would be, the slides were glittering in the swirls of exhaust kicking up from three lanes of speeding rush hour traffic heading north on Hwy 111.

Screeching to a halt, I jumped out of the car and into traffic, throwing my hand up like a cross between Superman and Diana Ross and the Supremes. Three lanes of cars slammed on their brakes and sat there while I frantically recovered the slides strewn over a hundred feet of asphalt. Against all odds, I found them all.

At that point I was far too freaked-out to look at just how wrecked they were; it was dinnertime and I needed some comfort food. So I did what anyone would do whose slides just got run over – I went to Sherman’s Deli in Palm Springs and ordered a chopped liver sandwich.

Finally the moment of truth came the next day. It was time to assess the damage. Much to my surprise the slide gods must’ve been with me. I couldn’t believe it – they were scratched up a bit but nothing that Photoshop couldn’t fix.

Next time you visit Shields make sure to say hello but please don’t tell them their slides got ran over!

Here’s to Shields Date Garden, Kodachrome durability and you!

Charles Phoenix
Los Angeles, CA

Recently while curiously searching Google for “Googie” images, I scrolled across a picture of the Southgate Shopping Centers sign. I was more than spellbound by the Googie gloriousness and oh-so surprised because I was totally unaware of it.

With the click of a few keys, I was shocked to discover that this super-sized, space-age spectacle STILL STANDS as the centerpiece, logo and crowning touch of the shopping center it stands for just as it has since 1957.

After dissecting it stylistically, this sign structure looks to me like what would happen if McDonalds original golden arches fast food stand and LAX’s Theme Building had a baby!

I wonder if, occasionally, when the wind is just right, and nobody is looking, this winged-wonder takes flight and the whole shopping center goes sailing across the sky right along with it!

Cheers to the glory of Googie, the Southgate Shopping Center and YOU!

Charles Phoenix
Los Angeles, CA