The Firehouse on Tujunga and Moorpark in Adam-12

Whenever Reed and Malloy head east on Moorpark at Tujunga, there is usually a glimpse of a red barn-like building in the background. That was the Firehouse eatery at 4389 Tujunga.

Two episodes offer a much better look: "Log 88-Reason to Run" (S3, Ep25) and "Anniversary" (S4, Ep9).

"Log 88-Reason to Run" shows the Pickwick complex (ice rink, bowling, and apparently horses at one time) on Riverside in Burbank. And yes, it has just been sold to developers. I had a bad experience at that ice rink anyway... Why do they call those things for children to hang onto "Bobby Seal(e)" like the Black Panther? I tell a lie! The ice rink gets to stay, but the bowling alley will be Monster Boxes.

The episode features Randy Mantooth and Dick Whittinghill. It also has these views of the Firehouse as it was in 1971. Since that time other things have occupied the location. Most recently, it became the new location of Henry's Tacos. You can read about the Henry's Tacos situation here and here.

In Adam-12 wormhole fashion, Malloy spins the car around on Ventura and Radford and somehow ends up at Adam-12 Square, Tujunga and Moorpark. Then he reunites with Reed and catches the bad guy just *like that* because EDITING. 

After the waitress at fake "Danny's" is safe again, she contemplates working at the very real Du-Par's across the street. Not really. She's an actress. The waitress thing is just her part-time gig. It must be torturous to be one of those hopeful aspiring actors who has to work with food while trying to make it, and then to get a part on TV, only for it to be playing a food worker. But hey, it's on TV! [Cut to Janet Gaynor telling the Central Casting woman, "But maybe I'm that one."]

From "Anniversary" in the next season, we get these views of the Firehouse.

Both episodes named in this post contain some other interesting things, but this post was all about that unusual red barn-looking food place, The Firehouse on Tujunga.  [Non-Angelenos note: "Tuh-HUNG-ga"]

Real Crime or Adam-12 Episode?

Was this a real crime or an Adam-12 episode?

This 1972 police chase began at Adam-12 Square (make it happen!), the intersection of Moorpark and Tujunga, and ended on Lankershim in front of Universal Studios. I'm going with Adam-12 episode.

Adam-12 honor LAPD detective Val J. Wangsgard

Val J. Wangsgard was a real LAPD lieutenant. His name was used in the pilot episode of Adam-12, "The Impossible Mission." What more can we learn about this man?

In the pilot, actor Art Gilmore portrayed Lt. Val Wangsgard. Thereafter, he became Captain Moore. You might have thought, what an unusual character name! But Lt. Wangsgard was a real LAPD officer, and his name was frequently in the paper. He worked in the Van Nuys division, and from the stories I've found, I'd say he was in Homicide.

This entry will be my ongoing attempt to learn more about Lt. Wangsgard and honor him for his service. Hopefully I will find a photo!

I have learned he was married with three sons. I believe this is his findagrave entry, but sadly there are no real details. Nor were there any here other than the dates.  These sources say Val J Wangsgard was born October 16, 1923 and passed away September 30, 1994.

I imagine he was like Lt. Columbo. Chances are, I am totally wrong! Jack Webb or someone working on Adam-12 must have met him or at least asked his permission to use his name. 

First I will compile some personal stories, and then I will compile the crime stories.

Before his name was in the paper for police work, I found the young Val as an usher at this wedding in Glendale in 1946. The chapel is quite famous for weddings even though it is at Forest Lawn, the cemetery!

Next up I learned he, his wife, and three sons had been camping. And that was newsworthy! We learn that his sons' names are Chris, Lance, and Neil. One of their sons was born in late August, 1955. I know that because it was in the paper along with their address: 10347 Owensmouth, which is just east of Topanga and north of Devonshire. The house was built in 1948. 3+1, 52 x 131 lot. Here is a Google pic:

Great job of having tree-privacy! You'll have to go trick-or-treating there if you want a better view. I have walked by the house (just out for my walk) and can't say it stood out. However, I was surprised to find late 40s homes there. Most of that area's homes are late 50s/early 60s.  It's around the corner from the Cowboy Palace Saloon. 

Their son Lance enlisted in 1970. Like all of us in the Valley, he went to Pierce! [Yeah, yeah, some go to Valley.] I like how that looks: Lt. and Mrs. I find it either funny or dangerous that they gave an officer's home address. [Marty Milner and William Boyett's home addresses were both given in local papers too! The Milner childhood home was in North Hollywood; the William Boyett family home in Studio City.] Of course, they got the address wrong! There is no 10349. It's 10347.

Lt. Wangsgard's police work:

WARNING: These are all true crime stories. Many of them involve death, often murder. If you choose to read them, be advised. 

WARNING: Next story is a brutal child murder.

I will update this as I find more items on the real Lt. Wangsgard.

Adam-12 Can See City Hall from Henry's Tacos

Reed's eyesight is truly amazing, the way he calls off license plates far in the distance, even at night. He might actually be Superman, as he can see the Daily Planet (Los Angeles City Hall) all the way from the Valley. 

From Log 56: Vice Versa, season 3, episode 23, aired March 11, 1971:

Season 3 seems to be where the editing of driving clips just goes too far. For example, Malloy and Reed will be in the car talking, and what looks like Vineland can be seen out the window. If it's not Vineland, it's Colfax or Tujunga, or maybe you get an east to west view of Magnolia, but it's one of North Hollywood's major streets; then you see the car speeding down Reno to Hoover downtown, similar to the original opening credits; then they're talking again, back in NoHo; then some stock footage of the car turning the corner in Toluca Lake; then a random view of City Hall downtown; some more in-the-car dialogue with car dealerships on Lankershim clearly visible; another random shot of the car going down Riverside in Toluca Lake; a split second view of Wilshire (!?!); then they stop in front of a nice middle-class Valley home with a Studio City zip code. 

Was it all an in-joke? Was it "location comedy"? It's great that Adam-12 preserved so many areas of Los Angeles on film 1967 (the pilot) -1975, but a thematic approach would have been less jarring.

Wormhole Excess!

Here is a modern shot of Reed's view southwest on Broadway from Chinatown:

More things were visible behind them at Moorpark and Tujunga, AKA "Adam-12 Intersection" -- it should have a sign up! "Adam-12 Square"! "Squares" named after famous folks have popped up all over Los Angeles. Don't Adam-12 deserve one?  [Not in a city that defunds the police I guess 😡] 

There are a few episodes where they actually patrol their assigned Central Division. As can be seen on this hard-to-read-in-the-first-place and then modified by me map, they should really be 15-Adam-12.   

Jumping back nearer the beginning of the episode, we were on Lankershim:

WARNING: TRUE CRIME report

This all ties together in a tragic way. I said Reed was Superman because he could see all the way to LA City Hall, which was used as the Daily Planet on TV's Superman. And Adam-12 have just driven past Tyrrell Buick on Lankershim. 

Next to this local coverage of Miss Lankershim Auto Dealers was the story on the 1970 murder of a young man who worked at a Hollywood bookstore called Metropolis. 

 Buy a vowel for Employee please

Horrific murder and a senseless loss of life. Sadly, his grave doesn't even have a photo posted or flowers. I got out of Los Angeles (FINALLY) earlier this year, or I would go try to get a pic, as I am a findagrave contributor [I did many at Calvary in Los Angeles and Woodlawn in Santa Monica -- which has quite the Masonic display!] If you can get to Forest Lawn, consider posting a photograph for this young man.

I could not find any follow-up on the case. Was anyone arrested?

When Reed turns east on Hortense, there is a glimpse of Le Petit Chateau French restaurant. It only recently became "The Comedy Chateau" -- at least it's no Monster Box! 

Hortense, east of Lankershim, however, is the site of a crushing outbreak of Monster Boxes. Exhibit A:

The first cross street you come to heading east is Denny. Denny has this lovely 1926 home, showing how people should live. Across the street is a Monster Box, showing how the greedy, "pack 'em in" crowd thinks humans should live -- in oversized boxes. Luckily Google's back-in-time feature let's us see the neighborhood-appropriate house that used to be there. 

For me, this blog is as much about Valley nostalgia (and grieving) as it is about Adam-12. Adam-12 fortunately preserved a lot of things on film, even if only in passing in many cases. I originally thought the Valley was all mid-century homes with the rare genuinely old home designated an historical landmark. However, I now know many, many 1920s homes line Valley residential streets, and quite a few courtyard apartment (or "garden apartment") complexes from the 1940s are still around. [I've even found some pre-1920s homes, mostly in Van Nuys, and that shocked me!] 

Los Angeles is a city of greedy politicians, greedy developers, and overpopulation, including people who do not grasp what "carrying capacity" is. Thus, single-family homes have been declared the enemy, and the Monster Box has eaten 21st century Los Angeles. I have a fledgling blog about this horror show. On the street Reed turned down, Hortense, Monster Boxes have devoured most everything in their path. This 1948 two-unit complex is holding on, but for how much longer?

Several things happen in this episode "Log 56:Vice Versa," but the woman in the dress that appears to be made of carpet is shooting at an impressive home on Valley Spring Lane -- a home that is no more. I went far down the rabbit hole with the home's society page owners, Mr. & Mrs. John Winn. Then I found Dick Whittinghill! We'll start with the Adam-12 part that preserved the house for the masses. Then I'll share what I learned about the house and the Winns, and later the Whittinghills.

A Mrs. Martha Heath took out the permit in April of 1936 for $4500. She must have planned to live in it herself because she lost her expensive watch in Hollywood and asked it to be returned here.

Imagine inviting strangers to show up nowadays! However, the sales ad (below) sounds like it's brand new. $15,500 is roughly $295K in 2021. 

There is not one single house, not even one that is half burnt down and in a neighborhood with non-stop gunfire, that would list as "low" as $295K in the Valley today. Without going into Bubble Politics, just know the median Valley home price is now an unsustainable $955,000 [reported in mainstream media in July]. That is not a typo. That's just insanity in print. 

The median household (not individual, household) income in the Valley is around $72,000. See the disconnect?  Many homes are purchased by investors and corporations; there is also money laundering, both foreign and domestic. Real estate is a popular place to park ill-gotten gains. Alas!

I am grateful for the production decision to leave the real house address showing!

Mr. and Mrs. John E. Winn (Mrs. Winn's name was Bernice) were the first long-time owners. The Winn Family ladies had quite a few mentions in the local paper. After Mr. Winn's death at only 58, the house was quickly put up for sale. A few of their newspaper appearances, including a photo of the ladies:

Mr. Winn was a member of the Scottish Rite. So was my grandfather in the 40s/50s, oddly enough. Granddad wasn't a Shriner though! If Mr. Winn lived there 23 years, maybe they didn't buy it until 1939?

Mr. Winn must have had good insurance, being a successful insurance broker. By early 1964 Mrs. Winn (Bernice now!) was living in Toluca Lake! Upgrade from that North Hollywood address. He doesn't appear on Findagrave. 

Who bought the house? Dick Whittinghill.

Not sure how long they stayed there, but he is clearly the reason the house ended up on Adam-12, as he himself ended up on two episodes of Adam-12, including season 3, episode 25 "Log 88-Reason to Run." 

Do I have a true crime case at his restaurant? You know it!

Remember in the pilot episode when Art Gilmore played "Lt. Val Wangsgard"? Look who the actual Lt. was on this robbery case at Dick Whittinghill's Restaurant! Clearly they were giving a shout out to a real officer whom they met while making the show. Then he became "Captain Moore."

Not sure what happened with the house between the early 70s and this sale. Quite possibly the Whittinghill family were there the whole time. Dick Whittinghill passed away in January 2001, so I kind of suspect he had lived there since 1963. 

 It survived into the next century, but not for long, as Monsters keep eating LA.

Some helpful soul on imdb gave addresses for the house with the stolen furniture (4288 Elmer) and the ice cream truck drug pushers (4426 Kraft).

Time for another case. A whole house on nearby Elmer has been robbed.

The Elmer house was for sale a couple years after the episode. 

21' living room? 

I liked that they were in an actual house and not on a soundstage.  The Elmer house is walking distance from their last incident (unless you're an Angeleno) two streets east, located one house from the corner of Elmer and Valley Spring. Valley Spring continues east just a generous house lot's distance to the north of the former Winn Family home. 

Notice the corner house as it was then. (Yes, I've backed up in the story to show the original corner house.)

The robbery house has undergone some changes, but the neighbor house isn't even the same house! 11245 Valley Spring Lane was new in 2017. 

And Grandma Walton was one of the burglars.

I know it's a thing to spot the gold Mustang in every scene, but have you noticed how frequently a 55, 56, or 57 Chevrolet gets some screen time? More, please!

Heading back toward Adam-12 Square at Moorpark and Tujunga -- I want to make it happen! 

#Adam-12Square

"Credit Risk" episode shows the big brown apartment complex that took over this corner in 1971. 

Kraft Avenue north of Moorpark has largely (not entirely!) retained its stretch of original Valley houses. Let's look!

Even the homes from the 20s-40s still had their original look on Adam-12, and having walls, fences, and massive amounts of thick greenery to block your home from view was just not the done thing then. Now it's all privacy hedges, gates, walls, and drastic remodeling or tear-down-to-monsterize altogether. Didn't Malloy tell a woman, during a safety check (with "Shaft Alley!" kid) that privacy hedges actually give criminals a place to hide?

At the beginning of this episode, Malloy realized Reed would be driving that day, and boy did he look P.O.'d. That's kind of his default look actually, but it intensified here with Buz 2.0 at the wheel. Then it ends with Reed driving over his hat. Poor Peeved Pete.

I haven't included a single Mac Moment this post, so let's flash back to how their day began.