Thursday, January 13, 2022

All Roads Lead to Studio City or the Backlot

Log 52: Good Cop -- Handle with Care, Season 2, Episode 3, aired Saturday October 4th, 1969.

This is the one where the two creeps follow our heroes everywhere, accuse them of misconduct, take pictures, and interfere with police business with predictable deadly results. 

Malloy and Reed are headed north on Lankershim, with General Tire and Far East Terrace visible. 
They only go as far as Acama, where Motorville Tires remains to this day (only now it has a Monster Box behind it and the giant Comcast NBC Universal black monster building can be seen in the distance). 

Adam-12 1950s cars classic cars Lankershim Motorville Tires

Their turn west on Acama leads them through a wormhole that comes out in the alley that runs to the south of the Radford Lot (CBS) in Studio City! 

As they drive east from Radford Avenue, they come to an opening where we can see through to Ventura Boulevard and spot Curlbusters Hair Salon, which was at 11910. 

Adam-12 Curlbusters Beauty Salon Hair Ventura Blvd Studio City 1969

Curlbusters Hair Salon Ventura Blvd Studio City 1966
The building now listed as 11908 1/2 was built in 1940.  Curlbusters also makes an appearance in Log 94: Vengeance, Season 2, Episode 19 (along with General Tire!) This same corner comes back later in the episode.


Where Malloy and Reed find the man on the ground, they are behind the area that soon became Firestone Complete Auto Care (built in 1974). You can almost see the sign of The Iron Horse restaurant, which had been in business since 1945.

Iron Horse Steaks Ventura Blvd Adam-12

Iron Horse Steaks Ventura Blvd 1965
Throw in the Pontiac dealer drive-by on Lankershim:
And then wormhole (!) we're on Ventura Blvd in Studio City at Laurelgrove going past that one-time "Lido Manor" boxing arena, with the former Bowl-a-Rama bowling alley that then became Phil Gerard's Ski World at 12229 Ventura (where the gold onion dome place is now).  More on that area in my post on The Ferret episode.

At least I believe that's what the triangular sign was. The neon arrow (watch for it when they go by) appears to be the former Bowl-a-Rama one.
Adam-12 1969 Phil Girard's Ski World former Bowl-a-Rama Studio City

Phil Girard's Ski World 12229 Ventura Blvd Studio City

That's almost $300 in 2021.  Notice Phil Gerard/Girard two ways in the same ad! By 1973 they'd decided on a spelling and moved west to Encino so you could "join a new social world":
Phil Gerard's Ski World Encino 1973

But what about crime? I found one at the old Bowl-a-Rama. Not during Adam-12's time, but during Pete Malloy's time on the force:
Bowl-a-Rama Studio City crime
The Sid and Marty Krofft Enterprises billboard is either a tie-in with the former bowling alley complex, else maybe advertising their Vanowen location (?)  
Sid and Marty Krofft billboard Ventura Blvd Adam-12 1969

Sid and Marty Krofft Enterprises 1968 Vanowen San Fernando Valley

On a personal note: Pufnstuf probably scarred me for life sticks with me the most, but the one that really motivated me at the time was Kaptain Kool and the Kongs

Then we're back to the backlot. 

Fans of the backlot might like seeing these houses. 

Actor Carl Reindel had a lot of credits, but notable to me, he was on a Naked City episode.
Actor Carl Reindel on Adam-12
Ah, Malloy teeth. Every time you get a good look at Malloy's bottom teeth, I can hear my friend saying, "Topol, the smoker's toothpolish."
Pete Malloy smoker
Actor Ben Frank was on two episodes of Adam-12 and three of Police Story. Not to be confused with the restaurant on Sunset, Ben Frank's (now a Mel's Drive-In). 
Ben Frank actor on Adam-12
Adam-12 drive him north on Carpenter to Ventura Blvd, where there were far fewer giant things in 1969. [Off-camera to the right of the 1959 building was Curlbusters.]
Ventura Blvd at Carpenter 1969
Now it looks like this:
Adam-12 location now Good Cop Handle with Care
On the north side of that intersection, the industrial looking buildings behind the businesses in the foreground are parts of the former Republic Pictures (then CBS Studio Center). It was in buildings like these that the Rifleman, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Gilligan's Island, Wagon Train, the Big Valley, the Wild Wild West, and loads of others were filmed. So when John McIntire ("Dan Muldoon" of Naked City fame!) was dealing with the latest Wagon Train guest stars, he was indoors, right here, just south of Ventura Boulevard, where Adam-12 would film once TV slid into color. Pretty wild, huh.

Another look at Curlbusters as Reed wrestles with a very high Ben Frank. The car is stopped on the northeast side of Carpenter at Ventura. 
The Standard Oil station was presumably at 11905 Ventura, where Firestone would be as of 1975. I could not find a record of it. Of more interest to me is that 58 Chrysler! (Might be a 57?) Cars used to have faces.
1958 Chrysler on Adam-12
Then the very high Ben Frank character goes to an external shot of the real Central Receiving. Central Receiving Hospital, at 6th and Valencia (east of MacArthur Park) was demolished to make way for the new Rampart station -- the original Rampart station was used for Adam-12 headquarters, even though they are Central Division, and in actuality patrol mostly North Hollywood. Ah, television! 


A Mac moment (or two):
William Boyett Sgt MacDonald Adam-12

William Boyett Sgt MacDonald Adam-12

Mac's blue eyes were always red. Maybe to do with Mr. Topol the Smoker's Toothpolish? Maybe Mac smoked too. Don't tell me.

Patys in Toluca Lake makes an unexpected appearance!
Patys Toluca Lake on Adam-12

I have always written "Paty's" -- just now I realize there is no apostrophe! Photo I took in November 2021. Gee, I should have walked down the street to show the view in the Adam-12 photo. I blew it! 

Patys Toluca Lake

Another wormhole takes them to this Texaco where we see a '62 Dodge Dart, with its grille within a grille odd look. Messes with my mind, man! My parents had a '65 Dodge Dart -- a normal-looking car.
1962 Dodge Dart on Adam-12
The Hollywood Freeway is that-a-way, but I'm not sure which Texaco this was. 
It was Studio City anyway -- despite the wormhole that leads to a shot going up Hoover between the two churches of the opening credits! 
Adam-12 opening credits street Hoover
After that unexpected leap from the Valley to downtown, we're back on the backlot. 
Adam-12 Universal backlot

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