Adam-12 Patrol Lankershim and Otsego 1968

 Adam-12 at Lankershim and Otsego in 1968. Nice shot of the Orange Julius and Earll Floor Co. Carpets on the southeast side of the street. The west side of Lankershim has been demolished and rebuilt as a Monsterbox nightmare. 

Adam-12 pass Nudie's Rodeo Tailors and Kentucky Roast Beef

Adam-12 Patrol Nudie's 

Log 164: The Poachers, S3, Ep21, aired February 25, 1971

Not the most exciting episode crime-wise, but some classic San Fernando Valley places on Lankershim make cameos.

The theme here is businesses with horses on the roof.

The one that jumped out at me was Nudie's! Nudie's Rodeo Tailors. I went in there once or twice, probably early 80s. I remember they had a fully signed photo of the Flying Burrito Brothers on the wall, just fading away. 

In my mind, I once stood across the street and took photos of the cowboys on horses on the roof and have it as a real hold-in-your-hands photo. Quite possibly I just always meant to. 

Just to tie in Phil Ochs [who I believe was America's best songwriter ever; he wrote topical songs and his technique was alliteration] -- Phil's best friend Andy's girlfriend Frances worked for Nudie. "She's working for the tailor, makes the western clothes." Phil Ochs' song about his friends, "Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Me." 

Nudie's was often hiring!

I have a clean DMV record and know my way around the Valley. I want that job! 

Almost nobody remembers when Kentucky Fried Chicken had a spin-off, Kentucky Roast Beef, but here it is on Adam-12:

Hard to catch it unless you really obsess over Lankershim Blvd maybe (hee!) but they pass the Silver Saddle Motel right next to the former Kentucky Roast Beef.  

A couple of my own recent photos of the area (note the horse on the roof):

I recognized the Hub furniture store sign at 6418 Lankershim, just north of Victory, and I was very curious about that "Seaside" sign, especially as NoHo is nowhere near the sea. The "Seaside" sign is probably left over from a much earlier business, Bud's Seaside Service which existed in the 50s. By the 60s it was Rayes Shell. Not sure what it was in 1971, but the address is 6335 Lankershim. 

Note: These drive-by shots heading south have jumped back and then back again -- the higher numbers are further north, so coming south, it was The Hub furniture store north of Victory and "Seaside" sign in the 6300 block south of Victory; the Silver Saddle and Kentucky Beef in the 6200 block south of Sylvan before Erwin; Nudie's way down just north of Morrison, getting closer to where Lankershim crosses Vineland.

Adam-12 Patrol North Hollywood is largely just Adam-12 drive up and down Lankershim. 

Yet Tujunga and Moorpark is Adam-12 Square! (Make it happen! #Adam12Square)

Two more items: Whitnall Highway and an actor of note; Sinclair Paint in Studio City

Whitnall Highway, not really a highway, but a collection of giant high voltage towers:

Am I the only one that can't look at Whitnall without thinking "Withnail and I"?

Whitnall and Cartwright. Marty Milner lived on Cartwright in his younger days (further south than this, between Huston and Camarillo). 

I like to think Milner just ad-libbed this classic comedy zinger, but probably not. 

An actor of note in this episode, Scutter McKay. He passed away at only 45, but not before having been in costume on both Pufnstuf and The Land of the Lost. He was on Adam-12 twice ["Log 153: Find Me a Needle" was the other]. I was surprised to learn he had been Freddie the Frog on the New Zoo Revue (oh how I loved that show!) -- and both imdb and Wiki list only Yanco Inone. Whoever's doing the New Zoo Revue blog (please let there be one!), please research this one.

I suspect he was my height, and that is how I would look size-wise compared to the giant officers of Adam-12.

Then we head down to Ventura Blvd to Sinclair Paint:

For that one other person on earth who wondered "how many Sinclair Paint locations were there in the San Fernando Valley in 1972?" 

Not knowing the exact location of this Texaco knocks the wind out of my sails:

At another point the dispatcher sends them to the in-joke of a non-existent street called McWhirter 😀 That's where I'll say this Texaco was, Lankershim and McWhirter! 

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). 

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. 

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.

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.

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":

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:

The Sid and Marty Krofft Enterprises billboard is either a tie-in with the former bowling alley complex, else maybe advertising their Vanowen location (?)  

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.

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."

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). 

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.]

Now it looks like this:

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.

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! 

Central Receiving (police) Hospital in 1957.

A Mac moment (or two):

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!

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! 

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.

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! 

After that unexpected leap from the Valley to downtown, we're back on the backlot.