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. 

Adam-12 Studio City Bunny Hop on Ventura Blvd

Adam-12 do the Bunny Hop on Ventura Blvd in Studio City in "The Ferret,"  Season 4, Episode 6.

The best location in this episode, for me, is the street of much older homes which are (most likely) gone now. Also, I'm guessing the industrial park scenes are El Segundo. If anyone knows for sure, please share! There are a couple shots downtown showing City Hall in the background too. It's not a standard "patrol North Hollywood" episode. This will be "The Ferret Part One" and cover the easy part -- Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, with our officers checking out a "temple" between Rhodes and Laurelgrove, and later going forward, jumping back, going forward again, west on Ventura Blvd from Vantage to Laurelgrove. The attempt to disguise Laurelgrove as a non-existent street is pretty funny! [Keep reading-- I get to it.]

In the top photo, Malloy and Reed (although MeTV always says "Reed and Malloy" -- don't they know Tod gets top billing? Check his contract!) are driving east on Ventura, just past Rhodes, and Spechts Lamps is on their right. Spechts has since become a place called Dwell. The two buildings east of Spechts' 1940 building were demolished and replaced with a 1974 structure that was home to a Radio Shack in 1976.

I always find it amusing how news reports and financial "notices" will say North Hollywood, whereas the business seeking prestige puts Studio City! I always wonder if I'm looking at the same trees. They were so much shorter in Adam-12 days! I presume they are the same trees, but maybe not. Some have probably been replaced. The boulevard median (making it a boulevard!) wasn't there in 1971, so those trees are new anyway.

The "temple" that Malloy and Reed enter in search of the man providing the "mojo" clay had previously been the Artistic Yarn Shop, but it closed up in 1966. Prior to that it had been a cafe in 1963, and apparently a new business called Restaurant Aquarius, serving Dutch Indonesian food. What happened between 1966 and 1971, I don't know, but in 1972 it was used as the headquarters for Democrats for Nixon. I suspect it was vacant when Adam-12 shot there. Just to the west, next to Spechts Lamps, at 12346 Ventura Blvd, was a restaurant serving Italian food in 1963. In 1972, it was hiring people to serve sandwiches. The bulldozer took both buildings out and replaced them with one big building in 1974. Most of this stretch of Ventura Blvd still has its original buildings, many from the late 30s and early 40s.

As soon as you saw the "Reverend" Sabeth, did you also burst out "the Good Bomb Made Us All"? It's him from Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Don Pedro Colley! I found this 2013 interview with him on Youtube. Sadly, he passed in 2017.

Speaking of Beneath the Planet of the Apes and James Franciscus, good place to mention my fledgling Naked City blog 😎

Later in the episode they return to Ventura Blvd in Studio City and pursue driver Alma Platt. Alma Platt did four Adam-12 episodes, three Dragnet in color, and had a Twilight Zone (The Trade-Ins, season 3, episode 31). She passed in 1976. 

Studio City Chamber of Commerce time:

Hey, wait a minute! They had passed the Toys and were almost to Studio City Camera Exchange, and then they jumped back a good half a block! Adam-12 doing the Bunny Hop here! 

Hey!!! We already reached Studio City Camera Exchange, and then we backed up a half a block and did it over. Then we got to Sinclair Paints and BOOM. We're BACK east of Vantage again (see photo below; the Sinclair Paints sign is to the right of the red traffic light). When they edit TV shows, they hope you don't notice things like this. I will include a full list of 1971 businesses on the south [right in the screen capture] side of the street down below.

Then we get a view looking east which shows a rare site: possibly Lido Manor at 12229 Ventura.

Notice the big jump in numbers from Sinclair Paints to Crocker Citizens Bank. 12229 had been Studio City Bowling in the 1950s. From 1970-1971 it was Lido Manor, a ballroom and oddly, a boxing arena. Is that what we're seeing here? I sure want to see that sign more clearly! (Perhaps in another Adam-12, as they seem to like this stretch.) That section is missing a lot of numbers because so many establishments had been in there over the years. In 1939, Harry's Supreme Steaks was at 12227. 12227 then became Whitey's Little Bohemia steak restaurant in the 1940s. In 1951, Studio City Bowling at 12229 included the Emerald Cove dancing area.

The INVALUABLE Water & Power website gives us this photo of the area, from the other direction:

Link to the above photo.

Unintentional comedy: Whoever was in charge of such things made the decision to block out the true street sign and instead create a fake one. This is too funny. 😂

As Adam-12 is a police drama, let's talk crime! Here are some news accounts of many 211s at a few of the businesses Malloy and Reed have just driven past:

Back to businesses:

Studio City Camera Exchange was in a large building from 1939. It is now occupied by Paper Source. Champion's boys' and young men's clothing had been Boy's Inc. in the 50s. In the 70s it became Scoreboard -- Everything for the Sports Fan. The southeast corner of Vantage and Ventura has a big Starbucks now, but it had been Nissell's Exclusive Men's Store from 1949 until the end of 1964. In 1968 it was Hunter's Appliance and Carpets -- because the Valley needed more carpet stores (?) You can't see that corner in this episode, but maybe that's where the Tropical Fish sign was (??) Hunter's Appliance, Carpets, and Tropical Fish? 

Sadly, the stretch of Ventura east (and west...) of Vantage has had a LOT of damage. Some interesting architecture was demolished to make way for boxes. 

Here is a list of the businesses that ran along the north side of this stretch in 1971, going east to west (because that's the direction they're driving in this scene):

12153 Studio City Chamber of Commerce 

12155 Security Pacific Bank

12159 Original Coffee Grinder [was B&P temp agency & Lavender & Lace wigs!]

12161 Peter Pan hair salon (yellow sign) [Kitchen Kupboard in 1972]

12163 Helga Van Dyke complete figure correction beauty & body treatments

12169 Coast Hardware

12175 Bank of America

12179 1/2 Blue Angel West jazz club

12181 Clark Dennis Book Shop

12183 1/2 Pronto Camera

12183 Studio City Lock & Key

12191 Glendale Federal Savings

12199 Discount Record Center 

12203 Sinclair Paints

12205 Valley Lighting and Lamps

12215 Sambo's

12223 Prima Motor Co.

12229 Lido Manor ballroom & boxing arena [1973 new Avco Savings & Loan]

12251 Crocker Citizen's Bank [now a Wells Fargo]

12265 Chevron [now a California Pizza Kitchen and a dozen other smaller businesses]

This was a great Adam-12 episode for Studio City business history in that forgotten (or dismissed) period. Most "Valley memories" sites tend to focus on the 40s and 50s. With luck I find some 60s material. The San Fernando Valley in 1971 doesn't have much of a presence online, probably because at the time it didn't seem special and nobody foresaw the total destruction to come. Adam-12 episodes really are an important historical resource for San Fernando Valley history. Time travel with Malloy and Reed -- I just wish they didn't drive by so quickly. 

My unresolved "obsessions" from this episode are these: