วีดีโอ

In the late 1940's my cousins and I lived on Frazier Ave in Ocean Park The beach was the playground for the three of us . children. We were warned never to go under the Pier. There was a story that a child had been attacked by a predator and the Pier was off limits. The beach was fine!

As a son of Santa Monica I have to say that pier was one of my earliest and fondest memories. Fishing off the pier or catching a fishing boat there early in the morning and bring back a burlap bag full of fish. In the 50's Santa Monica beach was completely safe for a kid to hang out at the beach with a couple friends all day, I learned to surf there. The sign over the pier a work of art imprinted in the brain of all who lived there. My father was fishing there when the 33 Long Beach earthquake hit - I will have to buy the book and thanks for the background.

This was fantastic, I would like to know what they considered an "unsavory" crowd that led to it shutting down...

Harold Dunnigan was fantastic. He saved my bacon, and changed my life. He was great at Malibu Park Jr. High, Samohi, and Olympic High. What a man.

Nice synopsis! Thank you!! 😎💪🏽

Our family histories are very similar. And my family is from Chihuahua too. But somewhere we just shortened the last name to Peña.

Great video. LA has many, many secrets!

is this more like a trailer? is there a longer more complete video of this?

you saved my life

Fascinating history of the two families who received land grants in Santa Monica Canyon--la Boca de Santa Monica --the Entrada area --and also their descendants--and also their ancestors in Baja CA, New Mexico, including Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in the Inquisition.

thank you ted, for leaving us this testimony. too many went to their graves carrying this injustice with shame...

Great presentation! I believe the actress with Tony Dow is NOT Cheryl Holdridge but is actually Beverly Washburn who also had appeared on "Leave It To Beaver." I'd also heard that the "Rotor" from POP ended up as the "Spin Out" at Magic Mountain.

1:17 - ooof . Rare picture of a natural female bodybuilder from the old days.

Back when it was nice and clean and clear of riff raff and other elements.

Just bought their book - so stoked to find this lecture and presentation! Excellent piece of history with lots of great pictures. Thanks!

Every city should have a muscle beach,well for the ppl that are body beautiful, nothing wrong with it.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this video. What amazing history that you have shared! Thank you very much!

Santa Monica the original muscle Beach

I interviewed Pudgy Stockton many years back. She told some fascinating stories of that time.

I lived there as a kid from about 1958-1965. I moved from Santa Monica - my dad moved there in 1946. I must visit the museum... great history presentation.

There was a period of time between the bodybuilders being removed from Santa Monica and then moving down to Venice when the bodybuilders moved the equipment to a building a a few blocks east of Santa Monica. The equipment was placed in a dank basement of a building and became known as "The Dungeon". The builders trained there until Joe Gold, a retired merchant marine, in 1965, built Gold's Gym on Pacific Avenue in Venice. Supposedly, several of the bodybuilders pitched in a built Gold's out of mostly cinder blocks and cement.The building had no A/C or heat, had a skylight and front and back door they kept open to let the sea breeze cool off the place. The Venice 'Pit" came along later at that time in the mid-60's. Ric Drasin has some great videos here on YT where he talks about IT. Nice job on this video.

One has to assume they will call it "Original Muscle Beach" until the world shows some signs of caring. That day has yet to come. Face it: they blew it the first time around and now it's too little, too late. That's life.

To think those people were considered “ unsavory “ or “ fringe “…. People who were into health and physical culture. If they only knew what today’s “ fringe “ or “unsavory “ types are nowadays. I had the pleasure of meeting George Eifferman in person while he worked as a personal trainer at Las Vegas Athletic Club. Although he was past his prime he still was Muscular and in shape. What a great personality also he gave me his card and I cherish it to this day. Steve Reeves.. John C Grimek all the greats … our current “ body builders “ of today are the most unhealthiest people ever and they’re sadly dying off early in life. Back in the day … only a handful took gear and for low doses and most didn’t like it and stopped using it. That’s why they for the most part had the longest lifespans compared to the “ bodybuilders” of today.

It's a shame. Once all the white folks left, it turned into a hell hole. Now we call it "needle beach" because you can step on a dirty Needle. Come back white folks!!!!

Nice to see this, I grew up in Santa Monica in the 50's and early 60's. It was a wonderful place to be a kid - POP and the Santa Monica airport were my favorite haunts as a kid. With 4 times the population now, it's not the same place.

My first memories of POP were mixed with fun and terror. My 7th grade home room teacher took us there on a field trip. Everything went great until we were headed back to the bus, when this jerky kid decided to show off for some girl. There were these railroad tracks that were placed in the ground for car stops. About 4 feet high. They have sharp edges on the tops. So this kid tried to leapfrog over one of them and missed. It caught his leg and ripped a big gash inside his thigh. He was lucky he didn't rip his balls off, or worse. We had to take him into the medical station and get him stitched back up. That was the first time I saw the insides of a human leg.

The end of the TV program The Fugitive was shot there,

They had one of those bucket rides in Magic Mountain, in July 1979 a couple died when the bucket fell off the cable in high winds.

I was in the 7th grade and our class went to POP. I returned a few years later and saw The Smother's Brothers perform. Then in 1968 I saw Janis Joplin and Big Brother at the old ballroom.

Wasn't Santa Monica the end destination of Route 66?

Very informative! Thank you!

I lived in various parts of Westwood for many years. Great information and photos. Thanks for sharing!

It’s not how you start, it’s how you end and as of now it’s not looking so hot.

The more these pieces of history are seen the chances of bringing them back become greater.

Super Ultra Cool and Awesome

Great History. Thanks for sharing this!👍

This is where Jack La Lanne entered the stage...

A film called "The Witch Who Came from the Sea" (1976) has some great footage of the POP area during it's 'ruins' period. Some of the best I've come across since 'The Slams' (1973).

Kids watching in 2021, Who are those different looking people? Those are white people kids, they lived in California a long time ago.

What fun finding this music and bringing it to life! Thank you for sharing it!!

He was a fantastic High School counselor at Santa Monica College in the late 1980s. His advice changed the trajectory of my life.

I love 💕 this!

Very interesting video! Feel super nostalgic about the pier even though I have never been there 😄

Thank you this is priceless

I wish this would come back.

This was cool and so informative!

Really cool to see how muscle beach started

My Father, Sylvester Paul Killian was the owner of Palisades Glass & Mirror Shop 111 Broadway in Santa Monica, CA from 1922 to 1944. I still have thousands of feet of 16 MM.film from that era. Contact rpkillian@gmail.com 702/732-4871. Rob, call me.

As a homeowner in Westwood who moved here in 2016, I am delighted to have this history of my neighborhood. Thank you!

This is the best video you'll ever see about POP. Every ride that I thought I imagined as a seven-year-old is documented here. POP was absolutely the best competitor to Disneyland; sorry Knotts.