I was extremely young, but I got to see both the Brown Derby and Romanoff's in their heyday, in the late 1950s. I remember driving by the Brown Derby several times in my parents' 56 VW convertible, but begged to enter the 'hat' but my parents said that it was too expensive so I never got to eat inside. But my step-grandmother, who worked for Walt Disney in the 1940s did introduce me to Romanoff's which had deep red leather booths and was full of atmosphere. She treated me to a light lunch inside and I remember having cherry jello that was cut up into cubes, served in a fancy glass dish with a dollop of whip cream on top. No, I don't remember any celebrities walking in, at only four years old I would have been ignorant of them.
@@reddykilowatt My parents were as poor as church mice. We couldn’t afford to window shop - I sat on a peach crate instead of a chair. However, Disney was practically giving away passes to Disneyland, so I saw it a few times.
Romanoffs was also a great restaurant. It was operated by raconteur Prinve Mchael Romanoff. A fake Russian prince. He also appeared on radio and some films as a minor character. He was a fake prince, but everybody played along.
I had to go to the Ambassador Hotel for a conference - I actually didn't want to go to that Hotel because of its association with RFK's assassination. Had to go - business issue.
You are the ultimate California tour guide. You have so much knowledge in your head and i truly hope everything you know is passed down to future generations
horrible to think that rfk jr is the son of Robert Kennedy, who I loved = to JFK. (I was not old enough to vote for JFK but I was old enough to vote for RFK.
This is a great video! I have always wondered what the Brown Derby looked like exactly back in the 40s and 50s. I love the picture of the Brown Derby hat with all those pretty red flowers in front of it! Such a pretty picture! It does look just like a Derby hat. The cutest restaurant that I've ever seen! I also liked seeing the present Brown Derby. It's too bad that it's not open anymore, but I'm glad that the building is still around. Now when I watch LA at Last, I'll be able to picture in my mind exactly what the Brown Derby looked like. Thanks, Rick!
I've eaten at the recreation of the Brown Derby at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. Each time I go in and see the semicircular booths and the drawings of the stars on the walls I immediately think of the I Love Lucy episode.
I always figured that the Lucy episode was supposed to be set at the Brown Derby in Hollywood on Vine Street. That was the location best known for being frequented by movie stars and celebrities.
Just watched a TH-cam video the other day about the Brown Derby. I had to laugh a little when you said "some interesting characters as you walk by" thinking gahaha they may have been saying the same thing about you lol 😆
Dear Rickster, I luv your grand tours. Yes, I do believe that I drove by this area years ago. IF they still served the food that was in the ILL ep -- it would be great to have the same food that L, F & E had (if only at 1950s prices). I'm always hopeful with you and everyone here around. PS - I luv your natural highlights.
That was very interesting. I've heard of the Brown Derby restaurant and remembered watching the I Love Lucy episode. What was also funny was seeing people walking around LA without jackets. It's freezing cold right now where I live in Kentucky LOL.
. In 1984 I was taking a seminar at the Ambassador Hotel, and I would park my car in the Brown Derby parking lot located just behind what was remaining of the Brown Derby. The dome structure was absent and all that was remaining was the floor, part of the kitchen and some of the brim of the hat. I stood there gawking at that location, I could see on the floor where the door used to be and imagined all of the movie stars that walked into that historical place.🤩 (I wished I would have picked up a piece of the rubble). Thanks! 👍👍
Neat! You've gone out into the wild again. I swear 🤬 when my parents and I went in 1978, we ended up in that area some how. I believe I remember taking pictures out the car window of The Brown Derby. And I was amazed we were stopped at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. I'm glad 😊 somethings are still around in some way. 👍
Rick, great video! The Brown Derby that was referred to on "I Love Lucy" was the one on Vine St. that overtook the original Brown Derby when it came to it's celebrity clientele. Great work! I remember when Robert Kennedy was killed. I have two ice cream cups that belonged to the Ambassador Hotel.
Hey Rick! Congratulations on the new camera. It looks great! Cool video! Your advice about being aware of your surroundings is advice that’s good ANYWHERE these days.
First time i ever heard of the brown derby was redd foxxs follow up series Sanford...where Fred is looking for Cal and one of the places he could be was "the brown derby on Wilshire"
Graffiti and broken escalators. At least we know you really are in LA 😅. Thanks for the video Rick. Used to go to the BD on Thursday nights back in the late 80's.
Thank you Rick. Very interesting video. The first time I ever heard about the Brown Derby was on the I Love Lucy Show. I always thought it was just a place they made up. I see now that I'm wrong. I didn't know it was a real place untill this video. Thank you again.
Great info, interesting but supposedly the Brown Derby seen on Lucy was the location on Vine St just south of Hollywood Blvd which is also no longer there but a sort of facade was built to pay homage that BD location. It's the building just south of the Taft building on the corner.
You are Great! I appreciate you doing this..I didn't know that Any part of the Brown Derby was left. GREAT! Thank you for the tips also about being safe. Pray that GOD BLESSING YOU
I enjoyed this tour, and I appreciate the effort and research it takes to put these videos together. Thank you!! I am impressed with the new camera, the automatic stabilization amazes me! 👍
In 1980, I saw the original Brown Derby (got within ten feet of it). It was very run down. The economy was very down with double digit inflation, double digit unemployment and double digit interest rates. As to when it was torn down, IDK. I was in the military at the time, visiting LA.
Ecxcellent video. Whenever I was in LA my favorite resturaunt was Lawrery's where they had the best prime rib ever and i would frequently see celebrities dining there. Is it still in Beverly Hills?
The Brown Derby was an outstanding example of what's sometimes called "California architecture." They'd build a hot dog stand in the shape of a giant hot dog, or a coffee shop in the shape of a coffee cup. The Brown Derby was, of course, in the shape of a derby. I don't know what examples are left, not just in California, but it was famously said once that one of the coffee cup coffee shops had become a dry cleaners.
Great video. I’m just wondering if Lucy would have visited the Hollywood Brown Derby on Vine St.which we see in the backdrop from her balcony and therefore a lot closer to her hotel.
Love this! I have always wondered about this place and where it used to be. I had done a little research but didn’t find much. Love this video. Thanks for doing this one.❤
Location field trips are the best! I have been to those locations when I was very young, but I have memories of them. My grandma used to work at the ambassador hotel and there were always lots of stars and pictures of her with them.
Rick: You did a wonderful job on the video in Los Angeles, California! I know is nice and warm there! I'm freezing here in Pennsylvania! I'll kid not about the weather right here in the Keystone state for sure period and that's that!
Always cool to see whenever you go out to certain locations to show where certain things took place or once stood, especially when it comes to something as well known as The Brown Derby. Keep up the great work Rick, I hope you’re doing well. Take care!
Interestingly, I stayed at the Ambassador Hotel back in 1980. There were photos of Robert Kennedy and other celebrities in the foyer. It was a nice hotel back then.
The recreated Brown Derby isn't at Universal. It's at Disney withing Hollywood Studios. It's so fun to go there and eat Cobb Salad and grapefruit cake!
And while it was quite authentic when it opened, like everything "Disney," the quality and authenticity have declined while the prices have escalated. Walt Disney would not be proud.
This was a really good video. First, Hawaii was good to you! You look tan and the sun lightened your hair some. Next, the new camera and its stabilization really works well! Especially when walking up and down the escalator. Smart purchase! The subject itself I felt needed a bit more history and a bit more connection with I Love Lucy, but it held its own. Last, what grabbed me the most, was the visual representation of the passing of time. Especially the Kennedy memorial. The total disrespect now for the events that happened then was evident in the graffiti. Very sad. Regardless, good work overall, with a lot of potential for you to maybe consider filming short in depth documentaries on historical events or Hollywood history as it pertained to the shows you cover. You’ve honed your craft for sure. Please keep expanding the gifts God has given you! 😁
It's a great camera and I do live here. I may upgrade to the more expensive once since I’m really happy with this one and the quality really appeals to my audience
Thank you for showing us where the Brown Derby stood and where unfortunately Robert F. Kennedy was shot. I was only 12 years old then but I remember when it happened. ❤
The I Love Lucy episode referred to was not set at the Wilshire location shown in this video. It was supposed to be the one on that existed on Vine. But it’s fun to see the dome from the Wilshire location. Thanks.
I knew that the Brown Derby hat existed but I didn't know exactly where. I'm a Southern California guy, so I will make a pilgrimage soon. The neon sign is now at the Museum of Neon Art (MONA) in Glendale, CA.
I ate at the original Brown Derby that was shaped like a derby. this was in the early 1970's on my family's first trip to CA (we lived in NY). I remember the food being good and that I had a picture taken in front of the derby. Unfortunately I have no idea what happened to that picture or else I would post it here. It was a happy memory of that trip.
As I recall from old photos, there used to be caricatures of celebrities in the Brown Derby like the ones in Sardis’s on Broadway. I wonder what happened to all that original Art?
4 main artists from the Brown Derby, Eddie Vitch in the 30's, ZEL in the 30's-40s, Poncho Willmarth 30s-50s, and Jack Lane from 1940s-75 is the most famous.. ..Vitchs' Family owns his caricatures and displays them at gallerys Lane, Poncho and ZELs art has met the auction block ..you can see many original pieces of all 4 artists at the Red Onion In Palos Verdes CA., and some are at the "hollywood brown derby" in Disney World, Orlando.
I ate at the brown derby in 87 or 88 . It was the location that was featured in i love Lucy. I know it closed in 89 and they tried to preserve it . But I do still have a glass from the brown derby .
Wow, hasn't changed in 25 years almost as me & mom, in our last smoking trip (she actually quit at "the turn of the century " but i cheated for a few more years!) in Fall '00 Speaking of Century, isn't that called Century Plaza across street? We grabbed a bite over dere ... LA has more bldgs downtown but the vibe is the same, and those gorgeous palm trees & plants❤🌴🌵🌇
I’ve been searching for color pics of the brown derby during the 50’s and only find black and white pics. The only color pics I could find were from the 40’s.
As you state the top of the hat is there, but you did not mention or perhaps did not notice the brim of the hat is also there as well right in front. That is what that cylindrical type low wall of sorts is in front of the “hat”
@@ricknineg It may be a recreation of the brim, but not the original like the rest of the "hat." In the early '80s, the landowner decided to redevelop the site, which was still, at the time, a working restaurant. Knowing they'd have a hard time getting it by any landmark preservation authority, they decided to demolish it without seeking approval. So, one night, after the restaurant closed, they brought in bulldozers and started tearing it down. Fortunately, someone reported it and the police showed up to halt the demolition - but, by the time they got there, the brim had been reduced to rubble. It was weird driving by it afterwards, with the dome still there but the brim gone.
Didn't know there was more then one Brown Derby in California. I read somewhere that when Ronald Reagan died that Nancy Reagan was given the booth from the Brown Derby where they always sat when they dined there
The last owners were dying to tear down the original Derby, but there was an outcry from the public. Then we had the Northridge Earthquake. Before inspectors could check the location, the owners blew it up, and turned it into this tacky strip mall. If there's a restaurant in that dome, they're serving Asian food.
I was extremely young, but I got to see both the Brown Derby and Romanoff's in their heyday, in the late 1950s. I remember driving by the Brown Derby several times in my parents' 56 VW convertible, but begged to enter the 'hat' but my parents said that it was too expensive so I never got to eat inside. But my step-grandmother, who worked for Walt Disney in the 1940s did introduce me to Romanoff's which had deep red leather booths and was full of atmosphere. She treated me to a light lunch inside and I remember having cherry jello that was cut up into cubes, served in a fancy glass dish with a dollop of whip cream on top. No, I don't remember any celebrities walking in, at only four years old I would have been ignorant of them.
@@ronkemperful wow that’s really cool! You grew up in a pretty cool era.
Too expensive? The Brown Derby was basically a sandwich shop. Despite being a Hollywood icon, it was not a fancy restaurant.
@@reddykilowatt My parents were as poor as church mice. We couldn’t afford to window shop - I sat on a peach crate instead of a chair. However, Disney was practically giving away passes to Disneyland, so I saw it a few times.
@ what is this? a Rodney Dangerfield routine? 😂
Romanoffs was also a great restaurant. It was operated by raconteur Prinve Mchael Romanoff. A fake Russian prince. He also appeared on radio and some films as a minor character. He was a fake prince, but everybody played along.
Very cool, Rick! I wish the building had been preserved. I was at the Ambassador Hotel before it closed. Thank you for the tour, and please do more!
I had to go to the Ambassador Hotel for a conference - I actually didn't want to go to that Hotel because of its association with RFK's assassination. Had to go - business issue.
Appreciate that you bring us into the old wonderful world of Hollywood which today is nothing more than an old sign to me.
Cool video! Nice to see that at least part of The Brown Derby survives.
Sure is!
You are the ultimate California tour guide. You have so much knowledge in your head and i truly hope everything you know is passed down to future generations
One of your best videos. Your camera certainly gave us a sense of reality.
Wow, thank you! I am so happy with the quality and how the video came out
Thank you for remembering Robert Kennedy. As time goes on, people forget.
horrible to think that rfk jr is the son of Robert Kennedy, who I loved = to JFK. (I was not old enough to vote for JFK but I was old enough to vote for RFK.
@@LJ-ht4zs me too
I truly don't think Bobby Kennedy will ever be forgotten, much like his brother JFK. EVER
"A broken escalator shouldn't have an out of order sign, it should say stairs"- Mitch Heberg
😂😂
This is a great video! I have always wondered what the Brown Derby looked like exactly back in the 40s and 50s. I love the picture of the Brown Derby hat with all those pretty red flowers in front of it! Such a pretty picture! It does look just like a Derby hat. The cutest restaurant that I've ever seen! I also liked seeing the present Brown Derby. It's too bad that it's not open anymore, but I'm glad that the building is still around. Now when I watch LA at Last, I'll be able to picture in my mind exactly what the Brown Derby looked like. Thanks, Rick!
@@susie6301 you know if you google it, you can see what the actual restaurant looked like
I love these videos! Very cool to see historical sights the way they are now, especially if it has something to do with one of my favorite tv shows
I've eaten at the recreation of the Brown Derby at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. Each time I go in and see the semicircular booths and the drawings of the stars on the walls I immediately think of the I Love Lucy episode.
Boy, what a change from 25-30 yrs. ago. So sad. Thanks, Rick.
I am very happy to bring it to you
I know. I lived there back in 2003 and there was a lot more nostalgia. It’s sad that there’s graffiti there.
I always figured that the Lucy episode was supposed to be set at the Brown Derby in Hollywood on Vine Street. That was the location best known for being frequented by movie stars and celebrities.
Just watched a TH-cam video the other day about the Brown Derby. I had to laugh a little when you said "some interesting characters as you walk by" thinking gahaha they may have been saying the same thing about you lol 😆
Dear Rickster, I luv your grand tours. Yes, I do believe that I drove by this area years ago. IF they still served the food that was in the ILL ep -- it would be great to have the same food that L, F & E had (if only at 1950s prices). I'm always hopeful with you and everyone here around. PS - I luv your natural highlights.
That was very interesting. I've heard of the Brown Derby restaurant and remembered watching the I Love Lucy episode. What was also funny was seeing people walking around LA without jackets. It's freezing cold right now where I live in Kentucky LOL.
. In 1984 I was taking a seminar at the Ambassador Hotel, and I would park my car in the Brown Derby parking lot located just behind what was remaining of the Brown Derby. The dome structure was absent and all that was remaining was the floor, part of the kitchen and some of the brim of the hat. I stood there gawking at that location, I could see on the floor where the door used to be and imagined all of the movie stars that walked into that historical place.🤩 (I wished I would have picked up a piece of the rubble). Thanks! 👍👍
Thanks, Rick! Love your tours, not just for the history for old favorites, but I've always been fascinated by Los Angeles.
That was really good Rick thank you for the tour, I have often wondered about The Brown Derby as it is mentioned often in old movies.
I'm definitely an I love lucy fan!😅
Neat! You've gone out into the wild again. I swear 🤬 when my parents and I went in 1978, we ended up in that area some how. I believe I remember taking pictures out the car window of The Brown Derby. And I was amazed we were stopped at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. I'm glad 😊 somethings are still around in some way. 👍
Omg I'm always thoughtful thank you. Onward 🌈 to more great presentations.
Rick, great video! The Brown Derby that was referred to on "I Love Lucy" was the one on Vine St. that overtook the original Brown Derby when it came to it's celebrity clientele. Great work! I remember when Robert Kennedy was killed. I have two ice cream cups that belonged to the Ambassador Hotel.
It's architecturally significant to the area, hopefully it remains part of the landscape.
I just read that L.A. At Last was filmed on December 2nd, 1954. Good timing, Rick!
I love timing things perfectly!
@@ricknineg👏👏👏👏
Having gotten my master’s degree In English from UCLA in 1971, I remember so fondly all these locations! Love watching your channel!! 🩵💛🩵💛
Wonderful! Thank you so much for the support
Showing us the original derby was really cool! It makes me want to find out what IS there and go there the next time I'm in LA!
Hey Rick! Congratulations on the new camera. It looks great!
Cool video! Your advice about being aware of your surroundings is advice that’s good ANYWHERE these days.
Thanks for sharing that experience.
First time i ever heard of the brown derby was redd foxxs follow up series Sanford...where Fred is looking for Cal and one of the places he could be was "the brown derby on Wilshire"
Graffiti and broken escalators. At least we know you really are in LA 😅. Thanks for the video Rick. Used to go to the BD on Thursday nights back in the late 80's.
Thanks for showing the top of the brown Derby for old- timers like me it’s like part of my childhood and I didn’t even know it was there❣️
Thank you Rick. Very interesting video. The first time I ever heard about the Brown Derby was on the I Love Lucy Show. I always thought it was just a place they made up. I see now that I'm wrong. I didn't know it was a real place untill this video. Thank you again.
Thank you for posting this video, Rick! I love this! The episode with Bill Holden at the “watering hole” is my favorite.
Thank you for this. It was great to see.
Great info, interesting but supposedly the Brown Derby seen on Lucy was the location on Vine St just south of Hollywood Blvd which is also no longer there but a sort of facade was built to pay homage that BD location. It's the building just south of the Taft building on the corner.
Thank you for a fun and informative video. Your videos are always a treat and fun to watch. Keep up the great work as always and thanks again.
Great Tour, really enjoyed it !
You are Great! I appreciate you doing this..I didn't know that Any part of the Brown Derby was left. GREAT!
Thank you for the tips also about being safe.
Pray that GOD BLESSING YOU
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for sharing this was very interesting and informative too bad they didn't put up old pictures of the Derby.
I enjoyed this tour, and I appreciate the effort and research it takes to put these videos together. Thank you!! I am impressed with the new camera, the automatic stabilization amazes me! 👍
In 1980, I saw the original Brown Derby (got within ten feet of it). It was very run down. The economy was very down with double digit inflation, double digit unemployment and double digit interest rates. As to when it was torn down, IDK. I was in the military at the time, visiting LA.
I ❤when you go on location!
The Brown Derby episode is
so amazing and one of my
favorites🙂Thank you much!
More to come!
Great video! Thanks
Nice job Rick. After seeing the episode when I was a kid I always wanted to go there and order the derby tossed salad.
Hey Rick , there's a coffee place on Wilshire Blvd ahead of Robertson Blvd, that we all know, Mickey D's😂
thank you for all you do amazing and Thank you Rick Nineg amazing so wonderful information.
Cool video. I'm amazed how few people there are on the streets in daylight. It's actually kind of creepy.
It was Sunday just before noon. The immediate area isnt really high in regards to attractions and most drive here so pedestrian traffic is low.
Great job, Rick. I'm glad the structure still exists. Great memories of L.A.'s past, and certainly of that memorable Lucy episode.
Ecxcellent video. Whenever I was in LA my favorite resturaunt was Lawrery's where they had the best prime rib ever and i would frequently see celebrities dining there. Is it still in Beverly Hills?
The Brown Derby was an outstanding example of what's sometimes called "California architecture." They'd build a hot dog stand in the shape of a giant hot dog, or a coffee shop in the shape of a coffee cup. The Brown Derby was, of course, in the shape of a derby. I don't know what examples are left, not just in California, but it was famously said once that one of the coffee cup coffee shops had become a dry cleaners.
Addendum: Wikipedia has an entry, and lots of pictures, under "novelty architecture."
Great video. I’m just wondering if Lucy would have visited the Hollywood Brown Derby on Vine St.which we see in the backdrop from her balcony and therefore a lot closer to her hotel.
Love this! I have always wondered about this place and where it used to be. I had done a little research but didn’t find much. Love this video. Thanks for doing this one.❤
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the tour and history of Brown Derby!
I wanted to visit the original Brown Derby on my only trip to LA, and was disappointed it was no longer there. Very cool video, Rick!
Thanks, Rick, for this interesting look at a part of Hollywood history. Your good work is so appreciated!
Glad you enjoyed it
So good to see your face! I actually pictured you with brown hair and brown eyes!
Location field trips are the best! I have been to those locations when I was very young, but I have memories of them. My grandma used to work at the ambassador hotel and there were always lots of stars and pictures of her with them.
I actually knew what you were going to talk about because you previously did this on a map generation - but it's great to see it for real, Rick!
I love the on location field trips ❤ Thank you Rick enjoyed 💯🫶💕⭐️📺😇
Rick: You did a wonderful job on the video in Los Angeles, California! I know is nice and warm there! I'm freezing here in Pennsylvania! I'll kid not about the weather right here in the Keystone state for sure period and that's that!
It’s cold for us now but probably hot for you hahaha
Always cool to see whenever you go out to certain locations to show where certain things took place or once stood, especially when it comes to something as well known as The Brown Derby. Keep up the great work Rick, I hope you’re doing well. Take care!
Interestingly, I stayed at the Ambassador Hotel back in 1980. There were photos of Robert Kennedy and other celebrities in the foyer. It was a nice hotel back then.
What an exciting experience!
@ricknineg We did the whole Beverly Hills tour. Went past Lucille Ball's place. Didn't see Lucy. I would have spotted that red hair.
The recreated Brown Derby isn't at Universal. It's at Disney withing Hollywood Studios. It's so fun to go there and eat Cobb Salad and grapefruit cake!
And while it was quite authentic when it opened, like everything "Disney," the quality and authenticity have declined while the prices have escalated. Walt Disney would not be proud.
This was a really good video. First, Hawaii was good to you! You look tan and the sun lightened your hair some. Next, the new camera and its stabilization really works well! Especially when walking up and down the escalator. Smart purchase! The subject itself I felt needed a bit more history and a bit more connection with I Love Lucy, but it held its own. Last, what grabbed me the most, was the visual representation of the passing of time. Especially the Kennedy memorial. The total disrespect now for the events that happened then was evident in the graffiti. Very sad.
Regardless, good work overall, with a lot of potential for you to maybe consider filming short in depth documentaries on historical events or Hollywood history as it pertained to the shows you cover. You’ve honed your craft for sure. Please keep expanding the gifts God has given you! 😁
My grandparents and my mother used to go on special occasions to the Brown Derby back in the early forties during World War II
Isn’t the Brown Derby in Arcadia the last of the chain still open in the LA area?
That was seriously cool. I always wanted to see the Derby.
Thank you, Rick. Pretty sure you're using an DJI Osmo Pocket 3. I dig mine too.
Seems like you must be a local. Might see you around town sometime.
It's a great camera and I do live here. I may upgrade to the more expensive once since I’m really happy with this one and the quality really appeals to my audience
The Coconut Grove was the famous night club at the Ambassador Hotel.
Very cool to see! 😊
Thank Rick. I take my hat off to you.🎩
I remember it alone in the 1970's and maybe in the 1980's before the modern shops were built on top of it.
If I'm not mistaken, the Brown Derby at the universal is a functioning restaurant and I ate there when I was visiting Disney World
Thank you for showing us where the Brown Derby stood and where unfortunately Robert F. Kennedy was shot. I was only 12 years old then but I remember when it happened. ❤
Well she tripped over the waiter and that's how Bill Holden got covered in pie😅😂
nice one!
The I Love Lucy episode referred to was not set at the Wilshire location shown in this video. It was supposed to be the one on that existed on Vine. But it’s fun to see the dome from the Wilshire location. Thanks.
I knew that the Brown Derby hat existed but I didn't know exactly where. I'm a Southern California guy, so I will make a pilgrimage soon. The neon sign is now at the Museum of Neon Art (MONA) in Glendale, CA.
Now the only place we can eat inside of a hat is at The Hat, and it's not even a hat.
@@DedhedWaldo The Hat in Simi Valley.
The Brown Derby may have been the most famous restaurant in the US back then.
@@David-yw2lv and it was actually a hat.
@@tagbarzeev8283 Upland for me.
I ate at the original Brown Derby that was shaped like a derby. this was in the early 1970's on my family's first trip to CA (we lived in NY). I remember the food being good and that I had a picture taken in front of the derby. Unfortunately I have no idea what happened to that picture or else I would post it here. It was a happy memory of that trip.
As I recall from old photos, there used to be caricatures of celebrities in the Brown Derby like the ones in Sardis’s on Broadway. I wonder what happened to all that original Art?
4 main artists from the Brown Derby, Eddie Vitch in the 30's, ZEL in the 30's-40s, Poncho Willmarth 30s-50s, and Jack Lane from 1940s-75 is the most famous.. ..Vitchs' Family owns his caricatures and displays them at gallerys Lane, Poncho and ZELs art has met the auction block ..you can see many original pieces of all 4 artists at the Red Onion In Palos Verdes CA., and some are at the "hollywood brown derby" in Disney World, Orlando.
I ate at the brown derby in 87 or 88 . It was the location that was featured in i love Lucy. I know it closed in 89 and they tried to preserve it . But I do still have a glass from the brown derby .
Thank you Rick
Wow, hasn't changed in 25 years almost as me & mom, in our last smoking trip (she actually quit at "the turn of the century " but i cheated for a few more years!) in Fall '00
Speaking of Century, isn't that called Century Plaza across street? We grabbed a bite over dere ...
LA has more bldgs downtown but the vibe is the same, and those gorgeous palm trees & plants❤🌴🌵🌇
Took my date from Senior Prom/ Biltmore Hotel in the early 70's here for dinner
It wasn't that busy then. .
I met the son of the owner, who became the owner at a Dunkin donuts near my house several months ago. He retired to central Florida.
Terrific video. Sad they defaced the RFK school memorial. So LA.
I’ve been searching for color pics of the brown derby during the 50’s and only find black and white pics. The only color pics I could find were from the 40’s.
Keep in mind most of the color ones are colorized and not original color
@@ricknineg Yep. Thanks Rick love your vids
❤❤❤❤❤
$20 parking! Takin’ one for your art! It’s tragic that even busy urban areas are no longer safe anywhere not just LA😢
Not only be hopeful but also love others
As you state the top of the hat is there, but you did not mention or perhaps did not notice the brim of the hat is also there as well right in front. That is what that cylindrical type low wall of sorts is in front of the “hat”
I believe you are correct! I didnt notice it in person at all. But on camera in post it dawned on me that it was the brim
@@ricknineg It may be a recreation of the brim, but not the original like the rest of the "hat." In the early '80s, the landowner decided to redevelop the site, which was still, at the time, a working restaurant. Knowing they'd have a hard time getting it by any landmark preservation authority, they decided to demolish it without seeking approval. So, one night, after the restaurant closed, they brought in bulldozers and started tearing it down. Fortunately, someone reported it and the police showed up to halt the demolition - but, by the time they got there, the brim had been reduced to rubble. It was weird driving by it afterwards, with the dome still there but the brim gone.
WE L0VE YOUR CHANNEL 😊
I Love Lucy was supposedly at the "Hollywood" Brown Derby on Vine, not the one on Wilshire.
You're mistaken. The episode of "I love lucy," featuring the brown derby, represents the Vine Street location, not the Wilshire blvd. Location.
Didn't know there was more then one Brown Derby in California. I read somewhere that when Ronald Reagan died that Nancy Reagan was given the booth from the Brown Derby where they always sat when they dined there
The last owners were dying to tear down the original Derby, but there was an outcry from the public. Then we had the Northridge Earthquake. Before inspectors could check the location, the owners blew it up, and turned it into this tacky strip mall. If there's a restaurant in that dome, they're serving Asian food.
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Been there several times. I think it is used for storage. I don't know why they didn't paint it brown. Not the best neighborhood.
Is there anyway to know Lucy was referring to this location or the Vine street location which apparently was frequented by celebrities? Hmmm...