Sources of info for 50s Los Angeles

[Hypersmurf]

PS - I'm a Librarian, so I hope I didn't go overboard in my natural enthusiasm for assisting with research.

I don't think the concept of 'overboard' applies Thanks

-Hyp.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Mickey Cohen was with the Los Vegas mob under Bugsy Seigel. Jack Dragna led operations in Los Angeles during the period in question. When I say that organized crime was king, I meant it. The combination of the Jewish, Irish, and (most famously) Italian mafia controlled most any criminal activity that was profitable anywhere in the US.

Cool. Was there any significant Jewish or Irish influence in LA, or was it primarily the Italians running things?

In this case, its largely invented that the 'I Love Lucy' show was extremely contriversal because Lucy was married to a Cuban (Desi Arnez). I'm sure it bothered someone somewhere, but it must not have bothered many people or at least none with TV's.

Gotcha - ta.

-Hyp.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Rebel Without A Cause - believe it or not, I've never seen it, but the synopsis sounds promising. American Graffiti is set a decade later, isn't it?

-Hyp.

American Graffitti is technically set in 1962, but you'll still get a good dose of the teenage car/hot rod culture that typified LA and the American west of the late '50s and early '60s. 1962 is early enough that rock 'n roll is still coming of age, LA surf culture hasn't yet gone public, and the counter-culture revolution hasn't started. '60-'62 have more in common with the late '50s than with the latter part of the decade. I think it's worth viewing for broader research -- you'll get some ideas you can apply.

Edit: Oh, man, how could I forget! You need to check out Dragnet -- cop show set in 1950's LA. The original TV series (1952-59) is probably available somewhere, as are the movies (original 1954, remake 1969 -- then a one-off spoof with Dan Akroyd as Joe Friday's son in 1987).

Any bunch of RPG PC's in 1950's LA should have a run-in with Joe Friday. "Just the facts, ma'am."

 

[Celebrim]

American Graffitti is technically set in 1962, but you'll still get a good dose of the teenage car/hot rod culture that typified LA and the American west of the late '50s and early '60s. 1962 is early enough that rock 'n roll is still coming of age, LA surf culture hasn't yet gone public, and the counter-culture revolution hasn't started. '60-'62 have more in common with the late '50s than with the latter part of the decade. I think it's worth viewing for broader research -- you'll get some ideas you can apply.

The '50's' as we think of them as a culture probably lasted until almost the end of the 60's (certainly until 1966), and some of the culture and music that we think of as distinctly 1960's is actually from the first few years of the '70's.

I think 'Rebel Without a Cause' is a great movie to watch, as its probably the definitive period piece. I should also in all fairness say that I despise it, and the following 'review' should be considered highly biased.

There are several things to note when watching the movie. First, not a 'youth peice', meaning that its neither created by a 'youth culture' (such a thing doesn't exist yet in middle class America), nor ironically is its message targeted at members of the youth. Instead, its part of a class of '50's movies targeted at the parents of youth as a warning of what 'bad parenting' might lead to. Remember, the great overriding fear of this period is that they will fail thier children, and great overriding belief of the children is that thier parents are failing them. So this movie sets out to first demonstrate to a presumably skeptical middle class parent that the troubles and tribilations that the youth are experiencing are (despite how silly they might seem to someone who grew up in the 1930's), quite real and serious, and secondly to provide advice on what a good parent should do to correct this situation should they percieve some delinquincy in thier children (namly, provide more traditional parental roles for thier children). Of course, this is as completely silly of a theory as it comes off as at the ending of the movie, and is particularly silly considering that this same father figure supposedly suffering for lack of manliness is generationally speaking the same that stormed the beaches in Normandy and Iwo Jima. Naturally, the movie's main impact was to convince the middle class youth of America that thier spoiled, bratty angstyness was completely legimate.

If I could say a thing in the movies favor, it is that the other movies of this genera tend to blame the problems on the poor, and this one didn't flinch from suggesting that the real problems were developing in the middle class.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Another one I just remembered ... and perfect for the Hispanic-themed California setting: the movie La Bamba (1987). Richie Valens grew up poor in California, and died in 1959 - he would be a hero to many young Hispanics in that period and later.

 

[Celebrim]

Another one I just remembered ... and perfect for the Hispanic-themed California setting: the movie La Bamba (1987). Richie Valens grew up poor in California, and died in 1959 - he would be a hero to many young Hispanics in that period and later.

Good call.

 

[Hypersmurf]

You need to check out Dragnet -- cop show set in 1950's LA.

Any bunch of RPG PC's in 1950's LA should have a run-in with Joe Friday. "Just the facts, ma'am."

I've seen the Aykroyd/Hanks film, but never the original series. Not sure how much luck I'd have tracking it down for rental! The movies might be easier to find.

Another one I just remembered ... and perfect for the Hispanic-themed California setting: the movie La Bamba (1987).

Duh. Believe it or not, La Bamba came up in conversation yesterday, and it didn't even register as an obvious connection to me! Thanks

I might even have a twelve-year-old Richard Valenzuela show up as an NPC...

I think 'Rebel Without a Cause' is a great movie to watch, as its probably the definitive period piece. I should also in all fairness say that I despise it, and the following 'review' should be considered highly biased.

-Hyp.

 

[phindar]

If no one's mentioned it, Denzel Washinton did a movie called Devil in a Blue Dress. I liked it, which is not to say its a great movie only that I'm a sucker for old-style, film noir detective flicks. Its set in post-WW2 LA, and the main character is a black private detective named Easy Rawlins. If you're not familiar with it, the movie was based on a series of books by Walter Mosley. (Don Cheadle is great in this movie, btw.)

 

[howandwhy99]

LA Confidential

This is probably your best bet, if you're doing a genre piece. And, of course, Chinatown

 

[Hypersmurf]

This is probably your best bet, if you're doing a genre piece.

It also happens to be about the only one I already own

I expect I'll mostly be using it for background look-and-feel of the city - the cars people drive, the clothes people wear, the guns people carry - since I think most of the locations are opposite end of the spectrum from where the game will take me...

-Hyp.