Photos Showing What Los Angeles Was Like In The 1940s
Los Angeles was a city very much in transition in the 1940s, as wartime industry boomed, population expanded, and Hollywood grew in scope to transform L.A. into a major economic hub.
While it was in many ways an exciting time, the era also saw tensions including housing shortages and civil rights struggles. Let’s explore this transformative period in the history of the City of Angels.
The drive-in scene flourished.
Southern California’s mild weather and car culture made it the ideal site for drive-in restaurants, which offered diners the convenience of having a carhop deliver food to their car.
This image shows a restaurant called ‘The Track’ in 1949. It’s worth noting that McDonald’s, which first opened in nearby San Bernardino, was originally a drive-in restaurant.
Smog was, and is, an LA staple.
In an era before environmental protection regulations, smog was an ever-present problem in 1940s Los Angeles.
Driven by wartime industries that emitted pollutants, along with a boom in the automobile industry, the city experienced a major smog event in 1943. It was the first time LA would grapple with a smog issue, but hardly the last.
Citizens took notice.
While smoggy cities had existed for decades at this point — just look at London in the late 19th century — the 1940s marked the first time that Angelenos had dealt with significant smog.
This photo shows a group of members of the Teamsters’ Union, clad in gas masks, picketing against the smog that was produced by a varnish factory.
The era had a moody aesthetic.
This rare color photo shows Hollywood Boulevard at nighttime, with neon lights illuminating the busy street, in 1941.
The explosion of light and color was picturesque, but not long after this picture was snapped, the lights would be dimmed for several years after the United States entered World War II.
The era of the celebrity was here.
Thanks to the proliferation of movie theatres and the mass reproduction of music, more people were aware of celebrities than ever before.
This image of a dapper trio — Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra — shows three of the biggest stars of the era. Each one contributed to wartime morale and postwar pop culture in their own way.
It was a hub for Art Deco.
The Art Decor school of architecture was not an LA invention, but the style nonetheless permeated the city in the midcentury years.
Many of the most iconic buildings in Los Angeles, such as the Eastern Columbia Building, Wiltern Theatre, and NBC building, seen here, showcased the bold lines and geometric patterns of Art Deco.
The war effort brought many jobs.
This image shows the Lockheed factory in Burbank in full production during the war years. Lockheed was a major producer of military aircraft, notably the P-38 Lightning, which was manufactured in Burbank.
Because time was of the essence, the factory operated around the clock, employing tens of thousands of workers, many of whom were women.
Veterans returned home after the war.
The war years were an uneasy period for Los Angeles, as the boom in industry was tempered by paranoia about a potential attack from Japan.
After victory was declared, celebrations took place throughout the city. This image shows the display at the Tribute to Victory Celebration, which was held in October of 1945 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The city was a melting pot.
It’s easy to get caught up in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, but this image of a group of train porters is a powerful reminder that people from all walks of life called the city home.
These porters worked out of Union Station, which was the central transportation hub for the city throughout the 1940s.
Wilshire was becoming an important street.
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the most noteworthy arteries in Los Angeles today, and it was already growing in importance in the 1940s.
The road, which stretches from downtown to the Pacific Ocean, saw office buildings, department stores, and iconic buildings constructed along its route during the decade.
Riots were not unheard of.
The famous riots of the 1960s and 1990s were preceded by the Zoot Suit Riots in 1943, in which white U.S. servicemen clashed with young Mexican-American men, many of whom wore flamboyant “zoot suits.”
This shows Paul Acevedo as he poses in his torn zoot suit after being attacked. It was a watershed moment for racial tensions in the region.
Sports fans had plenty to keep them occupied.
While Major League Baseball wouldn’t arrive until the 1950s, Los Angeles still had top-flight football in the 1940s after the Cleveland Rams moved west and set up shop in the cavernous Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The Coliseum is a venerable venue that’s hosted just about everything in its long history, including two Olympic Games.
Homes like this were aspirational.
It’s somewhat of a cliché that the rich and famous people of Los Angeles live in homes in the Hollywood Hills with expansive views of the city.
While this isn’t always true, it often is — and this glimpse inside the home of actress Patricia Detring shows what a well-appointed 1940s Hollywood home looked like.
Radio was big.
By the 1940s, movie theaters were commonplace, and even television was starting to gain ground — but radio was still far more commonplace.
This image of director Cecil DeMille illustrates the changing face of media. While he was best known for directing films, he’s actually taking part in a CBS radio drama in this image.
Walt Disney was at his creative peak.
This picture of a smiling Walt Disney, operating a complex machine to produce sounds, is emblematic of his role as a creative visionary.
While Disney was in financial trouble early in the decade, he was able to rebound with the release of animated classics like Dumbo, Bambi, and Fantasia, all of which were released in the ’40s.
Beach culture gained a foothold.
Southern California has a seemingly endless array of picturesque beaches, and the beaches that are in or close to LA — such as Santa Monica Beach, seen here — have long been cherished attractions.
Santa Monica Beach offered not just traditional beach activities like sunbathing and swimming, but also various amusements thanks to the nearby Santa Monica Pier.
Movies were filmed at big studio lots.
It didn’t take movie studios long to figure out that centralized lots, which could hold various sets, costumes, and personnel, were the most efficient way to produce movies.
This picture shows Bing Crosby as he jets around the Paramount studio lot in the late 1940s. At the time, he was filming the Irish comedy Top o’ the Morning.
Various stars crossed paths.
This fascinating 1945 image shows Groucho Marx and Lucille Ball as they rehearse for the ‘Hollywood Victory Caravan,’ a touring show to celebrate the end of the war.
While Marx was a well-known figure at this point, Lucille Ball was more of a minor star. She’d become a household name in the decades to come.
The Rose Parade was already a New Year’s tradition.
While New York marks the new year at midnight, Los Angeles tends to celebrate it during the afternoon of January 1st with the iconic Rose Parade in Pasadena.
The parade features spectacular floats, an array of roses, and of course the famous Rose Bowl college football game.
The Hollywood Sign was different.
The Hollywood Sign is an iconic symbol of the film industry, but it was originally put up to advertise the Hollywoodland real estate development.
Never intended to be a permanent fixture, the sign persisted for a few decades before falling into disrepair. Restoration efforts shortened its name to read simply ‘Hollywood’ and fix up the crumbling letters.
