Thank you for uploading these films. I’m 71 now, these scenes really light up my memories! I arrived in SoCal in 1962 at 10 years old. To me it was paradise. Although my mom who grew in Van Nuys told me it really was a paradise, until WWII began, people moved to SoCal to work in defense plants, many service men and families moved there after the war. In 1939 population was almost 7 million, in 1946 almost 10 million then climbed steadily through the 70s. In 1962 population was 17,07200. In 2022 was 39,29032. I guess the thoughts of paradise are relative to the individual. My dad was in the building trades in ‘62, my mom stayed home. My siblings and I grew up in a four bedroom house and parents had 2 cars. I don’t know if it’s possible to do that in an L.A. suburb in 2023. My heart goes out to the younger people trying to get a home and start a family.
It's like a different world. The thing that surprises me the most is how calm, quiet, and spacious it was.. The amount of congestion now by comparison is insane.
@@lg403 During those times the majority of the people lived in rural areas.. They probably had there own farms and were self sufficient.. It was a rarity to go to the big cities back then.. whereas now its the exact opposite and more are versed to live in the city's,, which may change and revert.
I lived in this era.. Life was more disciplined. Society had exceptions on behavior, dress and speech. Dropping F bombs in front of women and children was unacceptable. Women were given higher status but fewer job exceptions. Society was more influenced by standards. Children were expected to obey and respect parents and teachers. Teachers and authority figures had much higher respect. Most men were veterans of the great world wars and small ones of the 20th century that discipline was reflected in society.
i cant help but gravitate to all the cars. they look so neat, so different than what we have now. makes history feel so much more real. i cant believe my dad got to experience these times, it amazes me how long time is but also how close these times actually where to us.
I wish I could’ve lived in those day. I can’t even imagine this. Without this video, I wouldn’t believe the streets weren’t covered in trash, tents everywhere, hobos sleeping on the sidewalks. I could stand on a corner and watch those cars drive by all day long. I know everything wasn’t perfect back then but dang….. there was actually style in everything from cars to buildings. Thanks for posting this one
All the decisions by the people from "those days" set the stage for where we are today. They sold our soul to corporations that run our entire lives. Those people had the money and growth to take care of the future generations and they chose to do nothing. But it was a great time to be alive and driving those streets. You could beat your wife, abuse children, deprive minorites of dignity and freedom, or whatever was on your whiskey soaked brain. Just had to make sure you go to church once a week and give that 15% so society sees you as a good guy and you can sleep at night. Sorry for saying this. I'm not sure I really believe it.
I was a teenager in the 60's. This appears to be an exceptionally clear day. I remember smog so thick that it looked a little like fog. After football practice our lungs would ache and eyes turned blood red. In 2022, we still have air pollution in LA, but the lung and eye irritants are far less. This, however, has been replaced by human feces, urine, needles and other drug paraphernalia nearly everywhere in the city.
Clean streets, no traffic, no graffiti, no sketchy looking people loitering, plenty of street parking and no parking meters. I'm glad my parents got to enjoy those times.
Smaller population back then, less problems to deal with. But again problems of their own time - segregation, racism, war in Vietnam, Kennedy's assasination, space race, possible nuclear annihilation by the USSR. We don't have none of that today, but we've got our own bunch of shit to fix.
I was LAPD working Central Division (Downtown) from 1996 to 2022. I also used to walk a footbeat on Hill St. The section of the video titled 8th St and starts at 2:05 actually starts at 9th St and South Hill St traveling N/B. It goes through what is now the Jewelry District. At about 3:45, on the right is Pershing Square. This clip ends around 3rd and Hill at about 5:00. It then starts the clip titled 7th St. This is actually the 700 block of South Hill St, traveling north, with the camera angled to the right (as it's looking back) and scanning the shops on the west side of Hill St. and ends between 3rd and 4th St. The first part of this clip, up until Pershing Square (the park) is all jewelry stores now. The last part of this clip is essentially the same, but now the camera is scanning the east side of Hill St up until the 400 block. Very cool footage!
@@alexnord5756 I had to use google translate...LOL. Yes, I worked the streets for almost 26 years, almost all of it in Downtown LA...and a majority of that in Skid Row. I'm not lying when I say what I saw in my time I could write books about. DTLA is full of crazies, drug addicts, and thousands of homeless. Whatever crazy things you can think of, I've probably seen it down there.
Back when Los Angeles was a great place to live. Notice how clean it was. Much less traffic, clean streets, no homeless tents, affordable living, safe living and on and on. This video is a time machine, but I wish I had a real one. Thank you for posting this.
@@SallySallySallySally Our problems run much deeper and great than a handful of billionaires in the country. A total of 600-700. That is less than 20% of the population of the small New England town I live in. When the states and federal governments stop lining their own pockets , throwing money to their elite cronies (akin to a circle jerk) and get their snouts out of the business and lives of its own citizens, then maybe we can start to have a functioning society. It will never happen.
The 1960's era cars look so radically different in shape from the 1950's cars, both generations being visible in this amazingly restored beautiful video! Similar to the dramatic change in style that is visible more recently between late 90's cars and early 80's American cars. Time marches on, nothing really remains entirely the same.
At the beginning of the video we’re on Santa Monica Blvd heading west just west of Wilton. I could see the prop house I worked at for over 40 years beginning in 1978. That was at Santa Monica and Bronson. Thanks for posting this video. Those street lights didn’t get replaced with the cobra lights until the late 70’s.
It seems only an old building called Masonic lodge is the same, almost all other buildings have been substituted by more ugly ones. Even industrial buildings were nicer before.
This takes me back to my childhood & if I could go back in time I would never comeback to the 21st century. The view from the rear window of the cars & delivery trucks & buses is exactly what I used to see riding in my dad's '57 Chevrolet Bel Air. His sister drove a '60 Chevy Impala they had those cars new. I was born in 1959 & I was lucky to grow up in the '60's. Thanks for the memories.
What a great video. I've lost all of my grandparents and I couldn't help thinking about how they were in their 40's when these videos were made. I miss them.
Well... time machines do exist. This is better than a movie. You are really there back in time, riding in the back seat of the automobile looking through the window at the streets and the cars, and the people. So relaxing and so real as you are really there. For 9 minutes and 21 seconds we really lived in the 60s Los Angeles. Just like in a dream but with every little detail that captured a lost reality from more than half a sentury ago. It really captures the good life and the sence of optimism that this age had. Life was good then and people thought that it will get better and better... But that bright future was somewhat lost, tarnished along the way.
What's crazy is that we are the first generation that will forever have our future generations be able to look at a snapshot of of our past vividly through the internet and modern video technology.
At the end, did anyone notice those beautiful street lights? What a fantastic clip, just like a time capsule. I often wonder what the kids in this clip grew up to be, like the two kids on their bikes who were looking back at the camera. Magic.
The areas filmed in this video look very similar today; just most of the businesses have changed, maybe that park was turned into condos, etc. These people who claim otherwise probably haven't been to LA today and are looking at the past through rose-colored glasses whilst cherry-picking the present through an ignorant lens.
@@MIchaelSybi color science sucks and put it on a gimbal (sarcasm in geek photography way haha). Pretty interesting film colors though, a lot of violet casting
How clean, calm and peaceful everything looks… thank you for sharing this. All these beautiful cars. No graffiti, no litter, the houses look freshly painted.. the air does not look polluted all tho the cars have no pollution controls what so ever…. Are we all living in an illusion of a better world today?
I'm from Brazil and I'm from the 2000s but this time proves to be a great time to live, it's a shame there isn't a time machine to experience the 60s, 70s and 80s
@Womblike Calm lol ofcourse they were. You're letting your nostalgia get the better of you. People have always been influenced by media (the wireless, the newspapers, politicians and the TV) nowadays we still have all of those things, along with the biggest creation in modern history on top of it: the internet. You only see more of the crazies today because of the internet. Before, they were easier to ignore. And don't think that you're not one of them - we all are in one way or another.
the fact your gen talks about 'freedom' attests to the fact it hasnt happened yet, back then freedom was free, you were not put in stupid boxes, now ya woke agender is a diabolical occult trying to remove anything fun and free
Greetings from Germany and many thanks for your marvelous work. The quality of the footage is stunning. It looks like a movie set of today. And what people say in the comments the change must be immens compared to the time of today. I‘ve never been in Los Angeles, but this is very impressive, because I can feel the city and life back in the day.
@@briansmith48 To be fair, the colorization absolutely *is* computer generated. The unevenness and the dullness of the colors absolutely *reeks* of AI generation. The image was also stabilized and interpolated to 48 FPS. That's why it looks so robotic to you. It looks weird seeing old footage being remastered with modern techniques because you're not used to old films looking this way. The brain expects a shaky, 24 FPS image because that was the best they could do with the technology at the time.
It’s freaking me out right now to realize that I was alive during this time period . As a small child I was always fascinated with cars so I have a vague recollection of traffic looking like this ..
I'm guessing this was from some time in the early '60s, right? I was born in '63, and though I've never been to California, it just shows a little of how things were around the time I was born.
Fascinating. This looks to be filmed in 1961. In the second scene you may notice the Hill Street movie theater marquee featuring William Castle's "Homicidal" which was released in 1961. A minutes or two later the Warren's Theater is passed and the marquee shows 'One Eyed Jacks' also released in 1961.
toward the end and harder to see there is a movie theater with (elizabeth taylor and under her name BU-8) she was in a movie BUtterfield 8 that was released November 1960; prob this theater got its turn in1961, my guess summer of 61. not sure how long a theater played the same movie?
One Eyed Jacks was released on mrch 30, 1961, and Homicidal was released June 28 that year, so this was taken in the summer of 61, except for the last couple of minutes which were taken in 40s. You can tell by the cars.
I just saw the actual where i lived for about 25 years...incredible. I recognized it. From the corner of Wilton Place and Santa Monica Blvd...the view is heading West on Santa Monica...amazing, heading towards Vine Street. I was shocked and right off the bat, very very clean...the streets seemed smooth...it drives by the Hollywood Cemetery on the right side.
I'm not sure why, but this got my heart racing and full of excitement. I'm in awe with seeing those old cars, and just how simple everything looked and felt. Honestly wouldn't mind going back to the 50's.
There was one spot where the car doing the filming cut right in front of another car for no reason at all. A real dick move, in my opinion. But no road rage.
What an incredibly great testimony of that time!! Apart from the much higher technical effort and the higher costs to create such a film (that's not a video!), one didn't have the same addiction to publication back then as people do today with their smartphones. Whoever made this film back then: Thanks from the future!
first thing I noticed when I moved back to LA a few years ago, was how dirty and rundown everything is, wasn't like the 1950s when I was here in the '90s, but it wasn't this bad, the air is a little cleaner though
I work as UBER driver in Los Angeles. I’m always on the streets. In the video the city looks so beautiful. Now the streets are littered with trash and people drunk and on drugs everywhere asleep on the floor and so many homeless people with no where to go. Something is wrong with our politicians and the spirit of our city.
yeh people were so much morally better then and homelessness had nothing to do with the average house cost was $11,900, while the median household income per year was $5,600
@@branc2658 the healthcare is run by science and scientist don’t believe in God. They want to repair the world with surgery and pills instead of addressing the soul & the spiritual affliction’s caused by living in sin
I noticed that too! At the beginning, I was thinking, why are there so few 20 year old cars? Then we leave the commercial district to a more residential neighborhood and it shifts to many more older cars relatively speaking.
Old cars are better than new ones and drive a new one if I could afford a perfect classic car I would drive it everyday over a new one and don’t say I can’t daily a classic people did when they were new it doesn’t change just because it’s the 2020’s
What a wonderful trip ! And all those gorgeous cars ! It's always funny, in California, to see some European cars : here two VW Beetles of course, but, very rare, an Isetta , an MG converible, an NSU Prinz Sport. Thanks a lot. 😘
This is stunning! The images are so sharp it almost looks fake - like it's really a modern movie set with a bunch of vintage vehicles and extras in period clothing. You do incredible work!
Hahaha, I'll show you a recording from back then that makes this look like trash. You kids have no idea how much history is waiting for you to explore it. ruclips.net/video/cZodVIfsaVg/видео.html
@@WitchKing-Of-Angmar While I enjoyed your linked movie clip, it certainly doesn't make this look like trash. While historically interesting, Global Image Works' videos are not technically remarkable. Your linked clip is simply an unmodified, professionally-produced and scripted 1950's commercial for Las Vegas, filmed in wide-screen Cinerama format that was the "Hi-Def" of the time. Vivid Video's clips clearly represent hours and hours of digital colorizing, restorative sharpening and balancing of amateur "low-def" films, probably shot ad-hoc by everyday people - far more "reality" than a carefully-crafted Hollywood fabrication. The grotesque watermark superimposed across Global's videos don't help, either. I suggest you choose your words more carefully.
@@taijuan5087 I chose my words perfectly because I've been at this for ever. First, they literally say it is perhaps scripted in the video. Second, this does not take tedious hours of work to colorize, this is an AI colorization very obviously because if this was really colorized, IT WOULD PERHAPS MAKE SENSE WHEN IT COMES TO THE AUTOMOBILE COLORS BEING SAGE GREEN INSTEAD OF STAR-COMET PURPLE. I have about a thousand films all of varying degrees of quality, I've just never witnessed such a smooth running clip that is very high quality to what I expected, including color because everything in this video that look desaturated, is just the color choices of the era, not the camera. This imbecile who made this video put about 30 minutes into this wildly acclaimed popular video. It isn't their footage, nor is it their work, and when there is real color footage, it is already the better option over this fake oil grease that hardly equates to anything. ruclips.net/video/SZCxP1JLNA8/видео.html
@@WitchKing-Of-Angmar Oooo - I guess I struck a nerve. Sounds like someone is jealous over another RUclipsr's success and popularity! Life Lesson: when you descend into insulting language and meaningless rants - your own credibility goes into the toilet. Instead of calling Vivid History's work "trash", you could have posted something like: "If you like this video, you might enjoy these as well" with a link to yours. Instead you painted yourself as a jealous, mean-spirited, immature little shyster with rage issues. Your mother must be so proud of you.
I love this video. I lived in Los Angeles for several years, off Santa Monica Boulevard, and I always took historic and architectural tours of Hollywood and Downtown. This post really brings the area to life. Thanks so much for restoring all this old footage.
Wow, it's beautiful! It sounds like someone from the 2020s time travel to the 60s and recorded it. The video is really very high quality and well restored
Lol this is not "really well restored." It's automatic frame interpolation which causes major distortion throughout (hence the twitching buildings). Coloring is way off too obviously. The original black and white 24 FPS footage probly looked a lot better...
I'd love to go back to 1961.. I was only 4 years old, but I remember the era quite well. President Kennedy, Mercury NASA program.. Atomic bombs tested in the air..
1961! It looks like a brand new white and red 1961 Chevrolet Impala SS turning the corner at 7:09 minutes. My godfather bought that same identical one in 1961 at Felix Chevrolet, the famous Felix the cat motif car dealership in Los Angeles California back then. $1800 cash fully loaded with the 283 V8 aluminum 2 speed power glide automatic transmission and the Frigidaire under the dash air conditioner system. Beautiful land yatch as I remember it well. Great time to be alive in Los Angeles California. Lived on Temple street and Alvarado street area. Went to Rosemont elementary school off Temple street. Went to the Krispy Kake Kone Kompany for free freshly made ice cream cones all you could take for free!!! Went to Our Lady of Loretto church for catechism. 25¢ a gallon gasoline, $100 a month rent for a big house with all utilities included except for the corded rotary phone of $3 a month. Echo park 1 mile away was my hangout place from 1964 to 1972! Paradise then, a dangerous slum now.
The 1 World Order is going according to plan, like my father in law preached to me 30 plus years ago. Get us out of the UN was the rally cry back in the day. He warned me of Socialism turning into Communism as the final goal. Create Social, Poltical, and Financial chaos through overinflation just like in Nazi Germany in the 30s. How do we stop all this insanity? Most Americans don't like what's going on, but our votes don't seem to count anymore? Glad I grew up in the 60s and 70s at least.
Wow! This is an amazing sight! Los Angeles back then looks so peaceful, clean, quiet and friendly. Almost like you can make new friends and have an easy conversation with other people as well as enjoy living in Los Angeles in peace. Now these days Los Angeles is noisy, dirty, somewhat unfriendly and risk getting yelled at by rude people if you try to have a nice friendly conversation with them. Not to mention thieves breaking into your home and stealing everything that you own so that they can either keep or sell it
This is Spring 1961. There is a movie marquis One Eyed Jacks that was released March 1961. I love seeing these street scenes of people of a different Era going about their day.
Nice catch with your eye. Happy to see the positive comments here of a time where we were all on the right track, a few radical socialists here trying to say it's better now with their safe injection sites, over spending the dollar into 1/100th it's previous value. I'd trade 2023 anytime for 1961. People also had morals.
I wish I can go back in time like this! The streets are completely different and dirty! What time are everybody’s dress up and dresses and suits! I love this!
The cars stand out to me. A good number of those vehicles would be worth quite a lot of money today if they were in the kind of shape they were back when this was made. I also noticed quite a lot of Corvairs for whatever that's worth. I also noted the "older cars" from the 30s and 40s that were still on the road. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time to visit the sights, sounds and just watch the people of that day. I doubt if I'd want to stay, just visit! Thanks for the video!😄
The 30s and 40s cars are only present in the last clip. Which I imagine was probably filmed in the 1940s beause the 40s and 30s cars are the only cars there.
@@threebythestreet I agree. You're correct! Now that I think about it the footage has to be from the 40s. I relooked and not one passing car was from the 50s or 60s. I also noticed that some of the street lamps looked very old fashioned and not the types normally seen in later footage. It's still fascinating footage and it's really cool to see these old cars on the streets once more! The clip is amazing in quality. It's either extraordinarily well-preserved or perhaps they used some kind of technology to restore it. 😊
Well it is a movie! But really this footage would have been shot for a movie or TV--for a process shot (AKA rear projection) for car scenes they shoot on a sound stage.
Back then they used to do a lot of outdoor scene filming on the streets as there were plenty of places to do it around Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles, then supplement it with sound stage shots of interiors (offices, rooms in houses, etc).
Was just down Santa Monica by the cemetery (Hollywood Memorial then) a month ago and it sure as hell didn't resemble the orderly serene traffic found here! Everything was cleaner, not just in cleanliness but in the simplicity of everything! Except for the architecture, it was detailed back then! I took it for granted when I was a kid in the 60s. One Eyed Jacks at the movie house puts this in 1961.
It's amazing how the infrastructure looks largely unchanged...what's more amazing is when you compare this footage to footage 40 years prior, the rate of change is immense.
Lots of stuff happened all the time and things changed rapidly back in the modern era. Every decade was new and unique. But the modern was a long time ago. Nowadays hardly anything changes at all - decades pass by and they are all the same - aside from the slow deterioration of everything, year by year.
@@somerandomvertebrate9262 Things are still changing rapidly, but just in different areas of life. I think during the Eisenhower period there was a focus on infrastructure which saw the rapid development of roading we still see today. But like many are saying, US infrastructure is in need of repair and development.
Politicians get campaign money from defense contractors. So the government spends on the military instead of infrastructure, or healthcare, or education. The US sure is a beacon for democracy.
Human development has been stagnant since the 60s in most fields except consumer electronics and even that is approaching the limits of Moore's Law. Last man walked on moon in 70s, last antibiotic was discovered in the 80s...this century might not turn out so good.
This one hit home. I was 14 & living on Gower near Santa Monica Blvd., about two blocks from where it starts. I knew the downtown streets well too. It struck me that by now, probably 90 percent of all the people in the street, in the buildings, in the cars and buses are dead. Yet wherever they were going and whatever they were doing seemed so important at the time. Now it's just dust in the wind.
The road trip starts right across from Hollywood Cemetery; the car passes by Clifton's Cafe which still is open to this day. an iconic and fun place to eat downtown. It's really close to the Cecil Hotel which is haunted; they drove thru Pershing Square where they have ice rinks every Christmas now; lastly, I was hoping they were going to drive through Bunker Hill where they used to have pretty grand Victorian Homes that slowly disappeared until the early 1980s before they were destroyed and some of them moved. I remembered the last Victorian Home they put on rollers and towed by semi trucks. I was a toddler and my father was involved as one of the supervisors from Caltrans that were to help. Bunker Hill is now home to Museums.
I thought Clifton's finally closed down (at least the one downtown). Was there another in Hollywood or somewhere else in the areas shown in this video?
I remember Pershing Square with all the trees back in the mid-60's. Sadly, too many muggings and other nefarious activities led to more of a concrete parking lot. My mom shopped at Broadway and May Company and then walked across the street to the best Italian food at the Italian Kitchen.
The movie theater marquee shows ‘One Eyed Jacks’ with Brando and Malden. That came out in 1961. I lived in LA for a time and I love watching these old videos to see if I recognize where they are being filmed, but it's not as easy as I think. Except when the street makes it obvious. Great videos. Keep them coming.
I think that for us all, in the end, change doesn't mean too much. I keep my property in good repair, avoiding up-dates, where I can and drive a thirty-year-old auto I brought brand new back in 1993. I think you know what i mean! Greetings from a Brit residing in Arizona.
Im actually thinking of buying a 90's car and restoring it to new, and never changing vehicles again! I hate changing cars! Can I make a restored car last 30 years? will there be petrol then?
Specifically, this was 1961, so just coming out of the 1950's. The film, "One Eyed Jacks" on the marquee was '61, etc. Always a good marker for the year in footage like this.
I was born in the early 60s, so by the time I was in preschool, I could remember when the roads across America still had many of these classics of yesteryear!
"ethnic and cultural extension of Western Europe" sit down Goebbels, listen up...1960 = 95% wealth tax on millionaires + billionaires. Wealth tax paid for quality schools, free college, hospitals, meals and housing for the less fortunate, etc. Reagan's Republikunts axed the tax to 25% and killed our beautiful American dream alright.
Although I'm just a 14 year old who doesn't want to actually live in the 1960s, it does seem pretty cool seeing how the past looked like. It's what I'm here for.
The 2nd series of Colour footage is shot in downtown Los Angeles moving south on Hill Street starting around 8th Street and heading towards 2nd streets with Bullocks (built in 1906) located on 7th & Hill & The Clark Hotel seen in the distance located near Hill & 4th Street… The third shot is taken heading west on 7th street in downtown Los Angeles passing the Warren Theatre located at 401 south 7th Street & the Arrow Drug Store which in 1961 was located at 617 West 7th Street. The final colourised footage seems to have been shot somewhere south of downtown in a residential neighbourhood around the Leimert Park area around 1946-some 15 years later than the first 4/5ths of this video
Was growing up 20 miles south of here during the 50s/70s and what struck me was the smog in the background. In the first sequence notice how the hills in the background get hazier as you travel just a short distance down the road.
Born and raised in San Diego just an hour or so south of LA. We visited the LA area frequently, mostly to go to Disneyland, but other parts of the area as well. This was taken in the very early 60s, but I can tell you that when I was old enough to remember our trips there in the late 60s-early 70s , it WAS a very different place than now. A lot of the romantic thoughts many here are posting about LA in the old days are mostly true. It was so much cleaner and safer (not every area-Watts was still there remember!), but yeah, it really had this feel. The one negative thing I remember was the horrible smog driving into the LA area from San Diego. Much worse than today, believe it or not. Remember, those were the days before unleaded fuel and catalytic converters. The smog was horrible and everyone in my family had burning eyes the whole time we enjoyed Disneyland. A black haze hung in the air just about every time we went there. I still visit there and enjoy my visits, but it is a far cry from what it was back then, sadly.
Vehicle emissions cleaned up considerably since the 70s. Combustion engine vehicle sold today is so clean that it would take 10,000 cars today to equal one smog polluter back then.
I steer far and clear from L.A.. No reason to visit unless work forces me to. I live near Disneyland. It is more like this was then here now. Will it become the L.A. of the future? Hope not.
I was just driving past Pershing Square this morning...did not look like this! Look at the wall of green starting at 5:55...before "improvements" and homelessness and littering and no public decorum. Not that I such a great person - but still, if only it looked like this.
yeh people were so much morally better then and homelessness had nothing to do with the average house cost was $11,900, while the median household income per year was $5,600
@@Grillinnap Sad that you think that way, but it's irrelevant. Segregation doesn't change how beautiful, modern, and tidy America's cities were at the time, unlike today.
it does seem that way but remember that after '63 many people wished for a life they had before kennedy was assassinated. people were upset that women were using bicycles and they were upset that left handed people were beginning to be allowed to prioritise their left hands. im not a historian but i know that the film industry AKA hollywood (as romantically pictured here) was really constantly under threat because their movies were seen as depraved etc and people felt that the before-times were when people valued things better. we always look back but it's most useful to look forward. it would have been cool for them to not get rid of the trams that are pictured here. i think it would have defended the city against growing inequality to some extent. anyway, la today is the most friendly place ive ever lived in by some distance
@@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n Nobody believed it was inequality and the social issues you talk about are far less then tens of thousands of homeless people on the street, addicted to drugs, filthyness everywhere and self centered tik tok generations who can barely tie their shoe laces let alone contribute to society. The majority of young families if you even have a family which is rare can't afford to even buy a house. Every time has it's issue, but not time more then today has more mentally ill, violent, trash filled cities. The fact you can't see this and just spout out "inequality" while you live in one of the most corrupt, dark time in history on the verge of nuclear war with Russia is mind boggling. Maybe this will get through to you, but I highly doubt it. You are a lost soul who believes he's awake, I thought much the same when I was a later teen, but soon figured out the basics by my mid twenties. Pull your head, out, of, your, ass.
It would have been a dream come true to live during this time. Look how clean the streets are and minimal traffic. People wore actual clothes then instead of what they wear now. My parents were young during this time and now I see how easy it was for them to grow in such a clean and crime free city.
Very interesting! This looks like early 60s Los Angeles. My parents were in their early teens back then. People still using early 20th century cars, cars from back in the 10s to the 40s. Streets and homes were much more simple.
As you travel down Hill Street, you see 4th and Hill at 4:30. Beyond that intersection to the right of the screen are buildings completely unknown to me bc they were torn down before the 70's, It was an empty lot in the 70's and 80's. Later the subway station was built on that corner and Bunker Hill above was developed with modern high rises, such as the California Plaza. In this vid, as he moves down Hill Street from 4th, you can see Grand Central Market (with the canopies) on the left.
Thank you for uploading these films. I’m 71 now, these scenes really light up my memories!
I arrived in SoCal in 1962 at 10 years old. To me it was paradise. Although my mom who grew in Van Nuys told me it really was a paradise, until WWII began, people moved to SoCal to work in defense plants, many service men and families moved there after the war. In 1939 population was almost 7 million, in 1946 almost 10 million then climbed steadily through the 70s. In 1962 population was 17,07200. In 2022 was 39,29032. I guess the thoughts of paradise are relative to the individual. My dad was in the building trades in ‘62, my mom stayed home. My siblings and I grew up in a four bedroom house and parents had 2 cars. I don’t know if it’s possible to do that in an L.A. suburb in 2023. My heart goes out to the younger people trying to get a home and start a family.
it def is...im 16 living in la and have no idea how im gonna find a place to live when i graduate
a lot has changed since those days.
They've destroyed this world and humanity by design. Same has happened to London. It's nothing like what I knew growing up.
@@amelianywhere unfortunately
@@amelianywhere Seems so long ago…
It's like a different world. The thing that surprises me the most is how calm, quiet, and spacious it was.. The amount of congestion now by comparison is insane.
World is too overcrowded
You can’t know how quiet is was,there’s no real sound.
@@lg403 During those times the majority of the people lived in rural areas.. They probably had there own farms and were self sufficient.. It was a rarity to go to the big cities back then.. whereas now its the exact opposite and more are versed to live in the city's,, which may change and revert.
@@abc33944 okay That makes sense
I lived in this era.. Life was more disciplined. Society had exceptions on behavior, dress and speech. Dropping F bombs in front of women and children was unacceptable. Women were given higher status but fewer job exceptions. Society was more influenced by standards. Children were expected to obey and respect parents and teachers. Teachers and authority figures had much higher respect. Most men were veterans of the great world wars and small ones of the 20th century that discipline was reflected in society.
i cant help but gravitate to all the cars. they look so neat, so different than what we have now. makes history feel so much more real. i cant believe my dad got to experience these times, it amazes me how long time is but also how close these times actually where to us.
Classic cars are a marvel to the eye.
Before ESG scores shaped modern automotive companies.
The streets of my childhood!
I wish I could’ve lived in those day. I can’t even imagine this. Without this video, I wouldn’t believe the streets weren’t covered in trash, tents everywhere, hobos sleeping on the sidewalks. I could stand on a corner and watch those cars drive by all day long. I know everything wasn’t perfect back then but dang….. there was actually style in everything from cars to buildings. Thanks for posting this one
All the decisions by the people from "those days" set the stage for where we are today. They sold our soul to corporations that run our entire lives. Those people had the money and growth to take care of the future generations and they chose to do nothing. But it was a great time to be alive and driving those streets. You could beat your wife, abuse children, deprive minorites of dignity and freedom, or whatever was on your whiskey soaked brain. Just had to make sure you go to church once a week and give that 15% so society sees you as a good guy and you can sleep at night. Sorry for saying this. I'm not sure I really believe it.
I was a teenager in the 60's. This appears to be an exceptionally clear day. I remember smog so thick that it looked a little like fog. After football practice our lungs would ache and eyes turned blood red. In 2022, we still have air pollution in LA, but the lung and eye irritants are far less. This, however, has been replaced by human feces, urine, needles and other drug paraphernalia nearly everywhere in the city.
@@jdmarti100 Both!
Remember to thank a Politician for the crap hole that we live in today !
As a young kid I am glad I remember that America. Today its a sh!thole because sh!thole traitors in control.
Clean streets, no traffic, no graffiti, no sketchy looking people loitering, plenty of street parking and no parking meters. I'm glad my parents got to enjoy those times.
Smaller population back then, less problems to deal with.
But again problems of their own time - segregation, racism, war in Vietnam, Kennedy's assasination, space race, possible nuclear annihilation by the USSR.
We don't have none of that today, but we've got our own bunch of shit to fix.
omg that's the first thing I thought! there's literally no homeless people and barley any trash!
Ca before Democrats destroyed it
No cellphones no laptops back in those days but it was more peaceful and better back then in L.A. then it is now
2023 в России люди живут хуже чем эти люди на видео (
I was LAPD working Central Division (Downtown) from 1996 to 2022. I also used to walk a footbeat on Hill St. The section of the video titled 8th St and starts at 2:05 actually starts at 9th St and South Hill St traveling N/B. It goes through what is now the Jewelry District. At about 3:45, on the right is Pershing Square. This clip ends around 3rd and Hill at about 5:00. It then starts the clip titled 7th St. This is actually the 700 block of South Hill St, traveling north, with the camera angled to the right (as it's looking back) and scanning the shops on the west side of Hill St. and ends between 3rd and 4th St. The first part of this clip, up until Pershing Square (the park) is all jewelry stores now. The last part of this clip is essentially the same, but now the camera is scanning the east side of Hill St up until the 400 block. Very cool footage!
@2:45 The roof on the left is still there today! It's so beautiful in person.
Your comment was disappointing. Like reading the map of downtown LA. I thought you were going to make some kind of comparison. Try again.
Были ли какие то опасные ситуации или перестрелки во время твоей работы в полиции?
Saw Hotel Clark stayed there for a while.
@@alexnord5756 I had to use google translate...LOL. Yes, I worked the streets for almost 26 years, almost all of it in Downtown LA...and a majority of that in Skid Row. I'm not lying when I say what I saw in my time I could write books about. DTLA is full of crazies, drug addicts, and thousands of homeless. Whatever crazy things you can think of, I've probably seen it down there.
Back when Los Angeles was a great place to live. Notice how clean it was. Much less traffic, clean streets, no homeless tents, affordable living, safe living and on and on. This video is a time machine, but I wish I had a real one. Thank you for posting this.
Learn the structure a sentence man that was a nauseating read
@@Galahad993. And you need to learn punctuation.
@@Galahad993 I'm not sure what you're trying to say with this cluttered sentence, so please start with yourself.
@@Galahad993 Yours isn't much better lol.
Is that you Uncle Rico?
No homeless tents on sidewalks, no schizophrenic yelling down the street, less bars on windows. Makes you want to walk these clean streets.
Exiled in hospitals away from society.
@@SallySallySallySally Our problems run much deeper and great than a handful of billionaires in the country. A total of 600-700. That is less than 20% of the population of the small New England town I live in. When the states and federal governments stop lining their own pockets , throwing money to their elite cronies (akin to a circle jerk) and get their snouts out of the business and lives of its own citizens, then maybe we can start to have a functioning society. It will never happen.
@Micky-french'65 and I bet most of them aren’t even locals.
Pre biden times, no open borders, diversity quotas, and drag queen pedo's.
@@paulpaintshop103 yup it totally looked exactly like this till 2020 . 🙄
The 1960's era cars look so radically different in shape from the 1950's cars, both generations being visible in this amazingly restored beautiful video! Similar to the dramatic change in style that is visible more recently between late 90's cars and early 80's American cars. Time marches on, nothing really remains entirely the same.
I believe I saw a 1920 and some 1930 or 40s cars parked on the side..wow
Glad I wasn't the only one who noticed. I thought the cars in this video looked more 50s, much chunkier than 60s cars.
@@Dytopjewa7631 Can I get the timestamp for that?
@@johndoe5346 you’re right, this video is from the ‘50s. Some shops are from company that were already dead in the 60s
@@derekwillstard3613 The video is from 1961/62. Those are the newest cars I see, plus the movie billboard "One Eyed Jacks" which was released in '61.
At the beginning of the video we’re on Santa Monica Blvd heading west just west of Wilton. I could see the prop house I worked at for over 40 years beginning in 1978. That was at Santa Monica and Bronson. Thanks for posting this video. Those street lights didn’t get replaced with the cobra lights until the late 70’s.
What's a Prop House?
A prop house is a company that rents furnishings, decorative accessories, etc for the sets that you see in a film or TV show.
It seems only an old building called Masonic lodge is the same, almost all other buildings have been substituted by more ugly ones. Even industrial buildings were nicer before.
@@SuperMike1955 OK. Thank you
@@SuperMike1955 thank you ☺
I came to Los Angeles in 1960 and I remember so much of this ! Thank you for posting.
This takes me back to my childhood & if I could go back in time I
would never comeback to the 21st century. The view from the rear window of the cars & delivery trucks & buses is exactly what I used to see riding in my dad's '57 Chevrolet Bel Air.
His sister drove a '60 Chevy Impala they had those cars new.
I was born in 1959 & I was lucky to grow up in the '60's.
Thanks for the memories.
What a great video. I've lost all of my grandparents and I couldn't help thinking about how they were in their 40's when these videos were made. I miss them.
Well... time machines do exist. This is better than a movie. You are really there back in time, riding in the back seat of the automobile looking through the window at the streets and the cars, and the people. So relaxing and so real as you are really there. For 9 minutes and 21 seconds we really lived in the 60s Los Angeles. Just like in a dream but with every little detail that captured a lost reality from more than half a sentury ago. It really captures the good life and the sence of optimism that this age had. Life was good then and people thought that it will get better and better... But that bright future was somewhat lost, tarnished along the way.
Looks like someone travel back in time and was in the past and filmed everything
What's crazy is that we are the first generation that will forever have our future generations be able to look at a snapshot of of our past vividly through the internet and modern video technology.
I think best part of the world 50 years ago, which is underestimated, the population was more than half what it is now.
Beautifully stated. Nice paragraph.
And the best part - you don't have to pay taxes. LoL
At the end, did anyone notice those beautiful street lights? What a fantastic clip, just like a time capsule. I often wonder what the kids in this clip grew up to be, like the two kids on their bikes who were looking back at the camera. Magic.
surprisingly modern, would've loved to walk those streets then, looks so peaceful
No it's not modern, that's why it's nice.
@@erebus79 I guess he meant it feels like it was shot the other day due to framerate and the absence of aged film
The areas filmed in this video look very similar today; just most of the businesses have changed, maybe that park was turned into condos, etc. These people who claim otherwise probably haven't been to LA today and are looking at the past through rose-colored glasses whilst cherry-picking the present through an ignorant lens.
it just looks good on camera, thats the job of a photographer
@@MIchaelSybi color science sucks and put it on a gimbal (sarcasm in geek photography way haha).
Pretty interesting film colors though, a lot of violet casting
How clean, calm and peaceful everything looks… thank you for sharing this. All these beautiful cars. No graffiti, no litter, the houses look freshly painted.. the air does not look polluted all tho the cars have no pollution controls what so ever…. Are we all living in an illusion of a better world today?
The cars of this time emitted much more pollution, this is a fact.
@Eric Too much lead in your brain my friend
This is what the left has done to our cities.
The air pollution then was _horrible!_
@@TheCrankshaftRotator there were many less cars than today…
What an awesome job of remastering this film. I love the bluish, Hugh, and everything looks so pristine. I could watch it all day.
Shoutout to the cameraman who recorded this glamorous video
Man this brings back memories. I was in junior in high school in 1964. That was a great time to be a teenager..late 50s to early 60s.
А где вы живете?
@@НачертательнаяГеометрия-т1щ Калифорния
Not a great time for my black grandfather
@@luiscontreras2949 Я слышал, что негров в то время притесняли в Америке. Даже места в автобусе были отдельные.
@@luiscontreras2949
So you're here to cry about it?
SAD!
I'm from Brazil and I'm from the 2000s but this time proves to be a great time to live, it's a shame there isn't a time machine to experience the 60s, 70s and 80s
You don't want to be a foreigner in Los Angeles in the 1960s.
For real 😂😂
@@quann06 China town and East LA are filled with immigrants who came in the 40's 50"s and 60's who know you are completely full of shit .
@@quann06 Only native American?
That's just exactly what I thought....a time machine to go back to that future. LoL
As a gen z kid... I wish I had a time machine so I could go back in time an experience eras like this. Everything seemed so much simpler!
@Womblike Calm lol ofcourse they were. You're letting your nostalgia get the better of you.
People have always been influenced by media (the wireless, the newspapers, politicians and the TV) nowadays we still have all of those things, along with the biggest creation in modern history on top of it: the internet. You only see more of the crazies today because of the internet. Before, they were easier to ignore.
And don't think that you're not one of them - we all are in one way or another.
for white people, sure
@@Irishgui83 100% true. One example is the power of advertising back then, specifically smoking.
You do have a time machine it is call RUclips.
the fact your gen talks about 'freedom' attests to the fact it hasnt happened yet, back then freedom was free, you were not put in stupid boxes, now ya woke agender is a diabolical occult trying to remove anything fun and free
Greetings from Germany and many thanks for your marvelous work. The quality of the footage is stunning. It looks like a movie set of today. And what people say in the comments the change must be immens compared to the time of today. I‘ve never been in Los Angeles, but this is very impressive, because I can feel the city and life back in the day.
At first I thought it was computer generated. It being so nice and all. 😀
So clean, so new. WoW!!!
Thank you :)
Dem kann man nur beipflichten.
Was man zu sehen bekommt ist absolut beeindruckend.
It could be created by AI
@@briansmith48 To be fair, the colorization absolutely *is* computer generated. The unevenness and the dullness of the colors absolutely *reeks* of AI generation. The image was also stabilized and interpolated to 48 FPS. That's why it looks so robotic to you. It looks weird seeing old footage being remastered with modern techniques because you're not used to old films looking this way. The brain expects a shaky, 24 FPS image because that was the best they could do with the technology at the time.
Absolute heartbreak watching this video and knowing what LA has become
It was so beautiful back then
It is
They completely wrecked it.
Heartbreak?? Don't be a snowflake.
@@westcoastdude4777 It is a heart break. Before the fascist leftists took over and destroyed these cities, LA etc were amazing.
So clean, and so civilised, I wish I had a time machine to go back to that era and place and then stay there.
Any white man wouldve enjoyed it, anyone else.... not so much.
Me too, just with a few changes.
I hear you, but it was a Harder life though…not as many coochie jobs..people had to bust their asses back then
Next stop 1960
@@TiltBrook *cushie
My grandparents were kids-teens in the 60s, They always tell me stories of them during that time, It's so wonderful ♥
these remastered historic video foots are absolutely amazing! Thanks for bring the history back to life
It’s freaking me out right now to realize that I was alive during this time period . As a small child I was always fascinated with cars so I have a vague recollection of traffic looking like this ..
I'm guessing this was from some time in the early '60s, right? I was born in '63, and though I've never been to California, it just shows a little of how things were around the time I was born.
Gary Kerns I would say late 1959 or 1960 because there is a Ford Falcon in the Falcons came in for the 1960 year.
@@1223jamez On the left, I noticed a 1961 Pontiac at 4:20.
@@1223jamez Also, noticed quite a number of '60 Chevys.
also weird to think about that people like Jeffrey Dahmer and Richard Ramirez where literally babies when this was shot
Beautiful... I would never have thought that a shot from the city could be so relaxing.
Fascinating.
This looks to be filmed in 1961. In the second scene you may notice the Hill Street movie theater marquee featuring William Castle's "Homicidal" which was released in 1961.
A minutes or two later the Warren's Theater is passed and the marquee shows 'One Eyed Jacks' also released in 1961.
toward the end and harder to see there is a movie theater with (elizabeth taylor and under her name BU-8) she was in a movie BUtterfield 8 that was released November 1960; prob this theater got its turn in1961, my guess summer of 61. not sure how long a theater played the same movie?
THAT SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT!
@@mrcoldshower2823 Yes-- Karl Malden in "One Eyed Jacks" is also playing...released 1961,
I wondered why I didn't see a Mustang, and now I know why. They didn't exist until 1964.
One Eyed Jacks was released on mrch 30, 1961, and Homicidal was released June 28 that year, so this was taken in the summer of 61, except for the last couple of minutes which were taken in 40s. You can tell by the cars.
I just saw the actual where i lived for about 25 years...incredible. I recognized it. From the corner of Wilton Place and Santa Monica Blvd...the view is heading West on Santa Monica...amazing, heading towards Vine Street. I was shocked and right off the bat, very very clean...the streets seemed smooth...it drives by the Hollywood Cemetery on the right side.
I'm not sure why, but this got my heart racing and full of excitement. I'm in awe with seeing those old cars, and just how simple everything looked and felt. Honestly wouldn't mind going back to the 50's.
Me to
You would be crying for your phone within 24 hours
@@scholaroftheworldalternatehist Probably. I wont doubt that. But I still would not mind going and living in this time.
I'm guessing you're white.
@@AlCatSplat Interesting...
People driving nicely, no tailgating, speeding or giving people the finger.
There was one spot where the car doing the filming cut right in front of another car for no reason at all. A real dick move, in my opinion. But no road rage.
What an incredibly great testimony of that time!! Apart from the much higher technical effort and the higher costs to create such a film (that's not a video!), one didn't have the same addiction to publication back then as people do today with their smartphones. Whoever made this film back then: Thanks from the future!
I did live in those days and yes it was alot cleaner than today. Oh to go back to those simpler times of life. I loved it. 😍
first thing I noticed when I moved back to LA a few years ago, was how dirty and rundown everything is, wasn't like the 1950s when I was here in the '90s, but it wasn't this bad, the air is a little cleaner though
Easy for a white person to say lmao
Male average wage in 1960 was $5,400. Women's incomes averaged $1,300. Wanna go back?
Did you also harass black people?
@@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n but cost of living was also cheaper
Watching these videos of the times when I grew up when things were so innocent and fresh, and to see it now makes me realize we are so near the end
I work as UBER driver in Los Angeles. I’m always on the streets.
In the video the city looks so beautiful. Now the streets are littered with trash and people drunk and on drugs everywhere asleep on the floor and so many homeless people with no where to go. Something is wrong with our politicians and the spirit of our city.
The movie shows a world run by conservatives. And today you see a world run by boomers, leftists and citizens of the world.
It’s not the politicians! It’s the society that is the problem as a hole...
yeh people were so much morally better then and homelessness had nothing to do with the average house cost was $11,900, while the median household income per year was $5,600
May be at those times the healthcare system was in public hands.
@@branc2658 the healthcare is run by science and scientist don’t believe in God. They want to repair the world with surgery and pills instead of addressing the soul & the spiritual affliction’s caused by living in sin
Fascinating. It looks like at the end it drops from the 60's to the 40's judging by the very old cars.
I noticed that too! At the beginning, I was thinking, why are there so few 20 year old cars? Then we leave the commercial district to a more residential neighborhood and it shifts to many more older cars relatively speaking.
This was 1961, so just coming out of the 1950's - so it makes sense that there would still be cars from the late 40's in residential areas.
Look here "you", everybody couldn't afford a new car.
Old cars are better than new ones and drive a new one if I could afford a perfect classic car I would drive it everyday over a new one and don’t say I can’t daily a classic people did when they were new it doesn’t change just because it’s the 2020’s
@@Rick-S-6063 and prepared for that
Fascinating and immersive. Now imagine this rendered in VR when you are "There" and walking in and out of it...
What a wonderful trip ! And all those gorgeous cars !
It's always funny, in California, to see some European cars : here two VW Beetles of course, but, very rare, an Isetta , an MG converible, an NSU Prinz Sport.
Thanks a lot. 😘
And an Austin America station wagon (Morris Minor in UK) same time as the Isetta bubble car.
And a Renault Dauphine.
@@Rick-S-6063 Very interesting. Thanks!
Good Pickup on the Isetta.
This is stunning! The images are so sharp it almost looks fake - like it's really a modern movie set with a bunch of vintage vehicles and extras in period clothing. You do incredible work!
Thank you :)
Hahaha, I'll show you a recording from back then that makes this look like trash. You kids have no idea how much history is waiting for you to explore it. ruclips.net/video/cZodVIfsaVg/видео.html
@@WitchKing-Of-Angmar While I enjoyed your linked movie clip, it certainly doesn't make this look like trash. While historically interesting, Global Image Works' videos are not technically remarkable. Your linked clip is simply an unmodified, professionally-produced and scripted 1950's commercial for Las Vegas, filmed in wide-screen Cinerama format that was the "Hi-Def" of the time. Vivid Video's clips clearly represent hours and hours of digital colorizing, restorative sharpening and balancing of amateur "low-def" films, probably shot ad-hoc by everyday people - far more "reality" than a carefully-crafted Hollywood fabrication. The grotesque watermark superimposed across Global's videos don't help, either. I suggest you choose your words more carefully.
@@taijuan5087 I chose my words perfectly because I've been at this for ever. First, they literally say it is perhaps scripted in the video. Second, this does not take tedious hours of work to colorize, this is an AI colorization very obviously because if this was really colorized, IT WOULD PERHAPS MAKE SENSE WHEN IT COMES TO THE AUTOMOBILE COLORS BEING SAGE GREEN INSTEAD OF STAR-COMET PURPLE. I have about a thousand films all of varying degrees of quality, I've just never witnessed such a smooth running clip that is very high quality to what I expected, including color because everything in this video that look desaturated, is just the color choices of the era, not the camera. This imbecile who made this video put about 30 minutes into this wildly acclaimed popular video. It isn't their footage, nor is it their work, and when there is real color footage, it is already the better option over this fake oil grease that hardly equates to anything.
ruclips.net/video/SZCxP1JLNA8/видео.html
@@WitchKing-Of-Angmar Oooo - I guess I struck a nerve. Sounds like someone is jealous over another RUclipsr's success and popularity! Life Lesson: when you descend into insulting language and meaningless rants - your own credibility goes into the toilet. Instead of calling Vivid History's work "trash", you could have posted something like: "If you like this video, you might enjoy these as well" with a link to yours. Instead you painted yourself as a jealous, mean-spirited, immature little shyster with rage issues. Your mother must be so proud of you.
I love this video. I lived in Los Angeles for several years, off Santa Monica Boulevard, and I always took historic and architectural tours of Hollywood and Downtown. This post really brings the area to life. Thanks so much for restoring all this old footage.
It looks like a movie... everything and everyone is so calm and clean
unless you were black
@@AlCatSplat You just had to ruin the moment... lol
Now most people has mental illness 🙁
street and time was wisely choosen. was a shoot for rear window view in movies
@@AlCatSplat if I had a dollar for every time that argument was used I’d own NASA
America of the 50s and 60s looks like a really great place. I always liked the epoch. Wish I could live back then for a while.
If you were not black or gay it was a great place.
I am blown away by this video. Its the closest thing to time travel I'll ever get.
Thank you :)
Wow, it's beautiful! It sounds like someone from the 2020s time travel to the 60s and recorded it. The video is really very high quality and well restored
Lol this is not "really well restored." It's automatic frame interpolation which causes major distortion throughout (hence the twitching buildings). Coloring is way off too obviously. The original black and white 24 FPS footage probly looked a lot better...
Although I have to admit I like the color element..
@@Zircillius + the single manually edited still for the thumbnail, as is annoyingly common.
2:49 pm..72°.. nice pleasant afternoon drive.😊
I love watching historical footage, and the last two minutes, it's going back another 15-20 years. Fascinating!
Clean, newly paved streets, gorgeous cars! 1961 I believe 🤗👍👏
I'd love to go back to 1961.. I was only 4 years old, but I remember the era quite well. President Kennedy, Mercury NASA program.. Atomic bombs tested in the air..
1961! It looks like a brand new white and red 1961 Chevrolet Impala SS turning the corner at 7:09 minutes. My godfather bought that same identical one in 1961 at Felix Chevrolet, the famous Felix the cat motif car dealership in Los Angeles California back then. $1800 cash fully loaded with the 283 V8 aluminum 2 speed power glide automatic transmission and the Frigidaire under the dash air conditioner system. Beautiful land yatch as I remember it well. Great time to be alive in Los Angeles California. Lived on Temple street and Alvarado street area. Went to Rosemont elementary school off Temple street. Went to the Krispy Kake Kone Kompany for free freshly made ice cream cones all you could take for free!!! Went to Our Lady of Loretto church for catechism. 25¢ a gallon gasoline, $100 a month rent for a big house with all utilities included except for the corded rotary phone of $3 a month. Echo park 1 mile away was my hangout place from 1964 to 1972! Paradise then, a dangerous slum now.
That was just beautiful........how could things go so wrong so fast?
The 1 World Order is going according to plan, like my father in law preached to me 30 plus years ago. Get us out of the UN was the rally cry back in the day. He warned me of Socialism turning into Communism as the final goal. Create Social, Poltical, and Financial chaos through overinflation just like in Nazi Germany in the 30s. How do we stop all this insanity? Most Americans don't like what's going on, but our votes don't seem to count anymore? Glad I grew up in the 60s and 70s at least.
Democrats
Thank you so much for your wonderful video. It's absolutely beautiful. It feels almost dream like. I wish I could go back in time. ☺
Wow! This is an amazing sight! Los Angeles back then looks so peaceful, clean, quiet and friendly. Almost like you can make new friends and have an easy conversation with other people as well as enjoy living in Los Angeles in peace. Now these days Los Angeles is noisy, dirty, somewhat unfriendly and risk getting yelled at by rude people if you try to have a nice friendly conversation with them. Not to mention thieves breaking into your home and stealing everything that you own so that they can either keep or sell it
This is Spring 1961. There is a movie marquis One Eyed Jacks that was released March 1961. I love seeing these street scenes of people of a different Era going about their day.
Nice catch with your eye. Happy to see the positive comments here of a time where we were all on the right track, a few radical socialists here trying to say it's better now with their safe injection sites, over spending the dollar into 1/100th it's previous value. I'd trade 2023 anytime for 1961. People also had morals.
I wish I can go back in time like this! The streets are completely different and dirty! What time are everybody’s dress up and dresses and suits! I love this!
The cars stand out to me. A good number of those vehicles would be worth quite a lot of money today if they were in the kind of shape they were back when this was made. I also noticed quite a lot of Corvairs for whatever that's worth. I also noted the "older cars" from the 30s and 40s that were still on the road. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time to visit the sights, sounds and just watch the people of that day. I doubt if I'd want to stay, just visit! Thanks for the video!😄
The 30s and 40s cars are only present in the last clip. Which I imagine was probably filmed in the 1940s beause the 40s and 30s cars are the only cars there.
@@threebythestreet I agree. You're correct! Now that I think about it the footage has to be from the 40s. I relooked and not one passing car was from the 50s or 60s. I also noticed that some of the street lamps looked very old fashioned and not the types normally seen in later footage. It's still fascinating footage and it's really cool to see these old cars on the streets once more! The clip is amazing in quality. It's either extraordinarily well-preserved or perhaps they used some kind of technology to restore it. 😊
No graffiti, no litter, no homeless tents. Wow.
NO CHEMTRAILS!
Back when it was nice and safe.
Poc's ruined it.
Because there was no black people
NO CHEMTRAILS!
@@twogenders.9618 are you stupid. it was filled with corruption, theft and murder.
Wow! I'm feeling nostalgia even though I was born in the 80s and not in America but this looks so beautiful
Never been to California but this looks like something straight out of movie. Very cool.
Thank you :)
Well it is a movie! But really this footage would have been shot for a movie or TV--for a process shot (AKA rear projection) for car scenes they shoot on a sound stage.
Back then they used to do a lot of outdoor scene filming on the streets as there were plenty of places to do it around Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles, then supplement it with sound stage shots of interiors (offices, rooms in houses, etc).
Last time I saw L.A. like this I was 6 years old. Brings back lots of memories.
Man those suspension cars are smooth
Was just down Santa Monica by the cemetery (Hollywood Memorial then) a month ago and it sure as hell didn't resemble the orderly serene traffic found here! Everything was cleaner, not just in cleanliness but in the simplicity of everything! Except for the architecture, it was detailed back then! I took it for granted when I was a kid in the 60s. One Eyed Jacks at the movie house puts this in 1961.
@@karlwithak1835 At 7:50 it seems as though we leap backward at least a decade.
@@bromleysimon7414 This is true, by the car models.
Yes, most likely April, 1961. The Elizabeth Taylor movie Butterfield Eight was still showing ~5 months after it's release in November, 1960.
@@bromleysimon7414 Yes! Much older clip -- I'd say pre-1950 judging by the automobiles.
@@WoodlawnSound It appears to be WW II era
It's amazing how the infrastructure looks largely unchanged...what's more amazing is when you compare this footage to footage 40 years prior, the rate of change is immense.
From that time to now, a lot of buildings have been torn down howewer and there were much more shops and commercial signs downtown.
Lots of stuff happened all the time and things changed rapidly back in the modern era. Every decade was new and unique. But the modern was a long time ago. Nowadays hardly anything changes at all - decades pass by and they are all the same - aside from the slow deterioration of everything, year by year.
@@somerandomvertebrate9262 Things are still changing rapidly, but just in different areas of life. I think during the Eisenhower period there was a focus on infrastructure which saw the rapid development of roading we still see today. But like many are saying, US infrastructure is in need of repair and development.
Politicians get campaign money from defense contractors. So the government spends on the military instead of infrastructure, or healthcare, or education. The US sure is a beacon for democracy.
Human development has been stagnant since the 60s in most fields except consumer electronics and even that is approaching the limits of Moore's Law. Last man walked on moon in 70s, last antibiotic was discovered in the 80s...this century might not turn out so good.
This one hit home. I was 14 & living on Gower near Santa Monica Blvd., about two blocks from where it starts. I knew the downtown streets well too. It struck me that by now, probably 90 percent of all the people in the street, in the buildings, in the cars and buses are dead. Yet wherever they were going and whatever they were doing seemed so important at the time. Now it's just dust in the wind.
the dead don't Die .
I see a 1959 Chey Impala at 0:51. At 9:21 is a movie marque with the movie, One Eyed Jacks which was released in March 1961.
The road trip starts right across from Hollywood Cemetery; the car passes by Clifton's Cafe which still is open to this day. an iconic and fun place to eat downtown. It's really close to the Cecil Hotel which is haunted; they drove thru Pershing Square where they have ice rinks every Christmas now; lastly, I was hoping they were going to drive through Bunker Hill where they used to have pretty grand Victorian Homes that slowly disappeared until the early 1980s before they were destroyed and some of them moved. I remembered the last Victorian Home they put on rollers and towed by semi trucks. I was a toddler and my father was involved as one of the supervisors from Caltrans that were to help. Bunker Hill is now home to Museums.
I thought Clifton's finally closed down (at least the one downtown). Was there another in Hollywood or somewhere else in the areas shown in this video?
I remember Pershing Square with all the trees back in the mid-60's. Sadly, too many muggings and other nefarious activities led to more of a concrete parking lot. My mom shopped at Broadway and May Company and then walked across the street to the best Italian food at the Italian Kitchen.
The movie theater marquee shows ‘One Eyed Jacks’ with Brando and Malden. That came out in 1961. I lived in LA for a time and I love watching these old videos to see if I recognize where they are being filmed, but it's not as easy as I think. Except when the street makes it obvious. Great videos. Keep them coming.
I think that for us all, in the end, change doesn't mean too much. I keep my property in good repair, avoiding up-dates, where I can and drive a thirty-year-old auto I brought brand new back in 1993. I think you know what i mean! Greetings from a Brit residing in Arizona.
Im actually thinking of buying a 90's car and restoring it to new, and never changing vehicles again! I hate changing cars!
Can I make a restored car last 30 years? will there be petrol then?
Specifically, this was 1961, so just coming out of the 1950's. The film, "One Eyed Jacks" on the marquee was '61, etc. Always a good marker for the year in footage like this.
I was born in the early 60s, so by the time I was in preschool, I could remember when the roads across America still had many of these classics of yesteryear!
LA and the whole state of California were an ethnic and cultural extension of Western Europe, safe, clean, aesthetics. BEAUTIFUL ❤
Not safe for black people however.
@@AlCatSplat it was safer for blacks in the US than anywhere else on the planet.. human life has no value in most of Africa.
@@AlCatSplat check black on black crime statistics and see for yourself if they had it better back in the day or now.
"ethnic and cultural extension of Western Europe" sit down Goebbels, listen up...1960 = 95% wealth tax on millionaires + billionaires. Wealth tax paid for quality schools, free college, hospitals, meals and housing for the less fortunate, etc. Reagan's Republikunts axed the tax to 25% and killed our beautiful American dream alright.
Although I'm just a 14 year old who doesn't want to actually live in the 1960s, it does seem pretty cool seeing how the past looked like. It's what I'm here for.
I was 14 in 1971 and I remember the early 1960s.. It was a great time for me.
@@MarinCipollina Must've been!
@@MarinCipollinathat's great!
But it was a horrible time for us in India.
@@fictionindianspaceprogram-222 sorry to hear that.
The 2nd series of Colour footage is shot in downtown Los Angeles moving south on Hill Street starting around 8th Street and heading towards 2nd streets with Bullocks (built in 1906) located on 7th & Hill & The Clark Hotel seen in the distance located near Hill & 4th Street…
The third shot is taken heading west on 7th street in downtown Los Angeles passing the Warren Theatre located at 401 south 7th Street & the Arrow Drug Store which in 1961 was located at 617 West 7th Street.
The final colourised footage seems to have been shot somewhere south of downtown in a residential neighbourhood around the Leimert Park area around 1946-some 15 years later than the first 4/5ths of this video
Was growing up 20 miles south of here during the 50s/70s and what struck me was the smog in the background. In the first sequence notice how the hills in the background get hazier as you travel just a short distance down the road.
On the video it looks soo clean! Probably machine learning remaster clean it just like film noise/distortion.
Wow! You can barely tell a difference from the 1960s to today!
I grew up in Lincoln heights in the sixties and early seventies this kind of threw me back... Thank you well done
1960 los angeles is more modern than some 2022 countries
A developed country is more modern than developing countries? Who would've guessed!
1960s los angeles is more modern than 2022 los angeles
Born and raised in San Diego just an hour or so south of LA. We visited the LA area frequently, mostly to go to Disneyland, but other parts of the area as well. This was taken in the very early 60s, but I can tell you that when I was old enough to remember our trips there in the late 60s-early 70s , it WAS a very different place than now.
A lot of the romantic thoughts many here are posting about LA in the old days are mostly true. It was so much cleaner and safer (not every area-Watts was still there remember!), but yeah, it really had this feel.
The one negative thing I remember was the horrible smog driving into the LA area from San Diego. Much worse than today, believe it or not. Remember, those were the days before unleaded fuel and catalytic converters. The smog was horrible and everyone in my family had burning eyes the whole time we enjoyed Disneyland. A black haze hung in the air just about every time we went there.
I still visit there and enjoy my visits, but it is a far cry from what it was back then, sadly.
Vehicle emissions cleaned up considerably since the 70s. Combustion engine vehicle sold today is so clean that it would take 10,000 cars today to equal one smog polluter back then.
I steer far and clear from L.A.. No reason to visit unless work forces me to. I live near Disneyland. It is more like this was then here now. Will it become the L.A. of the future? Hope not.
wonderful cars from a wonderful time..thank you
I was just driving past Pershing Square this morning...did not look like this! Look at the wall of green starting at 5:55...before "improvements" and homelessness and littering and no public decorum. Not that I such a great person - but still, if only it looked like this.
yeh people were so much morally better then and homelessness had nothing to do with the average house cost was $11,900, while the median household income per year was $5,600
Nice cars. I can't belive how clean the sidewalks looked
Cities were more purple back then. Prince would've loved it. 💜
Natural woman's, beautiful cars, great music ❤ 60s and 80s
All of those ended in the 80s. Except the music.
Segregation
@@Grillinnap You would rather have today’s leftist utopia-crime, trash, and poverty-ridden hellhole L.A.,. Typical
@@vegasboy5931 Segregation was a great thing, I agree
@@Grillinnap Sad that you think that way, but it's irrelevant. Segregation doesn't change how beautiful, modern, and tidy America's cities were at the time, unlike today.
I think, many old americans miss those days ! It looks so safe to live then, very civilised! Great footage
Wow!!!! The clarity is just awesome. Like going back in time, beautiful. Just subscribed to your channel.
Awesome vid. Looks like
1961. My great grandparents
We're buried in Hollywood forever cemetery.
Moved to Hollywood in 1904 from the midwest.
Spring of 1961....
@@karlwithak.How do you explain the 1962 model year cars?
@@karlwithak. The '62 model year cars weren't released until the Fall of '61.
it is so clean, looks more like CGI than a real footage
Great to see the variety of the Car Industry back then. Plymouth, Pontiac, Buick and much more.
I feel like I am inside the video. That's how good the video is.
I have the same feeling with ur mom
I lived in L.A. from '56 to '75. I spent a lot of time at the beach in Santa Monica and Malibu. Ultimately the traffic is what caused me to move away.
Orange County would have been a good place to live after leaving LA in 1975.
@@patr70 You must be kidding.
@@klausrain111 No. Not kidding. Malibu wasn't that different from how parts of OC was in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
@@klausrain111 You could've moved in down the road from President Nixon in San Clemente. That neighborhood back then, look just like Malibu.
@@patr70 True, San Clemente is a beautiful place. Too bad it's in Orange County.
I remember these days, driving with dad in downtown LA. This brought back so many sweet memories.
This is a time where everyone was civil and everything seemed to be more organized and people valued life.
it does seem that way but remember that after '63 many people wished for a life they had before kennedy was assassinated. people were upset that women were using bicycles and they were upset that left handed people were beginning to be allowed to prioritise their left hands. im not a historian but i know that the film industry AKA hollywood (as romantically pictured here) was really constantly under threat because their movies were seen as depraved etc and people felt that the before-times were when people valued things better. we always look back but it's most useful to look forward. it would have been cool for them to not get rid of the trams that are pictured here. i think it would have defended the city against growing inequality to some extent. anyway, la today is the most friendly place ive ever lived in by some distance
Whites were certainly not civil against black people back then.
@@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n Nobody believed it was inequality and the social issues you talk about are far less then tens of thousands of homeless people on the street, addicted to drugs, filthyness everywhere and self centered tik tok generations who can barely tie their shoe laces let alone contribute to society. The majority of young families if you even have a family which is rare can't afford to even buy a house. Every time has it's issue, but not time more then today has more mentally ill, violent, trash filled cities. The fact you can't see this and just spout out "inequality" while you live in one of the most corrupt, dark time in history on the verge of nuclear war with Russia is mind boggling. Maybe this will get through to you, but I highly doubt it. You are a lost soul who believes he's awake, I thought much the same when I was a later teen, but soon figured out the basics by my mid twenties. Pull your head, out, of, your, ass.
Thank the left.
@@vegasboy5931 Blame right wingers for the current sad state of affairs. The RW fascists hate democracy and support an orange career criminal.
Feels so calm and enjoyable to drive on those barren streets
then they took away the trams so more people could drive on the barren streets...
It would have been a dream come true to live during this time. Look how clean the streets are and minimal traffic. People wore actual clothes then instead of what they wear now. My parents were young during this time and now I see how easy it was for them to grow in such a clean and crime free city.
Very interesting! This looks like early 60s Los Angeles. My parents were in their early teens back then. People still using early 20th century cars, cars from back in the 10s to the 40s. Streets and homes were much more simple.
We can date it precisely. The car passed a marquee for One Eyed Jacks which is a Brando movie from 1961. 5:10
As you travel down Hill Street, you see 4th and Hill at 4:30. Beyond that intersection to the right of the screen are buildings completely unknown to me bc they were torn down before the 70's, It was an empty lot in the 70's and 80's. Later the subway station was built on that corner and Bunker Hill above was developed with modern high rises, such as the California Plaza. In this vid, as he moves down Hill Street from 4th, you can see Grand Central Market (with the canopies) on the left.
The road seems very smooth!😲 And excellent transport. you can only dream of such a design now!🤩
It would be cool for a modern driver to film the same routes at the same time of day.
Probably one of the nicest places to live in the 1960's. Shame it fell apart.
Have you seen all the new construction in DTLA? And there's still so much on the drawing board waiting to be built. Skid Row will be redeveloped too.
the street lighting is borderline work of art- several designs and all attractive.
The people in this video would never believe what LA looks like today.