A List of SFV Sites and People Lost in 2013

With the 2013 year in the history books, below is a list of notable sites and people in the SFV that were lost in the 2013 year (you can review 2012 here). Its possible I missed something, so please share any notable sites and/or people and I will update accordingly. The list below is not in any specific order. 

Sites

Catalina Yachts at 21200 Victory Blvd Woodland Hills closed its doors and moved to Florida to make way for another apartment project in the ever expanding Warner Center area. You can read a blog post here. 

Image courtesy CitySearch

The Village at Westfield Topanga began construction by demolishing the few remaining businesses on site including the former Home Savings Bank that was used by FedEx and contained a Millard Sheets inspired mural by Marlo Bartels and Astrid Preston. I dont know whatever happened to that mural. You can read a blog post here and here.

The former Vans Shoe Store on 9030 Topanga Canyon Blvd Canoga Park originally closed in 2011 but the cute "circus" like building remained until this year where it was finally demolished. You can read a blog post here. 

Image courtesy Citysearch.com

The original Pinecrest School campus at 14111 Sherman Way Van Nuys closed after 62 years to make way for more housing. Some of these signs were saved by the SFV Relics team. You can read a blog post here. 

Camera Craft at 4800 Lankershim Blvd North Hollywood had been in operation since 1947 but closed its doors in 2013. You can read a blog post here. 

Image courtesy City-data.com

The Van Nuys Army Navy Surplus Store closed its doors in 2013 after first opening in 1950. You can read a blog post here. 

Image courtesy Yelp.

The old school bar and restaurant Sherman Room at 16916 Sherman Way Van Nuys closed its doors after I have no idea how long they have been in business but want to say at least since the 60's. You can read more here at LA Arts Beat.

Image courtesy Loopnet

Although most people would be happy to see a big bank close down, the Universal Studios Bank of America closed its doors after operating for more than 30 years located at 111 Universal Hollywood Drive Ste 2630 Universal City CA 91608. You can read more here at Studio City Patch. 

Image courtesy Google Maps

Image courtesy Yelp

Fortunately not lost or relocated outside of the SFV, the Rocketdyne Saturn 5 space shuttle engine was relocated from Canoga Park to Chatsworth offices which opens the door for the whole plant to be closed to make way for more.....housing. You can read a blog post here. 

Continuing with Rocketdyne, I am not sure what has happened in 2013 at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory but a lot of the old site is no longer present which I was able to visit courtesy a Boeing Bus Tour that was held for the public. As part of the cleanup efforts, the remnants of the cold war era are constantly being removed and cleaned up although there might be delays due to court rulings. At any rate, I expect more removal of the old going into 2014. You can read a blog post here. 

Another site not lost but underwent a name change which was Laemmle's Fallbrook 7 at the Fallbrook Center Mall at 6731 Fallbrook Avenue West Hills which became an AMC Theatre. You can read a blog post here. 

Image coutesy Jeff_Soffer Flickr

People

Huell Howser passed away on January 7 at the age of 67 due to complications from cancer. Although not born or a resident of the SFV, Howser was loved by all Californians and he visited many special and unique sites in the SFV that was broadcast on his popular cable TV shows that helped spread awareness. You can view the SFV sites he visited here.  

Bob Tomasino, longtime owner of Oil Can Harry's, a gay dance club in Studio City opened since the late 1960, died in November 2013 after being killed by a drunk driver. You can read more at Studio City Patch. 

Image courtsy Studio City Patch

Art Ginsburg, longtime Studio City activist and owner of Art's Deli died on July 24 at the age of 78 due to complications from cancer. You can read more at Studio City Patch. 

Image courtesy Studio City Patch

"Mouseketeer" and actress, Annette Funicello passed away on April 8, 2013 after a long battle with MS. Her longtime Encino home was damaged in a house fire in 2011 discussed on this blog. 

Image courtesy Wikipedia

Mort Medway, founder of Mort's Delicatessen in Tarzana, passed away in October after selling his deli which was in operation for 45 years to his manager who kept it running the same. 

Image courtesy Los Angeles Times

Paul Walker who became famous for playing Brian O'Conner in the The Fast and The Furious film series died in an unfortunate accident in Santa Clarita on November 20, 2013 at the age of 40. Walker was born in Glendale, raised in Sun Valley where his parents still continue to call home, and graduated from Sun Valley's Village Christian School in 1991. 

Image courtesy Wikipedia

Fred Kavli founded the Kavlico Coporation in Van Nuys and opened a plant in Chatsworth made a fortune manufacturing automative and aerospace sensors and later gave most of his fortune away to charity. He passed on November 21, 2013 at the age of 86 due to a rare form of cancer. 

Image courtesy Standord News

Lastly, on a personal note, my father passed away after a long and difficult battle with cancer on May 19. You can read a blog post here. 

1950's Ventura Blvd in Woodland Hills Postcard

You can view more Woodland Hills Postcards here.

You can view more SFV Postcards here. 

Woodland Motel and Coffee Shop in Woodland Hills Postcard

You can view more Woodland Hills Postcards here.

You can view more SFV Postcards here. 

Albert Van Dekker Residence by R.M. Schindler in Woodland Hills Back on the Market

[Update January 22, 2014]: This home sold for $700,000 on December 31, 2013. Cant wait to see the restoration. 

[Original Post]:

Images courtesy Architecture & Design Collection, University Art Museum, UC Santa Barbara

Above images courtesy LA Curbed

19950 Collier Street

4 Beds/3 Baths on 2,518 sqft on a total lot size of 0.47 acres built in 1940 designed by world renowned architect R.M Schindler in Woodland Hills available for $799,000 (Schindler also designed the Laurelwood Apartments and Goodwin House both in Studio City).  The price might seem like a good deal but the home needs major restoration work as the home has been neglected for many decades. 

The home was originally commissioned by Albert Van Dekker who was a stage and screen actor best known for playing 1940's Dr. Cyclops and evil villain Dr. Soberin in Kiss Me Deadly. Dekker later sold the property to Al "Buzz" Bezzerides, screenwriter for Kiss Me Deadly, who lived in the property up until his death in 2007 where it remained in neglect for close to 50 years. In 2009, the home was nominated for HCM status (and awarded in 2010) meaning it could never be tore down without special consideration and review and was purchased by Josh Gorrell who planned to restore the home to its former glory on October 16 for $580,000. Gorrell, so far, has replaced the roof and removed the septic tank and instead connected to the city sewer system but is now selling to focus on other endeavors. Since this home needs a lot of work, it appears that this home will need to find a special buyer who has the upfront cash, time, and desire to restore to its original condition which means it will probably be sitting on the market for awhile. You can read more about this home at LA Curbed and check out the latest renovation pictures in 2010 here and here. The listing description states: 

Your chance to own a piece of History. Built in 1940 and designed by the renowned master architect R. M. Schindler for Albert Van Dekker. This 4 Bedroom, 3 Bath three-story is situated on almost a half acre South of Ventura Blvd and exhibits character-defining features of Modern style and architecture. These features include but are not limited to: tightly interlocking volumes, folded planes, an asymmetrical roof, sloping walls & ceilings, polygonal windows, butt-glazed corners, exposed wood interiors, flagstone patios & fireplaces. Major repairs are required to preserve this historic landmark for future generations. (Sterling Realty)

You can view more SFV Architecture and Real Estate here.

Celeb R.E.: Former Baseball Super Agent Dennis Gilbert Lists Calabasas Mansion

Images courtesy Westside Estate Agency

Back on September 30, 2013, the always informative Lauren Beale at Los Angeles Times Hot Property revealed that former baseball super agent, Dennis Gilbert, has listed his Calabasas mansion for sale for the current asking price of $5,985,000 which was originally listed for $6,395,000 on May 3, 2013. 

Gilbert started playing baseball for Gardena High School and Los Angeles City College and later minor league baseball for 4 years. Gilbert's career in baseball was short lived and transitioned to the insurance business. After the insurance business blossomed, Gilbert became a baseball agent making big deals for the biggest stars like Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, and Jose Canseco. Gilbert retired from the agent business in 1999 to focus on insurance. You can read more about Gilbert who was close to buying the Dodgers in 2011 at the Daily News. 

The home measures 7 Beds/9 Baths on 11,189 sqft on a total lot size of 3.09 acres built in 1990. This home is literally at the border of Hidden Hills, the Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park (home to some of Hollywood's famous animals), and David Hasselhoff's new crib. The listing description states:

Spectacular almost 4 acre trophy estate located up a long gated private driveway. Incredible estate-like grounds, beautiful gardens, Koi ponds, 5 hole putting green, spectacular swimmer's pool, rolling lawns, and lighted championship-size tennis court. Truly beautiful European villa filled with light and spectacular rooms for large scale entertaining. Grand 2-story entrance, living room, formal dining room, family room/billiard room, bar, screening room, gym, gourmet Chef's kitchen with center island, fabulous master suite with enormous walk-in closets and sumptuous marble baths, steam and sauna. Amazing guest/family bedrooms all with their own private baths and closets. Too many amenities to list. An incredible estate perfect for a celebrity or those who entertain on a large scale. Also available for lease.

Gilbert last purchased this home on July 27, 1990 for $1,041,363 which if sold at today's asking price would translate into a gain of $4,970,637 before all expenses. The reason for the sale is that Gilbert has already purchased a Holmby Hills estate for $8 million probably to be close to his Beverly Hills Insurance office. 

Gilbert is no stranger to the San Fernando Valley as he also owns a modest Woodland Hills home measuring 3 Beds/2 Baths on 1,964 sqft on a total lot size of 8,106 sqft built in 1957 and purchased on June 19, 1998 for $278,000. This home is just down the street from his Calabasas home. Additionally, he owns a Mid-City home that measures 2 Beds/2 Baths on 1,374 sqft built in 1925. 

The Calabasas area is home to many celebrities, athletes, and famous execs as discussed in this blog listed below:

1. Mexican DJ "El Piolin" Eddie Sotelo Re-lists Calabasas mansion for $7,275,000.
2. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett rumors of pocket listing of Calabasas compound for $42 million in August 2013.
3. Marla Maples of Donald Trump fame sold Calabasas home for $2.2 million in July 2013. 
4. David Hasselhoff moves from Encino to Calabasas paying $1.95 million on May 15, 2013. 
5. Former NBA star, Mitch Richmond, listed his mansion for sale on April 29, 2013 for $9,495,000.
6. Former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson listed his mansion for sale on December 3, 2012 for $10,500,000.
7. The late Eazy-E's wife, Tomica Woods-Wright, home was recently foreclosed on May 11, 2012 and later sold for $2 million on November 27, 2012. 
8. Justin Bieber recently purchased the former Nicole Murphy (Eddie's ex) on April 6, 2012 for $6.5 million. 
9. El Piolin (Tweety Bird) Eddie Sotelo's listing of his mansion for the just reduced price of $6.8 million. 
10. The former Britney Spears rental was sold for $5.4 million on October 19, 2012.
11. Baseball great Eric Davis home was sold as a short sale on May 4, 2012 for $1.8 million.
12. Joey Lawrence purchased on December 13, 2011 for $1,442,500.
13. NBA star Bryon Russell's home was foreclosed and later sold for $1,560,000.
14. Nearby neighbors include Katherine Jackson and the rest of the family, Travis Barker,  James Wilson's massive ranch, Candi Milo (former), Joel Diamond, and Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine to name a few.  

You can view more SFV celebrity real estate here.

BTTF# 20: Reseda's Filmation Studios and A Tribute To Louis Scheimer, The Legend Behind Saturday Morning Cartoons

Image courtesy Logopedia

Image courtesy Flipanimation

Welcome aboard the Delorean! 

Marty McFly here to take you on a journey to the former Filmation Studios at 18107 Sherman Way Reseda. The Delorean has the required plutonium plus some random garbage in the Mr. Fusion reactor ready for this trip. The time circuits are set to September 1962 (actual date unknown) and the flux capacitor is......fluxxing. The engine is running (not stalled this time) so we need to hurry. Hang on, as the ride can be a little bumpy as we travel back in time.

This post is written in honor of Louis Scheimer who was one of the original founders of Filmation who recently passed away on October 17, 2013 at the age of 84 (two days shy of his 85th birthday) from Parkinson's disease at his Tarzana home. 

Image courtesy Animatedviews.com

For every child growing up in the 60's, 70's, and 80's, watching cartoons on a Saturday morning became a ritual. That reality was made possible with a select few animation powerhouses surprisingly all based in the SFV including Hanna-Barbera in Universal City, Warner Brothers, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and Walt Disney in Burbank, and last but not least, Filmation in Reseda which is the last place you think of when it comes to animation studios which is the subject of this post. 

Image courtesy Animatedviews.com

Filmation came about from the collaboration of Louis Scheimer, Hal Sutherland, and Norm Prescott in September 1962 which was headquartered in Reseda at the corner of Sherman Way and Lindley. I am not sure why an animation company would chose Reseda other than the typical reason that the land was plentiful and cheap in the 1960's SFV versus setting up shop in Hollywood, Burbank, or Universal City where the other filming companies were based and the talent was more abundant. I am also not sure why they picked Reseda and if they had purchased the land and constructed the building? Please do share if you know as I am extremely curious on this one. 

Image courtesy Animatedviews.com

The Filmation name was derived from "we were working on film, but doing animation"; so putting them together yielded "Filmation" according to Wikipedia. 

Image courtesy Animatedviews.com

The Filmation studio produced many popular hits that still have a lasting appeal today starting in the 60's with (I recommend viewing the filmography list at Wikipedia): 

• Aquaman, 
• The Adventures of Batman, 
• The New Adventures of Superman, 
• and The Archie Comedy Hour. 

The 70's would bring:

• Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, 
• Star Trek: The Animated Series, 
• Shazam!, The Ghost Busters, 
• and Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle. 

Lastly, the 80's would bring my favorite cartoons like:

• He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, 
• The Adventures of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, 
• and The Original Ghostbusters. 

Filmation also produced live-action films and specials like The Secrets of Isis, The Ghost Busters, He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special, and Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All to name a few. In developing the storyline for many of its shows, Filmation used simple life lessons explained by a key character in a child friendly manner.  Filmation also re-used animation and employed rotoscopoing which looked like the same images were used over and over again which it was but they did with class and looked professional. Filmation also believed in keeping their production based in the US except for Zorro rather than produce in a foreign country which was becoming more common with other animation studios. 

The Filmation work ambiance and culture was a great place to work with high morale and motivated employees attending holiday parties, pot lucks, and various work related outings. Across the street, employees would hang out at the Bunker Bar which is still present today (a great dive bar) and its been said that any production questions needed to be addressed before lunch because no one was around later to answer them because everyone was hanging out at The Bunker. 

Image courtesy Yelp

Filmation owners changed hands numerous times with the first sale to the TelePrompTer Corporation in 1969 who sold to Westinghouse Electric Corporation through its Group W Productions division in 1981. In 1989, Westinghouse sold Filmation to an investment consortium led by the L'Oreal Company. Before the sale was complete, Westinghouse closed the film studio on February 3, 1989 which left L'Oreal with the Filmation library only. Also, this closure happened a day before a new law went into effect requiring companies to give employees 60 days notice before a mass termination. Gotta love corporate America. 

Image courtesy geektyrant.com

Although the company folded in 1989, its shows still remain somewhat. At some point, Hallmark Cards acquired a majority of Filmation's library while those cartoons that were based on characters licensed from other companies were under control of other studios like Warner Bros. In March 2004, Entertainment Rights acquired the Filmation Library and revealed that Hallmark  converted all of its shows to digital format in the 1990's into PAL-format for the international market with the original film prints discarded. Doh! These PAL-formate shows exhibit the "576i speedup" effect where the soundtrack plays 4% too fast resulting in the ptich being a half step higher than original. On April 1, 2009, Entertainment Rights was acquired by Boomerang Media and on May 11, 2009, Boomerang absorbed Entertainment Rights and its subsidiaries under the name Classic Media. In 2012, Classic Media was acquired by DreamWorks Animation which employs many former employees of Filmation. In fact, many former Filmation employees would end up working at the other top animation studios like Warner Brothers and Disney today. 

The Filmation office at Canoga Avenue and Victory taken on July 4, 1986 just prior to the move from Reseda to Woodland Hills for select production employees. Image courtesy Terry Guy Flickr page. 

Today, you can view many of the Filmation shows through Bounce TV and Retro TV, DVD's, and Youtube. 

Moving on to Louis Scheimer who was the leader of Filmation especially after Hal retired in 1974 and Norm followed in 1982 when the company was bought out. Lou had humble beginnings and lost his father when he was 14 years old. Lou attended Carnegie Tech to study fine arts. Up graduation, he married his girlfriend, Jay, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in animation and the rest is they say history. There are various stories and accounts written about Lou and his helm at Filmation. 

Image courtesy Memory Alpha Wikia

But his most notable accomplishments are winning an Emmy for Star Trek five years after NBC canceled it because of poor ratings. He proved that a mostly black show, Fat Albert, could survive on Saturday mornings which was Filmation's longest running show. He was a true family man that would employ his daughter and wife for voicework. And last but not least, he believed in the American people and fought to keep jobs in Reseda when everything was being farmed out. When Filmation was dismantled, Lou made the announcement to his employees who gave him a round of applause after he left the podium. Lou was last publicly seen at the 2012 San Diego Comic Con promoting a new book about Filmation with Andy Mangels. At Comic Con, Lou looked fragile and spoke very little as I am guessing he was mustering enough energy to make his appearance while fighting Parkinson's Disease but he still had his sense of humor throwing out one liners to the audience. I found an interview that Lou's daughter, Erika, conducted for a college project which ended with a very inspirational quote: 

As for my future, I don’t really know. I think that’s one of the nice things. I mean, if I really knew what the hell I was going to be doing ten years from now, I might not even want to do it. One of the interesting things is that you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. There‘s always some other challenge out there. There’s always some possibility of doing something more interesting, something better, something more worthwhile. (Web Archive)

The Lou Scheimer book by Andy Mangels

Obituary from LA Times on October 20, 2013

Some other random notes about Lou Scheimer, he lived up the street in Tarzana in a home designed by Dion Neutra, son of famed architect Richard Neutra. The home measures 4 Beds/5 Baths on 5,226 sqft on a total lot size of 2.88 acres built in 1972 which I am guessing was commissioned by Scheimer but not really sure about that. At any rate, he lived in a cool house sited on top of hill overlooking the SFV. Usually after the owner of a home passes away, the surviving members sell the home so we will keep a close eye on this property to see if it hits the market. 

Image courtesy Google Maps

And now its time to fire up the Delorean and go back to the future to the present day site of Filmation which has become a commerical office but still standing. Unfortunately the sign is gone and I imagine its been trashed. I would do anything for that sign. Just behind this building is St. Catherine's of Siena Church where Boogie Nights was filmed with the infamous scene of Dirk Diggler (Mark Whalberg) taking a beating along with Buck Swopes (Don Cheadle) walking out with a bag full of cash from the doughnut store after the gun battle. 

You can view more SFV history and Back To The Future series here. 

Sources:

Wikipedia - Filmation

Terry Guy's Flickr Page......picture of Woodland Hills building

Flipanimation.net.......Former employee stories

Youtube of Lou Scheimer at 2012 San Diego Comic Con.....Lou's last public appearance

Filmation Logos

Robert Writer......Former employee page dedicated to Filmation

Erika Scheimer interview of Lou

Animated Views....a look back at Filmation and Part 2

Youtube channel of select Filmation cartoons

Bee-otch of the Day....tribute to Lou Scheimer