Los Angeles Visionaries Association

WHAT:  Third edition of Esotouric's special guest hosted "John Buntin's L.A. Noir" bus and walking tour, which debuted in a sold-out September 2009 run
WHEN:  Saturday October 16, 12pm-4pm, departing from Clifton's Cafeteria, 648 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014
COST:  $62/person including snack
MORE INFO:  visit http://www.esotouric.com/lanoir or call 323-223-2767
RELATED TOURS:  Esotouric's October noir series also "The Birth of Noir: James M. Cain's Southern California Nightmare" (10/9, info at http://esotouric.com/cain) and their debut CSULA crime lab tour event (10/24, sold out, info at http://lavatransforms.org/crimelab)

LOS ANGELES, CA-- Other cities have histories. Los Angeles has legends. For more than sixty years, writers and directors from Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder to Roman Polanski and James Ellroy have explored L.A.'s origins, its underbelly, and (yes) its blondes in fiction and films like "The Big Sleep," "Double Indemnity," "Chinatown," and "L.A. Confidential." Yet this preoccupation with a mythic past has obscured something important -- the true history of noir Los Angeles.

Now John Buntin, the author of "L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City" (Random House), and Esotouric, L.A.'s most eclectic bus adventure company, have teamed up to explore the forgotten haunts, hits, and harems of underworld L.A. and the rivalry between the two men who shaped it -- one L.A.'s most notorious gangster, the other its most controversial police chief. The tour debuted in a sold out run in September 2009, with a repeat engagement in April 2010.

Featherweight boxer Mickey Cohen left the ring for the rackets, first as mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel's enforcer, then as his protégé and successor. Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, and Sammy Davis Jr. palled around with him; TV journalist Mike Wallace wanted his stories; evangelist Billy Graham sought his soul.

William H. Parker was the proud son of a pioneering law enforcement family from the fabled frontier town of Deadwood. As a rookie patrolman in the Roaring Twenties, he discovered that L.A. was ruled by a shadowy "Combination" of tycoons, politicians and underworld bosses. His life mission became to topple it -- and to create a police force that would never answer to elected officials again. In the process, he created the Dragnet-era LAPD, unwittingly paving the way for the Watts riots and creating a culture that LAPD police chief Charlie Beck continues to struggle with even today.

Novelist Michael Connelly calls "L.A. Noir" "fascinating, flat out entertaining." "[I]mportant and wonderfully enjoyable," says Tim Rutten of the Los Angeles Times. Kirkus Reviews raves, "A roller coaster ride... Gripping social history and a feast for aficionados of cops-and-robbers stories, both real and imagined," and USC historian Kevin Starr says the book is "a tour de force of non-fiction narrative." Together, Buntin and Esotouric take you on a journey to the sites where Hollywood madam Brenda Allen played and where Mickey's enforcers killed to enforce his will.

From Clifton's redwood-themed Brookdale Cafeteria downtown, L.A. Noir passengers will proceed on foot to the movie palace where 17-year-old Bill Parker worked as an usher -- and fell into a disastrous love affair -- as well as the site of 9-year-old Mickey Cohen's first holdup. Boarding a luxurious coach class bus, the tour will visit Mickey Cohen's childhood haunts in the old Jewish neighborhood Boyle Heights, as well as the site of one of L.A.'s most notorious attempted assassinations, en route to significant spots in LAPD and mob history. We'll stop by "the glass house," visit one of fashion plate madam Brenda Allen former haunts, visit an eerie mob body dump site on the edge of Vernon, stop by Cohen's old commission office, hear a first-hand account of how Mickey operated, tour the Los Angeles Police Academy and visit the old Lincoln Heights jail, site of the brutal Christmas 1951 events that inspired the opening of James Ellroy's "L.A. Confidential."

With Kim Cooper, the creator of Esotouric's true crime tours and creator of the new L.A. time travel blog In SRO Land (http://www.insroland.org) riding shotgun, there will also be plenty of surprises. So get on the bus as the whole filthy truth is spread out before you, as only the Esotouric crew and special guest stars like John Buntin can do.

ABOUT ESOTOURIC: Founded in 2007 by newlyweds Kim Cooper and Richard Schave, the company quickly cornered the market on offbeat true crime history tours and highbrow literary and architectural explorations. From their "The Real Black Dahlia" tour ("an L.A. classic" -- Los Angeles Times) to "Raymond Chandler's L.A.," sold-out personal history tours guest hosted by James Ellroy to alternative neighborhood guides like "Pasadena Confidential," Esotouric's weekly bus adventure has become a must for locals seeking to know their city better, and a lucky find for savvy travelers.

Upcoming Esotouric bus tour and special event schedule
Sat Sept 11 - Hotel Horrors & Main Street Vice crime bus tour
Sat Sept 18 - Pasadena Confidential crime bus tour
Sat Sept 25 - The Real Black Dahlia crime bus tour
Sat Oct 9 - The Birth of Noir: James M. Cain's So. Cal Nightmare
Sat Oct 16 - John Buntin's L.A. Noir
Sun Oct 24 - CSULA crime lab tour (info at lavatransforms.org)
Sat Nov 6 - Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles
Sun Nov 7 - CSULA crime lab tour (info at lavatransforms.org)
Sat Nov 13 - Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski's L.A.
Sat Dec 4  - Pasadena Confidential with Crimebo the Clown
Sat Dec 11 - Eastside Babylon crime bus tour

LAVA Visionary Gary Leonard has been taking photos on the streets of Los Angeles for over forty years.  His images include iconic shots of punk rockers, politicians, and entertainers.  He's lately turned his attention to Downtown, where he now has opened his own gallery Take My Picture. Gary's also recently revived his "Take My Picture" column on the widely-read  LAObserved.com 

On September 26th, following the monthly Sunday Salon and just a brisk walk south from Clifton's, Leonard opens his gallery for a special showing and artist talk moderated by fellow LAVA Visionary Anthea Raymond.  Leonard will share the stories behind some of his iconic photos.  The conversation will also include David Leonard, Gary's videographer-producer son who's now studying at UCLA. 

Join Visionary Nick Matonak of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation after the Sunday Salon for a one-hour walking tour down Broadway discussing the various historic theatres and their contributions to the history of Los Angeles from the early 1900s until today. The tour will be exteriors only and will span Broadway from 8th Street to 3rd Street. Theatres included in the tour are the Tower, State, Million Dollar, Palace, Los Angeles, Arcade and Cameo.

This tour is limited to 20 people, and reservations are required (contact nickmatonak AT gmail DOT com to reserve). The tour is free, but donations to the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation are welcomed. Guests should meet Nick on the decorative sidewalk in front of Clifton's Cafeteria. This is an easy walk along flat sidewalks, but comfortable walking shoes, hats, sunscreen and drinking water are recommended.

"This bus tour... has established itself as an L.A. classic." -The Los Angeles Times

The Black Dahlia murder in 1947 is the most compelling unsolved crime Los Angeles has ever known. What Jack the Ripper is to London, the Torso Killer to Cleveland, the Black Dahlia is to L.A. And yet unlike those other cases, the name Black Dahlia refers not to the killer, but to the victim. What was it about Elizabeth Short that keeps her the object of obsessive fascination by writers, musicians, artists, filmmakers, cops and readers, more than sixty years after she was slain?

The Real Black Dahlia Crime Bus Tour seeks to answer this question by intimately exploring the last weeks of Elizabeth Short's life, asking not "who killed her?" but "who was she?"

The tour takes us from the human hustle of Main Street to the serene lobby of the Biltmore (the second-to-last place she was seen alive), to the newspaper offices and the Greyhound station where she checked her bags, and concludes at the site where her bisected body was found in Leimert Park and with a little known suspect who lived nearby.

From the few personal possessions she left behind to the friends who scarcely knew her, from the mass hysteria of the investigation with its fruitless leads, wacko suspects and false confessions, the tour reveals all that's known about this enigmatic black-haired girl who reinvented herself at whim, and shows how she came to be the unfortunate symbol of her time and place.

The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation (www.lahtf.org)
in association with Hollywood Heritage and the Nederlander Organization present

ALL ABOUT THE HOLLYWOOD PANTAGES THEATRE (1930)
a free comprehensive insider’s tour of a beautifully restored Broadway road house,
 operated by The Nederlander Organization.. One of L.A.’s finest theatres.

Saturday, August 28, 10:30 am; doors open at 10:00am
Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA 90028-5310- (213) 468-1770
http://www.broadwayla.org/index.asp
The Public is Invited.  Admission: $7 – free for LAHTF and HH Members

HEAR and SEE the story of the Hollywood Pantages, the third and grandest of Alexander Pantages Los Angeles theatres. Pantages/Arcade (1910) on Broadway and Pantages/ Warner (1921) at 7th & Hill.

POWERPOINT HISTORY – theatre historian Ed Kelsey is preparing a comprehensive overview of the Pantages history and magnificent restoration.

Here’s a short video preview:

TOUR BEHIND-THE-SCENES – get a real insider’s look at the Pantages. Tour backstage, dressing rooms and see the performer’s view from the stage – behind the footlights. Learn how the theatre accommodates complex Broadway shows and other events. From backstage to the original projection booth, you’ll see it all.

RESTORATION! SEE & LEARN – about the $10 million restoration/renovation. How the magnificent interior has been brought back to its silvery Art Deco glory – about finding the right carpeting and new seats - about restoring the marquee and restoration of the ticket foyer.  

ADVOCATE – find out how you can become involved in the LAHTF’s ongoing theatre preservation work around Southern California. Brief updates on the United Artists, Inglewood Fox, Golden Gate, Belasco and others.

Many people are fascinated by the architecture of fantasy so beautifully on display in Southern California’s great historic theatres. People are also curious about how the theatres work. What does it look like backstage? What do the performers see when they look out across the footlights?   Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation's "All About" series gives the public an insider's look at these wonderful theatres and share parts of their histories - good and bad - as a way to encourage people to become actively involved in protecting and ensuring their futures.

The LAHTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, restoring and supporting the operation of Southern California’s historic theatres.  For more information visit www.lahtf.org

COMING SOON:  All About the Hollywood Warner, Ricardo Montalban, Music Box and more!

Contact: Hillsman Wright 310 403-0865, Hillsman@lahtf.org

Join the Boyle Heights Paranormal Project for the very first Fright Night In The Heights! Come watch The Haunting (1963), inside reputedly haunted, abandoned Linda Vista Hospital in Boyle Heights.  

This  fundraising event is a private, by invitation/RSVP only. There will be only 150 seats available, so be quick to RSVP at the Facebook event page and secure your seat. BHPP will go down the list of RSVP's and select the first 150.  There is a $5 per person suggested donation and your name MUST be on the list to gain entry.

This is only a movie showing and not an invitation to investigate. The movie will be shown inside Linda Vista Hospital. 

Linda Vista and BHPP have the right to refuse entry to anyone who we feel poses a threat to the safety of others and will exercise that right, so NO SNAPPERS! Oh yeah, RSVP means you saved a seat for yourself and not 20 others. Security will be provided as well as some parking. Please understand that if you decide to try and walk around the hospital you will be in direct violation of the directions that will be given, and removed from the property. There will be popcorn and hot dogs and candy for sale with profits going to a good cause, please be sure to bring a lawn/beach chair to sit in and a sweater, the inside of the hospital can be scary cold! 

Next months movie will be outside and aimed toward those who could not attend this premier. ***THIS IS A MOVIE***NOT A INVESTIGATION*** although you could be part of the after tour that will be offered for a suggested $20 donation. We will announce this on movie night. Bring your cameras as you never know what you'll catch staring at you from the windows.

Co-Hosted by:

Ghost Hunters Of Urban Los Angeles 
3AM Paranormal  
Antelope Valley Haunts  

GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters and those that just like ghost stories. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, and toast a ghost! Let's put the “Boo!” back into “booze.” All those who attend will receive a free G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you already have one, please wear it so others can find you.

This month's gathering will be at bar room of the "world famous" Derby in Arcadia (a couple of blocks from the Santa Anita Race Track), which is said to be haunted by George "The Iceman" Woolf, Seabiscuit's former jockey. So come out and join the fun, where the Iceman still apparently cometh.

The Crown City masquerades as a calm and refined retreat, where well-bred ladies glide around their perfect bungalows and everyone knows what fork to use first. But don't be fooled by appearances. Dip into the confidential files of old Pasadena and meet assassins and oddballs, kidnappers and slashers, Satanists and all manner of maniac in a delightful little tour you WON'T find recommended by the better class of people! From celebrated cases like the RFK assassination (with a visit to Sirhan Sirhan's folks' house), "Eraserhead" star Jack Nance's strange end, black magician/rocket scientist Jack Parsons' death-by-misadventure and the 1926 Rose Parade grand stand collapse, to fascinating obscurities, the tour's dozens of murders, arsons, kidnappings, robberies, suicides, auto wrecks and oddball happening sites provide a alternate history of Pasadena that's as fascinating as it is creepy. Passengers will tour the old Millionaire's Row on Orange Grove, thrill to the shocking Sphinx Murder on the steps of the downtown Masonic Hall and discover why people named Judd should think twice before moving to Pasadena.

From the founding of the city through the 1940s, downtown was the true center of Los Angeles, a lively, densely populated, exciting and sometimes dangerous place. After many quiet decades, downtown is making an incredible return. But while many of the historic buildings remain, their human context has been lost.

This downtown double feature tour, hosted by Kim Cooper, Joan Renner and Richard Schave, is meant to bring alive the old ghosts and memories that cling to the streets and structures of the historic core, and is especially recommended for downtown residents curious about their neighborhood's neglected history.

The Hotel Horrors portion is a true crime and oddities tour featuring some of the wildest, weirdest, goriest and most memorable happenings in historic hotels like the Alexandria, St. George, Barclay and Cecil. Get on the bus to see inside some of these legendary locales and find out where Night Stalker Richard Ramirez liked to stay and the hotel that saw a visit from the Skid Row Slasher, and where two traveling chocolate salesmen laughed so hard they fell backwards out a window to their deaths. You'll also explore the fiery curse that repeatedly leveled the St. George Hotel. Included are some light hearted stories to help the blood and gore go down.

The Main Street Vice portion is a social history tour celebrating the ribald, racy, raunchy old promenade where the better people simply did not travel, but kicks were had by all who did. Burlesque babes and dirty picture parlors, mummified western outlaws and old time tattoo parlors, wax museums and pawn brokers, "professors" offering sex lectures and magazine peddlers with nudie Marilyn Monroe calendars under the counter, sophisticated steak houses and nickel donut dives -- these were the pleasures and the people to be found along Main during the first half of the 20th century, a street that every Angeleno knew offered more (yet less) of what could be seen anywhere else. On this tour, we'll visit the scenes of some more unforgettable debaucheries and share stories of crime, smut, passion and commerce.

Climb aboard for a time travel journey back to the downtown that's not there anymore, and the surprising amount of gems that survive.