Showing the way things were in 1939
On this date in 1939 the Paramount Picture Man About Town premiered. Dorothy Lamour’s futuristic clothing may have been designed by Edith Head who is credited with costume design for the film.
Opened in 1915, the Merrit Building was an important part of downtown Los Angeles in this 1939 photo. Vehicle traffic wasn’t heavy enough to justify a signal but there were plenty of pedestrians there. See the link for a history of Merrit and the building along with many photos through the years. Much of the building was vacated in the 1980s and the photos at the link show many original elements still present.
Image: 1939 postmarked postcard showing costumed players depicting early days in Los Angeles.
Marvel Dale Newton “launched Red Ball Ltd. in 1939. Early catalogs list his address as 2303 Hyde Park Blvd, LA. The company was the ‘M. Dale Newton Company’ and it appears that ‘Red Ball HO Trains’ was the brand name of the product.”
“…Newton did not invent HO scale but he was certainly in the group of pioneering manufacturers. He knew a good thing and how to improve on it when he saw it. The early kits were rolling stock with printed cardboard sides, wood frames and metal or plastic parts and cast metal trucks.”
“Although the detail castings were among the best in the industry, Red Ball was famous for the car sides. It is easy to dismiss a ‘cardboard’ part as being simplistic and inaccurate. Nothing could be further from the truth. M. Dale Newton’s expertise in the printing field must have driven his passion for quality.”
Excerpts and image from https://www.oldmodelkits.com/blog/plastic-model-kit-history/red-ball-ltd-pioneer-ho-kit-manufacture-since-1939/?fbclid=IwAR1nehUeWmoP3bc3AZr8VnCS454TeIUgkqAqZ2U1zttul2GJQCoLktYJHxI .
See the link for a detailed history of the company and many more photos.
