Driving from Burbank to North Hollywood in 1959

Authentic footage from back when things were a little simpler. If you look closely you will see me driving my Thunderbird on Riverside Drive not far from Bob's Big Boy. Of course I had to use a time machine to do this. Enjoy the ride!

[@arizonaarmadillo5829]

I was just a little kid in 1958, but the problem for young people today is that anyone who wasn't there has no idea of the paradise that was America in the 1950s. In other words, kids today have no appreciation for it since they've never known it and, tragically, will NEVER never know it. So painfully sad.

[@b-genspinster7895]

Not for nothing but black people didn’t have it too good. I’m not so sure they have it good today even with all that DEI because none of us do. What was nice about back then was there were about half the people we have now. Lots of open space. Much less urban sprawl. A menial job paid the bills with a little left over. Those were what was grand about americas golden age. Less people. Less controversy.

[@arizonaarmadillo5829]

@@b-genspinster7895 True, and now Biden is making everything so much better by flooding us with the third world, huh?

[@rbrkristin]

I grew up in the apartment on the corner of Riverside Drive and Ledge from 1955 to 1970. It’s amazing to see how life looked back then.

[@eMenak]

Looks almost exactly the same! Further proof that Burbank is a time capsule for the 50s. I'd love to try to shoot a present-day version of this footage for comparison.

[@RandalF-259]

As an elderly person using a smart phone I really appreciate that you identified cross streets. This helps me to focus and pick up memorable sites. Often folks who make these don't do this an one cannot enjoy seeing the streets as well.

[@HungryH1951]

People had no idea back then just how good they had it. It was so good, so clean, so prosperous, so stable. Look at it now. How far we have fallen.

[@Mr-Clark]

What happens when Marxism is injected into America's education system.

[@Xeyedjohn]

aint it the truth

[@terriaaseth3019]

Moved to Burbank in 1962, I remember it looking that way and looks real similar today!

[@mr.mertman5711]

Bob's looks almost the same today as it did in 1958!!! My Nana/Grandfather lived in Burbank. N Buena Vista St/Lincoln Street. This is so cool. Thanks

[@N2273H]

Loved it. I lived on Naomi near Clark and my wife lived on Fredrick near Clark. Paul JBHS 56 Winona JBHS 58

[@kiethblack3870]

My Dad would have loved to see this! My parents lived in N.H. from 1952 to 1961. I was born later but he used to talk about about the Valley during the 1950s.

[@Fandango541]

From 1975 to 1986 I lived at 10840 Camarillo Blvd. NoHo, CA, just outside of Toluca Lake. On a Sunday evening, at this time of year before Christmas, I would walk down to the Marie Calendar Restaurant on Riverside Drive. During that decade we had a Santa Ana condition where it would get windy, cold and rain a lot. In the winter it would sometimes drop down into the 40s and it felt so good to be outside. At Marie's I would always order their wonderful tuna fish sandwich and french fries, a vanilla milkshake, and for dessert I would have either, pecan, apple, cherry, lemon meringue pie. I loved doing this simple thing, walking past the nice homes and apartment buildings, looking in the shop windows on Riverside Dr, just being out in the fresh air. I would give anything in the world or anything I own to be able to do that just one more time, be as young as I was then, be in such great shape as I was (that was a long walk and I could do it in about 20 minutes each way!) I'm actually crying right now. I loved my life in LA and when I left I knew I would always remember how much I loved being there. If only you could travel back in time. This video was awesome because I could at least see it as it once was. Thanks.

[@BenEshbach]

Six years after you moved out, I moved in four doors down at 10902 Camarillo. Loved that neighborhood.

[@elissaandre4227]

Hey there - I think we were briefly neighbors before you moved out! I lived at 10904 and then 10900, and just moved out in September. Hope all is well!

[@user-rq6mj5vw3l]

Nice memory you shared! It can be a very enchanting place at times. Come on back if you can!

[@bmepdoc9675]

Lived on Moorpark just east of Cahuenga from 1960-1993. Would ride my bike over to George Barris Kustoms on Riverside Dr. to check out the wild creations and even got to meet Sonny and Cher back in '66 picking up their pink and gold Ford Mustangs! Would often frequent Bob's, The Hot Dog Show (later Papoo's) and, of course, The Copper Penny over on Olive. Fond memories. Thanks for the upload.

[@howellwong11]

I lived in Toluca Lake a few block from Warner Bros and Canyon Steakhouse in 1955. I drove up Hollywood Way to work at Lockheed Burbank. The C130 Hercules was made of plywood at that time.

[@tishcyrus6479]

This is just so special. Love it so much. Drive these streets every single day. I love it that this area hasn't change all that much....... I love Toluca Lake so much

[@matrox]

Its changed a lot. The Vibe is gone. Its dead.

[@bobpierce115]

@@matrox I totally agree with you. It's drastically different, and not for the better. There's almost NO place in L.A. that hasn't completely changed from back then several times over. If you see ANYTHING familiar now at all, count yourself lucky. I live in Sherman Oaks, about 5-6 miles west of there. Was born in '57, so this from my toddler days. Having said all that, I'm glad Tish likes it well enough.

[@Rowlandph]

I LOVE this!... I lived on Cahuenga, right near Riverside..and I've driven that street a million and a half times!...Okay, TWO million..LOL.. I didn't see George Barris' place...so maybe this was shot before he built it...Thanks!...

[@squid667]

This was a very fun video. It must have been made in late 1959 as there was a Chevrolet Corvair in it. They were launced towards the end of the year as 1960 models. It was also a surprise to see a Volvo PV there.

[@hcjenkinsMusic]

I lived on Talofa Dr. North a bit from the Tick-Tock - 1957-1960. I hung out at the Richfield gas station too! This was a memory grabber fro me

[@cathytalisman9227]

When I was a kid in the 70's, we lived on Talofa below Moorpark St. I loved it! So safe, we would sneak out of the house and walk over to the golf course and roll down the "hills."

[@giofromla6054]

I drove that exact way just before seeing the video! Fortunately, Burbank has keep a bit more control than other cities, and it is not as hugely changed as other parts of the once beautiful Valley. I had forgotten that Mo's, formerly Hampton's, was originally an iHop, but do remember that Paty's was Gaby's. Great stuff. I expect that the photographer had their new 8mm camera sitting on the top of the rear seat while Mom and Dad cruised down Riverside.

[@loumontcalm3500]

Made for rear screen projection in TV/film stock footage.

[@patriciathomas5097]

Excellente vidéo, j aime beaucoup, merci. Gérard de nice France.

[@MitchellMaichak-ze7mr]

The perfect soundtrack !!!

[@themonalisa5614]

Thank you for keeping it in black-and-white.

[@Porsche996driver]

3:39 Bug! A cool one with the period sliding cloth large sunroof. Love LA 🧢

[@bobpierce115]

I know mid-century cars like the back of my hand. This video is from 1959 as the headline states. There are CLEARLY many '59 cars in this video that cannot be mistaken for ANY other year than '59. The title on the video does say '1958' which is conceivably possible as the '59s started coming out in late '58, BUT it's unlikely there would have been this many already on the streets before (say) March or April of '59. Having said that still takes nothing away from it being a great video, and one of the only links we still have to this area going back to 65 years ago!

[@albertzuniga8892]

Rowlandph. The film ends at Cahuenga and Riverside. Barris is further on toward Lankersheim on Riverside.

[@giofromla6054]

It is also interesting that most of the cars on the street are less than 4 years old, and many were new - if shot in 1958.

[@Drummed]

Back then folks couldn't get rid of their old (clunkers) fast enough to invest in a new car.

[@FlintyCobblestone]

Oh, WOW. Is this cool!!

[@mikebrown3520]

Thanks! Seeing this opened a flood of great memories.

[@mikram2613]

America seemed so amazing back then

Great video, thanks for sharing!

[@mrBILL-sr2cu]

This had to have been shot in late 1959 as there was a 1960 Chevrolet Impala in a parking lot and a 1960 Corvair was parked out on one of the streets. The Corvair was introduced in fall 1959 as a new model for 1960.

[@daleandrews3552]

Only a person who had one eye on cars (like me!) and the other on the landscape would have caught something like that. Congratulations!

[@MarinCipollina]

There was also a 1960 Plymouth, I could tell by the tail lights.

[@CHolt-vb3nq]

I love this.

[@Eightbanger]

It takes my breath away to see the past like this, looking at the people going about their business, nothing staged, nothing acted, just real life. I watched and wondered who they were and where they were going that evening... I always wish though, that only color film had been invented, and there was no such thing as B&W.

[@good1day726]

making dinner, getting home from work n reading paper, relax, admire stylish cars, people, maybe a get together or night out with friends that evening or next, to a dance, a card game, shopping date with the ladies, tea, laugh at a show later on, sit on porch take a walk, kids playing outside, write a letter to family or friend, take it to post, hang out clothes, mend, iron, ready for school n work n outings coming up, read a little before bed.

[@BegoneJonah]

Men Hong Low! Hahahaha! We used to eat at Alphonse's...

[@svbarr]

The Money Tree -- I was told by a Burbank old timer that every Bookie in the valley would hang out there from time to time. Lots of Studio folk liked to bet Football and other games...It was still open when I lived in the Burbank Equestrian neighborhood 12-14 years ago...Pretty good food, funky old school crowd and a baby grand piano that had maybe 20% of all notes were really really flat and out of tune...Music acts would come in and their keyboard players worked their asses off to try and avoid the clunker keys...lol

[@DSGNflorian]

Pinpointing the timeframe further: Watch at 1:26 there's a Chevy Corvair parked curbside right in front of a VW Beetle, so this footage was taken late in the year 1959. Since there's a complete lack of other 1960 models, it probably was right around introduction time for most models, so October/November would be my best guess. And then, at 3:03 there is that gorgeous '59 Oldsmobile...*fanning myself*

[@classiclife7204]

I lived in Toluca Lake in the late 80s/early 90s. Looked nothing like this, and I'm sure today it looks nothing like it did when I lived there. Time is a river, and you can't grab it and stop it. Except maybe through vids like this

[@matrox]

Time is simply waves of light. You can't grab a wave, nor can you grab the light. All we can do is flow with the time.☝🧐

[@ryanfgrantjr3009]

oh the music stopped half way, darn it

[@user-qs5io1oo2b]

I got here in 1961. 😁

[@johndaniels651]

TWELVE YEARS before the 134 Freeway was built. Hilarious!

[@miketalas7998]

I was born in April 1963, after JFK was assassinated 9 months after I was born, everything changed!!! My 1st recollection was My Mom was holding me and I could hear her breathing and her heartbeat. I was prolly 2 or 3 months old. I know this because I can describe our duplex in detail that was right next to Mills Park in Carson City NV. My next recollection was after we moved to a little white house just outside of Carson City NV, at the edge of Stewert Indian Bording School, and my Dad called out to my Mom "HEY MAYDEAN! COME LOOK AT THESE GUYS WITH LONG HAIR!" It was the Beatles (Fab Four) disembarking from their Jet Airline on our Black & White 12' TV Screen. I was 11 MONTHS OLD BY THEN. That little white house is now a Fire Station with a Modern Bowling Ally across the street. Why did I remember so much, at such a smooth brain time, of babies lives!?!? I dunno, except that I seemed to be self aware at my time of birth Like maybe I was, Re-incarnated???!! It just seemed like I was self-aware almost immediately and I know I was Bottle fed!!! Geeeeee!!!

[@bmepdoc9675]

I recall 11/22/1963 quite well. It seemed like the world had stopped. Cars pulled over to curbs, people crying. The impact of that day really cannot be put in font.

[@JackF99]

What we spend on gasoline to travel is about as cheap today as it was then. 25 cent gasoline would be $2.70 today. So gas was cheaper but with cars getting much better gas mileage these days it makes up the difference.

[@johngraves6878]

Too bad looks like your music track ran out! And lookie there -- "Men Hong Low" Chinese restaurant! Beautiful suburban Burbank.

[@stevenrobinson2381]

"Beautiful downtown Burbank". And ya caught that one too !

[@rebeccabledsoe4550]

L live in North hollywood magnolia and rjvertkn Ave, over it😊

[@SnepperStepTV]

You went to 1950s land and brought a 4k camera? Jeez louise that's when and where you get film and try it! What, did you drive through it in a 2017 nissan rouge, too?

[@dlandis8146]

my birth year !

[@JB-ef7ks]

Really ironic to me that back then everything was affordable on a one person income where as now 2 people can barely afford it yet they call us lazy!!!

[@georgecolvin4388]

This had to be shot in 1960. Note the New 1960 Corvair.

[@MarinCipollina]

1960 models came out in fall of 1959.

[@mtramsay]

What is the name of the song playing? Anybody know?

[@modfin]

It's the Monorail Song from Disneyland. :)

[@Xiphos0311]

Back in the day when LA was kinda of, sorta, maybe an almost quasi real city, sort of

[@omnidentalstudio]

It still looks the same

[@rebeccabledsoe4550]

Sorry riverton ave

[@Mr-Clark]

The San Fernando valley turned into a toilet right around the early 90s when massive apartment buildings were built after tearing down many single family houses along busy streets. This brought in dregs of society from trash parts of the city and soiled quite family neighborhoods. Van Nuys and Reseda are gigantic toilets. Burbank is still fairly well maintained and still somewhat looks very close to the what's on this video. Just don't go close to north of Burbank, around the Walmart and Costco area. Walmart brings in the worst people into the area. Then there's North Hollywood. North Hollywood is like a checkered flag. There are trash sections and there are some real nice ones that can rival Burbank. Again what you want to avoid in North Hollywood are the apartment complexes. Avoid the insurance crooks who drive around in salvage titled German cars who think they're some sort of boss from a lame b rated movie. You know who I'm talking about if you know the area. They smell and they're all talk. Ignore than and keep going your way.

[@antoniograncino3506]

1958 might seem like ancient history to today's young whipper-snappers, but it seems like only yestidy to us Boomers. How about the 25-cent gasoline ?

[@Alan-yn9fk]

Great footage, should be colorized.