Early 1950s Los Angeles | 4k and Remastered

Remastered clips of Los Angeles, California, likely from the early 1950s. Most of the video shows driving on Wilshire Boulevard. We see the May company and the Prudential building. The later parts of the video are likely captured in the surrounding areas of Los Angeles.
Vivid History is dedicated to restoring old black and white footage and creating high-quality colorized versions to give you an authentic and vivid experience of the past.
The video has been restored and colorized using state-of-the-art machine learning methods.
The restoration steps included:
- motion stabilization
- noise reduction
- colorization
- frame interpolation for increased FPS
- upscaling to 4K
- adding ambient sound
Please subscribe to my channel, if you want to see more videos that bring you back in time and let you experience the past.
The source video is from the internet archive under the creative commons license.

[@John-kd4ef]

I grew up in the 1950s in Los Angeles and can tell you that back then drivers were more polite to each other, they yielded the right of way even when they didn't have to, they were not in a rush, did not run through yellow or red lights, did not cut off other drivers, did not tailgate drivers in front of them and treated driving as a privileged rather than as a right. The rules of the road were studied and put into practice and road rage was something completely unheard of back then.

[@annelizabethcarroll3396]

Maybe because we weren't so angry

[@sonja4123]

Ha cambiado mucho en todo el mundo...yo soy del viejo continente nací en España..y en esa época aquí también eran educados conductores, ahora son bestias , chillones y agresivos en la conducción..educación cero.

[@sonja4123]

​@@annelizabethcarroll3396..no solo enojados.., la educación brilla por su ausencia en los días actuales..notienen principios o los principios son moda del momento según el viento.

[@Cairybow]

i genuinely envy you 😭 i was born in 2010 and i love love love love this time. so upset i'll never really experience ittt

[@sebozz2046]

bro, your old !

[@xapkpax]

Does anyone know why watching these videos of the old days when I wasn't born makes me happy? I think it's just seeing how life was in different eras and how things have changed, I have always been fascinated by history.

[@TheFarmerfitz]

The old days. This is what our parents and grandparents could only tell us about.. Nice to see those old vehicles in their element...

[@debbiehall9396]

Things were simpler then, people valued the family as a whole, and LOVED their country. They would have NEVER burnt our flag.

[@danoc51]

There is certainly less traffic, homes were much more affordable, and there was a lot more open space and greenery. That all results in less stress. It is easy to see why everybody wanted to (and millions did) move to Los Angeles at that time. Just an observation: I've watched a number of these old remastered films and can't remember seeing a motorcycle in any of them. Cop cars are very rare, too.

[@leovanklaveren7402]

Same for me. I love it. And the Los Angeles and San Fransisco footage from the 40s 50s and 60s are my favourite films!

[@elsyduart9516]

😊😊😅 Crazy ha? 😂

[@Sonia39333]

The feeling of cleanliness and calm, beauty out of times, priceless.

[@adolfofloresdeleon4763]

Porque los angeles no era gigantesca ciudad como lo es ahora

[@Lpreilly72]

It’s just a feeling. I grew up there at the time. On the positive- Quite a few film stars (none rich like today) lived there. It was very middle class. Buster Keaton, Larry Fine of the Three Stooges were two I remember. Negative- the food was terrible, the coffee was worse, the air was unbreathable, the cars leaked oil like they were faucets on drip, racism was open and everywhere, and the cops-jeez- the LAPD. Nuff said. But other than that…! 🥰

[@xada2397]

White America

[@johnnysmith9677]

@@xada2397 100%

[@NunThree]

@@Lpreilly72 Interesting perspektive / experience. Nobody seemed to be in hurry, in this video. Compared to our days. Is this too only a feeling or was it realitity?

[@deadmansgulf911]

Imagine telling the person filming this that in 70 years nearly a million people will be watching this on their phones and wish they lived during this time compared to now

[@lll.636]

I do not wish to live in this era.

[@TeW33zy]

I do not wish to live in this era sorry

[@vibrantgleam]

I'd be offended ngl. (It wasn't perfect I know that)

[@AoiTsuki_]

I definitely don’t wish to live in this era, looks terrible

[@Antpile87]

No sir. No Xbox, and the cars are ugly

[@tonnasullivan9374]

No one seemed to be in a rush. I love watching these videos. It gives me a sense of peace for a second.

[@johnpaulkane6153]

Of course it's mostly people of european descent

[@eridivise]

rich people

[@helloitsmehb]

True! But remember you would have needed your fathers or husband signature to get a banking account. Not to mention you could be fired for being gay or killed if you voted as a person of color. It wasn't all that great :0 Toodles

[@LaDanteLaWashington]

There's no Tyrones chasing the whites and Asians in an attempt to rape them sooooo no rushing needed

[@fuzzley911]

@@johnpaulkane6153What does that have to do with what she was saying 🤦‍♂️.

[@dianerichards7932]

Clean streets, no graffiti on the buildings, people dressed nice , it’s great to see it again thanks for sharing this.

[@brianplord]

America before the invasion of leftist ideology and culture.

[@nerdrage9739]

Everyone is slim. No high fructose corn syrup.

[@BoomBustProfits]

Looks safe back then...actually like a pleasant place with decent people - the exact opposite of what it is now.

[@WORLDWIDESOCAL9]

open carry back then

[@comodosky]

No homeless, either...

[@TravellingxTales]

What fascinates me is the fact that somebody thought (from that time period) it would be cool to film a video like this from a car with I’m assuming a Very big camera at that time. In this day and age where this would not be common, I’m happy that somebody made this video for us people from the future to see how the world was like during our grandparents early days.

[@richardgraham5051]

This was probably filmed to be used as background in a movie - you know, the images through a car's rear window as the stars talk in the front seat.

[@SwitchZetto]

@@richardgraham5051 Nah, they did this for archiving purposes too

[@user-ks3ol3lw3b]

I know it's a video now, but it was a film camera then. And of course in LA they had plenty of professional film cameras of all sizes. And by the way - our grandparents? I may have been alive when this was made. If I wasn't, my older brother was. My grandmother remembered the Wright brothers' first airplane flight.

[@SwitchZetto]

@@user-ks3ol3lw3b Some grandmothers gave birth very young, so it really varies

[@PAB86]

Im 38yrs old male and from the North East of England, i have recurring dreams of me walking the streets of America even attending a school, ive never been to America ever but i feel like ive lived it already especially around these times, i find myself watching any footage of America from 1940 upto 1960 never understood why other than dreams i have. My go to music if im poorly, happy, or sad is Doo-Wop music im obsessed with it, ive even got my mates hooked on it, if anybody knows a little town called Middlesbrough that's where im from and it's different in a billion ways to America at any period and people are normally into dance, rave music i like it but Doo-Wop is my thing, loved how they dressed back then to and the girls all looked beautiful if anybody seen me you wouldn't put me with anything 1950's especially doo-wop music, thanks for the video hope to find many more.

[@JOkERBIDEN]

🤙 Thanks for sharing bro….I mean it, thank you for sharing. I live in the US…it’s quite depressing at the moment. Wish you the best mate.

[@dewisselaar8418]

This gives me strong "past life" vibes.

[@HolgerRuneFan]

What a great story, thank you for sharing all this. I am born and raised in California and though the 1950's is before my time, my mother is 89 and she says this is exactly what it looked like in LA then. You should really come to California, but avoid the bigger cities and just see the mountains, deserts and beaches. I have been to Middlesbrough in 1999 because a pen pal of mine worked at the Dorman Museum, which I'm sure you've heard of. Anyway, cheers!

[@barneywhite4946]

That’s crazy! Something about America has always called to me too. I try to visit as much as possible. And yes I know Middlesbrough I’m from Stockton-on-tees mate

[@Lpreilly72]

I know Middlesbrough, where Bob Mortimer is from!

[@tomspirito2421]

The sidewalks and streets looked so clean

[@mochiebellina8190]

Now it a nightmare of bums, cops, thugs, drugs and scam artists.

[@Indiekiwi]

That’s what I was thinking.

[@toosweet6046]

Damn Republicans kept the city clean

[@bretthanna8765]

​@@toosweet6046I think you meant to say before post 1965 third world immigration began.

[@atlantic_love]

​@@toosweet6046 Go troll somewhere else.

[@khatokhato9350]

People look mostly peaceful, patient, mentally healthy. When I watched videos like this, I recollect my grandparents. They were steady moderate gentle people. I miss them. They died 2012, 2013, 2016. I still remember our last conversations.

[@Christopher.Colberg]

Free love? Recreational drugs? independent woman? Bro what. Free love hasnt made people happier and it's made marriage worse, you can live without your drugs for your highs, and nuclear families were and still are very successful

[@pulsemaps]

Mentally healthy? At a time when lobotomies were a form of therapy?

[@theupsndowns8161]

Mine too. Good way to put it

[@yessikaramirez6066]

WOW, LOOK no traffic!

[@sgtroach1510]

@@Christopher.Colbergonly because they were forced into it most of the time

[@dberk023]

The best days. Quiet and peaceful. People had morals and respect

[@cammorgan7927]

“White people” had morals and respect. Go to a small town in middle America or New England. They still do.

[@kullista]

I'm just shook over how clean the sidewalks are, no gum tar, it was so quiet too

[@SwimInMystery]

It's just ambient sound added to the video. It's fake.

[@spankyharland9845]

no tents, no junk, no feces, no wee wee.

[@davidwesley2525]

@@spankyharland9845 The Streets of San Francisco are an Open outhouse. 💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩

[@expletivedeleted]

Welcome to diversity and equity.

[@veryslyfox]

and there are no Mexicans, obese people, or homeless bums

[@jppurves7837]

Must be very early 1950's. I didn't see a car much newer than 1951. Also fascinating to see empty lots in the Wilshire District. So much open land in the west valley as well: Hidden Hills, Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, now just endless miles of tract homes.

[@TiltBrook]

Yes, I grew up in Woodland Hills. There was a big boom in the 50s! The house I grew up in was built in 1953 on Burbank Blvd (between Fallbrook and Woodlake). So this is definitely the WAY early 50s… 1950 or 1951! These were the final days of it looking like this in the West Valley. I was able to pinpoint every street heading east down Ventura Bl. Video starts just east of Woodlake Ave., and it goes all the way to Canoga Ave.… And then back/westbound again. Never thought I would see anything like this… It is awesome!

[@mikewhitcomb6558]

I was thinking the same thing, 50, 51 were the newest cars I saw. Grew up in Woodland Hills in the 60"s and 70's, neat to see how it looked way back

[@jppurves7837]

@@mikewhitcomb6558 Hey Mike, if you want to see that part of the valley in its early days check out the movie Bachelor In Paradise with Bob Hope and Lana Turner from 1961. It's a dumb old film, but I think it was filmed in Woodland Hills.

[@mickeyshooter5298]

Notice the billboards for $795 bomb shelters? Early Cold War era, no doubt

[@rhwinner]

​@@TiltBrookthanks for the perspective.

[@matthewbelamont5800]

I feel a calm positive energy from this video

[@cammorgan7927]

Welcome to White civilization.

[@TheGreatJervisTetch]

*literally hugs the 1950s.* Wow. 1920-1960; just respect.

[@nealsausen4651]

I miss that Van de Kamp’s restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard just east of Fairfax. My parents used to take us …my brothers and I to Van de Kamp’s for their halibut fish and chips dinner. It was so delicious! so fresh and tasty. So sad to see that restaurant is gone now the waitresses all had blue and white Dutch girl uniforms, the halibut was delicious! tender flaky and sweet with french fries I would smother with ketchup we get a salad with the meal with blue cheese and then for dessert pumpkin pie with whipped cream topping. This was in the 1950s and early 1960s (I was born in February 1951) when we were little kids this makes me so sad and melancholy to see these buildings the ORBACHS department store, the La Brea tar pits, the May company where my mom used to take me shopping all the time that building on Wilshire and Fairfax on the north east corner. Those were good times!. I love to just dive into this video and go back there the 21st century is bullshit! But we’re stuck with it we’re stuck in it and we have to make the best of it. Good luck to everyone! We’re all gonna need it! The only thing missing from this video was a good year blimp flying over Wilshire Boulevard!

[@davidb2206]

The oceans are now so polluted, especially by communist China, that ALL of the ocean game fish are loaded with mercury. It is no longer edible at all.

[@w.harrison7277]

Washington doesn't even try to hide their contempt for old America anymore: They're destroying the country while we watch and there's nothing we can do because it starts with the feminine controlled education system and young college students are in lockstep with hating old America. Its a race to the bottom now. Old America doesn't have friends in high places anymore, the country did nothing while the education system was taken over by the feminine mind.

[@hwmillerser]

I was in LA and Long Beach around 1952-1953. My uncle had a Studebaker with the bullet front. I remember how milky blue the skies were. I didn't realize how little traffic was on the road during the middle of the day and how wide the streets were.

[@R-BURQUENO]

Nice car! Now vehicles just sport bullet holes in the front 😔

[@KieronGC]

Based on your profile picture, are you Danny DeVito?

[@cynthiataylor2092]

I was born in Los Angeles in 1951. I'm 72 years old, and I've seen everything! Cindy We had fish every Friday at Van de Kemp.

[@szpflyer4367]

"Jist you wait, 'enry 'iggins, jist you wait" [until January 20, 2024].

[@jeffrey6618]

Our family was living there then .my dad is 88 and he has tons of stories abour la in the 50s

[@PhilosophyForDummies00]

If you could please share some of his stories it would mean the world to

[@davidvelazquez7628]

These videos are amazing. I can't imagine who drove around with a camera back then. Great job with restoring and colorizing.

[@vividhistory2092]

Thank you :)

[@genedryer-bivins8314]

Quite often, clips like this of driving on a city street were filmed to be used as background in a movie scene inside a "moving" vehicle. There are a number of them here on KZbin.

[@angeldesigns1385]

@@genedryer-bivins8314 that makes all the sense in the world considering most of the angles these videos are filmed in 🚀✨🚀✨🚀

[@stevenhoman2253]

My friend and me drove around Melbourne in Australia for hours on different periods, over many years. None of the video footage is recognisable as the same place anymore. We took a lot of freeway footage in and around the city, and the new buildings now conceal the views.

[@barbarawebb7185]

Don’t streets look cleaner?

[@jean-pierrethibaudeau7201]

Everybody’s driving sooo slow! Seems they were enjoying the ride better than today’s.

[@jenniferdjaslowskj993]

as well they should. watching some people crossing the street, cars going through crosswalk and not looking or slowing down. I guess due to less cars at the time, laws and signs hadn't been implemented too strictly. Wonderful none the less.

[@tompease3022]

You needed to drive those old cars a lot more carefully- 20 to 30 seconds to get to 60, unpowered worm and roller steering and 4 bias-ply tires on wheels with drum brakes. Todays cars make people think they’re much better drivers than they are.

[@jean-pierrethibaudeau7201]

@@tompease3022 Very true!

[@stevenhoman2253]

When I lived in LA in 1990, I couldn't believe how slowly everybody drove. At the 35 speed limit, coming from Melbourne, Australia, where I used to drive everywhere at 50, I couldn't get used to it easily.

[@zona1953]

Pretty sure that the speed of the video has been slowed down. If you change the speed to 1.25 it's more realistic. But slower is better to see all the sights and businesses!

[@motelghost477]

It's not just the color, it's also the motion, you could literally be there. Amazing clips.

[@dr.skipkazarian5556]

Wilshire Boulevard’s Miracle Mile.....amazing. Again, many thanks for preserving, archiving, and presenting.

[@jamesduncan4195]

Truly wonderful, restored film. Los Angeles in that peaceful time, how clean, slow driving vehicles, well kept home lawnsetc., Growing up not far from the Wilshire area, stirs my heart, with blessed memories. Thank you. James

[@user-sk5qf1og6z]

I love how modest the women are dressed, how courteous and patient people were walking/driving in LA. Those old classics were once the latest!

[@brianplord]

Everything so clean and peaceful. America before the invasion of leftist ideology and culture.

[@DestinyAwaits19]

The way women dressed back then was ugly. Where are the crop tops and thigh high short jeans?

[@allenh.7373]

Its called Christendom, and its over.

[@user-sk5qf1og6z]

2 Cor 4:4@@allenh.7373

[@LookieNorrison]

@@allenh.7373 Nope, it’s going to make a big revival in the near future, after the great chastisement.

[@bensoliman8326]

I lived in LA back in the eighties. Went to USC. Downtown LA was already a rough neighborhood. Suburbs were always as serene as the pictures in this lovely film. It's so sad to see a paradise becomes hell.

[@sandyrose2398]

My mother and I came out to southern Calif. in 1966 - it was more built-up than this video shows - but it was uncrowded; not many vehicles; very clean streets and affordable. The video showing May Co. and Van de Kamp Restaurant on Wilshire Blvd. --- we used to shop and eat in both places. We were both "poor" but were able to shop and eat in nice places - it's close to Santa Monica. Gas was 26 cents/gallon and the attendant pumped the gas, washed the windshield.

[@davidb2206]

And it was 98% white, which you never grasped as THE key element of all.

[@bprid135]

These folks have no idea they were living at the pinnacle of civilization.

[@SuperJeanw]

Exactly.

[@WORLDWIDESOCAL9]

yea right it was fucked up back then, just less crowded

[@quirkygirlboss]

So the pinnacle of civilization is racism, segregation, women being beat by their husbands and being expected to be perfect housewives and being treated like property and nasty cigarette smoke everywhere? Yeah, that's the life!

[@V-95K]

@@Jacevo. actually it does go downhill 🤷🏼‍♂️ Biden president, lgbtq+~$|¥$% SJW etc.

[@spartanwarrior1855]

Remember driving down Wilshire Blvd as a kid. Women would dress up and go to department stores like Bullocks and May Co. It's was neat to have lunch in the store cafeterias. A gentler time for sure.

[@ronmexico1874]

A better country. No internet, no cell phones, no Facebook, no Twitter but a MUCH better country.

[@dm95422]

No filth, no tent cities, no drug zombies, no homeless people, no litter.

[@vibrantgleam]

Old cellphones : am I a joke to you

[@General_Belu]

@@vibrantgleam Landlines that were stuck on the wall? Definitely!

[@summerthelesbian]

they also had segregation of ethnic minorities, women, and lgbtq so i wouldn’t go that far

[@saint_punc]

​@@summerthelesbianThat time was even better, don't go crying 😂

[@jhutch67]

The first part of that clip was on Wilshire, Miracle Mile, just W of La Brea, Eastbound. I remember going to that Carnation store with my dad for strawberry malts, not milkshakes, in the 70s... good times. (not the TV show, which just happened to be filmed not far from there...) I graduated from Daniel Murphy High School, 3 blocks north, in '78. Thanks for the memories!

[@Acestes.]

NO HOMELESS, NO STREET VENDORS, JUST PURE CLEANED STREETS. WHAT A BLISS.

[@jimcaruso4684]

The billboard ad for a bomb shelter at 3:26 was something to see. Gave me Fallout vibes. Videos like these is the closest thing we have to a time machine.

[@amtrakjohn]

As a retired Angeleno, who still has a 2 1 3 phone number, I really appreciated this. The part going West on Wilshire went right by my old living quarters. Now this area is called Koreatown. Superb stuff! If we all had bought property in LA back then, we'd all be millionaires now.

[@toosweet6046]

If you wouldn’t have voted Blue it would still be a decent place to live in instead of the third world country it became with Gavin

[@aliceputt3133]

Ha! My grandparents bought property on Wiltshire Blvd just past Westwood and went to look at it after it rained before they built the house. There was a huge deep puddle of water so they turned around and resold it. 😢

[@Gertieness]

​@@aliceputt3133 over a puddle?

[@ahknabi]

This is amazing to see. It is almost like time travel.

[@arrowcrusher]

It is totally time travel,, even the car ride footage has absolutely zero movement.. and in those days if you were walking around with a big video camera people would be looking and hiding from the camera,, but no response from anyone, almost like the camera is hidden,, and the footage looks way to high definition for the time period

[@keithhyttinen8275]

They didn't buy a Snickers Bar and just toss the wrapper on the sidewalk.

[@renatoamaral2029]

Paradise lost...

[@twncintiohio]

Great to see Harris & Frank!! I worked there on Wilshire in 1976 till 1979!

[@GeeBee909]

The closest thing we have to time travel, thanks. Almost every car shown is a collectors item now. Ah yes, Wilshire at LaBrea. Crossed that intersection a million times. 4k is outstanding

[@vividhistory2092]

Thank you :)

[@godislord3377]

What if this was a time travel...no redlightssno green light

[@lasondriawyatt2267]

Yes.... Use to work and club on Wilshire Bl❤

[@pornneliushubbard1967]

That’s Wilshire and Fairfax not la brea…you can see the academy museum

[@GeeBee909]

No sorry, you are incorrect. The video starts at Dunsmuir Ave. looking east. In the background you see "General of America Insurance building" which is definitely on La Brea Ave. (at Wilshire). You apparently are viewing much later in the video where, yes, the old May Co. store (later the renamed the "academy museum" - which was done like 50 years later) is shown at Wilshire and Fairfax @@pornneliushubbard1967

[@PassengersMusic777]

Post-WWII. America was proud then. Went from the disaster of the Great Depression to the horrors of war, to finally settling down. Most of the men walking there are post-war vets. So many mom and pop businesses, clean streets, people enjoying a nice sunny day. Ask yourself who ruined it all in LA

[@BabyGirlDontEvenPlay]

Those same veterans?

[@PassengersMusic777]

@@BabyGirlDontEvenPlay another victim of public schools I see 😆

[@BabyGirlDontEvenPlay]

@@PassengersMusic777 by all means, tell us who you believe "ruined it all".

[@PassengersMusic777]

@@BabyGirlDontEvenPlaycertainly wasn’t the generation who fought in WWII, princess

[@BabyGirlDontEvenPlay]

@@PassengersMusic777 no? How do you figure? Millennials wouldn't be around for another 40 years.

[@Blood_n_Donuts]

No obesity, no anti-social screen addicts, no latin kings, no crips, no graffiti, no welfare, no depression, no china viruses, no corrupt elderly presidents, people were friendly, people took pride in their appearance and their work, everything was made in America, and America was #1.

[@diegoflores9237]

Latin kings? You're getting cities confused. There's no such thing as Latin kings in LA

[@davidb2206]

99% white.

[@DiRedGirl]

No orange blobs squatting in the WH cheering as his thugs storm the Capitol. MAGA.

[@giash1]

No Natives of the land - what tragedy and evil befell them?

[@davidb2206]

@@giash1 Nobody is "native" on the American continent. You have been fooled by inferior schooling, propaganda, and not keeping abreast of the advances in Anthropology 101 in the last 30 years. The American Indians were no even here first. They came thousands of years LATER, across the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia. THEY displaced (i.e., "stole") the land from the ones who were here BEFORE them. None of the oldest skeletons in the Americas are Indians. None of them.

[@sonjamoleski4865]

I'm old enough to remember this time....a time when people left their doors open at night in the summer, without being afraid...people were kind and respectful towards one another....my father drove a 1950 Chevy, it sure was much different than now.

[@jeanyvespotier]

En France c'était pareil

[@sebozz2046]

how old are you ?

[@ddespair]

it’s better now. Women can hold seats of government and they don’t have to be housewives or get sexually harassed at work. People are still kind and respectful. The only difference is they can love whoever they want now.

[@sebozz2046]

@@ddespair hoefully we will have full equality and they also weill be drafted in times of war

[@alinka1776]

В Советском Союзе было так же. Потом в 90е всё дерьмо из США притекло у нам.

[@rpkelly3825]

"In 1950, the average family income in the United States was $3,300, which was $200 higher than in 1949, according to Roy V. Peel, Director of the Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce.01 The increase in income during this period probably represented a significant increase in purchasing power for the average family.1 Medical doctor salaries in the 1950s ranged from $8,272 to $28,628 for a neurological surgeon, and the average salary of a physician was $11,058. A new house cost $8,450.00, " BTW.... the average cost of a new car was $1,510. And some of them are still running today!

[@Lpreilly72]

My first car was a VW bug, bought it new from the dealer. Off the lot price was $1500.

[@carlosduque4692]

In Cuba yes.

[@Lpreilly72]

In Canoga Park, CA in 1973. $1500, off the lot. You couldn’t buy one in Cuba at the time.

[@msdecemberloveangel8236]

Amazing how time has changed. I was borned in 53. I misses the good old days for sure

[@davidb2206]

MONEY is not the key element in the change.

[@user-bl2we3hc2q]

These people did not know how happy they were

[@brunotrabik8030]

An excellent video. Not sure how you got ahold of this priceless gem but thanks for sharing. Definitely appreciate this one. Good job!

[@howellwong11]

This was my Los Angeles. You can see the Matterhorn being constructed at Disneyland from the freeway. This Purdue '55 had a summer job as an engineering intern at Lockheed Burbank. It turned into a permanent job when I graduated. I left LA area in 1972. I was working for Hughes Aircraft in Fullerton. Those were good times.

[@user-or7uy6in7z]

Are you so blind, you CAN'T TELL this is FAKE? NOT REAL! A VIDEO GAME!

[@Lpreilly72]

My dad worked for Lockheed Burbank in ‘55. He was an engineer, did a lot of work in telemetry for missiles. He then ended up at Bendix Pacific-telemetry. Remember RocketDyne static firing rocket engines in the 60s? In the west end of the valley. The noise was terrific and it’d light up the night sky. I remember the Matterhorn off the freeway in OC. And the orange fields. We would drive to San Diego all the time from Woodland Hills.

[@miguelwc]

The Disneyland Matterhorn is in Anaheim, not Los Angeles.

[@howellwong11]

@@miguelwc True. I should have said the LA area. To me LA was all the area covered by Hollywood, Pasadena, Harbor, Ventura and Santa Ana freeways.

[@alanolson6913]

I grew up in Southern California, born just after the Korean War. Growing up in Newport Beach 🏖️ and seeing how much it has changed - oftentimes not for the better - I watch these videos and remember quite well just how it all looked back then. My folks had a ‘49 Ford two door sedan, my grandparents had a ‘50 Buick Riviera. We kids always felt safe playing away from home out in the neighborhood somewhere. We just had to be home when the streetlights came on. Most of what I recall is just what you see here. Sure there were problems, what time in history were there never problems?

[@sallyraynor8984]

So clean, beautiful and so modern looking. Apart from the cars it could almost be today

[@alcamerc9923]

I love to see the people going about their life, no issues, no torments, no guilt, no offenses, no ugly stares, no criticism, no chip on the shoulder. I could go on forever. Take a walk like that today in any parking lot. You can’t. Life is not set up like that any more. Today, it would serve you right to be vigilant, aware, look around you when you lock your car, make sure you don’t get in your car when someone is hanging around, don’t talk to anyone, no eye-contact. Wonder what tomorrow will bring. Armor suits?

[@xyzblue4563]

To think that most of the people driving these cars are super old or already dead makes me sad, time flies by so important to live your life

[@SanG-tc3gb]

Some of them may be surviving in thr 80s or 90s... but they may be in thr youth at that time...such videos makes you nostalgic...

[@JermanHernandez-tx2ht]

A perfect example of how technology induces anxiety. Everyone here is calm, steady, and have everything calculated perfectly

[@joemeyers4131]

Yes I'd think technology induces that as over decades and so much now ..I never thought technology was doing good for things as in the last 10 years it worsened ..

[@skywishr1313]

@@joemeyers4131ok boomer

[@pulsemaps]

I think you may have missed the billboard advertising bomb shelters

[@AnteaterOne]

My guess is that this was filmed during the middle of the day or the weekend.

[@annelizabethcarroll3396]

@@skywishr1313 Okay, kid. Now it's your time. Show us what you've got..

[@BK-cm7bl]

I'd rather live in this time period than in 2023.

[@davidb2206]

That's exactly what AH was teaching people in 1933, but most just aren't capable of getting it.

[@gello8518]

@@davidb2206yep. We got played beyond belief.

[@davidb2206]

@@gello8518 Yep. Full on truth. That is why it has to be demonized continuously today.

[@Joseph-eu6jp]

Not much traffic, people know how to drive, the car's look great, the streets and sidewalks look good, must have been a really good time to live in America.

[@user-ig5wm8ms5g]

Not it you weren't Carcasian..😆😂🤣

[@Joseph-eu6jp]

​@@user-ig5wm8ms5gLearn how to spell, also what is your excuse now, stop, people like you brought society down, keep stealing from Walmart.

[@tysonfranks6408]

@@user-ig5wm8ms5gblack people had there own civilized communities way better then the hood nowadays Where they’re shooting each other over small things

[@RemoteViewer1]

​@user-ig5wm8ms5g dumb.. People of Color lived just fine in the 50's too. Don't be stupid.

[@Retro-st7uo]

@@user-ig5wm8ms5g Isn't your country so makes sense.

[@bluesash10]

I used to live on the block from the second shot. Something was so familiar... I looked up the area and when I realized where the columns were I was blown away!!! 🤯 Incredible!! The first shot is in the same area, called Miricle Mile. Thank you SO much!!

[@Puzzoozoo]

That looks an even nicer time to live in then the 1960's. And its a much slower pace of life which is what I like.

[@zimnizzle]

Wow! Mid Wilshire without traffic lights?!? Everything is so clean and neat (including the people). I recognized a few buildings. I wasn’t born in the 1950s, but I grew up in Los Angeles. It’s a complete shame what that beautiful city has become.

[@pyrexmaniac]

The architecture and the design of the storefronts and retail signage is amazing! No expense was spared in presenting one's "best" in those days. The "bomb shelters $795" sign at 3:25 is wild.

[@tedhansen3846]

The film quality makes it look like it was day before yesterday

[@BillyAdkins2024]

70 years ago, this video would be boring, today, its fascinating

[@Nystromj1]

Born there in 1954 ... up until the 1970' early '80's it was the greatest place to be! LA has been in decline ever since!

[@realtk6482]

Its crazy to see an restored video from the early 50s, a time when my grandmother was born. How different everything is. Must be a great time to be alive.

[@stevemitchell3601]

Beautiful video, thank you for sharing. The 50s were the best times in the USA. Society has been in decline since.

[@anothergamingchannel2656]

I still say the hippies were the beginning of our society going to shit 😂. Not saying they were bad people, but hear me out. They stopped dressing nice, grew out their hair, smoking bud and doing lsd. Were okay with promiscuity. I swear it's just been downhill from there ever since lol

[@Itsseebfr]

racism..?

[@paulharmon8275]

I was there as a small boy and I recognized the buildings. Note the streets were clean, women were dressed in a more traditional way without tattoos and piercings everywhere. People were of a more decent type. What happened?

[@humbertovazquez3733]

Times changes, in 1400's, they used to dress differently too.

[@eddiehaskell5578]

The politicians sold us out.

[@glogloe1797]

Social Media

[@hesklairvoyant]

we advanced

[@patriot9487]

Freedom, and all the bad things that comes with it.

[@trentk268]

Despite what the government and media tell you, this was a wonderful time.

[@Itsseebfr]

segregation lil bro

[@I_literally_dont_know]

If you were white 😂

[@davidb2206]

@@I_literally_dont_know The people in Harlem were happier, too. There were far more black businesses. Blacks had the highest rate of marriage of any group. There were all-black movies even in the 1930's! Lena Horne and others were major stars. What are you talking about, public school and media indoctrination?

[@anonymous4405]

@@Itsseebfr Noone cares about browns and blacks. Europeans are the only people that matter, sorry.

[@cammorgan7927]

@@I_literally_dont_know90+ % of the country was White in 1950. This is a country founded by and for whites after all. Look where ‘minority Rule’ has gotten us. Pretty simple.

[@37silverstreak1]

I had a funny thought watching this video. My mom used to tell me about the trip she made with her parents from Wisconsin to California when she was a teenager which would have been just about the time when this footage was shot. My Grandfather got sick from ulcers while out there,so my teenage mom had to drive their 1939 Buick through Los Angeles because my grandpa was too sick to drive and my Grandma didn't know how. I know the chance of it is very remote but wouldn't be funny if they might have been accidentally caught on film somewhere in the back ground. Miss you mom!

[@rayss3323]

Incredible work! Thanx! Born in LA in 49 - really takes me back!!

[@konkankalasanskruti4269]

Still living in LA ?

[@charlesflinnill978]

These vids are incredible! What an outstanding job in recreating them. It's like going back in time and being there exactly as it was. I watch them all the time.

[@MH-yp6wg]

Those cars are soooo much more beautiful than today's cars... I wonder why that industry completely lost any sense of aesthetics.

[@shaneamundson1192]

Government regulations.

[@theonebman7581]

Probably the 70s; it became too expensive to overly ornate the cars in the middle of crisis after crisis after crisis. On top of that, tastes changed

[@MH-yp6wg]

@@theonebman7581 Not really for the better, it seems. ;)

[@BabyGirlDontEvenPlay]

Economics, technology, and market trends.

[@nineduce12]

This was just a normal day to this camera guy. Really puts perspective on the video.

[@renegademuse]

Wow. I can recognize some big landmarks and the roads in the beginning but then as I kept watching, there was so much undeveloped space!! Yet still feels very LA. This is fascinating!!

[@thevintageaudiolife]

That's on Ventura Blvd, passing then West Hills and then Canoga Park, the small hillside you see is the 101 before it was built, I've driven down this road since the early 80's and still do daily, i see a few small buildings still there, just modernized. All that empty land you see is now is all shopping centers. WOW

[@LaurenMirandaG]

I couldn't quite believe I was looking at Ventura Blvd.... glad to see someone else confirm it! What a tranformation - even 15 years later. It's like another world.

[@martinPatsy]

I love this , appreciate the Remastering, gives a clear view!

[@ChrisACiufo]

Loved this! Thank you. Also: I’m surprised at the stabilized camera platform used on the car/truck that filmed this Excellent quality footage.

[@MyLateralThawts]

Got me thinking about what must be a massive studio library of stock footage that the various production companies filmed for back street projection during all the scenes they had take place in motor vehicles. Most of it is probably in black and white and could certainly use this kind of enhancement. That is, if they’re still in storage somewhere.

[@KB-ke3fi]

Wow....look how considerate and kind and alid back everyone was back then. No rioting, looters, hoods, people smiling and driving 25 mph. Not like that now.

[@BabyGirlDontEvenPlay]

You don't know much about American history, do you?

[@cobaltbluevision]

Imagine being old enough to remember how peaceful, clean, and calm and prosperous life was in the 50s compared to now. Fast, chaotic, filthy, and homeless everywhere.

[@RP-vy8st]

Drugs did a lot of damage

[@Pulsonar]

Coca Cola and Carnation Milk @1:00, stunning film quality and live sound is like flipping the switch on a Time Machine.

[@dariusketchup4781]

Love these vintage videos, the colors are amazing!

[@vividhistory2092]

Thank you :)

[@surrasameer7758]

Great job, so nice to watch life at that time, so cool and relaxing. will be very cool if you make a video for the same street nowadays to see the difference between now and then. Thank you.

[@Streamer-lk5ok]

I would love to time travel and spend time with my grandparents and great grandparents.... I miss all of them

[@dustymojave]

The West San Fernando Valley, Woodland Hills and Canoga Park specifically, about 5 years before I was born in the San Fernando Valley. My great grandparents had a bean farm near where the latter 2 videos were filmed about 20 years earlier. Now my sister in law lives on that hill on the side of the road and my wife worked in a medical facility for the last 20 years of her career next to it...on land land that when we were young was farmland owned by Jack Warner of Warner Brothers Studios. Me grandfather made his living controlling irrigation water for farmers. About 14 years after these videos he retired and his job was retired with him. All the farmland had been converted to houses and apartments and businesses. Great place to be from and to grow up in. I hate to visit there now.

[@nassar57]

Not a bit of trash anywhere. Lots of small, private businesses - not corporate sprawl. Low stress, high quality, self respect that translates into respect for others is so very obvious. People were MUCH happier back then!

[@F_antomas]

You crazy . Thats not the truth

[@nassar57]

@@F_antomas The burden of proof is on you.

[@richm9455]

My grandpa had a business downtown.. he would always sweep the sidewalk every morning.

[@mikewhitcomb6558]

I'm a Woodland Hills native, born in Van Nuys in 1960, parents bought a house on Canoga south of the Blvd in 62, I remember when it was still pretty open and lots of agriculture, my first wife lived on Platt Hill, they were still grazing cattle there in the early 80's

[@danoc51]

I'm guessing that the road showing the Woodland Hills and Canoga Park signs is Ventura Boulevard, before the 101 Freeway, and it was the main highway to get to Ventura and Santa Barbara.

[@ernuromirserik2174]

Ей Амерканцы калай сендердің жағдайларың

[@mjwbulich]

​@@danoc51Venture Blvd was the 101. You could take that highway north all the way to Canada.

[@randymiguel6715]

Los Angeles was like a province back then. No buildings are rising yet and it's still cool to look at.

[@richa.s9912]

Thank you for showing me an Arkansawer born in 1964 of my great grandparents and first grandparents and my mom time of 1950s that they have black and white pictures of city life and they didn't have videos of this only have 1970s 64mm Movie camera no sound putting on Roll up large projector screen with movie projector machine was always fast moving in black and white and color film 📽️🎥 was the best memory ever ‼️

[@GasPipeJimmy]

Wow! A life without scumbags. We could bring these times back.

[@maxmurphy47]

Nope, the scumbag is out of the bottle. No turning back

[@SamiltonAdventures]

So peaceful to watch, makes me wish I could time travel, as well as fly somewhere! This is good enough for me, for now though! Stunning video, thanks for sharing! 😁

[@jmsjms296]

Thanks for the trip back in time, where everything looks... innocent.

[@manuelvillalpando6665]

I was raised in Los Angeles, California in the 70’s. I recognize some of the buildings in the video, to include what may be the City Vernon area that it possibly shows and Canoga Park in the Valley area of northern Los Angeles County. From researching past historical records of both the City and County Los Angeles, many regions in the video were farmlands. Earlier in this same video, around the downtown Los Angeles area, the vehicle might have been traveling through Alameda street. For those not aware, the Spanish word “Alameda” means or is recognized as a street surrounded on both sides of the street by tall trees. While studying some art history accounts for images of downtown Los Angeles’ Alameda Street (circa 1800’s), many drawings depicted Alameda Street as being the street where at the time people could go and buy seeds for their farm from warehouses there. I think, from some of the footage of this video, some areas of what may have been Alameda Street still possibly had many of the trees depicted in the 1800’s art drawings. By the 1970’s, although still relatively peaceful and economically sound, downtown Los Angeles had dramatically changed from what the video showed, and the deteriorating of Los Angeles only got worse in the decades afterwards. I love watching historical videos that have been restored because they offer throves of evidence of how life was for many in earlier generations. Personally, I really do miss the simplicity and the beauty of everyone in general carrying themselves with good character, having good morals, ethics, and values. Yes, things were slower and more peaceful before the digital age.

[@markahad6583]

I certainly remembered the 60’s when I was in my pre-teen. I remembered looking at magazines, books with advertisements on those decades of cars. Seems like the cars are the stars in that era. Very relaxing to watch. Thank you so much for this video.

[@blueocean9517]

The streets are clean, evidence of education. Also, there is no nudity, no temptation, no problems, and no fighting

[@Itsseebfr]

you forgot to add racism

[@retrosnowwhite7077]

So cool to see such high quality footage!

[@shadowfilm7980]

Wow. I recognized the old Macy’s store on Wilshire Blvd and Fairfax avenue. It’s now the Academy Museum. So much empty land everywhere back then. So much open space. The old cars are so cool. Great to look at. The women dressed so feminine. Weren’t afraid to do so.

[@d.haroldangel241]

Awesome. Someone went around filming streets. Beautiful restoration. Amazing how they achieve this wonderful colorization. It looks like it was filmed yesterday.

[@user-tb6ud3ff2w]

I love the world in the past . Every thing is very peace and very beautiful .

[@glennhopkins2643]

Los Angeles today is Tijuana North.

[@hannamccarthyh]

Your 1940s selections are just mesmerising. I read sometime ago that we all cleave to a period about ten years before our birth, and certainly the 1940s are ‘my’ era by this calculation! Odd that it’s the USA that is so much more entrancing to me, as I’m a Londoner, but I am wondering about the huge effect of absorbing all those classic American films from (and books written/set in) this period. I can watch these movies endlessly, eagerly drinking in all the background detail, the cars, styles etc, and it’s all very familiar by now of course. Yet....seeing this genuine, real life stuff is really weirdly trippy, almost mystical even, and you realise how your mind kind of sets itself to a limiting ‘Fiction Mode’ when you watch a Hollywood movie for its period detail, for that elusive connection. If you see what I mean! It’s as though these real life scenes are somehow very different from everything seen in a movie, even though essentially they do look the same me. I dunno, but it’s absolutely fantastic. Thank you so much

[@Lpreilly72]

Your comments about the US being entrancing to you and our movies amused me. I grew up in LA during the 50s-70s and all I cared about was Masterpiece Theater and Alastair Cooke explaining what MI-6 was. I thought everyone in CID had to be either Inspector Morse or Lord Peter Wimsey.

[@KB-ke3fi]

I'd pay a million dollars just to go back to that for a weekend.

[@lemorab1]

@@KB-ke3fi I was born in the Valley in 1948 and I remember when it looked like this. You aren't the only one who'd pay a million dollars to go back and visit those days. We lived next door to Mr. Sperks's horse ranch in North Hollywood. Jim and Ruth Hurd's camellia farm was east of us. Sarah Street was a dirt road. The only freeways were the Harbor, Pasadena (1943) and Hollywood (1949.) I wish the person who posted this video would identify what street in the Valley this is. I recognize old Wilshire Blvd. I was in and out of Ohrbach's many times with my mom.

[@serg10xm.69]

Wow that is interesting because I wish I experienced the 70s, I was borned in the 80s

[@thegovtdoesntcareaboutyou]

can u tell me about it?

[@health-is-wealth-1]

One thing I consistently observe in these old images and videos is that almost 99.9% people are slim and fit.

[@panbestia6959]

number1 reason why people are obese nowadays is higly processed food thats made to be addictive, so its a simple conclusion

[@rickyestes7477]

@@panbestia6959 and kids stay inside on their devices, no exercise.... they worked back then

[@vibrantgleam]

@@rickyestes7477 mm child labor.

[@AoiTsuki_]

@@rickyestes7477worked for nothing

[@davidb2206]

@@vibrantgleam I worked at 13 for a construction company, with FICA deductions for social security and medicare. The billionaire J.R. Simplot left home at 13 and WORKED. I recommend it to all of you FAILED PARENTS today. Work ethic, you idiots.

[@user-cn6cw6os3s]

You know you're old when all this looks perfectly normal!

[@itz_jordan_jay]

As someone that’s born in 2001 I wish I could go 1950 to see how life was b4 compared to now

[@AnteaterOne]

What astounds me is how little has changed in over 70 years. The street lights, power lines and buildings are quite similar to what we have now. The cars are obviously from a different time, but the street and how the roads were marked are not that dissimilar from today. Now, if you went 70+ years back from 1950, there would be no roads, no cars, no street lights or signals. Obviously, the advancement between 1950 and 1880 would be significantly greater than from 1950 to the 2020s.