Brown Derby
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Brown Derby was the name given to a chain of restaurants in Los Angeles, California. The first and most famous of these was shaped like a men's derby hat, an iconic image that became synonymous with the Golden Age of Hollywood.
The chain was begun by Bob Cobb and Herbert Somborn (also famous as a former husband of film star Gloria Swanson). It is often incorrectly thought that the Brown Derby was a single restaurant, and the Wilshire Blvd and Hollywood branches are frequently confused.
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[edit] Wilshire Boulevard Brown Derby
Opened in 1926, the original restaurant at 3427 Wilshire Boulevard remains the most famous given its distinctive shape. Whimsical architecture was popular at the time, and designed to catch the eye of passing motorists. It is said that the shape of the hat worn by New York governor and the Democrats 1928 presidential candidate Al Smith, a personal friend of Somborn, was a specific inspiration. Another theory claims that Somborn was told that a good restauranteur could serve food out of a hat and still make a success out of it.
The small cafe, close to popular Hollywood hot spots such as Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel, became successful enough to warrant the building of a second branch.
The building was moved to 3347 Wilshire Boulevard in 1937 and, after being sold in 1975 and renovated, was finally replaced in 1980 by a shopping centre known as the Brown Derby Plaza. The domed structure was incorporated into the third floor of the building and accommodates a cafe.
[edit] Hollywood Brown Derby
Despite its less distinctive Spanish Mission style facade, the second Brown Derby, which opened on Valentines Day in 1929 at 1628 North Vine Street Hollywood, was the branch which played the greater part in Hollywood history. Given its proximity to nearby movie studios, it became the place to do deals, and to be seen. Clark Gable is said to have proposed to Carole Lombard here. Rival gossip columnists Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper are said to have been regular patrons.
In "L. A. At Last", the first of the Hollywood episodes of I Love Lucy, Lucy (Lucille Ball), Ethel (Vivian Vance), and Fred (William Frawley) have lunch at the Brown Derby. During the misadventure, the trio dines in a booth neighbored by Eve Arden on one side and William Holden on the other. This leads to the famous disaster scene in which Lucy inadvertently causes a waiter to dump a plate of food on Holden.
Like its Wilshire Blvd counterpart, it was the home of hundreds of caricatures of celebrities. Many of these caricatures were drawn by Mr. Jack Lane between 1947 and 1985. Lane, who lived in Woodland Hills, California up until his death on April 2, 2009, had written a book, A Gallery of Stars: The Story of the Hollywood Brown Derby Wall of Fame, describing his many years as the resident caricaturist there.
It also claimed that the Hollywood Brown Derby was the birthplace of the Cobb Salad, which was said to have been hastily arranged from leftovers by owner Bob Cobb for showman and theatre owner Sid Grauman.
The building was largely destroyed by a fire in 1987. Only a small fragment of the restaurant's facade remains, and is being incorporated into a new W Hotels development.
[edit] Beverly Hills Brown Derby
The third Brown Derby, built in 1931 at 9537 Wilshire Blvd, greatly resembled the Hollywood branch. It was closed in the early 1980s and demolished in 1983. Nothing remains of the building today.
[edit] Los Feliz Brown Derby
The Los Feliz Brown Derby at 4500 Los Feliz Blvd is the last remaining branch of the chain still extant and in operation. Film mogul Cecil B. De Mille, a part owner of the Wilshire Blvd restaurant, bought the store, a former chicken restaurant named Willard's, and converted into a Brown Derby in 1940. It uniquely combined a formal restaurant with a dramatic domed ceiling with a more casual drive-in cafe outside.
It became Michaels of Los Feliz in 1960, and in 1992 was transformed into a nightclub known as The Derby. In the late 1990s, it became one of the centers of the resurgence of swing dancing, also launching the careers of modern swing bands such as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Johnny Crawford. Oregon rock/swing/ska band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies have a song titled "Brown Derby Jump" on their album Zoot Suit Riot.
In June of 2004, the Derby and adjacent lots were purchased by Hillhurst/Los Feliz LLC with a view to demolition and replacement by a condominium complex. The planned redevelopment became a cause celebe for heritage activists. An independent coalition called "Save The Derby" fought to prevent the site, and, on May 19, 2006, the Los Angeles City Counsel voted unanimously to designate the entire structure an official Historic Cultural Monument of the City of Los Angeles.
In January 2009, the nightclub closed its doors. The current landlord chose not to renew their lease, not long after a shooting took place inside the club in which two men were injured. This may have lead to the decision to close the venue. At this time the future of the building is unknown. However, it is still under protection as a Historic Cultural Monument of the City of Los Angeles.
[edit] Other Brown Derbys
The Brown Derby began its licensing program[1] in 1987 with an agreement with Walt Disney Company for a replica of the original derby-shaped structure at the new Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida. In 1990, Walt Disney Company entered into three additional agreements for Euro-Disney, Tokyo Disney and Disneyland in Anaheim, California. In 1996, a ten-year agreement was entered into with MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, Nevada; in 1998, the MGM Grand Detroit, Michigan temporary facility was added.
[edit] Sources
- Richard Alleman - 'The Movie Lover's Guide to Hollywood', Harper Colophon Books, 1985, ISBN 0-06-091262-6
[edit] External links
- Website of The Original Hollywood Brown Derby - an affiliate of the original Hollywood location.
- Website of The Derby - the nightclub–restaurant currently operating in what was formerly the Los Feliz Brown Derby
- Website outlining the history of the Los Feliz Brown Derby and the campaign to save it from demolition.
