On the Black Bus
Harold True House
This picture show the proximity of the LaBianca and True homes. Looking up True's driveway the LaBianca home is seen, noted by the red arrow. The blue arrow is the roof of the True home. It was noted by nearly everyone on the tour how close together the homes are in Los Angeles.
LaBianca Driveway
The LaBianca gate
The corner where The LaBiancas stopped at a news stand on August 10.
Bank of America now occupies the spot.
Dracena Drive (former Tex/Laberge residence in the midst of a remodel).
I spoke with the contractor. He was concerned as to why we were photographing the place. He was just pleased we weren't a rival contractor or an insurance company, it seemed.
ColScott in his natural state - disagreement. LOL.
I spoke with the contractor. He was concerned as to why we were photographing the place. He was just pleased we weren't a rival contractor or an insurance company, it seemed.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn picture number 3, there is a row of slender, stately, evergreens, to the left of the red arrow. Does anyone know their variety?
ReplyDeletethe colonel took some good photos. patty hopes he posts some.
ReplyDeleteOrwhut, I think they're a type of cedar.
ReplyDeleteOrwhut the trees are Italian Cypress.
ReplyDeleteAaaargh, I screwed up, Deb's right! LOL. My airheaded tendencies - oh well, they both begin with "C" :)!
ReplyDeleteI always thought that if you faced the LaBianca house from the street the True house would be to the left. It is actually to the right.
ReplyDeleteWe were also surprised at how far the walk is to the corner where Frank Struthers Jr. made his phone calls. It's a hike, folks. Then, upon discovering the bodies with Joe Dorgan they called the police from a neighbor's house. This part has never made sense to me!
I would have to agree with Matt about the distance. Max Frost took us from the LaBianca house to where the phone was by two different routes. First the route that is normally accepted and then by the route that Max found to be shorter though not quite as direct, it was a bit of a zigzag.
ReplyDeleteEither way was quite a walk if Frank thought something was wrong and was afraid to go into the house alone. Why didn't Frank go to the neighbor's house in the first place????
You guys didn't go check out the property where Spahn ranch was ? Would seem like a must see
ReplyDeleteStay tuned, Bill. The tour lasts until next Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteFrank was fifteen (15 year old boy) and was dropped off at home around eight at night to discover he was locked out. Perhaps he was more annoyed than sensing the eerie foreboding which is typically an embellishment with 20/20 hindsight. So the retelling of events may (just may) have been slightly modified.
ReplyDeleteI walked more than twice that distance, everyday to high school, or rode my chick magnet, Schwinn Typhoon, in metallic red with bookrack, till I started driving. Absolutely everyone I knew walked to school or rode a bicycle. Today everyone seems to haul their kids to school in an apparent effort to cause a traffic jam on suburban streets as well as the highways. Weird.
So where would I go to make a miffed call about being locked out of the house? You can bet your bippy it would have been a burger joint, because that’s where the payphones are located, and perhaps I could have a righteous munch while waiting. I’m sure I was the only teenager who was motivated by self interest, hunger, and self righteous indignation. You guys locked me out of the house and made me eat hamburgers, and it cost me $2.39 (nice guilt trip right?).
So Frank calls home with no success, he then calls his sister’s workplace (Los Feliz and Boyce, which was patronized by Fatty Arbuckle in the past, oo-eee-oo) where the manager relays his concerns to Suzan. Suzan called the Charburger then her boyfriend. Odd but it worked.
You should have gone to Joe Dorgans apartment...it's nearby...and it was the exterior of "Melrose Place"
ReplyDeletefunny Matt that you thought it would be on the left...Patty did too. wonder where we got that impression? Being there really helped pull it all together.
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me the most I think was the narrowness of the streets even in the posh neighborhoods.
ReplyDeletecongrats,, great posts!!
ReplyDeleteTrilby made a comment in a post yesterday about there being "a huge amount of conflicting evidence in this case".
ReplyDeleteConflicting or curious. Frank's long walk would come under the curious heading.
My question is has anyone ever done a tote board of sorts regarding conflicting/curious evidence? I am miles from the TLB scholars like Deb and Starship and such so I can only think of a few off the top of my head...
Rosemary's dress over her PJ's has always stumped me.
The phone call from Cielo to Spahn on the afternoon of the murders.
The wandering around before Waverly and Charlie disappearing possibly to make a phone call.
I know there are a bunch more, I am just wondering if anyone has ever encapsulated them.
Trilby and Deb,
ReplyDeleteThank you. I like those trees.
I love those trees, too, Orwhut. After reading the LaBianca Police Reports, it seems Frank was a little bit of a juvenile delinquent. I've always found it odd he apparently didn't have housekeys. Did you guys figure out where the Charburger stand was at the intersection of Hyperion and Rowena? My guess was either in the old wooden white buildings, or that the stucco Mexican food walk-up joint was the Charburger location (right before the Gelson's, which was the original location of the Walt Disney Studios.). There was a structure that could've been an old phone booth conversion in front of the walk-up joint, & it was there in '69. There was also a possible phone booth location across the street between the take-out pizza place and Trader Joe's, so I thought the wooden white buildings in front of the laundry could be a possibility. Don't know why, but I never paid any attention to the other side of the street by the 7-11. I've thought of putting a post up on Alison Martino's "Vintage L.A." Page about the Charburger, or paying the L.A. Public Library for their info search. Weirdly, I'm obsessed with clarifying every minute detail that it's possible to clarify amidst the confusion. (Might be why the only things I pay attention to in movies are casting and production/set design.). So, any thoughts or info as to the exact location of the Charburger? And Leary, I've thought many times about doing that... I'm just a bad combination of busy, stressed, & lazy so haven't done it. It's a good idea, though. Hope you enjoyed your movie night.
ReplyDeleteyeah, Trilby...
ReplyDeleteA Top Ten TLB Contradictions.
A Top Ten TLB Curiousities.
And a Top Ten TLB Coincidences.
To much work for one person. Ask for help or suggestions. Deb would be great, she's a pistol of info.
Wow! I too always pictured Harold True's house to be to the left of the LaBianca's house!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLeary,
ReplyDeleteThere was no phone call from cielo to Spahn or vice versa the day of the murders.
And maybe even not ever.
Isn't it interesting how so many of us thought the True house was left, instead of right, of the LaBianca's? I thought the same thing....i'm wondering if some nugget in HS or something made us all make that assumption
ReplyDeleteThose streets are really narrow. Kind of hard to drive through at times. Even at the Tate house I was surprised how narrow that canyon really is. A couple of years ago my mom and brother were at the LaBianca house taking pictures and both of them said they got an eery feeling and the hair on their arms and neck stood up. I was wondering if it felt a little creepy there?
ReplyDeleteThose streets are really narrow. Kind of hard to drive through at times. Even at the Tate house I was surprised how narrow that canyon really is. A couple of years ago my mom and brother were at the LaBianca house taking pictures and both of them said they got an eery feeling and the hair on their arms and neck stood up. I was wondering if it felt a little creepy there?
ReplyDelete