Short films tell Long Beach's early days

DOWNEY - Filmmaker David Boule will screen his two 16mm short films about Long Beach and its newspaper, the Press-Telegram, on Thursday at the Barbara J. Riley Community and Senior Center.The presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Downey Historical Society's regular meeting. The first film, "The Case of the Market Apart," was produced in 1971 and features Sam Yorty, who was mayor of Los Angeles from 1961-73. The film is a take-off on the "Dragnet" television series popular at the time. Produced by the Press-Telegram to promote the paper to advertisers the film also features Ray DiPiazza, who plays the part of Detective Joe Friday. The Downey Historical Society describes "The Case of the Market Apart" as "an interesting look back at the Press-Telegram when it was run locally." The second short film, "Downtown," is a concise 10-minute short about the radical transformation Long Beach was going through in 1972. The film was written by DiPiazza and Boule, and produced for Downtown Long Beach retailers and the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce. The fast-paced film opens with the Queen Mary's arrival at the Port of Long Beach, and features all areas of Downtown Long Beach. "There will be a trip down memory lane, as the film shows what's being proposed and then the final outcome of the project," the Historical Society said in its newsletter. "You will see the sights of Long Beach some 40 years ago." The meeting will also feature footage of the destruction of the old Dutch Village Market Place in Lakewood from the 1980s. The footage shows the windmill coming down and the destruction of other landmark businesses. The meeting is free and will be held in the community center's John Downey Room. For more information, call (562) 904-7223.

********** Published: May 21, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 5