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Rick Mack
Приєднався 9 жов 2022
Van Nuys Boulevard 1972
This video is of a series of 35mm black and white photographs of the car 'cruising' scene made by Rick McCloskey during the summer of 1972 along Van Nuys Boulevard. More of these nostalgic Van Nuys images can be viewed at rickmackvannuys.com
There is a wonderful hardbound, coffee table, book also available of these images: 'Van Nuys Blvd 1972' (3RD edition 2022 ISBN 978-3-906833-36-5) The book can be purchased from the website: rickmackvannuys.com or from the publisher in Europe at: sturmanddrang.net/products/rick-mccloskey-van-nuys-blvd-1973 Address any questions directly to: rick@rickmack.com
There is a wonderful hardbound, coffee table, book also available of these images: 'Van Nuys Blvd 1972' (3RD edition 2022 ISBN 978-3-906833-36-5) The book can be purchased from the website: rickmackvannuys.com or from the publisher in Europe at: sturmanddrang.net/products/rick-mccloskey-van-nuys-blvd-1973 Address any questions directly to: rick@rickmack.com
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I was fortunate enough to have been part of the SoCal car culture. I got my license when I turned 16 in 1973. My "home" cruise was Valley Blvd in Alhambra on Friday and Saturday nights. At least twice a month we'd blast over to Van Nuys on Wednesday night. Bumper to bumper 5 mph traffic both north and south. Insane cars, vans and beautiful girls everywhere. Our favorite hangout was the Jack-n-Box on the north end of the cruise. It was a great time to be alive and the car scene was true Americana.
Well stated, Denny.
oh to be 20 again.
Yes, apparently time only goes in one direction...
Most of those kids are pushing 70 or more now, 2024. Hope they have good memories of that time and place.
Many have contacted me. A good number have already passed on. It was the best of times.
It was the best of times. There was never problem back in the early 70's. I had a built 67 mustang fastback with a 390/4sp. People just hung out, cruised and sometimes did a little street racing on plummer out in the orange groves...
This was a wonderful time when there were still orange groves in The Valley. I lived on Plummer for about six months in 1974 before moving to Hawaii. One of the things that has changed for the worse is the income from many jobs is not sufficient to cover the cost of living today. The two cash flows, income and outgo, were still in balance in 1972. We could have cool cars, have a place to live, and support them with almost any job.
Still home to many a large car dealership. Looks like these kids didn't have to worry about poverty and being drafted. Nice photoss.
Nixon ended the draft in 1972, and announced that same year only volunteers would go to Vietnam. The 'Progressive' era hadn't yet come to a complete end, so good jobs were still available everywhere, and the cost of living was still completely affordable. Ronald Reagan's administration put an end to that after 1980. These kids were basically middle class, some lower middle class, most were not attending college---even though it was nearly free in California at the time. No need, a high school diploma would get you a decent paying job---which of course was directly related to the basic cost of living.
No disgusting fat people.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Lived in the Valleybetween 50-73. Grew up there. Hated Van Nuys Blvd. But, on a positive note, it was where the Menendez brothers were tried for murder. So there is that.
Yes this is great then a short 10 years later completely transformed into tard land and CA is done…
52 years isa very long time. Massive changes to our society,
They don't show any of the low riders that were invented by chicanos.
Sorry for the late response. Lowriders were definitely there, and I have pictures.
Well done @Rick Mack! I was only 10 when my father took me to LA for the 2nd time in 1971 and although I remember watching fancy bikes and cars at night I would never assume I was there at Van Nuys Blvd... but your photos bring me back all the great memories I had about LA and its culture. Congratulations for the great work!
In high school we all got ready for Wednesday night by washing and cleaning up our rides. I cruised Van Nuys Blvd. between about 1967 to 1973. Thousands of cars, some junk, but many, many cool and fast "Shorts". Good time fer sure !
Excellent 1972 Van Nuys Boulevard video!!
I tell my grandkids about growing up in the 60 and 70s........ .they flat don't believe it. Lol
What a cool song! Does anyone know what the title is and who plays it?
Gas was 33cents. That's says a lot...
The sign said gas 32.9¢ Right now gas is 15 x higher in Van Nuys California😧
My God real woman, real cars and real life! No fat people!
Back when Men were Men and Women were Women. Back when this society was still sane. Can I get in a time machine?
Lived in Hawthorne at the time was 12 . Growing up in S California was the best time of my life . lived in OC till I left in 1978 . Democrats sure destroyed that state . Sad .
Kudos, great vid, music and photo transitions!
Right below Pacoima. Lived about a block from Van Nuys Blvd
Today a white kid hanging in that same area isn't safe. Or any kid, for that matter. Not by a long shot. What a shame.
I will always admire someone who has the foresight to understand the importance of documenting particular eras and places in time that will never be replicated. The youth of today have no clue of how to function like this. Kudos to Rick McCloskey for capturing these photos especially with black and white film. It just makes these photos that much better.
now everything is ultra violent and filthy...
Does anyone know what song is playing during the video?
That was a very different world. Now you wouldn't even recognize Van Nuys. It's a 3rd world ghetto. Thanks liberals.
The Bay Area had it's cruising scene in the 70's - a lot of it on El Camino Real in the South Bay - but there's something about SoCal that's just kind of magical.
Beautiful. Better time. People connecting. You can really feel the spirit of these times being celebrated in Licorice Pizza. Teens getting to be teens.
I’m jealous. I was wearing diapers.
WAY cooler then. the music, cars people....everyone has tinted windows now and drive like psychos. Van Nuys Blvd is a complete dump. People are uptight and women cold. Hollywoods the worst.. total asshole magnet.
The 70’s where the best time’s 🎊 ever.
It would have been *FAR* better to omit the distracting quotes and captions from this video and simply let the images speak for themselves!
The captions add context for younger people to understand the time period.
I lived on Hatteras Ave, .5 miles from Van Nuys Blvd. I was 10 in 1972, I was young, but we did hang out there, watch the cars, less then a mile from the Bob's Bigboy!!! Very cool pictures. Good memories!!
I was born in 1970 in upstate NY. Love this....
Awesome pictures of an amazing time to be alive.
I noticed the clothing style was exactly like today. Lol
Cool. This was the year I was born...Then when was a teen at 16, I was cruising Whittier Blvd, Hollywood Blvd, and sometimes San Fernando Valley and even Hawthorne Blvd before the cops shut it down...
Nice photos but I don't know what the big deal is! Men were after women back then. Men are after women now. And men always will go after women always! So? What's the big deal here?!
All the good old days
No seat belt omg 😳 😮
TBF there is still a cruising culture in many SoCal and Central Coast towns. Lot older, and more organized now. Interesting for me that as an 80s/90s kid I associated cruising with Chicanos, but obviously a lot of Anglos out there too.
You can just feel what it was like. So relaxed compared to today. Nobody has this buy eyed tension and anxiety that everyone has now.
Glad California looked great in the 70's cause NY seemed to be a festering waste land.
Being 27 and looking at this is so bizzare. I never realized how accustomed I am to seeing fake-looking people. Everyone here looks so...real? I love old cars and movies and music (obviously from my Steve McQueen pfp) but I don't often see just regular people from this time not in a movie or music video. People just hanging out. This video made me realize that I'm probably the only regular sized, non-tatted, non-body altered person I see every day lol. Also, the girls back then were kinda fine. I might be in love with the girl at 1:56 now. And also that mustang at 2:10
Thank you for sharing. Great Pics. This should be a full length movie, and of course show at the Drive-In-Cinema 😉
now van nuys looks like tijuana. And amazing how back then theres no overweight toads
'American Graffiti' was filmed while these boys & girls cruised... joyful exuberance of boys, girls and cars lasted for at least ~30 years...
Fast forward 50 years: And these boomer assholes ruined the country.
Some day u can be casual like me