Really interesting documentary... As a native L.A. guy and a 'Boomer' I remember the original Venice Pier of the early 1950s. I didn't know the back-story to the development of the first pier, but certainly do remember as a 5 to 7 year old, taking the electric street car from our home near Pico and Crenshaw down to the Venice boardwalk to visit a family member who owned a couple brownstones right on the boardwalk and down from the original Venice Pier. Later and then living in Gardena at the time when POP/Pacific Ocean Park was developed and opened, I definitely remember walking through what was an 'ocean themed tunnel' that then opened up to the park. Ironic that when I saw your segment about the falling apart and demise of POP, I didn't remember that bit of its final history. Then I realized that I was probably in Vietnam, having enlisted in March of '66, and not getting out until the beginning of 1970. I guess I unknowingly traded that bit of history for another. Thanks for posting your video.
I lived just a few blocks away from Pacific Ocean Park in the sixties. It was my playground in spite of its decrepit state (which was part of its appeal). Those were amazing days.
Playland at the beach off the Pacific ocean up in San Francisco was a very similar amusement park. It's heyday's were the 30's thru the 50's. In the 60's it became rundown & seedy and had very little up keep on the buildings or rides. It eventually was demolished in 1972 for Condos.
The way Jay Adam's describes riding under that pole was a "kind of a tricky thing to do." "Kind of tricky." Jay had the gift of making it look easy. All of these guys who surfed in that place were amazing. I am bowled over in amazement how they loved surfing so much, they invented skateboarding to emulate surfing. They lived in the poorest part of town. They didnt do it for money. They invented something. Out of poverty. Out of survival. It's like the Beatles.
I love that scene where stacy rides the ditch like a wave and the robin trower solo to hanah is playing in the background, if you seen it a lot of times you know what i'm talking about 🤘
Really interesting documentary... As a native L.A. guy and a 'Boomer' I remember the original Venice Pier of the early 1950s. I didn't know the back-story to the development of the first pier, but certainly do remember as a 5 to 7 year old, taking the electric street car from our home near Pico and Crenshaw down to the Venice boardwalk to visit a family member who owned a couple brownstones right on the boardwalk and down from the original Venice Pier. Later and then living in Gardena at the time when POP/Pacific Ocean Park was developed and opened, I definitely remember walking through what was an 'ocean themed tunnel' that then opened up to the park. Ironic that when I saw your segment about the falling apart and demise of POP, I didn't remember that bit of its final history. Then I realized that I was probably in Vietnam, having enlisted in March of '66, and not getting out until the beginning of 1970. I guess I unknowingly traded that bit of history for another. Thanks for posting your video.
Thanks for this. Very historical not only for surfing but for Venice and Santa Monica.
I lived just a few blocks away from Pacific Ocean Park in the sixties. It was my playground in spite of its decrepit state (which was part of its appeal). Those were amazing days.
I bet.
Playland at the beach off the Pacific ocean up in San Francisco was a very similar amusement park. It's heyday's were the 30's thru the 50's. In the 60's it became rundown & seedy and had very little up keep on the buildings or rides. It eventually was demolished in 1972 for Condos.
The way Jay Adam's describes riding under that pole was a "kind of a tricky thing to do."
"Kind of tricky." Jay had the gift of making it look easy. All of these guys who surfed in that place were amazing.
I am bowled over in amazement how they loved surfing so much, they invented skateboarding to emulate surfing.
They lived in the poorest part of town.
They didnt do it for money. They invented something. Out of poverty. Out of survival.
It's like the Beatles.
I love that scene where stacy rides the ditch like a wave and the robin trower solo to hanah is playing in the background, if you seen it a lot of times you know what i'm talking about 🤘
What is this little gem I found 14 years later!!
This is a clip from the 2001 documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys by skateboarder Stacy Peralta, def check it out
Its from a really really good documentry, as the dork above me explained
Venice is a great place to spend time.
You'll see everything there.
George Vreeland Hill
I went to POP many times as a kid.
What's this documentary called?
3:10 blindsided wipe out ouch !
Sooooooo pyros burned it down not a title wave rumor had it, or was the LB
ah yes Lords of Dogtown
I remebereven after POP closed down, we would go in the park at night and party..
I remember this
Do you have other vintage Venice footage, not necessarily surfing related?
Toes beach (Playa del rey), Venice was our rival.
Narrator sounds a bit like Jim Morrison.