L.a. Meekly

Pack your sack lunches for the nicest museum you've ever visited inside a cemetery: the Forest Lawn Museum.  We talk with the museum's curator James Fishburne about the museum's role in shaping the art scene of Los Angeles, pigeon photography and the biggest painting of Jesus you've ever seen.

Halloween is here and what better way to spend it than with your two favorite grave robbers?  To get you in the...spirit...of the season we'll be covering the stories of a few of the biggest graveyards in the city: Valhalla Memorial Park (:14), Hollywood Forever (:32) and Forest Lawn (1:03).

Pack a picnic for this one as we sit down with Executive Director of the L.A. Philharmonic Gail Samuel (Yes, you read that correct) to talk about everything Hollywood Bowl related from decrepit band shells to Cab Calloway.

Ever wondered where you put that old screwdriver you can't find? How about your mint condition copy of Action Comics #1? Or that old Hope Diamond you used to have lying around? Check the junk drawer! L.A. Meekly's got one too filled with topics that didn't quite fit anywhere else so from that drawer we submit to you: the Spike Jones grocery story of La Crescenta (:13), inspiration for Indiana Jones Antonia Futterer (:28), the roller derby Thunderbirds (:49) and the Alphabet Bomber (1:06).

School may be back in session today but it's already time for a field trip.  Join us on our trip to La Plaza de Cultura y Artes as we discuss the museum's mission and importance as the keeper of the history of the early days of this city with Associate Curator Mariah Berlanga-Shevchuk and Assistant Curator Esperanza Sanchez.  

What's that sound?  The Entertainer by Scott Joplin?  That must mean it's the podcast truck with its barely regulated freezer full of treats!  This month we go into the stories of everyone but Greg's favorite summer treats: ice cream.  We'll dive deep into the history of Fosters Freeze (:14), Baskin-Robbins (:25), Fosselman's (:47) and, of course, Thrifty (:59).

1969. June 22 Judy Garland dies. July 14 Easy Rider comes out. August 9 Sharon Tate is murdered. Summer of love this was not. This month we're going to look at the downfall of the old Hollywood studio system by way of the rise and fall of Judy Garland (:16) and the birth of the New Hollywood movement through the story of Roger Corman (1:09).

Put on your weekend finest and zip on over to listen to the story of the zoot.  Join us as we trace one of the saddest, most disappointing low points in Los Angeles history from the murder and unfair trial at Sleepy Lagoon (:15) to the brutal and just as unfair Zoot Suit Riots (:57).  Get ready to be ashamed of your city.

Wax on your podcast device but don't wax it off because it's time for a field trip with Madame Tussaud's Hollywood's very own Helen Larimore.  Join us as she discusses the laborious and somewhat disturbing process of creating each wax model and the even more disturbing experience of having to walk through the empty exhibits at the end of the night.

Strap on your sturdiest hiking boots and sit on the couch and listen to our newest episode on a couple of the city's forests! We'll be covering the exploitation and criminal population of the Angeles National Forest (:12) and the Hollywood glory of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (1:04).

Activate your spellcheck because we are at the harder-than-you-think to-spell Coliseum!  We are joined by the hilarious comedian/Los Angeles history connoisseur Carl Tart as we discuss this place's meaning to himself and to the city at large.  

Vroom-vroom goes the car and brake-cry goes the traffic.  It took us this long to cover freeways because we've been stuck on the 405 for 6 years trying to get here.  We'll cover the creation of the city's freeways (:22) and the flipside of all that creation as it destroyed neighborhoods all over town (1:04).

Dive into the world of public access TV, billboards and customized cars in our evening with some of LA's most notable local celebrities.  Take a ride with Angelyne (:19), take another ride with Dennis Woodruff (:37), take a look into a future that never happened with the Amazing Criswell (:56), get healed by William Money (1:12) and sing a song of aliens with David Liebe Hart (1:32).  Don't forget to use promo code MEEKLY on the Forkspot app to get $15 off your first order.

What's black and white and read all over? This description for our episode about a newspaper. This month we cover the Los Angeles Times and the major players behind it from the warlike Harrison Gray Otis (:16), the conservative Harry Chandler (:54), the moderate Norman Chandler (1:23) and the surfing Otis Chandler (1:31). This episode brought to you by Forkspot. Use promo code MEEKLY to get $15 off your first order.

We found an old pirate's treasure map and we're hunting hidden gems all over this city!  We'll be looking up at Yamashiro Hollywood (:20), over to Travel Town (:35), sneaking into St. Vincent Court (:49), visiting the Venice Mosaic Tile House (:54), disappearing into the Max Factory Hollywood Museum (1:00) and seeking out the Great Wall of Los Angeles (1:24).  If you want to learn about more hidden gems in the city follow LifeHacks LA on Instagram and Facebook!  This episode also brought to you by Forkspot!  Use promo code MEEKLY and get $15 towards a meal today!

Pull up your scariest chair under the hiss-letoe and get ready to spin your dread-le; it's Creepy Christmas/Chaunted Channukah!  This year we'll cover the scariest tales from the San Pedro/Palos Verdes peninsula including and limited to the Point Vicente and Fermin lighthouses (:20), the Warner Theater (:40), Clemente Clem (:55), the Hernandez house haunting (1:05) and the Vanderlip mansion (1:23).

Take the 101, 405 or the 118 straight to the 818 for our latest field trip to the Valley Relics Museum!  We talk with museum founder and driving force Tommy Gelinas as he guides us on his journey from valley enthusiast and ash tray collector to full fledged museum owner and giant neon sign collector.  Fall in love with the valley all over again or for the first time right here.

Forget the turkey and make your extended family angry with some cheap, fast food for Thanksgiving!  In this supersized episode we'll be covering the crunch shells of Taco Bell (:18), the garlic aromas of Zankou Chicken (:50), the chewy freshness of Western Bagel (1:11), the timeless perfection of In-N-Out (1:17) and the orange flavored goodness of Panda Express (1:56).  Come hungry and leave hungrier.

Don't run away, it's only Meek.  Put on your favorite Pagan harvest character costume and get ready for our door to door journey through LA Halloween parties across the decades and the candy that went along with them.  We'll start with the story of the local creation the Abba Zaba bar (:22), trek through the parties themselves (:26), then on to get some candy in bulk at Jack's Wholesale (1:00), some world famous toffee at Littlejohn's (1:02), a taste of the finest Swiss chocolates at Edelweiss (1:04), a few balls of mochi at Fugetsu-do (1:10) and, everybody's favorite, See's Candies (1:20) to close out the night.  Just remember we won't be driving you home and BYO pumpkin.

This is episode 57 but you might know it better as the old "Heinz Variety."  That's because this month we're talking about some of the most famous nicknames of people in Los Angeles history.  We'll go from the confrontational "Fighting Bob" Shuler (:17), "Slapsy" Maxie (:32) and "Greek" George Caralambo (:49) to the criminal "Two Gun" Davis (:58) and "Machine Gun" Walker (1:20).