“Mad as a March Hare”
In past issues of your Newsletter, we have revealed some of the endeavors of local parties that may have left Hawthornians scratching their heads in disbelief: sculptor Felix Peano’s monumental masterpiece, “the Door of Life,” whose patroness (it has been said) withdrew her commission for the work because she thought it too “inappropriate” for the church setting it was intended to adorn; the inevitable line of buyers eager to purchase lottery tickets from Bluebird Liquor whenever a jackpot rises to national debt levels; the giant hopes for a rich oil field in Hawthorne in 1929.
To these we would now like to add:
A Spacex Falcon Heavy rocket carrying Elon Musk’s 2010 Tesla Roadster, “driven” by a “Starman” effigy, into orbit around the Sun in a 2018 demonstration launch . . .
After Phase I of a study commissioned by the City Council, completed in 1966, the statement in the Council’s 1967 report to residents that sales tax revenues from the proposed downtown shopping mall might well hasten the elimination of city property taxes . . .
The mysteriously vacant four-level parking structure that has long stood locked up and wrapped in security fencing at the northeast corner of 129th St and the alley which runs north-to-south, 155 ft west of Hawthorne Blvd — in a part of our city where competition for street parking has become a contest worthy of international sport status . . .
Jack Northrop’s vision of a military aircraft whose fuselage, tail assembly, engines and landing gear were all incorporated into a “Flying Wing,” that was briefly produced under a federal contract until it was abruptly cancelled in 1950 by the Secretary of the Air Force, but which has been the model for the most advanced bombers since 1987 . . .
The guest appearance of “Winnie the Whale” (or rather, her formaldehyde-infused corpse) in the parking lot behind the Thrifty Drug store on the northwest corner of 132nd St and Hawthorne Blvd in 1953, as she was about to embark on a nationwide tour. The story of this unfortunate California gray whale who was “docked” by a Navy destroyer in local waters in the year before, preserved and displayed at Hermosa Beach’s Ocean Aquarium and later taken on by an impresario who furnished her with a “Detachable Tail,” a custom-built trailer and a schedule of viewings around Southern California has been well covered by contributors to social media, but we think she deserves a mention here in this context (hope you agree) . . .
Ben Arid, local writer and one-time journalist for Hawthorne’s short-lived daily newspaper, The Leader, joined with Dr Cary of the California Fur Rabbit and Silver Fox Farm (apparently in Lennox), the Compton Chamber of Commerce and the West Coast Rabbit Breeders Association in 1927 to advocate the development of the fur rabbit industry (“chinchilla-“and “ermine” bunnies) in Hawthorne, as part of a homegrown “gold mine” trifecta of pigeon-, poultry- and rabbit husbandry.
ANDTHE OSCAR GOES TO . . . . . . . .
As Winter fades into Spring and people begin anticipating venturing outdoors, many also begin discussing which films are Oscar worthy and which aren’t. After spending many nights at the Torrance or Roadium Drive-Ins seeing the hot movies of the year, most film lovers are convinced they knew who the awards will go to, and, more importantly, which films deserves to take home the coveted statues.
April brought Hawthornians one of the most watched television events of the year – The Academy Awards. The annual extravaganza, where movie stars spend weeks of time and thousands of dollars to impress one another, would find families gathered around their television set for four hours of watching awards being given and received, lavish production numbers and various hosts using their best jokes and sardonic wit to keep the audience awake. Families would gather to enjoy the show together in front of a 19-inch screen housed in a two ton, 8-foot long cabinet that often included a stereo and a liquor cabinet. When the big night arrived, one could drive down any street in Hawthorne and see families huddled around the flickering lights of the family television.
The Oscars were broadcast on Monday night until 1999, when the show was moved to Sunday night to bolster ratings. The Oscar ceremony was also moved up from early April to late February to help disrupt and shorten the intense lobbying and ad campaigns associated with the awards. This move created a new television phenomenon – award season, a plethora of movie award shows with the same stars in different attire culminating with the Academy Awards.
Here is a snapshot at some of the Best Picture winners. As we reflect on past winners, some will agree with the choices of the Academy members and some will vehemently disagree. This is what makes the four-hour show tolerable!
Calendar of Events for 2024
Wednesdays, April 3rd and April 17th
6:00 PM to 9:30 PM
Board Game Nights at the Museum
Thursday, April 11th, 6:00 PM
Art Festival
Artists submitting from all City schools
Memorial Center – Sun Room
Saturday, April 13th, 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Hawthorne Historical Society
Hometown Pancake Breakfast – $7
breakfast, raffle, music, open museum
Jim Thorpe Park, 14100 S. Prairie Ave
aturday, April 20th, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Earth Day Celebration
Service Provider Fair
raffles, lunches, goodies
Hawthorne Memorial Park
