January's SPIRITS with SPIRITS

GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters and those that just like ghost stories. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, and toast a ghost! Let's put the “Boo!” back into “booze.”

All those who attend will receive a free (square) G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you already have one, please wear it so others can find you, without asking the staff.

THE DATE: January 13th, 2012 (A Frolicking Friday the 13th)
THE PLACE: the Frolic Room
6245 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood (Map)
THE TIME: 8:00pm to the witching hour

THE GHOST(S):

January 15th (Sunday) will mark the sixty-fifth anniversary of the internationally known "Black Dahlia Murder." If you are not familiar with this dark chapter of our city's history, details and theories can be found elsewhere on the internet. Simply put, in 1947, the body of Elizabeth Short was found in two pieces in a vacant lot, bisected at the waist. No killer was ever caught, and the case is still unsolved. This event was so bizarre and disturbing (even by today's standards), that it has almost become a symbol of L.A.'s shadowy underbelly that co-exists with our sunny skies. A cottage industry has even developed for the morbidly curious, from books to movies, and from tours to merchandise. There is even a drink named after her (which is best enjoyed when divided between two separate glasses).

"Officially" the last time she was seen alive was at the (haunted) Biltmore Hotel, downtown, on January 9th, prompting some to call those missing days in between the "lost week." However, during the investigation of this highly-publicized case, police did track down eye-witnesses that where able to fill in some of these gaps. Although, those who academically study this stuff argue about the legitimacy of these sightings, one account by John Jiroudek who had known Elizabeth Short, claimed she was in a 1937 Ford Sedan on Hollywood Blvd with an unknown blonde woman behind the wheel on January 13th.

So, in honor of the "city of angel's" most famous/infamous fallen angel, GHOULA is also headed to Hollywood Blvd this 13th (65 year to the day) to one of the Dahlia's favorite watering holes, The Frolic Room (AKA "Bob's Frolic Room"), established in 1934 on the ground floor of the Pantages Theater (built in 1930), replacing Halgreen's Fountain Cafe.

Daniel Jackson, a private detective, who had a chance meeting with Elizabeth Short in the Frolic Room a year before her death, was supposedly told by police investigators “We do know it to be a fact that Beth Short was in that cocktail bar and around that locality numerous times just before her murder.” What makes her preference for this particular dive even more interesting is that (according to "The Story of Hollywood" by Gregory Paul Williams) in the post Second World War years, the Frolic Room had become one of Hollywood's secret gay bars. Was the Frolic Room the destination for Beth and her blonde "companion" that day?

In the years after her death, Ms. Short has been accused of being many things, a prostitute, a burlesque dancer, a drug addict, and yes, even a lesbian. At this point, no one really knows if any of those labels are true. However, among the 25 serious suspects listed by the District Attorney was the cryptic entry, "Queer Woman Surgeon." It was thought at the time that perhaps a woman cut the body in half to make it easier to transport. A few women even confessed to the police. Did the Dahlia meet her murderer, or rather murderess, here?

Unfortunately, the male ghost of this tiny tavern doesn't provide any clues to this mystery, or does it? Although the management claims no knowledge of any ghost stories connected to this historic bar, patrons have told GHOULA about a "man" that is only seen in the reflection of the mirror behind the bar (and not present in the actual room). Curiously, this phenomena also occurred in the bar in the Biltmore (until they removed the mirrors). Does the same spirit haunt both of these places linked to the Black Dahlia's final days? Was "he" stalking her?

Additionally, the Pantages building with its ominous hooded statues along the roof, in which the Frolic Room resides, is famously haunted. The historical marker on the street light in front even references the ghost of Howard Hughes, who is one of the spirits said to haunt this building, (along with a female spirit, and a singer). Hughes purchased the building in 1949, and moved into the offices upstairs. It is said that during his time as owner/occupant, and true to his obsessive-compulsive nature, he micro-managed the Frolic Room, and installed the iconic Technicolor (almost psychedelic) neon sign in front. Hughes also brought the Academy Awards ceremony to the Pantages, and supposedly would convert the Frolic Room into his own private lounge on Oscar nights. Who knows, maybe the male spirit in the bar is him (back when the seeds of his insanity were surfacing).

Lastly, there was a 1950's TV anthology program entitled "Screen Director's Playhouse." One episode featured a story about a lonely older man, watching the Academy Awards broadcast live from the Pantages Theater on the TV in the Frolic Room (next door). Unbeknownst to the other patrons, the film pioneer mentioned in an acceptance speech is ironically that sad, poor elderly man. This fictional story is clearly based on film pioneer, D.W. Griffith. Although, he had died by the time the Oscars came to the Pantages, he had spent much of the later part of his life, forgotten and destitute, in bars like the Frolic Room. Could he be the "man" in the mirror?

So, come out and raise a glass to the three victims of the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," the Black Dahlia, Howard Hughes, and D.W. Griffth, and hear some of the other ghost stories about the building and street outside this 13th... if you dare.

(to read about last month's haunted location... )
(to read more about another Black Dahlia haunted hangout... )
(to read about the ghosts of the Biltmore... )
(to read about the ghosts of the Pantages Theater... )

19511930

Ghost lecture at LANHM

When: January 6, 2012 (Friday)

Where: The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Admission: $12.00

This event is part of the Natural History Musuem's "First Fridays" series. For more info on the event... http://www.nhm.org/site/activities-programs/first-fridays/january-2012

Discussion (6:30 pm): “The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods To Politics and Conspiracies — How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them As Truths” with Dr. Michael Shermer

Synthesizing thirty years of research, Michael Shermer upends traditional thinking about how humans form beliefs about the world. Simply put, beliefs come first, and explanations for beliefs follow. The brain, Shermer argues, is a belief engine. Using sensory data that flow in through the senses, the brain naturally looks for and finds patterns — and then infuses those patterns with meaning, forming beliefs. Once beliefs are formed, our brains subconsciously seek out confirmatory evidence in support of those beliefs, accelerating the process of reinforcing them — and round and round the process goes in a positive feedback loop. Shermer provides countless real-world examples of how this process operates, from politics, economics, and religion to conspiracy theories, the supernatural, and the paranormal. And ultimately, he demonstrates why science is the best tool ever devised to determine whether or not our beliefs match reality.

GHOULA's Annual Report 2011

(Alhambran F.E. Ormsby, creator of the 13 month calendar, 1929)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

GHOULA has many great things planned for the upcoming year.

But first, let's take a last look back at 2011.

SPIRITS with SPIRITS continued its monthly meetings, visiting 11 new haunted restaurants/bars (and one gallery) in the Los Angeles area. Our October meet-up was at the world famous Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip with unprecedented access to the infamous haunted basement. Also in October, the LA Weekly declared (in their "Best of LA" issue) SPIRITS with SPIRITS and GHOULA was "The best weirdo tour of LA." (To revisit the 2011 "SPIRITS with SPIRITS" locations see below)

Last Year, GHOULA continued its "REAL GHOSTS with REEL GHOSTS." As a way to celebrate "Tinsel Town's" film history and Hollywood's haunted history, anytime a movie about ghosts was shown in a haunted local theater, the details were posted on this site.

We also brought back our "Haunted Films in Haunted Places" film series in October. In a partnership with the Echo Park Film Center's Filmmobile, for a second year, we screened different movies with "haunted" in their titles in actual haunted locations that corresponded thematically with that film.

And speaking of movie events, GHOULA sponsored the "EMERGO" for a screening of "House on Haunted Hill" at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica. "EMERGO" was a 1950's gimmick that promised an actual ghost leaping of the screen and into the Auditorium (to see pictures of our EMERGO...)

We also celebrated the visual arts in February with a GHOULA sponsored art show featuring paintings of haunted places. The exhibition was held at the Studio for SOCAL History.

2011 was a great year for GHOULA, and judging from the surprises that are in the works, 2012 will be even better (at least until the world ends in December).

The SPIRITS with SPIRITS locations of 2011.

January - Antonio's
February - Studio for SOCAL History
March - Maeve's Residuals
April - Footsies
May - Sagebrush Catina
June - Hotel Figueroa
July - Basement Bar
August - Pig N Whistle
September - Plum Tree Inn
October - Comedy Store
November - Hamburger Hamlet
December - Boardner's

(To view last year's annual report...)

December's SPIRITS with SPIRITS!

GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters and those that just like ghost stories. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, and toast a ghost! Let's put the “Boo!” back into “booze.”

All those who attend will receive a free (square) G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you already have one, please wear it so others can find you, without asking the staff.

THE DATE: December 13th, 2011 (Tuesday)
THE PLACE: Boardner's
1652 North Cherokee Avenue (Map)
THE TIME: 8:00pm to the witching hour

THE GHOST(S):

In the beginning, yuletide activities revolved around ghosts, demons and other weird creatures that dished out punishments to the naughty as a way of co-opting the pagan winter solstices ceremonies in place before "Christmas." For this reason, some early American pilgrims felt this celebration was sacrilegious and/or satanic. However, as this "christian" holiday gained popularity, these more sinister traditions were pushed back to autumn and became the basis for today's Halloween.

So let's turn back the clock to a simpler time when darkness (and death) ruled the winter, and celebrate a local watering hole with a ghostly connection to Christmas...

Although, Boardner's opened in 1942, this address had served as a bar for at least a decade before, making it one of the last great bars of Hollywood's golden era, and as such, it is often used as a film location to evoke that era. It was used in Tim Burton's "Ed Wood" (pictured above), since Ed Wood, arguably the worst film director in film history, frequented this tavern. The movie also depicts a fictional meeting between Wood and Orson Welles, arguably Hollywood's greatest director, at the historic (haunted) Musso and Frank's Bar and Grill across the street. Although, there is no proof that this event ever happened there, it is likely it may have happened at Boardner's given that many of Hollywood's elite (such as Welles) could be found slumming it at Boardner's, including a broke, down-n-out, elderly D.W Griffith, arguably the most important film director ever, who not only transformed movies from novelties into an art form, but he also turned Hollywood, from a farming community, into the center of the motion picture industry.

However, despite all the notable people who have past through its neon-lit entrance, today, most people know of Boardner's because of its association with the infamous "Black Dahlia" murder case, where the naked body of an actress/singer/possible prostitute was found cut in half with a bloody smile carved into her face, lying "posed" in a vacant lot on Norton Avenue. While the "Black Dahlia," aka Elizabeth Short, was living in Hollywood (one block away from Boardners), she frequented this establishment. Her drink of preference was supposedly beer. Incidentally, the moniker, "The Black Dahlia" is a reference to a popular movie of that time, "The Blue Dahlia," which was written by another supposed Boardner's regular, Raymond Chandler.

The grizzly Dahlia case kicked off a media frenzy, and despite all the scrutiny and investigations, the killer was never caught. Thus, its considered one of the great unsolved mysteries of Los Angeles with many solutions, theories, and suspects that are still discussed among Angelenos (including rumors that she was killed by Orson Welles). There is even a bus tour of all the Dahlia sites by Esotouric Bus Adventures. Recently, the Black Dahlia story has even been worked into the LA-centric TV series, American Horror Story, or rather the ghost of Elizabeth Short is now part of the show and part of their fictional haunted house's mythology.

In real life, the actual ghost of Elizabeth Short is said to haunt the elevators of the Biltmore Hotel (officially the last place see was seen alive). However, there are claims that she may haunt other locations...

It is said that she visited all her old Hollywood hangouts during the "missing days" before this unknown actress became posthumously famous.

Was she at Boardner's the night she was murdered? Did she meet her killer there for a drink, or a beer? Was it perhaps the film director that she wrote home about?

Could the dark presence witnesses feel in the tiny ladies room at the far end of the building be the tragic spirit of Elizabeth Short? Does she haunt her old haunt as some believe?

Although the bar is most known for its haunted bathroom (Boardner's website even boasts about it), as well as odd electrical disturbances, there is an additional ghost that resides on the premises...

There is a room that runs parallel to the the bar on the other side of the north wall (accessed through the courtyard) known as B52 Club (a reference to the bar that occupied this address before Boardners), and home to Bar Sinister (LA's best Goth Club). Inside the large loft-like space, generally only open during special events, there is a long stairway that goes to an upstairs office. Employees, late at night, have claimed to see a ghostly man at the top of those stairs, or have heard phantom footsteps walking up those steps.

The identity of this male spirit is unknown, but just as with the Dahlia, there are some likely suspects. Obviously, Steve Boardner, the Bar's namesake, is one suspect, since he spent many hours in that room, using it both as an office and a place for him and his friends to play poker into the wee hours of the morning.

Secondly, it is said that for a period, there was a bed in that room, and the then owner allowed a homeless man to sleep there during the hours that the business was closed. According to this story, one morning, it was discovered that he had died in his sleep sometime during the night before. Interestingly, the historic (haunted) Miceli's Restaurant, a block away, has an identical story of a homeless man dying in his sleep. Incidentally, Boardner and Carmen Miceli were close friends with signs in each of their establishments pointing patrons to the other establishment. Boardner gave Miceli the money to open his restauarant, back when Miceli was a busboy at the famous (haunted) night club, Ciro's.

The leading contender for the ghost's identity, however, is that of Kurt Richter, who purchased Boardner's from Steve Boardner in 1980 (along with partner, Dave Hadley), and was co-owner of this landmark until he had a heart-attack while inside Bioardner's while sitting at the bar in 1997...

...on Christmas Eve!Merry Christmas everyone, and hope to see you there!

http://www.boardners.com/

(to read about last month's haunted location... )
(to read about the ghosts of Musso & Franks... )
(to read about the ghosts of Miceli's...
( to read about the ghosts of Ciro's... )
(to read about the ghosts of the Biltmore... )