Doc here with a great look into the not-too-distant past by Senior Reporter Old Marine Corps Guy. His take on LA's version of Boston's Combat Zone is a treat for those of us who never made it to LA during those pre-Meese Report times.
So about face, and join Old Marine Corps Guy in this Blast From The Past.
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Doc,
This is another submission for your, “Blast from the Past” column. It’s not about a specific theater, but about an area. Kind of like “The Combat Zone” in Boston, Times Square and 42nd St. (the way they were before they were cleaned up) in New York City and the Tenderloin District in San Francisco.
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| The Combat Zone Boston, circa 1986 |
In the LA basin back in the 70’s and 80’s there were well over 200 XXX theaters, but those were spread out over a very large area. The area I’m thinking of was an area in Hollywood at the junction of Western Ave. and Santa Monica Blvd. It didn’t have a name, but if you wanted to find low down, nasty sex this was the area to go to.
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| Old Marine Corps Guy The Action Figure |
In an area of 2 blocks there were 9 porn theaters and about 10 or 12 bookstores/arcades. All of the other businesses within that 2 block area were either massage parlors (LOTS of them), “modeling” studios or bars showing “live sex shows”. Oh, and one coffee shop where you could rest up between rounds.
The 1st time I went into the area I was like a kid in a candy store. I didn’t know where to go first, or which flavor I wanted. I was in hard-on overload. For theaters there was the Cinema, the Tiki, Stan’s, Richards, the Projection Room, the Libra Den and a few others that I can’t remember the names of (damned CRS disease). The bookstores all had $.25 arcades (dollar bill machines had not been invented yet) and all of them had full length, lockable doors, plus every booth had professionally cut, VERY large gloryholes (you could get your whole head through the hole). And, everything (except the bars) was 24/7.
When the massage parlors in the area were a little slow the girls working there would put on coats and go the each of the theaters. They would leave their coats with the clerks out front, go into the theater (just wearing a bikini and a smile) and pass out discount coupons for massages to all the horny guys who were spanking their monkeys. MANY times the girls would make a fast few bucks inside the theaters giving up hand or blowjobs before putting on their coats and going off to the next theater.
The 1st time I went into the area I was like a kid in a candy store. I didn’t know where to go first, or which flavor I wanted. I was in hard-on overload. For theaters there was the Cinema, the Tiki, Stan’s, Richards, the Projection Room, the Libra Den and a few others that I can’t remember the names of (damned CRS disease). The bookstores all had $.25 arcades (dollar bill machines had not been invented yet) and all of them had full length, lockable doors, plus every booth had professionally cut, VERY large gloryholes (you could get your whole head through the hole). And, everything (except the bars) was 24/7.
When the massage parlors in the area were a little slow the girls working there would put on coats and go the each of the theaters. They would leave their coats with the clerks out front, go into the theater (just wearing a bikini and a smile) and pass out discount coupons for massages to all the horny guys who were spanking their monkeys. MANY times the girls would make a fast few bucks inside the theaters giving up hand or blowjobs before putting on their coats and going off to the next theater.
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| The Art LA, circa 1982 |
My favorite theater there was the Libra Den. It had a bookstore in front, with a small theater in the rear. The theater had a center isle with about 6 rows of 6 or 7 seats on each side. The manager (who later managed the Lil Fox…another story in itself) and his staff were all “players” so whatever went on in the theater was cool with them. Whenever law enforcement would come into the store, there was a switch under the clerk’s counter that “flashed” the lights inside the theater to let everyone know to “clean up their act”. When something REALLY good would come into the theater (which was very often), and the action got REAL hot and heavy, whoever was working would put a “closed for 15 minutes” sign on the front door and lock it and then go into the theater for a little taste for themselves. I hated it whenever I would come to the theater and see that sign in the front door because I knew that some extra good action was going on right then and that I couldn’t get in on it myself.
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| The Tiki LA, circa 2008 |
As I mentioned in a previous article, back then the admission to all these theaters was only $.99 (and they would give you a penny change!!) so you could go from one theater to another pretty cheaply until you found the action that you were looking for. And back then you could be picky because there was action pretty much anywhere you went.
It’s not like it is today. Now you can go hours or days without something good coming into the theater. Sad to say it’s almost like work now. BUT, it’s always still worth it.
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Doc here again... Thanks to OMCG for another great look into the past. Do you have a Blast From The Past? If so, click on the "Submit An Adult Theater Report" and The Good Doctor will do the heavy lifting for you.
Thanks,
Doc