1988 – A Fine Oscar Year
Listed by year of their Los Angeles qualifying run, which is usually (but not always) the film’s year of release. Winners are listed first in bold, followed by the other nominees.
1988 Dustin Hoffman - Rain Man as Raymond Babbitt
- Gene Hackman - Mississippi Burning as Agent Rupert Anderson
- Tom Hanks - Big as Josh Baskin
- Edward James Olmos - Stand and Deliver as Jaime Escalante
- Max von Sydow - Pelle the Conqueror as Lassefar
Today, visitors of LA on “Los Angeles helicopter tours” rarely inquire about the Yester-Year celebrities; but we know exactly where “memory lane” is ( so to speak ) when they do! Perhaps the neatest thing about living in LA is the rich and diverse history followed by the countless stories that are around every corner. 1988 was an awesome year in the Theaters!!
Jack goes way back! 1975 Best Actor
Listed by year of their Los Angeles qualifying run, which is usually (but not always) the film’s year of release. Winners are listed first in bold, followed by the other nominees.
1975 Jack Nicholson - One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as R.P. McMurphy
- Walter Matthau - The Sunshine Boys as Willy Clark
- Al Pacino - Dog Day Afternoon as Sonny Wortzik
- Maximilian Schell - The Man in the Glass Booth as Arthur Goldman
- James Whitmore - Give ‘em Hell, Harry! as Harry S. Truman
Today, visitors of LA willing “tour Los Angeles” rarely inquire about the Yester-Year celebrities; but we know exactly where “memory lane” is ( so to speak ) when they do! Perhaps the neatest thing about living in LA is the rich and diverse history followed by the countless stories that are around every corner. I do not know about you, but man would I have loved to been there on Oscar day; but I was just a baby, yet to have any idea would I would be a fan of someday!
Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle – 1971
Listed by year of their Los Angeles qualifying run, which is usually (but not always) the film’s year of release. Winners are listed first in bold, followed by the other nominees.
1971 Gene Hackman - The French Connection as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle
- Peter Finch - Sunday Bloody Sunday as Doctor Daniel Hirsh
- Walter Matthau - Kotch as Joseph P. Kotcher
- George C. Scott - The Hospital as Doctor Herbert Bock
- Chaim Topol - Fiddler on the Roof as Tevye
Today, visitors of LA riding on “LA Tours” rarely inquire about the Yester-Year celebrities; but we know exactly where “memory lane” is ( so to speak ) when they do! Perhaps the neatest thing about living in LA is the rich and diverse history followed by the countless stories that are around every corner. With a character name like Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle; it kind of makes you want to track down that movie. NetFlix perhaps?
Best Actors” 1960 & 1969
Listed by year of their Los Angeles qualifying run, which is usually (but not always) the film’s year of release. Winners are listed first in bold, followed by the other nominees.
1960 Burt Lancaster - Elmer Gantry as Elmer Gantry
- Trevor Howard - Sons and Lovers as Walter Morel
- Jack Lemmon - The Apartment as C. C. ‘Bud’ Baxter
- Laurence Olivier - The Entertainer as Archie Rice
- Spencer Tracy - Inherit the Wind as Henry Drummond
1969 John Wayne - True Grit as Marshal Reuben J. ‘Rooster’ Cogburn
- Richard Burton - Anne of the Thousand Days as King Henry VIII of England
- Dustin Hoffman - Midnight Cowboy as Enrico Salvatore ‘Ratso’ Rizzo
- Peter O’Toole - Goodbye, Mr. Chips as Arthur Chipping
- Jon Voight - Midnight Cowboy as Joe Buck
Today, visitors of LA riding on “Los Angeles Tours” rarely inquire about the Yester-Year celebrities; but we know exactly where “memory lane” is ( so to speak ) when they do! Perhaps the neatest thing about living in LA is the rich and diverse history followed by the countless stories that are around every corner.
Oscar Winners of Yester-Year
Listed by year of their Los Angeles qualifying run, which is usually (but not always) the film’s year of release. Winners are listed first in bold, followed by the other nominees.
1954 Marlon Brando - On the Waterfront as Terry Malloy
- Humphrey Bogart - The Caine Mutiny as Lt. Cmdr. Philip Francis Queeg
- Bing Crosby - The Country Girl as Frank Elgin
- James Mason - A Star Is Born as Norman Maine
- Dan O’Herlihy - The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe as Robinson Crusoe
1959 Charlton Heston - Ben-Hur as Judah Ben-Hur
- Laurence Harvey - Room at the Top as Joe Lampton
- Jack Lemmon - Some Like It Hot as Jerry – ‘Daphne’
- Paul Muni - The Last Angry Man as Dr. Sam Abelman
- James Stewart - Anatomy of a Murder as Paul Biegl
Today, visitors of LA riding on “tour vans Los Angeles” rarely inquire about the Yester-Year celebrities; but we know exactly where “memory lane” is ( so to speak ) when they do! Perhaps the neatest thing about living in LA is the rich and diverse history followed by the countless stories that are around every corner.
Essential Vacation Planning
Some people go to Los Angeles and are flabbergasted by the litany of amazing attractions and historic locations to visit it. It is virtually impossible to take in all that the city has to offer in just one trip. One of the best ways to make the most of your vacation is to pinpoint specific areas or attractions that you want to visit before you make your trip.
Hollywood usually is at the fore of these vacationing itineraries. If this historic area is on your list, I would recommend making reservations for a Hollywood tour before your leave home. Tours are the best way to make sure that you take in all of the high points, and making your arrangements early will guarantee that you aren’t left to your own devices.
20’s & 30’s / Academy Awards Best Pictures + More….
| Annual Ceremony | Date of Ceremony | Year Honored | Host | Best Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Academy Awards | May 16, 1929 | 1927 / 1928 | Douglas Fairbanks,William C. deMille | Wings |
| 2nd Academy Awards | April 3, 1930 | 1928 / 1929 | William C. deMille | The Broadway Melody |
| 3rd Academy Awards | November 5, 1930 | 1929 / 1930 | Conrad Nagel | All Quiet on the Western Front |
| 4th Academy Awards | November 10, 1931 | 1930 / 1931 | Lawrence Grant | Cimarron |
| 5th Academy Awards | November 18, 1932 | 1931 / 1932 | Lionel Barrymore, Conrad Nagel | Grand Hotel |
| 6th Academy Awards | March 16, 1934 | 1932 / 1933 | Will Rogers | Cavalcade |
| 7th Academy Awards | February 27, 1935 | 1934 | Irvin S. Cobb | It Happened One Night |
| 8th Academy Awards | March 5, 1936 | 1935 | Frank Capra | Mutiny on the Bounty |
| 9th Academy Awards | March 4, 1937 | 1936 | George Jessel | The Great Ziegfeld |
| 10th Academy Awards | March 10, 1938 | 1937 | Bob Burns | The Life of Emile Zola |
| 11th Academy Awards | February 23, 1939 | 1938 | no host | You Can’t Take It With You |
| 12th Academy Awards | February 29, 1940 | 1939 | Bob Hope | Gone with the Wind |
Trivia that only the a master Jeopardy champion may know; makes one wonder what Los Angeles Van tours were like in the golden days. What happened in 1938? No host?

LA River – Filming locations
Numerous films and television programs have featured various sites along the Los Angeles River, many of which involve the river as a sinister plot location. Films involving the river include The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, Chinatown, Them!,Blue Thunder, Escape from L.A., Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Grease, Volcano, Point Blank, Freaky Friday (1976 film), Roadblock, Hot Rod Girl, Blood in Blood Out, Boomtown,This Christmas, Rize, The Core, Repo Man, The Italian Job, One Eight Seven, Point Break, Gone in 60 Seconds, Transformers, 24, The Gumball Rally, To Live and Die in L.A.,The First Power, Purple Rain, L.A. Zombie, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien and many others, including a skit on the show Jackass in which Johnny Knoxville tries to jump a section on roller blades, but breaks his ankle. Discovery Channel filmed scenes of The Colony in the Los Angeles River, where the participants drank water and ate fish from the river. Los Angeles River served as the starting line for the fifteenth season of The Amazing Race. Quite witty that is is referred to as a “river” but you have definitely seen it before, if not on the screen then perhaps on “sightseeing tours Los Angeles.” Personally I am a big fan of the Terminator scenes and often think about how much fun it would be to take a Harley up the river basin! On winter days when the river is actually flowing, a jet ski scene would be cool too; that idea is on me, Hollywood!
The 82nd Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will honor the best films of 2009 and will take place March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It will be televised in the United States on ABC. Actors Alec Baldwinand Steve Martin will host the show. Martin will host for the third time, after previously presiding over the73rd and 75th ceremonies, while Baldwin will host the show for the first time. Co-producer Adam Shankman revealed in an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air that he and co-producer Bill Mechanic had originally chosen Sacha Baron Cohen as the host, but the Academy rejected this idea because Cohen was “too much of a wild card“ allegedly.
The preparation of the “startastic” event shuts down Hollywood Blvd. between Orange and Highland, but is never-the-less “entertaining chaos” on Hollywood tours, prior to, the day of, and post event. It is also always impressive to see the amount of, and variety of security provided at almost every level. If I had to bet, I would say Hollywood’s Elite gets more security than the President; at least for a day!
Musso & Frank Grill
Musso & Frank Grill is a world famous restaurant located at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1919, it is steeped in Hollywood history, having been the hideout of a host of famous Hollywood celebrities from days gone by. It is named for original owners Joseph Musso and Frank Toulet.
As Hollywood’s oldest eatery (since 1919), Musso & Frank is the paragon of Old Hollywood grillrooms. In its heyday it was a popular destination for Hollywood’s elite, including movie stars, film directors and producers and the great writers F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charles Bukowski, William Faulkner, Raymond Chandler and Ernest Hemingway drank here during their screenwriting days and where Orson Welles used to hold court. The waiters can point out their favorite booths and tell stories about which books were partially written here. Legend has it that Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, and Douglas Fairbanksraced each other down Hollywood Boulevard on horseback, the loser having to pick up the dinner tab at Musso & Frank’s.
Noted as one of the most nostalgic things to do in Hollywood; the restaurant is featured in a scene in the 1994 Tim Burton film Ed Wood in a scene where Ed Wood, Jr meets his heroOrson Welles.




