Spectacular Illumination: Neon Los Angeles, 1925-1965

Spectacular Illumination: Neon Los Angeles, 1925-1965 is a unique and spectacular collection of vintage photos that showcases the glowing neon heritage of the City of Angels. L.A. has long been recognized as the most vibrant city in the U.S., with part of its radiance coming from the signs lining its streets during the Golden Age of neon from 1925 to 1965. Photographer and historian Tom Zimmerman shows images depicting, in both color and black-and-white, what Raymond Chandler, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and countless other writers have tried to put into words.

More than 200 stunning images fill its pages, mostly in the era’s predominant black-and-white photography — photos that attest to the amazing communicative power of neon, the light that was revered for its dramatic color. A historic black-and-white view of Broadway, with thousands of neon tubes and fluorescent bulbs beaming, captured by photographer J. Howard Mott, instantly expresses why L.A. gained the reputation as a city where everything is new, everything is exciting, and everything is for show.

Hollywood Boulevard – Chinese Theater

The image of the ’Wich Stand that adorns the cover of the book juxtaposes vivid neon lights with the other classic symbols of the city, a palm tree and a drive-in eatery. And without doubt the neon steals the show! Photographers such as Mott, John Swope, and Will Connell and their work are featured in the pages of Spectacular Illumination, a book meticulously designed and edited by neon historian and graphic designer J. Eric Lynxwiler.

Chinatown Plaza

Spectacular Illumination tells a story of a city that has glowed, now glows, and, thanks to institutions such as Southern California’s Museum of Neon Art that preserve the art form, will glow forever. We (heart) LA!

Author Tom Zimmerman is a native of Los Angeles and shares a birthday with the city. His prose has been published in Southern California Quarterly, California History, and Los Angeles Times Magazine. His photography has appeared in many magazines and newspapers, as well as in several books on Los Angeles history and architecture. A catalog of his dramatic photographic series Neon Noir was published by the Museum of Neon Art, where it was first exhibited.

Come meet Tom Zimmerman and Eric Lynxwiler as they present their book at some of our favorite spots around town:

Skylight Books – Thursday, September 1 @7:30 pm : http://www.skylightbooks.com/event/tom-zimmerman-and-j-eric-lynxwiler-present-their-book-spectacular-illumination
Velaslavasay Panorama – Saturday, September 10, 12-6pm @ Neon Jubilee (bring out the family!): http://www.panoramaonview.org/events/los-angeles-international-neon-jubilee-evening-jubilee
Vroman’s Bookstore Pasadena – Monday, September 12 @ 7 pm: http://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/tom-zimmerman-j-eric-lynxwiler-discuss-and-sign-spectacular-illumination-neon-los-angeles-1925

Tom gives us an insight to the book, what inspires him, and why this story is uniquely LA:

What inspired you to write Spectacular Illumination?

I was inspired to write Spectacular Illumination the first time I met Kim Koga, director of the Museum of Neon Art. We discussed the possibility of a book that focused on Los Angeles’ history of neon signs. I was also intrigued that the history of neon mixed the impact of Hollywood and great design, two elements that are so important to the history of Los Angeles.

What were the challenges when researching the book?

A lot of the early history went out the window right in the middle of my research. Most neon aficionados believed that the first neon sign in America was here in Los Angeles. However, while I was doing the research for the book, Dydia DeLyser of California State University and Paul Greenstein, one of the most talented neon restorers in California, discovered the true history of the first neon sign in America. Contrary to everyone’s beliefs, the first neon sign in America was NOT on a Packard dealership in Los Angeles. When the legend got started, a story like that fit right in with the city boosters’ campaign to promote Los Angeles as the land of everything new.

What relevance do neon signs have in Los Angeles today?

Neon signs were popular until the early 1960s. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, plastic signs began to replace neon signs. Vendors preferred the plastic signs because they were more reliable and less expensive than using neon. In more recent history, LED lights took the place of its predecessors. Today, neon signs are back, brightening up Los Angeles for the obvious reason: They’re pretty and improve the night. Plastic signs are dull and do not provide the spectacular illumination that neon signs brought to the streets of Los Angeles.

Flying Gas Station

What is your favorite image in Spectacular Illumination? Where did you find it?

My favorite image happens to be J. Howard Mott’s photo of the opening of the Los Angeles Theater on Broadway from the California State Library Mott Collection. In fact, I had always imagined it as the cover of the book. Mott’s photo depicts the abundance of neon signs that were present through the early twentieth century.

What makes this a uniquely Los Angeles story?

Neon signs can be found anywhere in the country, but what makes Spectacular Illumination a uniquely Los Angeles story is the glorious Hollywood angle, the number of signs on endless commercial streets, and Vine Street as “neon central.” For a certain period of filmmaking, it seemed like every movie defined Hollywood with neon signs in the scene.

Broadway – Downtown LA

Is there a connection between the film noir era and neon signs?

Neon signs were constantly being used in the film noir era to add to the background of a movie scene. The audience would generally see the signs as actors drove off to commit or escape mayhem. Additionally, neon signs often play a key role in setting a scene—for good or bad.

In what way do neon signs define Los Angeles?

Just like neon signs, Los Angeles is uniquely manmade—both are a very original artform. Plus, neon signs make a nice exclamation point!

Hollywood Boulevard

Tom Zimmerman and J. Eric Lynxwiler