 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(January 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
 | |
  Gilmore Field Location within the Los Angeles metropolitan area Show map of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Gilmore Field Gilmore Field (California) Show map of California Gilmore Field Gilmore Field (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Address | 7700Beverly Boulevard Hollywood,California United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°4′31″N118°21′26″W / 34.07528°N 118.35722°W /34.07528; -118.35722 |
| Capacity | 12,987 |
| Field size | Left Field – 335 ft. Center Left – 385 Center Field – 400 ft. Center Right – 385 Right Field − 335 ft. |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1938 |
| Opened | May 2, 1939 |
| Closed | September 5, 1957 |
| Demolished | 1958 |
| Tenants | |
| MLBSpring Training: Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) (1948) Minor League Baseball: Hollywood Stars (PCL) (1939–1957) Professional football: Hollywood Bears (PCPFL) (1940–1942, 1945) | |
Gilmore Field was aminor league baseball park inLos Angeles,California, that served as home to theHollywood Stars of thePacific Coast League from 1939–1957 when they, along with their intra-city rivals, theLos Angeles Angels, were displaced by the transplantedBrooklyn Dodgers of theNational League.
Gilmore Field was the home of the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League from May 2, 1939 through September 5, 1957. The stadium had aseating capacity of 12,987 people. The opening game in 1939 was an 8-5 loss to theSeattle Rainiers.
The ballpark was located on the south side ofBeverly Boulevard between Genesee Avenue and The Grove Drive, just east of whereCBS Television City is currently located. A couple hundred meters to the west wasGilmore Stadium, an oval-shaped venue built several years earlier, which was used for football games and midget auto racing. To the east was the famousPan-Pacific Auditorium. Both facilities were built byEarl Gilmore, son of Arthur F. Gilmore and president ofA. F. Gilmore Oil, a California-based petroleum company which was developed after Arthur struck oil on the family property.[1] The area was rich in petroleum, which was the source of the "tar" in the nearbyLa Brea Tar Pits. Later, the Gilmore Drive-In Theater was built, just south of the ballpark and east of theFarmers Market.
The field had intimate quarters from the spectator standpoint – first and third bases were 24 feet (7.3 m) from the first row of seats. Home plate was 34 feet (10 m) from the stands.[2] The outfield gave the pitchers more of a break with foul lines 335 feet (102 m) long, power alleys about 385 feet (117 m), and 407 feet (124 m) to center field.[3] The power alleys were thus 40 feet (12 m) deeper than in the cross-town counterpart,Wrigley Field. The diamond was situated in the northwest corner of the field.
At the time of filming of the final scenes forThe Stratton Story, the distance markers, visible in some shots, were: foul lines 335 feet (102 m), power alleys 360 feet (110 m), and the pair of center field corners either side of the batters background 400 feet (120 m).
In 1938 Herbert Fleishaker, owner of theMission Reds moved his team to Los Angeles, and took the name of theHollywood Stars after the city's previousPCL franchise. After but one season, the team was sold to new owners, among them Bob Cobb ofBrown Derby Restaurant fame and the inventor of theCalifornia Cobb Salad. In their salad days, as it were, the Stars attracted glamorous actors and other celebrities or anyone else who wanted to be "seen", much asDodger Stadium would later. One of the L.A. Angels players,Chuck Connors, made a successful move from one side of the box seat railing to the other, becoming the star inThe Rifleman, a popular 1950s TV show.
The Stars would play at Gilmore Field through the 1957 season. Their final game there came on September 5, 1957, a 6–0 victory over theSan Francisco Seals. Stars pitcherLaurin Pepper nearly pitched a no-hitter, giving up a single with two outs in the ninth inning.[4]
In 1948, Gilmore Field was used as the spring training location for thePittsburgh Pirates.
Although L.A.'s Wrigley Field seemed to get the majority of Hollywood screen time, Gilmore Field also had its moments on celluloid. It was featured in a 1949 movie calledThe Stratton Story, starringJames Stewart andJune Allyson, the true story of a promising pitcher (Monty Stratton) whose career was curtailed due to a hunting accident that left him with an artificial leg. Stratton'smajor league baseball career was over, but he made a comeback at the minor league level. The scenes at the end of the movie were set elsewhere but were filmed at Gilmore Field. The layout of the outfield, including the exceptionally high left and right field corners, help to identify it. Also, some billboards on the outfield wall advertised Los Angeles-based businesses, such asGilfillan Radio.
InThe Atomic City (1952), Gilmore Field plays the site of a "Communist spy drop" during a game, with the still-new televising of the game providing the FBI agents with close-ups.
Gilmore Field was also seen in the movie711 Ocean Drive (1950). Half of theneonart deco "Hollywood Stars" sign, above the stadium entrance, is clearly visible.
The ballpark site was abandoned after 1957. Gilmore Field was razed in 1958, beginning soon after an announcement in theLos Angeles Times of January 17.[5] Much of the site is now occupied by a parking lot atCBS Television City,[6] near theFarmers Market. In September 1997, the Pacific Coast League Historical Society, CBS, and the A.F. Gilmore Company dedicated a bronze plaque in commemoration of Gilmore Field on a wall outside CBS Studio 46. "The Ferris Wheel", one of the episodes ofRescue 8, a syndicated United States television series broadcast in September 1958, was filmed at the demolition of Gilmore Field and includes many views of the stadium as it was being razed.
The Los Angeles Farmers Market circa 1940s. Gilmore Stadium can be seen on the left and Gilmore Field on the upper left.
