 Gene Doyle, the manager of Gilmore Stadium, sits alone in the grandstands in 1951. | |
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  Gilmore Stadium Location within the Los Angeles metropolitan area Show map of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Gilmore Stadium Gilmore Stadium (California) Show map of California Gilmore Stadium Gilmore Stadium (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Address | Los Angeles, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°04′28″N118°21′36″W / 34.07444°N 118.36000°W /34.07444; -118.36000 |
| Capacity | 18,000 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1934 (1934) |
| Demolished | 1952 |
| Tenants | |
| Hollywood Stars (PCL) 1939 Los Angeles Bulldogs (PCPFL) 1940–1947 Los Angeles Mustangs (PCPFL) 1943–1944 Loyola Marymount Lions football Pepperdine Waves football | |
Gilmore Stadium was amulti-purpose stadium inLos Angeles,California. It was opened in May 1934 and demolished in 1952, when the land was used to buildCBS Television City.[1] The stadium held 18,000. It was located next toGilmore Field. The stadium was located west of Curson Avenue, surrounded by Beverly Boulevard, Fairfax Avenue and Third Street.The stadium was used in aThree Stooges 1934 shortThree Little Pigskins.
The stadium was 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.[2] The area was rich in petroleum, which was the source of the "tar" in the nearbyLa Brea Tar Pits.
The first event staged at the Stadium was a series of shows featuring prominent Hollywood actors of the day, led byScreen Actors Guild presidentEddie Cantor, on the weekend of May 18-19-20, 1934. This "Film Stars Frolic" sought to raise money for less fortunate Hollywood actors such as extras.[3]
The Stadium was used forAmerican football games at both the professional and collegiate level.
It was the home of theLos Angeles Bulldogs, the first professional football team in Los Angeles.[4] The Bulldogs competed as an independent team before joining thesecond American Football League in 1937 and winning its championship with a perfect 8–0–0 record, the first professional football team to win its championship with an unblemished record.[5] After the collapse of the league, the Bulldogs returned to being an independent team before joining theAmerican Professional Football Association in 1939.[5] The Bulldogs then became charter members of thePacific Coast Professional Football League in 1940[6] and played in Gilmore Stadium until 1948, when the team moved toLong Beach, California, for its (and the league's) final season.
The Stadium was also home to theLos Angeles Mustangs of the Pacific Coast Professional Football League.
Several teams in the Pacific Coast Professional Football League labeled as "Hollywood" also used the Stadium as their home during the early 1940s: The Stars, the Bears and the Wolves.
The Stadium was home to the collegiateLoyola Marymount Lions football team andPepperdine Waves football team.
Gilmore Stadium was the site of two 1940National Football League (NFL)Pro Bowls.
On January 14, 1940, the 1939 NFL championGreen Bay Packers met an All-Star team consisting of players from the nine other NFL clubs in the second NFLall-star game. The Packers won 16–7.[7]
Extra seating was added to accommodate 21,000 fans for theall-star game for the 1940 NFL season. The crowd set a record as the largest to view a Los Angeles pro game.[8] The event was held on December 29, 1940. The game pitted the 1940 NFL ChampionChicago Bears against an All-Star team from the other NFL clubs in the third NFL All-Star game. The Bears won 28–14.[8]
TheHollywood Stars of thePacific Coast League played here early in the 1939 season, while awaiting completion ofGilmore Field's construction. The diamond was situated in the southwest "corner" of the stadium, with right field so close that baseballs hit over the fence in that area were ground-rule doubles.
While the first modern-daymidget car racing program took place atHughes Stadium in Sacramento, California in June 1933,[9] and Loyola Stadium became the starting point in Southern California in August 1933, Gilmore Stadium is often billed as the first track purposely built for the new style of racing. The track hosted midget car racing from the track's debut in May 1934 until 1950.[4][10] The 1939Turkey Night Grand Prix was held at the track.[11]
Rodger Ward droveVic Edelbrock'smidget car in a famous August 10, 1950 event at Gilmore Stadium. Ward shocked the racing world by breakingOffenhauser engine's winning streak by sweeping the events at Gilmore Stadium that night.[12]
Notable drivers that raced at the track includeBill Betteridge, Fred Friday,Walt Faulkner,Perry Grimm,Sam Hanks,Curly Mills,Danny Oakes,Roy Russing,Bob Swanson,Bill Vukovich,Rodger Ward, andKarl Young.[10] Drivers that were killed at the track include Ed Haddad,Swede Lindskog, Speedy Lockwood, Frankie Lyons, and Chet Mortemore.[10]
In the sixteen years of the stadium's existence, over 5 million fans attended races at the track.[10] The stadium drew crowds over 18,000 people each race.[10] Attendance dropped to below 9,000 at normal weekly races by the late 1940s. The attendance drop and increased demand for property in West Hollywood led to the track's sale in 1950.[10] It was torn down in 1951. Some of its grandstand was installed atSaugus Speedway.[13]
It also hosted donkey baseball, dog shows,rodeos, and at least onecricket match.[4]Esther Williams performed in a diving and water ballet performance. A temporary above ground pool was constructed for the event.[4] Several professional boxing title matches were held in the stadium.[4] U.S. PresidentHarry S. Truman delivered his "stiff upper lip" speech in the stadium.
Gilmore Stadium was featured in a 1934Three Stooges short featuring a football game, and fittingly titledThree Little Pigskins.[14] The scoreboard, with the name of the stadium, appears prominently in several shots, as does a billboard advertising Gilmore products. A sign for the nearby Fairfax Theater, across Beverly Boulevard at the north (open) end of the stadium, is also visible in the background a couple of times.
On May 19, 1947, Gilmore Stadium was packed with people waiting to hear a speech byProgressive Party candidate for PresidentHenry A. Wallace. Wallace served as vice president under FDR and was also theSecretary of Agriculture (his specialty) andSecretary of Commerce. Also speaking at the event was actressKatharine Hepburn, whose speech stole the show.
It was there on September 23, 1948, thatRonald Reagan introduced PresidentHarry S. Truman at a campaign rally, the first time that Reagan personally met a U.S President.
| Preceded by | Home of the NFL All-Star Game 1939 and 1940 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
