Vintage Photo Friday

I hit a mini-bonanza last weekend as far as vintage family photos are concerned.  My cousin JoEllen brought our Great Aunt Luba's photo album with her to Mary Jane's birthday party last Saturday.  I've seen many of these photos before.  Usually, when family members took photos they had duplicates made to give to other relatives.  The extended Bloom side of my family is rather large, so not ALL of us received ALL of the photos.  However, EVERYONE gave photos to our beloved Aunt Luba.  

Morris, Luba, Reta, Marty, Chicago 1940's

Luba (or Lillian as her co-workers knew her) was everyone's favorite auntie.  Luba and her husband Al never had children.  Al died young.  Luba lavished her attention on all of us equally.  She lived in Chicago until after World War 2.  Then, along with her sister Reta and brother-in-law, Morris, Luba joined her brother Lawrence (my grandfather) and my grandmother, Ethel to live in Los Angeles.  They all lived in or near Hollywood when I was a child.  In fact, Luba lived in an apartment upstairs from my Grandparents house on Sunset Boulevard near Highland Avenue when I was small.  Almost every Sunday all of my cousins would visit Grandpa and Grandma Bloom, then rush upstairs to see Great Aunt Luba.  Eventually, after my grandparents passed away, Luba lived in an apartment a few blocks west on Curson Avenue.  She was an interested and interesting person until the day she died in 1989 at the age of 89. She never talked down to children.  She treated us like equals ...like adults.  I still miss her.
I unearthed a couple of photos from Luba's album that Jo graciously gave to me.  Below is one from 1948 of the three Bloom brothers, George, Hi and Mort with their wives, Roz, Celia and Frances.  There was a short time when my Dad's younger brother, Hi was married to my mother's younger sister, Celia.  This is the only photo I've ever seen of them together.  Their marriage only lasted for a couple of years.  They both went on to long-lasting second marriages.  Many of the photos on my Mother's side of the family of Celia and Hi are gone.  Everyone looks so young and happy in this photo.  I wonder what my Mother was yelling about!

Roz, George, Celia, Hi, France, Mort.  1948, Los Angeles

I can't wait to see Mom on Sunday to ask her about this photo.  Where is this location?  I don't recognize the house.
I came across some more of Aunt Luba's photos from 1945.  This is a photo session with Grandma and Grandpa Bloom, Uncle Hi, my brother Ken as a baby and my folks.  There is an address on this house, 2436.  The house in the background looks to be from the late 1930s or early 1940s.  Another question for Mom.

Ethel, George, Baby Kenny, Hi, Roz.  1945

Roz and L.A. Bloom.  1945

Los Angeles was a different place almost 70 years ago.  You could drive from Boyle Heights to the Beach (even without freeways) in less than 30 minutes.  Post-war businesses were booming.  Houses and apartments were being developed for returning G.I.s and their families.  Prosperity was in the air.