In Search of Frank Bowers...

Thanks for the heads up Bigbro...

Well I guess I'll have to spend my anti-Christmas in the holy city of Las Vegas.

You'll probably find me at at the Hard Hat Lounge (next month) drinking cheap bourbon with the ghost of Frank Bowers. Maybe he'll send me a sign as to where the Joe Keawe and Zamboanga murals are.

I know his spirit is guiding us. :)

UPDATE - Here's my post on that visit

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2011-01-18 12:02 ]

A quick Google search turned up this:

http://www.askart.com/askart/b/frank_howard_bowers/frank_howard_bowers.aspx

We're going back full circle in this thread to the location of Frank Bowers' most famous Polynesian mural, the pre-Tiki Zamboanga nightclub. Originally opened in the 1930's, the building still stands and is currently an American Legion Post.

Here's the first and second threads on TC that have documented the Zamboanga thus far.

Although we've previously seen posted pictures of the building's modern exterior, no Tikiphile has set foot inside. Bora Boris's prior attempts ran into roadblocks. Based on my past Frank Bowers expeditions, I took the baton from him as my next Tiki assignment. I was able to dig up some initial contact information, but it didn't prove to be useful.

Last month I met with TikiVato at Embers Lounge (another Bowers site !!) to discuss planning for the upcoming Tiki Bus Crawl in Oct. A few days later, TikiVato saw my posted inability to get inside the building. As a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) he said he might be able to help. Well about an hour after I spoke to him on the phone, he called back and said we were in !!

As we learned, the Post's bar is actually open to the general public after 4pm on weekends. On Sat, TikiVato, his older brother David (who posts here as nui 'umi 'umi), Bora Boris, and I paid a visit.

As we entered we quickly scanned the space for any remnants of the 1930's murals. I know it was a long shot, but as could be expected for a three-quarters of a century establishment, there was nothing to show that anything like that had existed. There was also no wood paneling or wallpaper to give hope that the murals lay underneath, just enamel paint. We then sat at the circular bar near the entrance.

The bartender, who at first seemed a little surprised to see people walk in who were outside of the neighborhood's African-American demographic, affably took our drink orders. As we nursed our beers, enjoying the excellent selection of vintage blues being played on the sound system, David struck up a conversation with a person nearby. That person happened to be the Post's Sergeant of Arms, Tony M. As it turned out, Tony had a long association with Post and was also a big LA history buff. He prompted shared what he knew about the building.

When the American Legion purchased the building in 1990, he said the walls were for the most part covered in bamboo but there were no murals. Could the murals have been a casualty when the building housed the Japanese nightclub, the Ginza, but probably left the decor intact which could pass for "Oriental" ?

Tony insisted the building used to house the "Bamboo Room" which I initially assumed was his mistaken understanding of what was the Zamboanga. Tony said the Post's historian might have some "before" pictures when they remodeled the place. I left my contact information just in case.

Tony did show us the some of the bamboo that was left in place. It was on the door of an entrance used as a fire exit.

Even though there was no Polynesian decor, other than that one door, the space did still retain the layout of a nightclub. And even with the remodeling, I could still feel the vibe of its pre-WWII history. The space near the entrance which housed the "Jungle Room" is still a bar. While no longer abutted against the wall, there is a circular bar instead. I showed Tony this picture and he confirmed they replaced the bar against the wall with the one now in the center. I wanted to take a picture of that but there were too many people at the bar. (probably wondering who the heck we were :))

Here's the current stage located where the original stage (and famous mural) were...

Here's some other photos I took that show how the building's nightclub layout remains…

Compared to the original…

If anything really vibes 1930's, check out the Men's restroom tile work…

Afterward, we spoke with Patricia who is the Post's Vice-Commander and in charge of booking events. The Post is not exclusively used for Veteran's events, and opens itself up for the needs of the community. She said they would certainly welcome renting the place out for a Tiki event. Based on its pre-Tiki (1930's !!) lineage, historical vibe, and layout of the building, I think that might be a very practical and Tiki-appropriate idea. Frank Bowers' ghost is waiting for us. :)

Thank you, guys, excellent urban archeology. Even if no amazing discoveries were made, it is good to have closure.
R.I.P., Zamboanga.

Excellent follow up John-O!

Thanks

Well it wasn't closure for me Bigbro. As least not closure as in "seen it, done it, let's move on". It was more of a discovery.

Yes I will admit to being disappointed in initially not seeing some partial 1930's Polynesian glory. That however was a Poly-Pop Pipe dream (that's my new Tiki buzzword).

As you know, the 1930's were an interesting period for Los Angeles. That's when a whole glamorous nightclub scene existed to service the free-spending Hollywood crowd. Think Coconut Grove, Trocadero, Mocambo, Ciro's, and the original Don's. I have to believe the Zamboanga was part of that scene.

All of those original places are dust but the Zamboanga's building still remains. Not only that but you still have the opportunity to have a drink where the original Jungle Room used to be, sit at table in a spot where Hollywood stars might have, listen to vintage jazz being performed on a stage where music was played 80 years ago, and take a pee in the same urinal that Clark Gable or Howard Hughes might have used (ha, ha). The 1930's ghosts are still there and that surviving bamboo door was just icing on the cake.

Tony invited us for Monday live Jazz nights where people are encouraged to "dress to impress". I'll argue that's a lot closer to a Pre-Tiki historical reenactment than the drunken Tiki Revival beach party that exists today.

Yes, I know that suburban Tikiphiles might be hesitant with the building's urban location and infringing on what they might perceive as a locals' scene. I have learned however in my many urban expeditions, treat the place and people with respect and you'll be treated with respect.

I'll be back. :)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2011-04-04 11:18 ]

As you know, the 1930's were an interesting period for Los Angeles. That's when a whole glamorous nightclub scene existed to service the free-spending Hollywood crowd. Think Coconut Grove, Trocadero, Mocambo, Ciro's, and the original Don's. I have to believe the Zamboanga was part of that scene.
Another interesting part, long gone and virtually forgotten, is the once legendary groping groto of the golden era gang The Garden Of Allah http://laist.com/2009/04/18/laistory_the_garden_of_allah.php

http://www.gardenofallah.com/GOA_original.asp

I like the answer of a faded star as to why he continued visiting the old haunt, "it reminds me of Hollywood".
Indeed, those were unique times.

John-O, thank you...some stellar personal research by you, TikiVato, David and Bora Boris!

On the subject of old clubs in that area, Dominic Priore and Brian Chidester did some similar research a couple of years ago visiting various original south LA bars and nighclubs that had a 40s/50s/60s music pedigree (such as saxman Earl Bostic's Flying Fox, which still exists, and the well-preserved psycheledic soul shack Maverick's Flat on Crenshaw). Unfortunately, the photos in their blog page seem to have disappeared: http://dumbangelmag.blogspot.com/2007/07/south-central-los-angeles-r-venues-of.html

However, one of the clubs they mention is the Oasis Club on 3801 S. Western Avenue at 38th Street (northeast of the Zamboanga), which wasn't polynesian, but had a desert oasis theme to it. Besides jazz (Louis Armstrong played there) and R&B, it was a place where Latin groups like Xavier Cugat and Perez Prado performed: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11412072@N06/2791406528/

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics05/00002067.jpg

However, the building is still there: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=3801+S.+Western+Avenue+at+38th+Street&cp=37&qe=MzgwMSBTLiBXZXN0ZXJuIEF2ZW51ZSBhdCAzOHRoIFN0cmVldA&qesig=LmX4Ipy-cVlOHWDyMfbEWg&pkc=AFgZ2tloklP39ngguyy-UJ8C4JiKejLBIhe8TkCjdrgC8POA5ztvBPUyQJDT1yFtu-vTQNabbMHtpbOPoMbq2u9UgPBlznAKRQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

I think the palm tree theme was a popular one, taken from the Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador, because the Club Alabam (most famous of the LA Central Avenue clubs) had a fake palm tree as well: http://www.westadams-normandie.com/lapl/Nightlife-restaurants.php

Anyway, I know these aren't "Tiki" or "pre-Tiki" but their "desert oasis" exotica cousin so I thought I'd mention them.

It's great that you are tracking the trail of Frank Bowers, John-O, even when the murals are no longer.

Caltiki

On 2011-04-05 22:29, bigbrotiki wrote:
Foreword to Tiki Road Trip, written 2003

Jackie Robinson American Legion Post 252 = "Paradise Lost" !! The 1930's ghosts are still there. I can feel them.

I'm going back for Monday Jazz night sometime after my Nautical Crawl. Anyone else in? Just PM me. There's no cover, secure parking, and 2 pieces of chicken plus red beans & rice for $4 !!

Thanks CalTiki, I am going to check out those places for sure.

I hope I survive my next Tiki urban expedition that Boris pointed me towards. It looks a little dicey. I may have to take TikiVato as backup.

John-O
Let me know when and where you want to go.

David and I also plan on going to the American Legion on a Monday night. Let me know when and I will call Tony so he can join us.

Hi I was researching Frank Bowers and came across this discussion. I grew up under a Frank Bowers painting signed by Frank and dated '61 - it was hung over our mantle in Sierra Madre, where Frank and Vicki lived in the early sixties. My father was a carpenter, and the story is that Frank gave him the painting as payment for work my dad did for him. Vicki and Frank lived (and painted) in a store-front in downtown Sierra Madre. I recall mom talking about the fact that both Vicki and Frank had a fondness for the drink, and lived pretty poorly -- no stove or refrigerator, just a toilet and sink! I inherited the painting from my mother and it includes many of the Chinese figures shown in similar paintings here, although the female figure is fully clothed (no doubt because he knew our family consisted of five children). How can I post a picture of the painting here? I don't see any "attachment" button. I am also writing because I spent a lot of time at the VFW post (Veterans of Foreign Wars) bar in Sierra Madre (I was a kid, so they served me Shirley Temples). It was called "The Vets" by locals. I recall there were murals by Frank both upstairs in the bar, and downstairs in the meeting hall (where I had my wedding reception 25 years ago!) Then, the post sold the building, so I have no idea where the murals went (they may have been painted on the walls,perhaps still standing?) I moved away years ago, and most of dad's contemporaries have died, so I have no idea how to track this down.-Melody
p.s. My dad BUILT the bar at the Buccaneer when he helped in its remodel many years ago.

On 2011-06-04 08:36, melcolbert wrote:
Hi I was researching Frank Bowers and came across this discussion. I grew up under a Frank Bowers painting signed by Frank and dated '61 - it was hung over our mantle in Sierra Madre, where Frank and Vicki lived in the early sixties. My father was a carpenter, and the story is that Frank gave him the painting as payment for work my dad did for him. Vicki and Frank lived (and painted) in a store-front in downtown Sierra Madre. I recall mom talking about the fact that both Vicki and Frank had a fondness for the drink, and lived pretty poorly -- no stove or refrigerator, just a toilet and sink! I inherited the painting from my mother and it includes many of the Chinese figures shown in similar paintings here, although the female figure is fully clothed (no doubt because he knew our family consisted of five children).

How can I post a picture of the painting here? I don't see any "attachment" button. I am also writing because I spent a lot of time at the VFW post (Veterans of Foreign Wars) bar in Sierra Madre (I was a kid, so they served me Shirley Temples). It was called "The Vets" by locals. I recall there were murals by Frank both upstairs in the bar, and downstairs in the meeting hall (where I had my wedding reception 25 years ago!) Then, the post sold the building, so I have no idea where the murals went (they may have been painted on the walls,perhaps still standing?) I moved away years ago, and most of dad's contemporaries have died, so I have no idea how to track this down.

-Melody

p.s. My dad BUILT the bar at the Buccaneer when he helped in its remodel many years ago.

Thanks for sharing that Melody !! Any additional information we can get on Frank Bowers is always appreciated here.

When you go to "Reply" to a thread, you'll see an "Add Images to your Post" link under the large text box. After you add the image, you have to copy and paste the created link address into the text box. Not the most intuitive process, I know.

If you're having difficulty, I can PM you (via Tiki Central) my email address and post the images for you. We'd LOVE to see them.

Also TikiVato, as you can see we have another urban expedition which requires your services. I'll call you after I get back from Hukilau. :)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2011-06-04 10:15 ]

OK, John, here is the picture I took of my painting by Frank Bowers. The painting itself measures 36"x48" not including the frame. The over-exposure on the right side is due to the light coming in from the window, not any condition problems. The painting is in excellent condition. What bothers me is that the signature looks NOTHING like the ones I see on mural pics posted here. Could Vicki have helped?

From the latimemachine site, here is an image from the Foc'sle bar -- you can see some of the same elements from this Chinese port scene, but again, the signature does not match at all!
http://www.latimemachines.com/mural.JPG

I was thinking of selling it, because it doesn't quite fit above my mantle...but the colors go well in my living room and it's kind of growing on me...it seems to produce its own source of light in the colors. - Melody

[ Edited by: melcolbert 2011-06-06 11:05 ]

[ Edited by: melcolbert 2011-06-06 11:17 ]

Melody - with that personal history that connects it to you, you should definitely keep it. You might never get it's equal in monetary value. While to us TCers it is priceless, out there Frank Bowers is an unknown, not accredited in art books or blogs (...yet)

[i]On 2011-06-06 09:50, melcolbert wrote:

This is a great piece.
No need to showcase it over the mantle, more of a "'by-the-way,' I have this incredible work in the den."

This looks like another one of Frank Bowers' great restaurant murals from Vivian Laird's Bohemia Restaurant located at the Robinson Hotel in Long Beach. I clipped an image of this postcard.

A close up of the mural - sure looks like a Frank Bowers to me.

Vivian Laird also owned the Garden of Allah

And the South Seas in Anaheim at one point, as discussed here.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=40145&forum=2&start=last&1

Wonder if Frank Bowers paid a visit to those establishments as well?

DC

Here are some more possible connections between Vivian Laird and Frank Bowers.

As we know, Franks Bowers did the art work for the Leilani in Long Beach, which is shown on this menu cover from Arkiva Tropika.

Vivian Laird had several restaurants in Long Beach, including the Bohemia posted above and another location called Vivian Laird's. Here is the menu cover from Arkiva Tropika.

In the corner at the initials FBF? Sure looks like another Frank Bowers piece.

DC

Hi and thanks for the replies to my post re:Frank Bowers I realize my painting doesn't
have much commercial value. Perhaps I shall include it in my will and donate it to some worthy recipient in my home town, such as the Buccanneer! But what I would really like is that cowboy-themed painting since we have horses in our backyard here in Palos Verdes! Too bad he wants 10Gs for it!!! Melody

Thanks DC !!

I like the identification of several more Mid-century pop cultural themes. So far we've seen Polynesian Exotica, Hell, Far Eastern Exotica, Pirates, WWII, 1940's Pulp, Middle Eastern Exotica, and now African Exotica, and nightclub debauchery.

The only thing we haven't seen yet is a science fiction mural a la Lex Baxter's "Space Capades". :)

Hey there, super thankful to find this thread on here.
We have just inherited 2 very large Frank and Vicki Bowers paintings which are about 10 ft x 4 ft each.
We're scouring the internet trying to figure out what they're worth or if there's any history of sales, anything like that.
I've included a couple of photos, any help you guys can give us would be great.
Thanks!

Wow! They must be back bar paintings, from some "Club Hong Kong" (my invention) or the like. Very cool!
As I said above, he is not a known name elsewhere but here, so pricing will be difficult.

Cyd, you say you inherited it--do you know the history? Did you get it from someone who owned aq bar or restaurant? Why did they have it? I don't mean t opry, I am just curious. The more history we can share, will help us all in the research of Frank Bowers--thanks! :)

yeah, it's hard to say exactly where they came from. The man we inherited them from frequented bars in Newport Beach and was a Merchant Marine sea captain so he might have also frequented bars closer to the harbor, ie. Wilmington... He had lots of stories of drinking with Celebrities down here in Newport throughout the 50's- 60's, but never mentioned the paintings or where they came from. It's also possible they were from another one of his brothers who were also salty guys. Navy men, fond of the drink :) But I think they lived in San Diego... Not really sure, we only found them when clearing out the last storage room in the house... Actually might have missed them, they were long forgotten about! At this point, we're just trying to connect any dots, thanks for the input!

Thank you for sharing those, they're really great!

Keep your eye on this thread and hopefully some other info will surface.

It would be interesting to research if there were any mid-century bars in Newport Beach with "Hong Kong" or "Shanghai" in the name. There was "Shanghai Red's" in San Pedro, I already have talked about that here. I doubt it is from there, but places as described in this link must have existed in Newport Beach - though it was a much more posh place than San Pedro:

http://photobuff2.tripod.com/collect/clock.html

The are no notes on the back of the paintings? Is it dated?

Wow! Great paintings.

Thanks for posting here.

Thanks for the idea Bigbro, we'll look on the back soon... we only really looked at them for about 30 min. and we're just so blown away, we forgot to look for details like that...
The signature is Frank and Vicki Bowers though, so since she was his 4th wife, we could hopefully figure out when they were married to give a age range...
Will look soon though for dates.
I've included a few more pics, hopefully we can get some decent ones soon in better lighting :)

Those are really terrific paintings. Congrats on unearthing them. As Sven said, the proportions point to them having been possible bar back paintings somewhere. But regardless of their origin, I do hope they end up being displayed somewhere where they can be properly enjoyed.

OTHER exotic ports of call that come to mind: MACAO, and SINGAPORE !

I think our best bet would be matchbooks. Vintage bars are frightfully under-represented on any historic city web sites. Does anybody have any matchbook covers from Newport, Balboa or Long Beach with the above places as part of the name? Like "Singapore Sue's"?

There is a big steamer in the painting. Also camels. And on that ancient gate, is that a Ganesha figure? WHAT place is it?

Interesting, the following was posted on the internet on May 15th, 2011 by [email protected], the child of Frank Bowers' third wife. We have a breadcrumb !!

http://www.answerbag.co.uk/q_view/737970...

Vicky Bowers was the fourth wife of Frank Howard Bowers, a California local artist of the 30;s, 40's and 50's, with his last works being completed in 1964 in Serra Madre, California. Frank had three children, Jackson Bowers who drumed with Gene Cupra and disappered somewhere in Florida around 1947 or 1948. His second child was Tommy Bowers a well known builder in the Belmont Shores area of So.Calif. His third wife was my mother Kathryn King Bowers, a writer and executive secretary to Henry Blanke at Warner Bros. Studios in 1944. Frank was a [story board man] on several motion pictures during the 40's . Of that marriage one child was born, Sydney Louise Bowers, [Female]. Frank went on to marry Vicky with whom he completed several large murals all over Calif as well as Mexico. Frank had a terrible accident in Mexico while painting a bull fight, the stands came down on him and he was never quite the same, but still painted just as well, but could not climb scaffolding so very few murals were done after that time. Frank Bowers died in 1964 in Los Angeles, Ca. , he had a short bout of Cancer that was to give him four short months, and was buried in Serra Madre, Ca. I still have a few pieces of his work, look at it every day. S.M.

That's more than a crumb, John-O, that's a pretty good sized loaf! So who is going to Mexico, in search of...?!

Great stuff there John-O. Interesting to note that the second son Tommy Bowers was a builder in the Belmont Shores area around the time that the Leilani was in business. You know, the Leilani with the Frank Bowers art work. Coincidence???

DC

Found this on the Los Angeles Public Library website -

"The mural, "Orange Harvest," was painted by Bowers with oils on canvas. It is on display at the California Citrus Exchange Building in Los Angeles. Photo dated: September 22, 1937."

Most of these murals seem to be other than Hawaiian or Pacific island
Orientated, can we move this to beyond tiki please.
Or am I being unreasonable in wanting to keep
Threads on TC about Tiki or related topics?

Jeff, it's one thing to post a clearly non-related subject where it doesn't belong, we've all done that. But then to complain about it being put in its proper forum, and on top of that to gripe and troll about it is not very nice. We all love you and are your friends, but that doesn't put you above house rules, simply put.

True,
But still doesn't change the fact that this thread
Really should be in beyond tiki.
Just like the infamous Tiki Food thread,
That was moved well after it was started.

And why was the Trivia question from last year not moved?

Jeff btd

I dunno, nobody is perfect. Maybe it was solved quicker.

And Frank Bowers did one of the all time quintessential Polynesian pop murals for the Zamboanga...and then the Leilani, that is as firm a connection to Tiki as anything can be. His Exotica and nautical themes are also part of the Tiki cosmos.

Why do we have to argue about this?

Who's arguing,
I just like picking fly shit out of pepper,
especially when my thread gets targeted, moved.
thanks,
carry on.

Jeff(btd)

edited for spelling

[ Edited by: bigtikidude 2011-08-04 09:02 ]

wow... do my paintings fall into the tiki realm or should I move them somewhere else? You tiki guys are pretty legalistic :wink:
I have a solution! Maybe one of you that's most in the know could start a wikipedia page on Frank?

Cydplaysmusic, your pictures are fine where they're at and again thank you for sharing them. :)

Hear, hear! Thanks, Boris.

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2011-08-04 11:03 ]

So, I was re-watching Halloween III this past weekend and was surprised and pleased to see that some Frank Bowers paintings have a cameo in the film.

Check it out - http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/interview/478
(you have to scroll a bit).
The Buccaneer was used as a location in the movie.

Frank Bowers in film, nice!

I found an image of a postcard from Vivian Laird's restaurant and it confirms that there was a mural in the restaurant. It must have been a Frank Bowers.

DC

Nice !!

Now break out the Blade Runner Esper machine

No "paper" archaeologist should be without one...

"Enhance 15 to 23. Give me a hard copy right there."

:)

That's some cool place Daddy-O, just the setup for a full swing band.
put on the best suit and order up a cocktail.

John O - Many here have wanted the powers of the Esper Machine, but alas have found no avail in these current times. Instead, we search onward for an original and a close up scan.

DC

Boris saw this on eBay... for $500.

"COMRADES CELEBRATING IN A TAVERN", 1949

I can hardly wait for Christmas. Thanks Boris !! :)