THE HMS BOUNTY BAR & RESTAURANT
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One of the Last Classic Old School LA bars and restaurants - in same location since 1962
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THE HMS BOUNTY BAR & RESTAURANT
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One of the Last Classic Old School LA bars and restaurants - in same location since 1962
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OUR HISTORIC BAR AND RESTAURANT HISTORY - ONE OF THE LAST OLD HOLLYWOOD BARS IN KOREATOWN/WILSHIRE CENTERRamon - HMS BOUNTY OWNEROne of the last of the true "old Hollywood" bars and restaurants, the HMS Bounty is a classic Los Angeles treasure. The "Gaylord Apartments" on Wilshire Boulevard, where the Bounty is located, is certainly an historical setting. When it was built in 1924 by J.B. Lilly and P.B. Fletcher, just before Art Deco exploded onto the architectural scene, this Italian Renaissance building was one of the most elegant domains in the city. Built for what was then a princely sum of $1.8 million dollars, news articles announcing the Gaylord's opening described the "Apartments" as "one of the largest and most pretentious in the country." Louis B. Meyer's brother, Rudolph lived and died here in an apartment fire. Sir Winston Churchill even liked to eat in an earlier incarnation of the restaurant, before retiring to his room in the Ambassador. Richard Nixon had an apartment here for a while. The Gaylord Apartments were actually one of the first condominium projects in Los Angeles, although a bankruptcy during the depression converted the building back to rented apartments. It also did a stint as a hotel.
The Gaylord sits in one of the most historic areas of Los Angeles. It's across from the former site of Ambassador Hotel, famous for it's Coconut Grove nightclub and site of the Robert Kennedy assassination. The Bounty was once right next to the original "Brown Derby" restaurant (now sadly mummified on the third floor of a mini mall). In the 1950's, the "Haig" nightclub was right around the corner where Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker broke into the "cool jazz" scene. Also down the street on Kenmore was the famous sports oriented restaurant, the Bull ‘n Bush, which was owned by some of the Bounty’s former owners . A block away was the famous Mona Lisa restaurant, which had some ties to Musso and Frank’s Grill. The Bounty apparently had its start as the "Gay Room," which of course had a different connotation in those days. The names "Gay" and "Gaylord" stem from one of LA's most colorful historic figures -Henry Gaylord Wilshire (1861-1927), the eccentric millionaire who owned and developed the land that Wilshire Boulevard was later to pass through. H. Gaylord Wilshire, who made and lost several fortunes on things such as quack medical devises and real estate, was strangely enough a political socialist. His liberal politics aside, he apparently did not appreciate having the Gaylord apartments named after him and sued the place at one point in time. As part of the settlement he was awarded a lifetime apartment in the Gaylord. It appears the Gay Room opened in 1948 with music and dancing (an early act featured Carol Mitchum, Robert Mitchum's sister). It was advertised as a place with a high movie star quotient. It later did a stint as Jane (nee Hoffman) Assell's Gaylord Dining Room (approx. 1950 -1953). Then it became Dimsdale's Secret Harbor (possibly in 1954). This is apparently, where the restaurant got its current nautical decorations. The owner of the Secret Harbor, Ben Dimsdale, also owned many other elegant restaurants such as the Windsor (seen in the movie “Chinatown”), Highland House, The Dales, Ocotillo Lodge and Wilshire Terrace. The Windsor, now known as "the Prince," looks much like the Bounty and still is in excellent condition nearby, serving as a Korean restaurant. In the 50's, the Secret Harbor appeared frequently in the "Society" columns, as the site for society parties. The Bounty did a brief stint as the "Golden Anchor" and finally in 1962 became the present "HMS Bounty Restaurant." When it became the HMS Bounty, the first owners were Richard O'Neill, Ron Waller (of football fame) and Gordon Fields, who were also associated with the "Bull & Bush," originally located at 6th street and Kenmore Avenue. That restaurant's claim to fame was being a hangout for members of the Los Angeles Rams. Players were lured into the restaurant by a policy that they could eat and drink free. Gordon Fields was known as the "Toots Shor of Los Angeles." He died October 30, 1998 at age 76. Richard O’Neil, a former investor in the Bounty, came from a pioneering family who once owned a ranch covering all of Camp Pendleton and Mission Viejo. He was also Chairman of the Democratic Party in Orange County for many years. Some Bull and Bush decorations can still be found at the Bounty. Curiously, you will find large illuminated signs heralding the Bounty near the beautiful pool and courtyard at the Gaylord. Although these signs can no longer be seen outside of the courtyard, they hearken back to a time when the Gaylord Apartments could also been seen for miles from any angle. The present managing owner of the restaurant, "Ramon," is a classic American Success story himself. Starting out at the Bounty as a teenager, at "the bottom of the totem pole", Mr. Fields paid for English lessons for Ramon. Ramon so endeared himself to Mr. Field's family through his hard work that he was able to buy the Bounty, by mortgaging his house. A native of the beaches of Mazatlan, Mexico, Ramon is so dedicated to his restaurant that when the power went out one Christmas, he kept the Bounty open for dinner by lighting candles and cooking off the fire of the grill. True to its old Hollywood locale (well, now Koreatown), a number of TV shows have been filmed at the Bounty, including NYPD Blue and Mad Men. Of course, the occasional film star is seen here, although this is the type of place where one's privacy is respected. Each of the restaurants round red booths has a plaque indicating which golden age Hollywood actor preferred sitting there. Jack Webb was one of the former regulars at the bounty (and Philip Marlow would have loved it as well - if Raymond Chandler hadn't moved to La Jolla!). Other booths were the favorites of Paul Gonzales (of Jazz fame), Sir Winston Churchill, William Randolf Hearst, Wilbur Clark, Bob Roseburg and Walter Winchell. The Bounty, still with its original old Hollywood interior and famous steaks and seafood, attracts an eclectic crowd. On any given night at the bar, you may sit next to an actor, comedian, rocket scientist, journalist, chef or a host of other fascinating people with anecdotes about the Vietnam war, jazz musicians of the past, 40s and 50s Los Angeles and other topics that should someday be collected and immortalized. At the same time, the restaurant has become known to hipsters as a great hang. Head on over, before the secret gets out! |
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Mon - Thur 11AM to 1AM
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Fri-Sat 11AM to 2AM
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Sun 12AM to 1AM
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