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Kelbo's, Los Angeles, CA (restaurant) |
tikilongbeach
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 05, 2011
Posts: 1616
From: Long Beach, CA via Dallas, TX
|  Posted: 2013-05-11 09:13 am Permalink
While searching through the Los Angeles Times online archives I found a 2008 article written by Steve Harvey (not the comedian) about LA's 'whimsical architecture'.
Harvey's Then and Now articles in the LA Times were a favorite of mine when I moved to LA. Now he writes a column in The Grunion. A weekly Long Beach community paper.
At the Kelbo's location on Pico one of the tikis was a repurposed pickle that used to adorn the roof of Pickle Bill's restaurant in West L.A. Unfortunately there isn't a picture.
www.latimes.com/travel/la-trw-then18-2008may18,0,163059.column
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-Lori
[ Edited by: Bora Boris - Fixed link. - 2013-05-11 09:55 ]
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hang10tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 18, 2010
Posts: 7718
From: Las Vegas
| Posted: 2013-09-07 1:17 pm Permalink
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Worst sound ever, slurp of an empty tiki mug through my straw!!!
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woofmutt
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 26, 2002
Posts: 2639
From: Seattilite Telstar
| Posted: 2013-10-03 10:51 pm Permalink
Just saw the 1969 film The Gay Deceivers* which has a small scene shot inside a Tiki joint (with actual tikis visible) and another scene shot outside of Kelbo's. Don't know if the interior was Kelbo's or a set.
*Amusing enough farce to watch with some really swell period sets.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 11594
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2013-10-04 10:02 am Permalink
If you can post a frame capture or two from that interior scene, I could tell you.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 5072
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2014-07-02 8:18 pm Permalink
The Go-Go's record label signing party at Kelbos, circa 1981.
Under Kelbo's tin roofs, stuffed macaws and dried banana peels, the Go-Go’s and Copeland signed that sacred document, the long-term recording contract. And the flashbulbs started popping. 

Said lead guitarist Charlotte: I feel really secure, happy now. It makes more sense to be on a smaller label who’ll pay a lot of attention to you.
DC
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 5072
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2014-07-03 07:27 am Permalink
Found this great old article on Kelbo's in a 1957 edition of Mechanix Illustrated. It tells the story of how Kelbo's started on a shoestring.
DC
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Otto
Grand Member (3 years) 
Joined: Mar 29, 2002
Posts: 958
From: NorCal
| Posted: 2015-09-29 11:52 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2013-10-03 22:51, woofmutt wrote:
Just saw the 1969 film The Gay Deceivers* which has a small scene shot inside a Tiki joint (with actual tikis visible) and another scene shot outside of Kelbo's. Don't know if the interior was Kelbo's or a set.
*Amusing enough farce to watch with some really swell period sets.
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Here's the interior shot that happens at 39:30 into the movie
and here's two of the Kelbo's shot that happens 57:30 into the movie. This is the Fairfax location
and here is YouTube link to movie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TrNwO5FZ8g
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www.tikioasis.com
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 5072
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2015-09-30 9:34 pm Permalink
Great screen grabs Otto!
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mike and marie
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 24, 2008
Posts: 352 | Posted: 2016-03-21 12:51 pm Permalink
Ok, so has anyone gone by here in the past couple of weeks to see what's going on?
We're wondering what business is going into this space now and whether or not the sign is being saved ... considering all the vintage wreckovations in LA recently we know it's too much to ask for but wouldn't it be great if this became a tiki bar again!
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RevBambooBen
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 12, 2002
Posts: 7917
From: Huntikington Beach
| Posted: 2016-03-21 11:06 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2016-03-21 12:51, mike and marie wrote:
Ok, so has anyone gone by here in the past couple of weeks to see what's going on?
We're wondering what business is going into this space now and whether or not the sign is being saved ... considering all the vintage wreckovations in LA recently we know it's too much to ask for but wouldn't it be great if this became a tiki bar again!
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That would be awesome!
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Bamboo Ben
Tiki Bars I've designed/built. TikiCat, Royal Hawaiian, Kona Club, Frankie's Tiki Room, Pacific Seas, Don the Beachcomber,Forbidden Island, Kon Tiki Tucson, Tiki No,etc....
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aroldo
Member
Joined: Aug 06, 2015
Posts: 5 | Posted: 2016-09-26 5:19 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2016-03-21 12:51, mike and marie wrote:
Ok, so has anyone gone by here in the past couple of weeks to see what's going on?
We're wondering what business is going into this space now and whether or not the sign is being saved ... considering all the vintage wreckovations in LA recently we know it's too much to ask for but wouldn't it be great if this became a tiki bar again!
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They remolded and Fantasy Island is open again. They replace the sign though. No more tiki up top.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 11594
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2016-09-27 3:22 pm Permalink
It was saved by pure luck by someone passing by;
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 5072
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2017-02-07 3:41 pm Permalink
Bigbro,
More info on that sign!
Here is a nice old photo of Kelbo's in all of its glory.
Newspaper article with the owner Tom Kelly and an interior photo.
DC
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 5072
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2017-05-26 11:04 am Permalink
Someone has been selling estate photos from owner Tom Kelley on ebay and I screen-grabbed a few of the more interesting ones.
Here is are a few of owners Tom Kelley and Joe Bouck.
Dolly Parton was a patron.
A few interior photos showing several rooms.
Two exterior shots with the building and the mural.
Various bits of paper ephemera.
I have never seen one of these photo folders before.
Close up of my drink menu.
Now this is an interesting find. There was a Kelbo's Junior built in Marina Del Rey.
Here is a photo of the groundbreaking.
And a news article indicating that it opened in 1965.
And one last bit of Kelbo's trivia, apparently there one located on Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks!
 
DC
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mike and marie
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 24, 2008
Posts: 352 | Posted: 2017-07-13 3:24 pm Permalink
After all those great archive pics from DC, it's hard to post this, but...
Only the outline of our tiki guy remains.
At this point it's safe to say that every last chunk of lucite is gone
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