In my annual Christmas tradition, here is my all-time favorite USC picture.Hollywood screen legend Greta Garbo was sent to USC in 1926 to pose for some publicity photos with the track team. Garbo initially refused until MGM deducted $25 from her salary, which convinced her to head to campus and don a USC track singlet. She is with a USC track assistant coach in the above photo. … Continue reading Merry Christmas!

Today is Mae West’s birthday. She made quite an appearance at USC in 1968 at the the DKA (Delta Kappa Alpha) professional cinematic arts fraternity annual dinner on campus at Town and Gown. It was like a mini-version of the Academy Awards: Jimmy Stewart, Mae West and famous director Mervyn LeRoy were honored (pictured above). Who else was there? Raquel Welch, Greer Garson, Vera Miles, Walter Pidgeon, Andy Devine plus legendary directors George Cukor and Robert Wise. John McKay even showed … Continue reading On This Day

On Friday, I ran a page of the Yankees-USC game program from 1951. Here is an ad that ran in the four-page program: Remember the Angels played at Wrigley Field, which was about two miles from USC on 42nd Place. The Hollywood Stars played at Gilmore Field, which was near Farmers Market and is where the current CBS Television City is located. Popular sportscaster Sam … Continue reading USC Sunday Buzz: Remembering Another L.A. Landmark

It’s the Fourth of July and that means time to run this wonderful color photo of the fireworks show at the Coliseum in 1964, that even lit up Mudd Hall and the USC campus. The Mudd Hall Bell Tower was used in the 1923 version of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Continue reading Happy Fourth Of July!

With the Olympic Auditorium a topic the past few days, it is worth noting USC played some basketball games there. The Olympic used to get 6,000 on Sunday afternoons to watch the Los Angeles Thunderbirds. This is what the interior looked like for the 1932 Olympics with dual wrestling platforms. Marvin Hagler knocked out Doug Demmings at the Olympic on April 7, 1978. Here’s Freddie … Continue reading Sunday Buzz: Another Look At Olympic Auditorium

Today’s USC column supplement focuses on the fact USC had a Shaw in the defensive backfield from 1964-69 and has the back story on the photo above. Do you remember the Shaws without clicking on the link? I got lost in Olympic Auditorium nostalgia last night. Here’s a 1972 photo of the Los Angeles Thunderbirds. Was there a more diverse pro team/sport at the time? … Continue reading A Little Olympic Auditorium Diversion