Books set during the Roaring Twenties

Pulp fiction really came into its own in the 1920s. This was the ground floor for all the stories which were adapted into classic Film Noirs. The 1930s saw the invention of the mass market paperback novel, but the pulp magazines of the 1910s and 1920s helped pave the way for the Raymond Chandlers and… Continue reading Books set during the Roaring Twenties

Welcome to the Roaring Twenties

Put on your Peaky Blinders Irish step-dancing hat and mix together some bathtub gin and bitters, we’ve made it back to the Roaring Twenties. When it comes to nostalgia entertainment the sweet spot seems to be 20 – 30 years. With shows like Stranger Things reminding us of The Goonies and E.T. from the 80s… Continue reading Welcome to the Roaring Twenties

Celebrities and Cats

Because the internet could really use more cats. Also, today is National Cat Day (in America, it’s August 8th in Canada). To quote Charles Dickens, “What greater gift than the love of a cat?” And he wasn’t the only one who loved having a feline friend in the writers room. Here’s some famous celebrities and… Continue reading Celebrities and Cats

Celebrate Noirvember with these Film Noir Flicks

With Noirember right around the corner we thought we’d give you a list of movies to watch in celebration. If you couldn’t tell from our previous articles, we love film noir. And we love talking about our love of film noir almost as much as we love watching them. So here’s a list of some… Continue reading Celebrate Noirvember with these Film Noir Flicks

Dashiell Hammett: Pinkerton Detective Turned Hardboiled Writer

They don’t make ’em like Samuel Dashiell Hammett (1894 – 1961) anymore. A veteran of both world wars AND a Pinkerton Agent, Sam wrote what he knew. And what he knew was far more interesting than your average person. A product of the D.M.V. (D.C., Maryland, Virginia NOT the Dept. of Motor Vehicles), Hammett was… Continue reading Dashiell Hammett: Pinkerton Detective Turned Hardboiled Writer

Prohibition Era Cocktails: The Daiquiri

It’s widely accepted that Jennings Stockton Cox is the man who invented the Daiquiri in the Cuban town of, well, Daiquirií in 1898. But it was the bartender at the El Floridita, Constantino Ribalaigua Vert who crafted the drink for Tennessee Williams, Jean-Paul Sartre, Gary Cooper and of course Ernest Hemingway, made El Floridita in… Continue reading Prohibition Era Cocktails: The Daiquiri

Why We Love Film Noir

I once made the acquaintance of a man who told me he never watched a movie that was made before 1977 (because Star Wars debuted in ‘77). This shithead went to film school and he just wrote off everything made during the Golden Age of Hollywood. There’s a word that describes that kind of person,… Continue reading Why We Love Film Noir

Musso & Frank Grill

Located at 6667 Hollywood Blvd. Musso & Frank is a classic spot you should at least order a drink at if you’re in town. The Italian Steakhouse was established in 1919 and is probably the oldest establishment in Hollywood. Since then it’s seen it’s share of Hollywood clientele. The back room of Musso & Frank… Continue reading Musso & Frank Grill

Drink Like A Character: Gin Rickey, The Great Gatsby (1925)

Tom came back, preceding four gin rickeys that clicked full of ice. Gatsby took up his drink.“They certainly look cool,” he said, with visible tension. We drank in long, greedy swallows.”– F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Entirely out of context, doesn’t that just sound like peer pressure to you? If you changed it up and… Continue reading Drink Like A Character: Gin Rickey, The Great Gatsby (1925)