The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 21

fUL TIMES MONDAY MARCH 8 1993 B3 METRO NEWS LA Scene The City Then and Now GEORGE RAMOS Curtain Threatens to Fall on Historic Movie Theater have nothing against religion but I got a sinking feeling when I noticed La Iglesia message on Broadway the other morning: It said: es el Normally I welcome proclamations affirming Jesus Christ as the Lord But this sign was cm the marquee on the Million Dollar Theater and what bothered me The church set up shop in the movie house last week after the Million management decided it was losing too much money showing movies The presence in the place where Javier Solis sang and Cantinflas made audiences laugh means that the Million days as the premier Spanish-language entertainment mid movie house are probably over That would be a sad day for LA This 1920a postcard adrortlssd the QrapmrtseHotai stow and gangs ss the Hfclgs Rosts" bstwsss Las Angeles and Bakersfield Between Los Angeles and Bakersfield lies a stretch of Interstate 5 called the Grapevine Moat motorists believe the eight-lane foeeway earned its name for the many curves it makes as it winds through the Tehachapi Mountains But few know of the real grapevines entwined in its history Almost two centuries ago Don Pedro Pages a Spanish army lieutenant noticed the abundance of Cimarron grapes growing wild in an area north of what is now Gorman and named the place Canada de las Uvas or Grapevine Canyon Don Pedro knew the area well having long chased deserters through the rugged canyon at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley Wild grapes still grow in the -area The Interstate 5 Grapevine is about 12 mites of road that has its origin in three earlier highways The first was a series of narrow footpaths used by Indians and later followed by the Spanish The paths headed west from Newhall along the San Andreas FSult to Gorman and north over the Tejon Summit In 1859 entrepreneurs widened the roadway to accommodate stagecoaches and height wagons Today only a piece of this trail remains beside the old Sierra Highway in Newhall Fifty years later California engineers began planning a route that would shave 44 miles from the trip between Newhall and Gorman In 1915 the Ridge Route was opened becoming the first mq)or highway connecting Los Angeles with the San Joaquin Valley The road was a narrow ribbon of concrete with steep grades and 642 curves along the ridge top that stretched 39 miles through the Angeles National Forest It was hailed as a $3-million miracle of modem engineering providing safety and a maximum speed of 15 mph But four years later the road was considered one of the most dangerous in the because of the tight curves steep grades and sharp drop-offs mi both sides During the Roaring 208 the small town of Grapevine in Kern County began to develop The town was the final resting spot before and after travelers tackled the steep mountain road Rockslides tumbleweeds and potholes made trips a bit rough Drivers had to be ready to contend with flat tires and carsick passengers Many automobiles would overheat and wise travelers toted along some water On hot summer days truck drivers would set the automatic throttle on their rigs and stand outside the truck on the running board to catch the breeze After dark headlights along the Ridge Route formed a continuous chain as cars and trucks pulled into way stations garages and cafes Only the foundations remain from some of those the Tumble Inn Queen Nell's Castle Place One of the most remembered landmarks was the Sandberg Lodge a three-story log cabin built just before the Ridge Route was opened The cabin was the centerpiece of a town near Quail Lake built by and named after cattle rancher Harold Sandberg The tiny amenities included a gas station and stables The lodge had a dance floor a few slot machines and a roulette wheeL The rancher was the postmaster and he also ran crib" a brothel behind the cabia The town of Sandberg went into decline around 1933 when the Ridge Route was replaced by the three-lane Highway 99 But the community attracted attention in 1944 when newspaper accounts labeled Sandberg a "hotbed for The FBI arrested a German mother and daughter for allegedly setting up a radio transmitter in the mountains and beaming military secrets to the Nazis during World War 1L All but one of the burned in a 1962 fire The crib was later hauled off to another ranch down the road to be used as a bunkhouse But according to ranch hands it is haunted by a bluish ghost who appears to be female In the 1950s Highway 99 was widened to a four-lane expressway and 347 curves were straightened eliminating eight miles of roadway Brake-check areas and ramps for stopping runaway vehicles were added In the late 1960s the road was rebuilt again becoming Interstate 5 In the spring one of the most colorful displays of California poppies is visible from the Grapevine In 1991 The eld route ready fodowsd tha ridges ss seen In this view tootling sooth Built by legendary filmmaker Sid Grauman the Million Dollar attracted the biggest names in Hollywood during the pre-Depression years Charlie Chaplin Mary Pfckford and Lillian Gish were among the stars who attended the theater's Feb 1 1918 opening night premiere of the Mack Sennett comedy Silent Man" The shows and films made the regally decorated Million Dollar a delight to visit Known for its mix of Spanish and Baroque architecture it seemed only natural for the building at Broadway apd 3rd Street to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places But many Latinos think the theater reach its zenith until 1950 when impresario Prank Fouce started booking Spanish-language Aims and stage shows featuring biggest stars Over the years a who of Mexican entertainers appeared there: Jose Alfredo Jimenez Manuel Lope Ochoa Maria Felix Trio Los Panchos Las Hermanas Huerta Vicente Fernandez Lola Beltran and Solis Long lines were commonplace At the opening of one Cantinflas film Grandma and I stood for more than an hour waiting to "get inside She was right about one thing: Mario baggy-pants routine as Cantinflas was much ftmnier than Charlie Chaplin's Old-timers still recall the tumultuous days in late 1954 after screen idol Jorge Negrete died in LA as he prepared for a weeklong engagement at the Million Dollar Known for his baritone voice and dashing film roles Negrete died of cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis after six day 8 in a coma His death created a sensation here prompting hundreds of disbelieving fans to show up at the Million Dollar and the Cedars of Lebanon now known as Cedars-Sinai Medical hoping that hews of his death true It took several days for the president of Mexico Adolfo Ruiz Cortines to find the proper airplane to bring body home Maria Felix the tempestuous actress who was almost as famous as husband Negrete rejected the personal PC-3 as A larger four-engine American Airlines DC-6 airliner was eventually chartered more than one Negrete fan screamed GARY THORNHILL For Ttx Tinea Todsy ttie Grapevine can stM be rough going With snow faSIng a CaNfomis Highway Patrol car leads traffic at a safe speed Into the 6 downgade environmental artist Christo lined the route with 1760 yellow umbrellas But the exhibit was quickly dismantled after one of the huge umbrellas blew down and killed a sightseer As for the town of Grapevine in the early 1960s about two dozen townsfolk moved to nearby Lebec Today just a truck stop with two gas stations a restaurant and a few feat food only a mile from the remains of the town RASMUSSEN The decline began in the 1980s as Latino demographics changed Bruce Corwin president of the Metropolitan theater chain that operates the Million Dollar said assimilated Mexican and Chicano families grew accustomed to English-language entertainment Many of them moved away from the inner city to suburban neighborhoods making it less convenient to come downtown The Salvadorans Nicaraguans and others who came in their place found little in common with the Million fare of Mexican-oriented entertainment At the same time the Mexican film industry deteriorated putting out forgettable movies with horrible plots and mediocre singers "The Mexican film industry of 35 years ago is superior to what it is Corwin said Add to that the triple whammy of crime homelessness and public uneasiness over last year's riots and they spelled doom for he Million Dollar theaters ion Broadway including the Million Dollar lost at least $500000 in 92 So when a Brazilian preacher offered a steady source of income Corwin agreed to a two-year lease for La Iglesia Universal JIGSAW: Homicide Detective Retires Cratluued from Bl During his 51 years on the force SL John never shot his gun He has solved his cases by hunkering over his desk and studying bank records credit 1 ratings telephone calls and investment portfolios and by interviewing and re-interviewing countless people If a real homicide investigation were filmed SL John says it would put an audience to sleep A year after Joining the force SL John lost an eye when he was attacked by a juvenile jail prisoner who had ripped an iron bar from his bunk But the beating that cost him half his vision gave him an insight and compassion that has set him apart from most detectives SL John knows what it is like to be a victim he says to be brutally attacked and left for dead John picked up the nickname Jigsaw decades ago after working a dismemberment murder in Griffith Park where he had to piece body parts together to solve the crime His reputation grew over the last four decades as he solved every kind of murder imaginable throughout the city A few years ago when SL Johin was searching for a suspect in a drug-related shooting he showed up at a house in South-Central with a search warranL A young woman answered the door studied the detective for a moment and saidb "Good morning Mr When SL John began as a homicide detective murder like everything else in tbe city was a lot simpler Time were about 100 a the majority straightforward fundamental and detectives solved 90 of them But as the city changed over the years so have the number and nature of homicides Now there are more than 1000 murders a year They have become John (Jigsaw John) St John arrives at a party In Ms honor in October 1991 after serving 50 years on the force 4t Tt It IA 'v 'd rt 0 5J rf i ft I Hindu Tim was his most impressive said Tom Lange a homicide detective sit with a witness or a suspect for 10 minutes or 10 hours never raise his voice he'd never lose his patience He leave until he got what he Discustdng the details of even the most gruesome crimes doesn't seem to affect SL appetite As he recounts various cases he pauses to munch on a steak sandwich and sip a VO and water at a dim smoky steakhouse just west of downtown After sifting through crime scenes for 43 years he has become inured to the many manifestations of murder But one type of crime continues to torment the murder of elderly women the helplessness that really bothers SL John says staring into his drink "The helplessness is years chasing leads but could not get that final piece of evidence he needed to dear the case "I still think about that one You know the guy could have just taken what he wanted and SL John says softly shaking his head "The beating was so brutal so The other case is -the murder of a 24-year-old woman who was found in a Hollywood parking lot 12 years ago SL John knew who killed her He just prove iL "I wanted that one real bad Some cases just get to you because so dose This was one of the SL John decided to retire after years of cajoling by his wife so the two of them could travel and spend more time at their cabin mi the Klamath River near the Oregon border Although he will no longer roll on homicide calls for the departmenL SL John will stay active in the art of the murder investigation The cop who in every way is the antithesis of the Hollywood detective will be working as a technical adviser on a number of upcoming police movies Corwin says the lease is a short-term arrangement believing that the Minin' Dollar with luck can regain its glory as a live stage and movie house like to think right But that bad feeling that came over me when I saw the church tells me not to be hopefUL Maybe it's watching the nearby construction of the $221 -million Walt Disney Concert Hall knowing that its glory days are yet to come And fearing that Sid theater get its glory back increasingly complex and bizarre and the "clearances have dropped to about 70 But SL John has been able to change with the times learning more about scientific crime analysis and a new generatimi of killers He learned about drive-by shootings and prostitute slashers Asian gangs and serial kilters SL John became an authority on serial killers and he pursued 12 of them Including the "Freeway William Bonin whom he tracked for eight year before his team of detectives solved the case younger detectives learned a lot of things from John but it was his tenacity and perseverance that what gets to There are two unsolved murders that still rankle SL John he says two killings that will haunt him in his retirement because he was so close to solving them One is a 21 -year-old case involving an elderly woman by the name of Helen Meyler who was beaten to death by a burglar with a metal candelabrum SL John scent.