The famous Sunset Strip. For over 60 years a billboard has stood at the curve that marks the beginning of the famed Sunset Strip.
It was here in the 1950s that Sahara Hotel executive Stan Irwin decided to put an ad up for all of Los Angeles to see and enjoy.
A model of young showgirl atop a silver dollar (better for playing the slots) with the ad for the hotel under the silver dollar (and with that soothing blue background that just screamed water and fun), the marquee board could be changed out when new acts took the stage.
At this particular moment in time, funny woman, Martha Raye was playing the Congo Room and Louis Prima, Keely Smith and Sam Butera were rotating in the Casbah Room with Billy Ward's Domino's.
They don't make billboards like this anymore.
Fun trivia fact, they say that Jay Ward- the creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle- spoofed this particular billboard when he opened his studio on the famed Sunset Strip. He had a statue erected of Bullwinkle Moose holding Rocket "Rocky" Squirrel in the palm of his hand, in a poise like the showgirl.
