4/7/03

LC030407

VAL ZAVALA>> TONIGHT ON LIFE AND TIMES --

JESS MARLOW>> TRACKING DOWN THE SOURCE OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S AIR POLLUTION, AND DON’T BLAME IT ON SUV’S.

DR. KAYE KILBURN>> WE TOOK FIFTY YEARS TO LEARN ABOUT HOW HARMFUL CIGARETTE SMOKING IS. IS IT GOING TO BE ANOTHER FIFTY YEARS FOR US TO REALIZE THAT TEN COMMON CHEMICALS ARE NOW DOING ABOUT AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF HARM?

VAL>> AND THEN WE’LL CONTINUE OUR LOOK AT HOW THE CITY OF ANGELS LIVES UP TO ITS NAME. OUR SPIRITUAL TOUR TAKES US ALONG SOME FAMILIAR STREETS MAYBE NEAR YOU.

JESS>> PLUS, FIRE DANGERS IN PUBLIC PLACES AND AMERICA’S FIRST AND WORST BIG THEATRE FIRE.

VAL>> IT’S ALL STRAIGHT AHEAD ON TONIGHT’S LIFE AND TIMES.

LIFE AND TIMES IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

VAL>> CLEARING THE AIR OVER HOUSEHOLD CLEANSERS, POLISHES AND EVEN DEODORANTS.

JESS>> BELIEVE IT OR NOT, SOME EXPERTS SAY THOSE ITEMS ARE A BIGGER SOURCE OF AIR POLLUTION THAN CARS AND SUV’S. NOT EVERYONE AGREES WITH THE FINDINGS OF A NEW STUDY, BUT AS TONI GUINYARD REPORTS, IT OFFERS SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT ABOUT THE PRODUCTS FOUND IN MOST KITCHEN CABINETS AND MEDICINE CHESTS.

TONI GUINYARD>> TAKE A LOOK AT THE DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES SKYLINE ON A SO-CALLED GOOD AIR DAY. WHILE YOU MIGHT LOVE DAYS LIKE THIS, THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE YOU’RE UNKNOWINGLY CONTRIBUTING TO SMOG CONDITIONS. AIR QUALITY EXPERTS SAY MANY HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS USED EVERY DAY ARE TO BLAME. TIM CARMICHAEL IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE COALITION FOR CLEAN AIR. HE SAYS CONSUMER PRODUCTS ARE SECOND ONLY BEHIND EMISSIONS FROM CARS AND LIGHT TRUCKS AS THE CAUSE OF AIR POLLUTION IN THE LOS ANGELES REGION.

TIM CARMICHAEL>> HAIR SPRAY IS NUMBER ONE. YOUR DEGREASERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT YOU’RE USING ON YOUR AUTOMOBILE ENGINE, RUBBING ALCOHOL, YOUR GENERAL PURPOSE CLEANERS THAT YOU USE IN THE BATHROOM OR THE KITCHEN, YOUR DISINFECTANTS, YOUR DEODORIZERS.

TONI GUINYARD>> IT ALL COMES AS NO SURPRISE TO DR. KAYE KILBURN. THE PROFESSOR OF INTERNAL MEDICINE HAS DEVOTED YEARS TO STUDYING THE LINK BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND HEALTH. HE’S SOMEWHAT AMAZED THAT, DESPITE THE WARNINGS RIGHT ON THE LABELS OF MANY PRODUCTS, DESPITE THE REGULATIONS ALREADY IN PLACE, PRODUCTS CONTAINING CHEMICALS AFFECTING BOTH HEALTH AND AIR QUALITY ARE STILL ON THE MARKET.

DR. KAYE KILBURN>> IT IS APPALLINGLY STUPID AND THAT, I GUESS, I GET ANGRY ABOUT. WE TOOK FIFTY YEARS TO LEARN ABOUT HOW HARMFUL CIGARETTE SMOKING IS. IS IT GOING TO BE ANOTHER FIFTY YEARS FOR US TO REALIZE THAT TEN COMMON CHEMICALS ARE NOW DOING ABOUT AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF HARM TO WHAT CIGARETTE SMOKE IS DOING?

TONI GUINYARD>> SO WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?

DR. KAYE KILBURN>> YOU CAN LIVE CLEAN.

TONI GUINYARD>> LIVING CLEAN. AVOIDING PRODUCTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO BOTH INDOOR AND OUTDOOR AIR POLLUTION TAKES EFFORT WHEN STORES ONLY STOCK THE BIG SELLERS.

ALAN ARZONIAN>> WE PRETTY MUCH USE ON OUR SHELVES WHATEVER THE CUSTOMERS ASK US TO PUT ON THE SHELVES, SO WHEREVER THE TREND GOES IS WHERE WE’RE FOLLOWING.

WENDY WHITE>> I THINK I HAVE A CHOICE OF WHAT I WANT TO USE. I’D LIKE TO USE ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS.

TONI GUINYARD>> DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU SHOP, THOSE PRODUCTS MAY BE HARD TO FIND. AS PART OF ITS EFFORT TO MEET FEDERAL AND STATE AIR QUALITY STANDARDS, THE AQMD HAS IDENTIFIED CATEGORIES OF PRODUCTS AS POLLUTION PRODUCERS. ON THE LIST? DETERGENTS, HAIR PRODUCTS, EVEN PERFUME. REFORMULATING THESE PRODUCTS TO EMIT FEWER POLLUTANTS IS AN OPTION, BUT WHAT’S YOUR TOP CONCERN?

SISSY LINGUA>> MOSTLY THAT THEY WON’T CHANGE OUR PRODUCTS SO MUCH THAT WE CAN’T USE THEM BECAUSE CONSUMERS ARE STILL GOING TO BUY THEM WHETHER OR NOT THEY’RE HURTING THE ENVIRONMENT. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT’S REALLY NOT THEIR BIGGEST CONCERN. WOMEN ESPECIALLY ARE CONCERNED MOSTLY ABOUT GETTING A QUALITY PRODUCT.

TONI GUINYARD>> CONSUMERS ARE BEING ENCOURAGED TO AT LEAST THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE BUYING AND USING IN YOUR HOMES.

TIM CARMICHAEL>> TAKE YOUR INDIVIDUAL ACTION AND MULTIPLY IT BY TEN MILLION. THAT’S WHAT’S GOING ON. IT’S NOT RIGHT TO SAY, WELL, MY ACTIONS DON’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I’M DIFFERENT. YOU KNOW, I’M ABOVE THE AVERAGE OR BETTER THAN THE AVERAGE. WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO DO IT IF NO ONE ELSE IS DOING IT? THAT’S NOT AN ATTITUDE THAT’S GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD TO MAKE IT THE BETTER PLACE THAT WE WANT IT TO BE.

DR. KAYE KILBURN>> REGARD YOUR NOSE AS AN IMPORTANT FACILITY FOR SAFETY. WHEN IT SMELLS BAD OR EVEN SMELLS AT ALL, IT’S A WARNING THAT MAYBE IT ISN’T GOOD FOR YOU.

TONI GUINYARD>> TONI GUINYARD FOR LIFE AND TIMES.

JESS>> TONI JOINS US NOW. IT ISN’T JUST THE AEROSOL PROPELLANTS?

TONI GUINYARD>> NO, THE PROPELLANTS DO STILL COUNT. EVERYONE THINKS THAT, TWELVE YEARS AGO, WE DECIDED, OKAY, WE’RE GOING TO TAKE ALL OF THESE CHEMICALS OUT OF THE AEROSOLS. THE PROPELLANTS ARE WHAT THEY’RE LOOKING AT. ALMOST EVERYTHING WE DEAL WITH HAS SOME KIND OF FUMES. YOU OPEN UP A MAGIC MARKER AT TIMES. THINK ABOUT THE FUMES THAT COME OUT. SO THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING ALL OF THIS COMBINED ENDS UP MEANING, YOU KNOW, WE’RE HURTING OUR AIR QUALITY.

VAL>> THAT’S RIGHT, BECAUSE I THOUGHT WE DID SOLVE THE PROBLEM WHEN CFCS WERE BASICALLY PHASED OUT. BUT IT SEEMS OVERWHELMING BECAUSE, IF YOU’RE SAYING EVERYTHING, DETERGENTS, HAIR PRODUCTS, MAGIC MARKERS, YOU KNOW, AFTER A WHILE, YOU JUST GIVE UP. YOU JUST SAY, WELL, WE CAN’T TAKE ALL THESE PRODUCTS OFF THE MARKET.

TONI GUINYARD>> IT WAS REAL INTERESTING WHILE I WAS DOING THIS STORY. YOU KNOW I’M STUBBORN, SO I’M SAYING, WELL, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE ME USE THEN? THE ANSWER IS USE LESS. USE LESS. THINK ABOUT USING LESS. WHEN YOU GO AHEAD AND IF YOU HAVE TO BUY THAT PRODUCT, JUST THINK ABOUT USING LESS. THEY’RE ALSO TALKING ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO SOME OF THE CLEANERS THAT WE’RE USING AS WELL.

VAL>> NOW IF YOU WERE TO JUST, SAY, GO TO WHOLE FOODS OR SOME PLACE -- I SHOULDN’T ADVERTISE -- BUT IF YOU GO TO A PLACE THAT’S ORGANIC AND SO FORTH AND THEY SELL CLEANING PRODUCTS, ARE WE BEING FRIENDLIER TO THE ENVIRONMENT BY BUYING THOSE KINDS OF PRODUCTS?

JESS>> NOT IF THEY SMELL GOOD (LAUGHTER)

TONI GUINYARD>> YOU WERE LISTENING. THANK YOU (LAUGHTER). THE DOCTOR SAYS BE CAREFUL ABOUT ANYTHING THAT SMELLS, PERFUMES AND EVERYTHING ELSE, BUT AS FOR YOUR QUESTION, YOU NEED TO READ THE LABELS. I THINK THAT’S THE BASIC CONSUMER GUIDE. READ THE LABELS. IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE PURCHASING THESE PRODUCTS, GO AHEAD AND PURCHASE THEM. IF YOU DON'T, THINK TWICE AND USE LESS.

VAL>> USE LESS. GOOD ADVICE. TONI, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES, A NEW CRIME-FIGHTING TOOL FOR LOS ANGELES. IT'S CHIEF BILL BRATTON'S BABY, A COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT TRACKS CRIMES AS THEY HAPPEN, BUT WILL IT HELP LOS ANGELES DROP ITS TITLE AS AMERICA'S MURDER CAPITAL? THAT'S TUESDAY ON LIFE AND TIMES.

PHILIP BRUCE>> HERE'S TONIGHT'S LIFE AND TIMES "WHAT DO YOU THINK?" POLL. LOG ONTO OUR WEBSITE AT KCET.ORG AND WEIGH IN ON THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: WHAT WOULD YOU PAY FOR A HYBRID CAR? WE'LL COUNT YOUR RESPONSES AND REPORT THE RESULTS ON TOMORROW NIGHT'S LIFE AND TIMES.

JESS>> WHEN SCORES OF PEOPLE DIED RECENTLY IN A NIGHTCLUB FIRE IN NEW JERSEY, MANY ASKED HOW SUCH A TRAGEDY COULD HAPPEN. A CENTURY AGO, PEOPLE WERE SAYING THE SAME THING, ONLY THEN THE DISASTER WAS AT THE FAMOUS IROQUOIS THEATRE IN CHICAGO, A PLACE THAT WAS BRAND NEW AND WAS SUPPOSEDLY FIREPROOF.

VAL>> IT IS TO THIS DAY THE WORST SINGLE BUILDING FIRE IN AMERICAN HISTORY. SIX HUNDRED PEOPLE WERE KILLED INSIDE ITS ELEGANT DOORS. DESPITE THE THEATRE'S MILLION DOLLAR PRICE TAG, SAFETY FEATURES WERE MISSING, SO WHEN AN ELECTRICAL SHORT ON THE BACKSTAGE STARTED A FIRE, THE CROWD HAD VIRTUALLY NO CHANCE OF ESCAPING.

JESS>> FORMER NEWSMAN, TONY HATCH, TELLS THE STORY OF THE IROQUOIS THEATRE FIRE IN A NEW BOOK CALLED "TINDER BOX". WE TALKED WITH HIM ABOUT THE LESSONS THAT TRAGEDY OFFERS TODAY ABOUT FIRE DANGERS IN PUBLIC PLACES. IN WRITING "TINDER BOX", YOU HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING THAT YOU WOULD BE PUBLISHING THIS AT A TIME WHEN WE HAD NIGHTCLUB FIRES THAT HAD CLAIMED NEEDLESS DEATHS, BUT THE PARALLELS ARE REALLY PROFOUND.

ANTHONY HATCH>> THE PARALLELS ARE THERE, JESS. WHAT HAPPENED ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO TRACK ALMOST IDENTICALLY RIGHT DOWN TO THE FINGER-POINTING, AND NOW A WAR THAT HAS TAKEN THE PUBLIC'S ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE DISASTERS. ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, AMERICANS FACED A WAR, BUT IT WAS A WAR IN FAR EAST ASIA BETWEEN RUSSIA AND JAPAN. THAT WAR CAME ABOUT JUST WITHIN MONTHS OR SO OF THE FIRE AND PEOPLE FORGOT ABOUT THE --

JESS>> -- TELL US BRIEFLY ABOUT THE IROQUOIS THEATRE FIRE OF 1903 IN CHICAGO.

ANTHONY HATCH>> THE IROQUOIS THEATRE WAS BUILT TO COMPETE WITH THE FINEST THEATRES IN THE UNITED STATES AND IN EUROPE. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO PUT CHICAGO ON THE MAP AS A PLACE FOR ORIGINAL MUSICALS. CHICAGO REALLY THOUGHT IT HAD A CHANCE TO BUMP OFF NEW YORK IN THAT CASE AND THIS --

VAL>> -- AND THEY SPENT MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS ON THIS THEATRE?

ANTHONY HATCH>> $1.1 MILLION DOLLARS ON THIS THEATRE.

JESS>> IN 1903?

ANTHONY HATCH>> IN 1903 DOLLARS, AND IT WAS A LUXURIOUS THEATRE BUILT IN CHICAGO'S LOOP. IT WAS EQUIPPED WITH ALL THE LATEST AND THE FINEST TECHNOLOGY OF THE NEW CENTURY. IN FACT, IT WAS CALLED THE EVENT OF CHICAGO'S CENTURY. BUT THE THEATRE WAS RUSHED TO COMPLETION. THERE WERE PAYOFFS TO CITY BUILDING INSPECTORS AND THE THEATRE OPENED WITHOUT EXIT SIGNS, IT OPENED WITH DOORS THAT OPENED OUT INSTEAD OF IN, IT OPENED WITH NO FIRE ALARM BOX, NO BACKSTAGE TELEPHONE, NO SPRINKLER SYSTEM. THE HIGHEST FIRE ESCAPE IN THE REAR OF THE THEATRE DIDN'T REACH THE GROUND. THEY HADN'T CONNECTED IT UP. THE ONE PIECE OF FIRE --

JESS>> -- IT WAS ADVERTISED AS ABSOLUTELY FIREPROOF?

ANTHONY HATCH>> ABSOLUTELY FIREPROOF ON THE FRONT PAGE OF EVERY PROGRAM. THE ONE PIECE OF FIRE APPARATUS IN THAT THEATRE WAS THIS. IT'S CALLED KILL-FIRE. IT WAS A DRY POWDER PATENT. IT WAS REALLY INTENDED, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LABEL INSTRUCTIONS, TO FIGHT HOUSEHOLD CHIMNEY FIRES. IT SOLD FOR THREE DOLLARS A TUBE.

JESS>> AND THAT WAS ALL THEY HAD IN THERE?

ANTHONY HATCH>> THIS IS ALL THEY HAD. WHEN THAT FIRE BROKE OUT FROM A SHORT CIRCUIT IN A BACKSTAGE SPOTLIGHT, THERE WAS A DOUBLE OCTET ON STAGE PERFORMING A VERY SWEET, NAÏVE TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY SONG AND DANCE NUMBER CALLED "LET US SWEAR IT BY THE PALE MOONLIGHT".

[FILM CLIP]

ANTHONY HATCH>> AND THE THEATRE WAS DARKENED. THEY HAD EXTINGUISHED ALL THE LIGHTS EXCEPT THE ONE SPOT ON THE STAGE. AS THESE YOUNG PERFORMERS CAME OUT AND MET ONE ANOTHER AND DANCED TO THE FOOTLIGHTS, THE FIRE BROKE OUT. PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. THE LEADING PERFORMER, EDDIE FOY, WHO WAS A MAJOR ENTERTAINER OF THE TIME, RUSHED OUT OF HIS DRESSING ROOM. HE HEARD THE COMMOTION AND KNEW IMMEDIATELY WHAT WAS GOING ON. HE GOT HIS SON OUT THE STAGE DOOR WITH A STAGE HAND AND THEN WENT TO THE FOOTLIGHTS AND BEGGED, NOT ONCE BUT THREE TIMES, FOR PEOPLE TO BE CALM AND TAKE IT EASY, BUT HE COULD NOT CONTROL THIS CROWD. THE THEATRE HAD BEEN OVERCROWDED. IT WAS A CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY MATINEE, IT WAS ILLEGALLY OVER-PACKED.

VAL>> HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE IN THERE?

ANTHONY HATCH>> NOBODY KNOWS FOR SURE, BUT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN AS MANY AS 1,900 PEOPLE IN THAT THEATRE. WITHIN THIRTY MINUTES TIME, 602 PEOPLE WERE EITHER DEAD OR DYING AND HUNDREDS MORE WERE TERRIBLY, TERRIBLY INJURED.

VAL>> SO WHAT WENT WRONG? WHY COULDN'T THEY GET OUT OR WHY DIDN'T THEY GET OUT? I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, THEY DIDN'T HAVE EXIT SIGNS AND LIGHTS AND SO FORTH AND SPRINKLERS, BUT --

ANTHONY HATCH>> -- ADDING TO ALL THAT WAS A PRACTICE BY THE MANAGEMENT OF THE THEATRE. THEY HAD THE BOY USHERS LOCK ALL THE EXITS AFTER THE LIGHTS WENT DOWN.

VAL>> WHY WOULD THEY LOCK THEM?

ANTHONY HATCH>> TO PREVENT GATE-CRASHING AND TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM SITTING IN THE CHEAPER SEATS COMING DOWN UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS TO MORE EXPENSIVE SEATS.

JESS>> SOME OF THAT ECHOES SO MUCH WITH THE NIGHTCLUB FIRES WE'VE HAD RECENTLY.

ANTHONY HATCH>> AND IT ISN'T JUST NIGHTCLUB FIRES. THERE IS A FEELING HERE ON THE PART OF MANAGEMENT, I BELIEVE, THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME. THERE IS COMPLACENCY ON THE PART OF THE PUBLIC, AND NOW WE'RE INVOLVED IN WAR AND WE'RE INVOLVED IN HOMELAND SECURITY. I THINK SOME OF THE SAME PROBLEMS ATTENDANT TO THIS THEATRE STORY --

JESS>> -- LOCKED DOORS FOR SECURITY PURPOSES.

ANTHONY HATCH>> LOCKED DOORS, NO EGRESS. YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO A LOT OF BUILDINGS NOW WITH PACKAGES. IN MY YEARS OF COVERING JERUSALEM WHEN I WAS A JOURNALIST, YOU COULDN'T GET INTO A THEATRE WITHOUT YOUR PURSE BEING SEARCHED. AND IF YOU GOT UP IN THE MIDDLE OF A PERFORMANCE TO LEAVE THE THEATRE, AN ARMED MILITIA MAN WOULD WALK YOU BACK TO YOUR SEAT AND SHINE A FLASHLIGHT AROUND TO MAKE SURE YOU HADN'T LEFT A PACKAGE BEHIND. I THINK WE'RE FACING THE SAME POSSIBILITIES TODAY. WE HAVE TO BE MORE AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON.

VAL>> SO TELL US EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. I KNOW THAT PART OF THE PROBLEM IS PEOPLE GOT TRAMPLED, BUT THE OTHER ISSUE WAS, AGAIN, THE WAY THE DOORS OPENED?

ANTHONY HATCH>> THE DOORS, YES. I WAS MISTAKEN BEFORE. THE DOORS OPENED IN AND NOT OUT. THIS BROUGHT ABOUT A NUMBER OF REFORMS. THE PANIC BAR WAS INVENTED, THE UBIQUITOUS PANIC BAR THAT YOU CAN PRESS TO LET YOURSELF OUT. FIREPROOF --

VAL>> -- IS THAT HOW WE HAVE IT? I HAD NO IDEA.

ANTHONY HATCH>> ABSOLUTELY. THAT WAS INVENTED AS A RESULT -- THE MAN WHO INVENTED IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HAVE BEEN IN THE THEATRE THAT AFTERNOON, GOT STUCK IN A BUSINESS MEETING AND HE WAS SO HORRIFIED, AS WAS THE NATION, WITH THE NEEDLESS LOSS OF LIFE THAT HE AND A NUMBER OF OTHERS INVENTED THE PANIC BAR. BUT YOU HAD THAT, YOU HAD THE MANDATED ILLUMINATED EXIT SIGNS THAT HAVE TO APPEAR EVERYWHERE, AND YET THERE ARE THEATRES IN THIS COUNTRY TODAY WHICH HAVE SIGNS WITH NO BULBS IN THEM.

JESS>> TONY, HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO RESEARCH THIS GOING BACK TO 1903? RECORDS STILL REMAIN?

ANTHONY HATCH>> NO. CHICAGO HAS VERY FEW RECORDS ON THIS. THIS IS A STORY, I BELIEVE, THAT CHICAGO WOULD RATHER FORGET. THERE ARE VERY --

JESS>> -- CHICAGO HAS BEEN VERY FOND OF FIRES IN THE PAST.

ANTHONY HATCH>> WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, IT HAS.

JESS>> AS LONG AS YOU CAN BLAME IT ON MRS. O'LEARY'S COW (LAUGHTER).

ANTHONY HATCH>> YES, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE, WHEN YOU SAY, HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE IROQUOIS THEATRE, THEY SAY, OH, THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE? THIS, ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION, REMAINS TO THIS DAY THE DEADLIEST SINGLE BUILDING DISASTER IN U.S. HISTORY.

JESS>> IT SEEMS TO ME THERE ARE SOME LESSONS IN THIS BOOK FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE CONSTRUCTING THEATRES AND MANAGING THEATRES.

ANTHONY HATCH>> AND MANAGING PUBLIC PLACES AND SHOPPING CENTERS AND OTHER PLACES LIKE THAT, YES.

JESS>> THANKS VERY MUCH, TONY.

ANTHONY HATCH>> THANK YOU.

VAL>> THE NAME OF THE BOOK, AGAIN, IS "TINDER BOX: THE IROQUOIS THEATRE DISASTER". THE AUTHOR IS TONY HATCH.

TO SEND A COMMENT OR A QUESTION TO OUR PROGRAM, YOU CAN REACH US BY MAIL AT THIS ADDRESS:

LIFE AND TIMES
4401 SUNSET BLVD.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90027

YOU CAN ALSO CALL OUR VIEWER COMMENT LINE (323) 953-5555) OR CONTACT US THE FAST WAY BY E-MAIL AT KCET.ORG.

JESS>> THE HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES IS REPLETE WITH SCOUNDRELS, CON ARTISTS, SHOWMEN AND OPPORTUNISTS, AND YET HUNDREDS OF LOS ANGELES STREETS ARE NAMED AFTER SAINTS.

VAL>> WELL, THAT INSPIRED ARTIST J. MICHAEL WALKER TO LOOK INTO THE STORIES BEHIND THESE HEAVEN-BOUND SOULS. HE WENT TO DEPICT THEM IN ARTWORK THAT WE CAN ALL ENJOY.

[FILM CLIP]

J. MICHAEL WALKER>> THIS PROJECT BEGAN AS A REAL ADVENTURE FOR ME AND, LIKE ALL ADVENTURES, THEY START WITH A MAP. IN MY CASE, IT WAS THE BIBLE OF LOS ANGELES MOTORISTS WHICH IS DRAMATICALLY VERY RELEVANT. IT'S THE THOMAS GUIDE. ONE DAY I WAS THUMBING THROUGH THE INDEX OF THE THOMAS GUIDE AND I NOTICED HOW MANY STREETS WE HAVE IN LOS ANGELES THAT ARE NAMED FOR SAINTS.

AS SOON AS I NOTICED HOW MANY STREET NAMES THERE WERE NAMED FOR SAINTS, THE PHRASE JUST CAME INTO MY HEAD: ALL THE SAINTS OF THE CITY OF THE ANGELS, AND ALL OF THESE NAMES HAD MEANING FOR THE PEOPLE WHO GAVE THEM. AS WELL, THEY HAVE RESONANCE OR THEY POTENTIALLY COULD HAVE RESONANCE FOR THE WAY WE LIVE OUR LIVES TODAY. I STARTED DOING RESEARCH IN CITY ARCHIVES, IN THE HISTORY COLLECTIONS OF THE LIBRARY, CONTACTING LOCAL HISTORIANS AND, OF COURSE, MAKING RESEARCH IN SAINTS' LEGENDRY, TRYING TO FIND THE CONNECTIONS AND TRYING TO FIND THE HISTORY OF THESE STREETS AND OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

WE'RE HERE AT THE TRIPARTITE INTERSECTION OF SUNSET BOULEVARD, SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD AND SANBORN AVENUE. THIS IS THE EASTERN TERMINUS OF SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD. THE STORY IS TOLD THAT 230 YEARS AGO WHEN THE SPANIARDS FIRST ROLLED OVER THIS LAND PASSING THROUGH WHAT BECAME KNOWN AS THE RANCHO SAN VICENTE Y SANTA MONICA, WHAT WE NOW KNOW AS THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA, THEY ENCOUNTERED A NATURAL SPRING IN THE SAWTELL DISTRICT WHOSE WATERS THEY SAID RAN AS PURE AS THE TEARS OF SANTA MONICA.

SANTA MONICA IS THE MOTHER OF SAINT AUGUSTINE, ONE OF THE GREAT FATHERS OF THE CHURCH, A WRITER AND PHILOSOPHER, BUT WHO IN HIS YOUTH CAUSED HIS MOTHER NO END OF GRIEF. MONICA WORRIED, AGONIZED AND PRAYED OVER HER SON FOR BETTER THAN A DECADE UNTIL HE CONVERTED AND BECAME THE GREAT WRITER WE KNOW. MONICA BECAME A SAINT BECAUSE SHE NEVER GAVE UP HOPE FOR HER WAYWARD SON. THIS WAY, SHE'S A ROLE MODEL FOR MANY MOTHERS.

WHEN I LEARNED OF THIS GROUP IN EAST LOS ANGELES, MOTHERS WHOSE SONS ARE IN PRISON, I DECIDED TO USE THEM AS MY SANTA MONICAS. THE BASIC THEME OF THIS PAINTING, AS WELL AS THAT OF THE LEGEND OF SANTA MONICA AND THE LIVES OF THESE MOTHERS IS THIS LINE FROM SAINT AUGUSTINE'S CONFESSIONS: "IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO LOSE FOREVER A SON WHO'D COST SO MANY TEARS."

[FILM CLIP]

ST. LOUIS STREET IS ONE OF THE FEW STREETS FOR WHOM WE KNOW NOT ONLY WHEN AND WHY IT WAS NAMED, BUT BY WHOM. IT WAS NAMED BY WILLIAM WORKMAN, AN UNSUNG HERO OF THE FOUNDING OF BOYLE HEIGHTS AND ONE OF THE HEROES OF NINETEENTH CENTURY LOS ANGELES. WILLIAM WORKMAN CAME TO LOS ANGELES FROM MISSOURI AND, WITH HIS BROTHER, ENTERED INTO THE LEATHER SADDLERY BUSINESS IN THE 1860'S.

WHEN HE STARTED BUILDING UP HIS FORTUNE, HE MARRIED THE DAUGHTER OF ANDREW BOYLE AND BOUGHT ALL OF THE LAND ON THE BLUFFS FACING LOS ANGELES, THE EAST SIDE OF THE RIVER, WHICH HE NAMED IN THE HONOR OF HIS FATHER-IN-LAW, BOYLE HEIGHTS. HE STARTED SUBDIVIDING THE CITY AND NAMING ALL THE STREETS ST. LOUIS, CHICAGO, BROOKLYN, NAMES OF MIDWESTERN CITIES TO ATTRACT IMMIGRANTS FROM THOSE AREAS.

ALTHOUGH ST. LOUIS STREET IS NAMED FOR THE CITY IN MISSOURI, THAT IN TURN IS NAMED FOR SAN LOUIS REY, THE NINTH KING OF FRANCE, THE SON OF BLANCHE CASTILLE. THAT'S HIM THAT WE SEE IN THE BACKGROUND OF THIS PAINTING BEHIND WILLIAM WORKMAN.

WILLIAM WORKMAN NOT ONLY FOUNDED BOYLE HEIGHTS, BUT HE ALSO GAVE US THE FIRST CITY PARK IN THE EAST SIDE OF LOS ANGELES, HOLLENBECK PARK. HE FORESAW THE NEED FOR "BREATHING SPACES", AS HE TERMED THEM, AS THE CITY CONTINUED TO GROW.

[FILM CLIP]

WE'RE HERE AT ST. VINCENT COURT AND ST. VINCENT PLACE. IN 1865, DON VICENTE LUGO, ONE OF THE GREAT RANCHEROS, DONATED HIS FAMILY'S SECOND HOME, THE LUGO HOME, TO THE PRIESTS AS A BOARDINGHOUSE FOR BOYS. IT BECAME ST. VINCENT'S COLLEGE IN HONOR OF THIS PATRON SAINT, ST. VINCENT DE PAUL, A SIXTEENTH CENTURY FRENCH PRIEST WHO WAS KNOWN AS THE FATHER OF ORGANIZED CHARITIES FOR THE HOSPITALS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS THAT HE FOUNDED TO HELP THE POOR AND AFFLICTED.

WITHIN A COUPLE OF YEARS, THE COLLEGE HAD OUTGROWN THOSE QUARTERS AND O.W. CHILDS, AN HORTICULTURIST WHO OWNED ALMOST ALL THE LAND FROM HILL STREET TO MAIN STREET, FROM SIXTH STREET DOWN ALL THE WAY TO OLYMPIC, GAVE WHAT BECAME A VERY VALUABLE CITY BLOCK, SIXTH TO SEVENTH, HILL TO BROADWAY, AS TEN ACRES TO BECOME A COLLEGE FOR BOYS.

ROSA NEWMARK, WHO WAS THE WIFE OF THE FIRST LAY RABBI OF LOS ANGELES, JOSEPH, HELPED RAISE THE FUNDS FOR THAT COLLEGE, BUT AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS, ST. VINCENT'S COLLEGE DECIDED TO MOVE, LIKE SO MANY INSTITUTIONS IN LOS ANGELES DO, SOUTH AND WEST AWAY FROM THAT AREA DOWN TO WASHINGTON AND GRAND. A FEW YEARS LATER, THE COLLEGE WENT BELLY UP, WENT OUT OF BUSINESS AND WAS REPLACED BY THE JESUIT-RUN COLLEGE THAT BECAME LOYOLA MARYMOUNT WHICH ABANDONED LOS ANGELES ALTOGETHER AND MOVED OUT BY WESTCHESTER AND LAX.

WHAT BECAME OF ALL THAT EFFORT? THE LUGO HOME, WHICH WAS TO BE THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE COLLEGE, WAS TORN DOWN IN 1953 SO THAT THE HOLLYWOOD FREEWAY COULD TRANSITION INTO THE 10 EAST. PRESERVATIONISTS FOUGHT TO SAVE THE BUILDING, BUT IN THE END, THE CONTRACTOR WOULD ONLY SAVE THE MASSIVE COLUMNS. FIFTY YEARS LATER, NOBODY KNOWS WHERE THOSE ARE EITHER.

THE VICTORIAN MANSION THAT BECAME ST. VINCENT'S COLLEGE AT SIXTH AND HILL, SEVENTH AND BROADWAY, WAS TORN DOWN BY THE BEGINNING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. EVENTUALLY, IT WAS REPLACED BY BULLOCKS, BUT THAT TOO IS NO MORE. NOTHING REMAINS THERE EXCEPT THESE TWO EMPTY BITS OF ASPHALT, ST. VINCENT'S COURT AND ST. VINCENT'S PLACE, WHICH HAVE THE SAME SELF-EFFACING ATTITUDES AS THE FOUNDING SAINT, ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

[FILM CLIP]

THE HISTORY OF A PLACE RESIDES IN ITS NAME. NAMES ARE CLUES THAT OUR FOREBEARS LEAVE TO US TO TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THE WORLD THEY INHABITED, A WORLD THEY TRIED TO BUILD, THE WORLD WE'VE INHERITED AND THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN EFFECT UPON. SO I THINK, BY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THESE NAMES, UNDERSTANDING HOW WE CAME TO INHABIT THIS CITY AT THIS POINT, WILL HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO TAKE CARE OF THIS AREA THAT WE NEED TO TRY TO PRESERVE BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT ONLY PART OF OUR HISTORY. THEY'RE PART OF OUR ETHNIC AND CULTURAL HERITAGE.

JESS>> SINCE OUR STORY ORIGINALLY AIRED, J. MICHAEL WALKER HAS COMPLETED ANOTHER PORTION OF HIS PROJECT. THIS ONE FOCUSES ON STREETS IN AND AROUND THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WHERE TO VIEW THE PAINTINGS, YOU CAN LOG ONTO HIS WEBSITE, ALLTHESAINTS.COM, OR CALL THE NUMBER ON YOUR SCREEN.

[323-258-1435]

VAL>> AND A REMINDER THAT YOU CAN FIND TRANSCRIPTS OR HEAR AUDIO OF RECENT LIFE AND TIMES PROGRAMS ON OUR NEW AND IMPROVED WEBSITE. JUST GO TO KCET.ORG AND CLICK ON LIFE AND TIMES.

JESS>> THAT'S OUR PROGRAM FOR THIS EVENING. FOR ALL OF US HERE AT LIFE AND TIMES, THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT.

LIFE AND TIMES WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

TO REACH US AT LIFE AND TIMES, CALL 323-953-5555. SEND US AN E-MAIL TO LIFEANDTIMES@KCET.ORG OR LOG ONTO OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.KCET.ORG TO SEND MESSAGES OR DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPTS OF TONIGHT’S PROGRAM.