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Lost LA

“The Endless Summer” Defined Surf Culture on Its Own Terms

When Bruce Brown set out to document a trip around the world as two surfers bypass seasonal chill in order to ride a continuous summer surf, he contributed to spreading the culture of California. "The Endless Summer" is the embodiment of the California Dream, giving a valid reinterpretation to surf culture from careless teen beach parties to seasoned pro athletes — with a heavy helping of the California sun. Featuring interviews with pro surfer Joyce Hoffman, film distributor R. Paul Allen and Surfing Heritage and Cultural Center archivist Dan Foote.

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Tiki Bars and Their Hollywood Origins
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Tiki culture isn’t a Polynesian import — it’s a Hollywood creation.
Tuberculosis: The Forgotten Plague
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Archives reveal the “forgotten plague” that shaped Southern California: tuberculosis.
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Visit Hollywood Forever, Evergreen and Forest Lawn, where L.A. reinvented the cemetery.
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The hiker-activists who led Angelenos into their hills and onto the trails.
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How Filipino Americans in Southern California are making their heritage more visible.
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Iconic fast-food chains from McDonald’s to Taco Bell were born in SoCal.
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After internment camps, Japanese Americans made L.A.'s Crenshaw neighborhood their home.
German Exiles
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During WWII, L.A. became a sanctuary for Europe’s accomplished artists and intellectuals.
Prehistoric Landscapes
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Dig deep into Southern California’s past to reveal lessons for our climate-changed future.
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Explore a forgotten age when winemaking was Southern California’s principal industry.
Who Killed the Red Car?
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Why did Los Angeles dismantle one of the greatest rail transit systems in the nation?
Shindana Dolls | Still from "Lost LA" S4 E6: Shindana Toy Company
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Explore the lasting impact of the Shindana Toy Company, created out of the need for community empowerment following the 1965 Watts uprising, whose ethnically correct black dolls forever changed the American doll industry.
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