Googie's

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Text on Button GOOGIE'S
Image Description

Illustration of a face where the eyes become the letter O's of the text with a red lipped mouth under the eyes on a white background

Back Paper / Back Info

NYC written on the back to indicate the button is from New York City

Curl Text N.G. SLATER CORP., N.Y.C. 11
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Additional Information

Googie's was a coffee shop and restaurant in Los Angeles on the Sunset strip. The restaurant was known for its googie architecture, a style from the 1950s to 1960s. Googie's had other locations in downtown Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Monterey Park. Googie's was originally owned by Mortimer C. Burton and Ernie Goldenfeld. It was then sold to Ed Thrasher. Many celebrities dined at the restaurant including James Dean, Dennis Hopper, Vampira, Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, Lee Marvin, and Steve McQueen. Lenny Bruce got into a fight in Googie's and was thrown through the window. From the 1960s to the 1980s, the restaurant changed its name from Gee Gee’s, Steak n’ Stein, and Pippy’s Pizza. It was demolished in 1988.

Lipstick, or red lips, became popular in the 20th century. The American women’s suffrage movement adopted red lipstick as a sign of protest. Prior to this movement, red lips were considered sexual amoral and during medieval times, having to do with the devil. Red lipstick became a common part of the modern American woman’s makeup regime. During World War II, Hitler famously hated red lipstick so for an American Woman to wear red lipstick was also a protest against fascism.

Sources

Hayes, S. (2008). Googie's Coffee Shop to the Stars. Bear Manor Media.

Hess, A. (2004). Googie redux. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.

Jacqui Palumbo, C. (2021). Empowering, alluring, degenerate? The evolution of red lipstick. Retrieved 6 February 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/style/article/red-lipstick-history-beauty/index.html

Three Injured in Cafe Battle on Sunset Strip". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. February 5, 1957. p. A5

"Freak Out Hot Spots by Frank Zappa". Los Angeles Free Press. Los Angeles, California. November 11, 1966. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

"Roundabout". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 30, 1966. p. A5

Los Angeles Times (October 7, 1988). "Wrecking Ball Falls on Famed Schwab's Store". Los Angeles Times

N.G. Slater Corporation - Custom Imprinted Merchandise - Home. (2021). Retrieved 6 February 2021, from https://www.ngslater.com/

Stern, Phil. "Phil Stern Archives". philsternarchives.com. Los Angeles.

Catalog ID SM0101