Boardners was once a typical Hollywood bar with phones at every booth and a menu to rival The Brown Derby. Then as time marched by, the place became a joint. Writer and crew members hid out from the deadly Hollywood heat inside this cozy, air conditioned delight. The phones were disconnected, but remained as props between the booths. There remained an old fashioned telephone booth for those who really needed to use the phone. The menu still looked like the menu of a fancy supper club, but served the lunch demands of working class Hollywood and the dinner requirements of the ubiquitous drunken wannabe.
In the summer of 1980, I was doing a play across the street on one of the upper floors of the Hollywood Center Building and one night I took a look out the window. I saw a drunk lying across the front trunk of my car. As co-producer, I had two of the company's spear carriers walk the old bastard home.
The night of my bachelor party in August 1987, my friends and me started the evening at Musso & Franks where we tossed back several excellent martinis. Once we closed Mussos, we crossed the street and closed Boardners a few hours later. The martinis were cheaper, but we didn't get that lovely sidecar that Mussos offered.
Sometime in the 90s, the place expanded into the store next door. They got rid of the old telephone booth and the old disconnected telephones. They started having Goth nights.
In the 21st century, the lunch menu was discarded along with the out of work actors and writers. The yuppies were entrenched and the new Hollywood had arrived and the prices have shot up. The old Hollywood kitsch has mostly disappeared, but the joint is still a good place to get a drink. But these days, I'd rather go to Mussos. If you want to experience a classic Hollywood bar, I suggest going to the Coach & Horses on Sunset.
Boardners - Website
Boardners - My Space
My Visit to Coach & Horses - L.A. Kompany
Coach & Horses - My Space
Musso & Frank Grill - wiki
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