Ben Frank’s, Los Angeles, 1962
A brave pedestrian jay walks across the legendary and very busy Sunset Strip. Behind him a man hangs his arm out of a two-toned 1960 Chevrolet Station Wagon. It has gull-wing fins, cat-eye tail lights and a two-tone paint that coordinates with one of LA’s greatest coffee shops in its first year of business. Ben Frank’s sophisticated yet snappy harvest gold and orange color scheme is way ahead of its time. And that smart and sassy asymmetrical a-frame looks like a relaxed Der Winerschnitzel or House of Pancakes
Among the plantings in the Palos Verdes Stone planters is a tri-tone sign post. Its part rocket, part spear, part paper airplane and part giant toothpick and labeled Ben Frank’s in a friendly font. Is Ben Frank short for Ben Franklin? I always pondered that question as I thoroughly enjoyed Liver and Onions there several Sunday afternoons in a row shortly after I moved to town in 1982.
Today, forty five years later the classic coffee shop structure still stands. But about decade or so ago Ben became Mel when Ben Frank’s quietly closed and morphed into a trendy retro diner called Mel’s Diner. I wonder if they have Liver and Onions on the menu.
Here’s to ’59 Chevy’s, Ben Frank’s, orange and harvest gold, Liver and Onions and YOU!
View more great vintage slides of Americana!
I bought the parking sign from Ben Franks when it was closing in the 90s. The sign was a vertical, 36″x60″ flat piece of metal with hand painted lettering. Upon getting the sign home, I discovered that there was a second, older sign attached behind this parking sign. So I now have two pieces of googie history from the Strip.
Ben Franks is famously the place where Buffalo Springfield were formed. Neil Young, Stephrn Stills, and Richie Furay met in the parking lot.
It’s also been documented that Bob Dylan and Phil Spector ate together at Ben Franks. It was in 1965 when Dylan went to Ciro’s (now the Laugh Factory) on Sunset and got on stage with the Byrds to play Mr Tambourine Man.
I met Mick Mars, Nikki Six, Tommy Lee, and Vince Neil standing outside this restaurant, October 26, 1983.
They were jazzed up because they would become world famous one week later, and besides, they had just had a fun conversation with superstar Michael Jackson inside.
While we smoked Mick’s weed in my pipe, MJ walked out with an entourage of three people. We followed him to a beige Lincoln Town car and I spoke to Michael briefly. But they were stars and I was nobody, so I left them chatting and started walking back to Hollywood (8 miles).
Soon the famed rockers (Motley Crue) passed by and drove me not only back to Hollywood but also out to Lake Elsinore where my infamous ZEBRA CAR was broken down.
There they robbed me of my last dollar–actually they gave me a dollar back–saying they were doing it for kicks. Mick told me Vince talked them into it. Vince held a big hunting knife on me while Tommy Lee held a tree-branch poised to hit me if I made a false move. The cop who investigated left the force and became a security guard for, guess who. I clearly identified them after Elektra sent me (I was a songwriter) a promo-pak of Motley Crue, as they were looking for writers back then. But I never saw justice. Not long afterward, Neil (also a professional race car driver in Australia) had his famous car crash that killed that drummer from another band.
Years later I told my story on KFI AM Talk Radio and shortly thereafter Vince left the band–under circumstances that remain vague (see Wikileaks).
So, Ben Frank’s was a great place to meet legends in 1983.
Boy, what a cool diner…my main lunchspot. I moved to L.A. in ’78, from Alabama. I rented a (monthly) hotel room at 8462 Sunset, the Park Sunset Hotel, for $200.00 per month. (It’s now the Grafton, and will run you 200 to $300 per night, LOL)! Anyway, over time I enjoyed most everything on the menu. I didn’t have much $ so a lot of times I’d just have a big bowl of Lentil soup, which they’d fill to the brim, with iced tea. To this day I’ve STILL not found a better lentil soup. Between Ben’s, Ship’s, Norm’s, Lucy’s El Adobe, Danny’s Teriyaki Dog and of course In-N-Out Burgers, I never went hungry, and never went broke. Thanks for the photo. bd
Great shot of Ben Franks..taken a few years before I got to LA from Boston..I arrived in 1979..I lived a couple blocks west on Hammond, for about 10 years.. and went there all the time..one of the few places to get a decent anything after the clubs closed..and believe me I closed quite a few..their meatloaf and liver plates were great..always went for breakfast on weekends…I always sat by the window facing Sunset in order to get my daily fix of serious people-watching..LOVED IT..a few other places I loved nearby were Cravings, Chin-Chin, Le Dome and Le Petit Four (for their fantastic banana muffins.) El Privado was my main club that I always went to nightly, among many others. This part of LA will always change for the best.
[...] it up when they took over and remodeled, as you can see by comparison with this vintage photograph: http://www.charlesphoenix.com/2007/04/ben-franks-los-angeles-1962/ But nevertheless it retains a lot of charm. Alterations include the addition of the awning in the [...]
The Ford in front of the ’59 Chevy is a ’59 Ford Interceptor, I believe. Cerainly not a ’60, which was much different in design.
And Nomads did not have windows on the side rear of the auto…..
This was THE place to go after the clubs on Sunset closed. The Trip was down the street along with the Whisky a go go and Gazzaris’. I was there in summer 1966 and 1967. Also liked Canters’ and Hamberger Hamlet.
I always loved Ben Frank’s and thought the food was very good. After hours Strip hang out for many many years! I could never understand why they would close a perfectly good real retro diner and turn it into a fake one!
I missed the liver and onions and mashed taters . I drove by the place back in the early 60s and the place was a hang out for hippies regular folks and sonny and cher.
ok, we’ve id’ed the Chevy, but Joyce, could it not be the top-of-the-line Nomad rather than the Brookwood? How about that nifty 1960 Ford
Convertible. Ford stylists were peeking over the fence at GM and spied the 59 chev styling.
They made the ’60 tailites oblong and copied the chev fins in 1960.. Did not sell too well so round tailites returned in 61. See the 57 Ford coupe in front of the Chev. James Bond painted it black and chased Dr No’s henchmen in Jamaica in 1960. Great slide, Charles
I remember the place very well. I remember going there before heading towards Whiskey a Go Go for the evening and listening to Johnny Rivers. Thank you very much for the memories of the 60s.
Charles: Well, the ’59 Chevy has been commented
upon already so, I’ll move to the Mel’s section
and comment on the food there. I’ve eaten in a
number of Mel’s Diners and the food isn’t worth the price. I did eat in THIS Ben/Mel’s a
few times and wouldn’t go out of my way to eat
there again either. An aside; today for lunch I
went to the Musso & Frank Grill on Hollywood Blvd where they charge from $2.50 to $3.75 for
the dressing on your salad! I had a ham sandwich and creamed spinach on the side and a
really refreshing brewed iced tea. A good restaurant has good cooks/chefs doing the work,
Mel’s lacks in that department. But, the build-
ing is a classic, yes it is.
Ben Frank’s was a way cooler place to meet up with friends after concerts on the strip back in the late 80′s and early 90′s. And at 5am, after a night out drinking with the Irish-band-on-tour of the week, they had the bestest french toast anywhere!!! I was sad when they closed up shop, and to be honest, don’t think I’ve had french taost since.
In pulpy fictitious deliciousness, I am with you on the liver and onions. I’ll have mine with the mashed potatoes, brown gravy,and side of coleslaw. Love it.
Looking at the photo of Ben Frank’s, it looked
both “far out” and really comfortable. I realize that, growing up in L.A. during the
50′s and 60′s, that space age architecture was
all around us and just seemed natural, modern
and fun. It lifted our spirits to eat in places
like that. Thanks for the great photo and the
memories it brought back.
What a great photo! Jim Charles, you of all people should know that’s a ’59, not a ’60, Chevy wagon. The fins on that car match the roof of Ben Franks! WOW!
Wow! A snapshot in time. Wonder if the guy was going to see Dr.No? Some of the cars look like the ones from the movie. Or he could’ve been on his way back to his motel room to relax and watch “Route 66″ later. Great show. I’m sure the man grabbed a bite to eat first at the restaurant.
That looks like the same 1959 wagon that a woman was standing in front of by the side of the 101 freeway in a slide of the week from last year!
Hey Charles!
Sorry, but you’re wrong about the Chevy — that’s a 1959 Chevrolet Brookwood Station Wagon (not 1960). The 1960 model has two round tail-lights on each side. I should know – my parents had ~two~ 1960 Chevy’s.
Next time, just Google it!
Wow what fuzzy memories I have of that place late late at night after gigs in the late sixties/early seventies. I think.
Ben Frank’s plays another role in our national pop culture. When the creators of The Monkees sent out the casting call, they specified Ben Frank’s types! Thank you for showing us the source material!