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# Letter: Recalling 1950s Prices from Downtown LA, Inglewood and the Santa Monica Pier
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/050507-story-20070505-4/
- Published: 2007-05-05T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:42:16.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Downtown, #archive-import

“I OFFER THE FOLLOWING AS A comparison to the responses of other readers of the magnificent Santa Monica Daily Press Q-Line question of the week. Fifty years ago as a young salesman, I paid a sales call to a customer in Downtown Los Angeles next to Clifton’s Cafeteria. After my sales visit, I stopped into Clifton’s for a piece of pie and a cup of coffee. The pie was 15 cents and the coffee a nickel. The refills for the coffee were free. The next day, I paid a sales visit in the Inglewood area. Across the street from my customer’s office was a McDonald’s hamburger stand that was selling hamburgers five for a dollar. They had already sold millions of hamburgers at that price. I could have purchased a Wienerschnitzel sauerkraut hot dog for 15 cents at that time. A few days later, I paid a sales visit to a confectioner on the old Santa Monica Ocean Park Pier home of the Aragon Ballroom. After the visit, I walked over to a pizza stand that was selling the most delicious melt-in-your-mouth pizza with the thin crust and only cheese and soft toppings for 15 cents a slice. A bit pricey at the time, but well worth it. Across from the pizza stand was a mile-high hammer shaved beef sandwich served on a kaiser roll for 35 cents. Well out of my budget, but I knew that I would have to have one of those sandwiches soon. Sure enough, on payday I headed straight to that sandwich stand for the mile-high sandwich for 35 cents. A kosher pickle was free. As I sat there enjoying my sandwich, I looked up to see the famous orchestra leader Lawrence Welk walking up toward me. He had walked down from the Shangri-La Apartments he owned on Ocean Avenue. Even though, it was summer, Mr. Welk was wearing a top coat over his tuxedo on his way to lead his orchestra at the Aragon Ballroom, which he also owned. As he approached, I said,“Good evening Mr. Welk.” With a broad smile he returned my greeting. Only in America could I be standing eating high on the hog and meet a musical superstar and all for 35 cents. Trust me, folks, those were the days.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 5, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/050507.pdf?ref=smdp.com)