Mystery photo

Everybody had so much fun guessing about my last mystery photo (slain mobster Tony Brancato) that I dug through The Times archives and found something else intriguing.

OK, what are these men doing? And why?

Photograph by Edward Gamer Los Angeles Times

Email me

We have a winner:

It looks like they are getting ready to ceremonially bury an incinerator. Perhaps this is around the time private burning of garbage was outlawed.

Greg Clancey

These gentlemen are from the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce and are about to bury the last backyard incinerator in Los Angeles, which became illegal  Oct. 1, 1957.

From left, S. Price Scott Jr., A. Edsel Curry, Karl R. Davis Jr. Victor Etienne, Roy Irvin, Delbert Gambill, Lynn H. Montjoy (blush) Mongjoy Jr. and John Glass.

Bonus fact: I was doing blog research in The Times library over the Labor Day weekend and Rumble Seat columnist Dan Neil came by trying to find out how many Americans were named "Edsel." You can add A. Edsel Curry to the list.

Comments

[Mary]

The use of backyard incinerators was banned in 1958. So I am thinking this is a symbolic funeral for the backyard incinerator?

[Jack]

Interesting how this photo has obviously been retouched to make the darker shades pop out more. Notice, for example, the gray shading behind their heads to subdue the trees so the men are more prominent; there's also some gray shading on the gizmo to make it stand out more. This sort of retouching was very common in news photography in the 1940s and 1950s. (These days, if any retouching is done, it sets off a howl of bloggers!)

[Nicki]

Is that a hearse it was brought in on?

--It certainly was.

[HansLaetz]

If anything, this type of retouching is more prevalent today than ever.

It was called "dodging and burning" in the old chemical darkroom days.

Today it is called adjusting levels in Photoshop.

Many photo editors at publications believe that such retouching is ethical and merely attempts to emulate the amazing acuity and perception of a human eye and brain. That combination is much better at focus, contrast and discerning depth of field than any camera.

Others disagree. Not me.

--Actually, this was more than dodging and burning. This was painting out "distracting" details. Look at some of the pictures of Gail Russell (July 6, 1957) in which the background has been covered with white goop. Notice also that the angle of her head has been "corrected" for a one-column mug shot. Very typical for the era.

--Larry

[Ellen Bloom]

Believe it or not, the incinerator at the back of our property is still intact. Of course, it hasn't been used since 1957. We may convert it to a low-fire kiln for firing pottery!

Thanks for the memories.

--Send me a picture!

[George]

We also still have an incinerator. My wife and I were just discussing finally tearing it down, but I am reluctant to loose this bit of LA history. Our house was built in the 20's in the Hollywood Hills when that area was a weekend getaway.

--Send me a picture!

[Steve Fontanini]

The gray area behind the heads, I believe,was done by the Times art department. As I remember it, due to reproduction in those days, the art department usually did this so that the black areas would not block out the heads in reproduction. When dodging was used in making the print it did not stand out quite like this. I still have some of the photos I took, with that type artwork intact. Nothing was added or taken out of the photos though.
Dodging and burning, if done properly would not be evident in most photos.