El Monte Legion Stadium
{{Short description|Indoor arena in California (1927–1974)}}
{{use American English|date=April 2023}}
{{use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = El Monte Legion Stadium
| nickname = The Pink Elephant
| image = El monte legion stadium circa 1950s.jpg
| image_size =
| image_upright =
| image_alt =
| caption = El Monte Legion Stadium ({{circa|mid-1950s}})
| fullname =
| former_names = El Monte Union High School Auditorium
El Monte Auditorium
El Monte Gymnasium
| address = 11151 Valley Boulevard
| city = El Monte, California
| country = United States
| owner = El Monte Union High School District (1927–1945)
American Legion, Post 261 (1945–1973)
United States Postal Service (1973–1974)
| capacity = 3,500
| record_attendance =
| built = 1927
| opened = 1928
| acreage = 2.49 acres
| renovated = 1945
| closed = 1973
| demolished = 1974
| yearsactive = 1928–1973
| general_contractor = Thurman & Thurman
| cost = $70,000 ({{circa|$1,210,000}} in 2023{{Cite web |title=CPI Inflation Calculator |url=https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405064407/https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |access-date=April 5, 2023 |website=United States Bureau of Labor Statistics }})
}}
The El Monte Legion Stadium—also known as Legion Stadium,{{Cite news |last=Ellis |first=Gary |date=December 13, 1972 |title=Southland Sports Digest |pages=39 |work=Long Beach Independent |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/independent/122341923/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503041727/https://www.newspapers.com/article/independent/122341923/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} El Monte Union High School Auditorium,{{Cite news |date=February 12, 1935 |title=Cage Dates Listed |pages=32 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122342775/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030159/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122342775/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} El Monte Auditorium,{{Cite news |date=March 23, 1929 |title=Elks to Stage Benefit Revue |pages=1 |work=Monrovia News-Post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/monrovia-news-post/122289561/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503031109/https://www.newspapers.com/article/monrovia-news-post/122289561/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} El Monte Gymnasium,{{Cite news |date=April 1, 2023 |title=Sports Carnival Staged Friday |pages=6 |work=Monrovia News-Post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/monrovia-news-post/122227848/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030156/https://www.newspapers.com/article/monrovia-news-post/122227848/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} Old El Monte Gym,{{Cite news |date=February 22, 1946 |title=Legion to Sponsor Fight Stadium in Old El Monte Gym |pages=3 |work=Covina Argus-Citizen |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122228261/covina-argus/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030156/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122228261/covina-argus/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} and The Pink Elephant{{Cite news |last=Bortin |first=Harry |date=March 26, 1967 |title=Legion Stadium—Color it a 'Pink Elephant' |pages=3 |work=Pasadena Independent Star-News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122233179/independent-star-news/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030201/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122233179/independent-star-news/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |quote=In El Monte some people refer to [Legion Stadium] half-affectionately as 'the pink elephant'... |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }}—was a 3,500-seat multi-purpose indoor venue in El Monte, California.
It had originally been a combined auditorium and gymnasium located on the campus of El Monte Union High School. From the beginning, the venue served the school as well as the public in El Monte. Concerns about its soundness after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake nearly resulted in its closure, but tests that determined the building was stronger than previously believed, as well as the prohibitive costs of erecting a new auditorium, led to its preservation. El Monte Union High School, however, moved to a new campus.
In 1945, the American Legion, Post 261 bought the venue, renaming it El Monte Legion Stadium. In addition to using it for their meetings, they also leased it out for sporting events and concerts. Between 1949 and 1962, Legion Stadium overlapped as the host venue for Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree and Art Laboe's "Oldies, but Goodies" concerts. These became an important part of the history of the country music and nascent rock and roll subcultures in the Greater Los Angeles area. The latter led to Frank Zappa and Ray Collins writing the song "Memories of El Monte".
Rising costs and changes in society led to Legion Stadium's decline. It was purchased by the USPS in 1973 and demolished in 1974.
History
=School building=
El Monte Legion Stadium, originally a combined auditorium and gymnasium, was the final component added to a complex of school buildings housing El Monte Union High School.{{Cite news |date=April 1, 1928 |title=El Monte in Steady Gains |pages=5 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122291338/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503041730/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122291338/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} The contract for $62,991 for the construction of the facility was publicly announced on September 30, 1927.{{Cite news |date=September 30, 1927 |title=El Monte |pages=2 |work=Oceanside Blade |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=BT19270930&dliv=userclipping&cliparea=1.2%2C3469%2C7042%2C786%2C248&factor=1&e=------192-en--20--1-byDA-txt-txIN-%22el+monte+union+high%22------- |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030153/https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=BT19270930&dliv=userclipping&cliparea=1.2,3469,7042,786,248&factor=1&e=------192-en--20--1-byDA-txt-txIN-%22el+monte+union+high%22------- |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=California Digital Newspaper Collection |url-status=bot: unknown }} By April 1, 1928, when construction was nearly complete, the cost was revised to $70,000, with an additional $10,000 needed for equipment. According to contractors Thurman & Thurman, it was "the best value of any building erected in Southern California" in the 1920s. Its seating capacity was announced to be 3,500.{{Cite news |date=April 15, 1928 |title=El Monte Accepts School Auditorium |pages=14 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122330425/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030200/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122330425/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }}
By the end of the 1920s, El Monte Union High Auditorium was used by the public for entertainment and sporting events.{{Cite news |last=Forbes |first=Mary R. |date=July 12, 1928 |title=Covina |pages=5 |work=Pomona Progress-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pomona-progress-bulletin/122338362/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503032208/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pomona-progress-bulletin/122338362/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} In 1931, it was one of the venues that hosted the Junior Olympic Games.{{Cite news |last=Barker |first=Mayerene |date=August 8, 1974 |title=Wrecking Ball to Raze Legion Stadium Friday |pages=173 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122220489/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030157/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122220489/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }}{{Cite news |date=June 3, 1931 |title=Johnny Lee Due to Win SC Finals |pages=1 |work=Highland Park News-Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-highland-park-news-herald/122363025/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030202/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-highland-park-news-herald/122363025/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} It also hosted celebratory exhibitions that preceded the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Damage incurred in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake left the adjoining buildings unsafe. In 1934, the school's administration building was abandoned{{Cite news |date=May 28, 1934 |title=Many Alterations for El Monte School |pages=7 |work=Monrovia News-Post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/monrovia-news-post/122363572/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503035718/https://www.newspapers.com/article/monrovia-news-post/122363572/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} and the future of the auditorium was debated. James Thurman, whose company had built it, said that one of the trustees of the El Monte Union High School District board had a personal grudge against him that led him to vigorously campaign for demolition. Tests demonstrated that the building was capable of withstanding significantly more stress than had previously been believed. The building was preserved after establishing that the cost of demolition would be in excess of what was spent on its construction.{{Cite news |last=Bortin |first=Harry |date=March 26, 1967 |title=Legion Stadium Problems |pages=4 |work=Pasadena Independent Star-News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122233217/independent-star-news/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503041728/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122233217/independent-star-news/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} The remaining school buildings continued to be used until April 1937, when the threat of a student strike successfully persuaded the El Monte Union High School District board to move classes to safer facilities.{{Cite news |date=April 15, 1937 |title=Pleas Balk Pupil Strike |pages=31 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122389152/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503031110/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122389152/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} Construction of the new El Monte Union High School began in December.{{Cite news |date=December 7, 1937 |title=School Building Program Ready |pages=10 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122388858/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503041725/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122388858/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }}
Throughout this period, the El Monte Union High Auditorium continued to be used. In 1935, during the inaugural El Monte Pioneer Days, it was the venue for The End of the Santa Fe Trail, a play that celebrated the city's early years.{{Cite news |date=May 23, 1928 |title=El Monte Pioneer Fete Will Open Tomorrow |pages=28 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122360080/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030202/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122360080/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }}
During World War II, the auditorium was converted into a factory that produced airplane parts.{{Cite news |last=Castro |first=Mike |date=June 20, 1971 |title=Time, Taxes Force Sale of Old Stadium |pages=225 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122407421/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503031117/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122407421/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }}
=Legionnaires purchase=
On January 16, 1945, the American Legion, Post 261, purchased the building from El Monte Union High School District for $26,650.{{Cite news |last=Castro |first=Mike |date=June 20, 1971 |title=Time and Taxes May Force Sale of Stadium |pages=221 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122230632/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030157/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122230632/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} A former Legionnaire, John W. Goodenow, explained the rationale for their purchase:
[W]e knew the boys were coming home from World War II and needed a place to have their parties and their meetings and to have a good time.
Another Legionnaire, Marshall Walker, said that the building was also intended to be a "living memorial to the war dead". It was initially renamed El Monte Athletic Club, but was later called El Monte Legion Stadium.{{Cite news |date=February 18, 1946 |title=American Legion Plans Weekly Sports Program in El Monte |pages=13 |work=Metropolitan Pasadena Star-News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/metropolitan-pasadena-star-news/122228327/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503031116/https://www.newspapers.com/article/metropolitan-pasadena-star-news/122228327/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }}
The American Legion leased the building to Claude Bridge, a local boxing promoter and former journalist.{{Cite news |date=January 31, 1946 |title=El Monte Plans Sports Shows |pages=20 |work=Pasadena Star-News and Pasadena Post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/metropolitan-pasadena-star-news/122405403/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030203/https://www.newspapers.com/article/metropolitan-pasadena-star-news/122405403/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} Boxing and wrestling matches were hosted by Legion Stadium twice a week and were very profitable in the immediate postwar years, but interest in them quickly dwindled. Among the boxers who fought at the venue was Kris Kristofferson in 1958, then a Rhodes Scholar at Pomona College.{{Cite news |last=Whorton |first=Cal |date=January 27, 1958 |title=Rhodes Scholar: Kristofferson 'Smartest' Glover |pages=58 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122221279/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030201/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122221279/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }}
=''Hometown Jamboree''=
File:Cliffie stone circa 1952.jpg {{circa|1952}}]]
According to the Pasadena Independent Star-News, Legion Stadium reached its "heyday of popularity" when it became the home of Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree, a country music television program that was initially broadcast locally on KLAC, then moved to KTLA.{{Cite news |last=Barker |first=Mayerene |date=November 26, 1978 |title=Cliffie Stone is Back |pages=686 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122221305/ |access-date=May 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030157/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122221305/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} Originally, Hometown Jamboree had been a radio program that was broadcast live on Saturday nights from Placentia. Stone recalled that Tennessee Ernie Ford, one of the performers on Hometown Jamboree, had been the catalyst for the change of venue and broadcasting medium:
He'd heard about El Monte Legion Stadium. The crowds had gotten too big for Placentia. We needed a new place. We took a look at the stadium and moved the show. My wife, Dorothy, and I had about $1,400 [{{circa|$18,000}} in 2023] saved. We took that and went to KLAC, Channel 13, and bought two half-hour shows. We were risking our life savings.
The broadcast was an immediate success and gained Westinghouse Broadcasting as a sponsor; Stone soon became considered the "Ed Sullivan" of country music.{{Cite news |last=Barker |first=Mayerene |date=November 26, 1978 |title=Back Together After 30 Years... Cliffie Stone and his Jamboree |pages=679 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122220960/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503031114/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122220960/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} At its peak, Hometown Jamboree was the highest-rated television program in Los Angeles and drew upwards of 4,000 people to Legion Stadium per show. Among the performers who appeared on the program at Legion Stadium were Molly Bee, Billy Strange, Joan O'Brien, Tex Ritter, Lefty Frizzell, Tex Williams, and Johnny Cash.
=Art Laboe=
File:Art laboe december 7 1948.jpg (standing, second from left) with staff from KCMJ, 1948]]
In 1955, Legion Stadium attracted the attention of Art Laboe, the host of a rock and roll radio show in Los Angeles. His "Oldies, but Goodies" programs had become so popular that the crowds who converged onto the Scrivner's Drive-In location on the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Cahuenga Ave. in Hollywood, where the show was broadcast live, caused traffic jams in the area.{{sfn|Guzmán|Fragoza|Sayf Cummings|Reft|2020|p=229}} At first, Laboe sought a new show venue within the city of Los Angeles, but was dissuaded by its laws that placed restrictions on gatherings of people under the age of 18, which required permission from the board of the LAUSD.{{sfn|Macías|2004|p=710}} Instead, he chose El Monte, where local laws were more lenient.{{sfn|Garcia|1996|p=324}} Nevertheless, Laboe, his business partner Hal Zeiger, and Johnny Otis, who also organized shows at Legion Stadium, ran into opposition from the El Monte City Council; their dance permits for Legion Stadium were revoked on the grounds that the rock and roll music performed at their shows created an "unwholesome, unhealthy situation". Otis accused the City Council of legislating against interracial relationships; he led a campaign with the ACLU, NAACP, and AFM, Local 47, that resulted in the reversal of the City Council's decision.{{sfn|Macías|2004|p=711}}
Laboe's shows at Legion Stadium began in 1957{{Cite news |last=Grant |first=Lee |date=September 7, 1975 |title=Art Laboe: Lighting the Fuse Back to the Good Old Plays |pages=495 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122220540/ |access-date=April 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503031112/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122220540/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=bot: unknown }} and were produced on alternating weekends. They consisted of live performances and dances to prerecorded music, prioritized "fun, fun, fun", and dispensed with dress codes. Guest performers included The Penguins, Don and Dewey, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Ritchie Valens,{{sfn|Guzmán|Fragoza|Sayf Cummings|Reft|2020|pp=229–231}} Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chubby Checker, Tommy Sands, The Coasters, and the Everly Brothers. According to Laboe, Legion Stadium would be filled to capacity, with a line of people hoping to get in coiling around the building twice over. "We used to have to shut the door because they were like sardines [inside of Legion Stadium]", he said.{{Cite web |last=Larsen |first=Peter |date=March 9, 2018 |title=Art Laboe, legendary Southern California DJ, talks about the early days of rock 'n' roll in El Monte |url=https://www.sgvtribune.com/2018/03/09/art-laboe-legendary-dj-and-oldies-curator-will-get-his-own-day-in-el-monte-saturday/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030155/https://www.sgvtribune.com/2018/03/09/art-laboe-legendary-dj-and-oldies-curator-will-get-his-own-day-in-el-monte-saturday/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |access-date=April 4, 2023 |website=San Gabriel Valley Tribune}}
Retrospectively, Laboe's shows at Legion Stadium are also remembered as a landmark in multiculturalism in Los Angeles.{{sfn|Guzmán|Fragoza|Sayf Cummings|Reft|2020|p=231}}{{sfn|Garcia|1996|p=335}}{{sfn|Lipsitz|2004|pp=523–524}} In 1995, Laboe recalled that "White kids from Beverly Hills, Black kids from Compton, and local Chicano kids" all went to his shows.{{sfn|Garcia|1996|p=324}} According to one patron, interracial dating had become a common sight at Legion Stadium by the end of the 1950s:
When I went to El Monte [Legion Stadium], I felt I could date anybody I wanted to; I could dance with anybody I wanted to.{{sfn|Macías|2004|p=710}}
Altogether, by the time Laboe hosted his last "Oldies, but Goodies" show in 1962, he had produced over 300 of them, mostly at Legion Stadium.
=Decline and final years=
Changing trends in popular music, its attendant industry, and society in general during the 1960s led to a drop in musical bookings for Legion Stadium.{{sfn|Garcia|1996|p=334}} A former patron recalled:
The shows inside the place reflected the changes going on outside. Stabbings, beatings, and riots were commonplace. Rival gangs fought each other as the music provided them with a soundtrack.{{sfn|Garcia|1996|p=334}}
Although Legion Stadium continued to be used for sporting events and live music, including hosting a show for Johnny Winter in 1971, rising taxes and operating costs made it more difficult for the American Legion to earn a profit.
In May 1969, the United States Post Office announced that they were considering acquiring the 2.49 acre property and had appraised it for $285,000 ({{circa|$2,400,000}} in 2023).{{Cite news |date=May 18, 1969 |title=Site Considered for Post Office |pages=149 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122231179/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503031119/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122231179/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=live}} On November 29, the Post Office said that it would acquire Legion Stadium and an adjoining building for a total of $510,000 ({{circa|$4,000,000}} in 2023); a new branch office serving El Monte would be built in its place under a lease agreement with a private developer.{{Cite news |date=November 29, 1969 |title=Post Office Will Succeed Stadium |pages=17 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122230925/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503030159/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122230925/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=live}} The process was stalled by the reorganization of the Post Office into the USPS, but was finalized in January 1973 after Legion Stadium was sold to the United States Army Corps of Engineers for $369,800 ({{circa|$2,600,000}} in 2023).{{Cite news |last=Castro |first=Mike |date=January 27, 1973 |title=Land Sale Under Way: El Monte Legion Stadium May Be Razed for New Post Office |pages=16 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122220630/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503041732/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/122220630/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=live}} The last event hosted there took place in September 1973.
=Demolition=
Legacy
File:Frank Zappa HS Yearbook.jpg (pictured in 1958) and Ray Collins collaborated on writing the song "Memories of El Monte" in 1962.]]
="Memories of El Monte"=
Experiences at Legion Stadium led Frank Zappa and Ray Collins to write the 1962 song "Memories of El Monte", which was named after an eponymous LP compilation produced by Laboe. Zappa had presented the song to Laboe, who agreed to produce it as a single for his label Original Sound Recordings. Laboe prevailed upon Cleve Duncan from The Penguins to sing the lead, with members of The Viceroys, a local band, singing backing vocals; he also asked Zappa to amend the lyrics so as to mention the groups included on the Memories of El Monte LP. The song's second verse mentions these groups and quotes from their songs, while Duncan performs vocal impersonations of them. The song concludes with an evocation of El Monte and Legion Stadium.{{sfn|Guzmán|Fragoza|Sayf Cummings|Reft|2020|pp=226–227}}
=Tributes=
In 2014, Vincent Ramos erected his "El Monte Legion Stadium Nocturne" at El Monte Station. The work commemorates performers associated with Stone, Laboe, and Otis, as well as athletes who played at Legion Stadium. Their likenesses are displayed atop images of 45s.{{Cite web |title=El Monte Legion Stadium Nocturne |url=https://art.metro.net/artworks/el-monte-legion-stadium-nocturne/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503041209/https://art.metro.net/artworks/el-monte-legion-stadium-nocturne/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |access-date=May 2, 2023 |website=Metro.net }} In 2018, Union Walk, a 62-unit townhouse complex built on the property that was formerly the location of Legion Stadium, opened to the public. Its grand opening ceremony was hosted by Laboe,{{Cite web |last=Munguia |first=Hayley |date=March 8, 2018 |title=Art Laboe to get key to El Monte as 62-unit Union Walk townhomes open Saturday |url=https://www.sgvtribune.com/2018/03/08/heres-whats-opening-this-weekend-at-the-old-el-monte-legion-stadium-site/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503041208/https://www.sgvtribune.com/2018/03/08/heres-whats-opening-this-weekend-at-the-old-el-monte-legion-stadium-site/ |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |access-date=May 2, 2023 |website=San Gabriel Valley Tribune }} who was commemorated in an entrance fountain designed by Rebecca Niederlander. She recorded Laboe's reminiscences of Legion Stadium, which are displayed on a nearby plaque:
There was a lot of duplication of friendships and just a lot of fun on Saturday night, as we all danced and sang and had a great time. Times we will never forget, lives in the hearts and minds of the thousands that attended the El Monte Legion Stadium through the years. This is Art Laboe and I sure hope that you all have as good a time as we had back in the day at El Monte Legion Stadium! See you there, Saturday night!{{Cite web |title=Memories of El Monte, 2017 |url=https://www.becster.org/works/MOEM.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503041209/https://www.becster.org/works/MOEM.html |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |access-date=May 2, 2023 |website=Becster.org }}
His words were converted into a soundwave image that serves as a motif circling the fountain's base.
References
{{reflist}}
=Cited sources=
- {{cite journal |author-last=Garcia |author-first=Matt |title=The 'Chicano' Dance Hall: Remapping Public Space in Post-World War II Greater Los Angeles |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/42975842 |journal=Counterpoints |date=1996 |pages=317–341 |publisher=Peter Lang AG |volume=96 |jstor=42975842 }}
- {{cite book |editor-last1=Guzmán |editor-first1=Romeo |editor-last2=Fragoza |editor-first2={{proper name|Carri|bean|nohide=y}} |editor-link2=Carribean Fragoza |editor-last3=Sayf Cummings |editor-first3=Alex |editor-last4=Reft |editor-first4=Ryan |title=East of East: The Making of Greater El Monte |publisher=Rutgers University Press |location=New Brunswick, New Jersey |year=2020 |isbn=9781978805491}}
- {{cite journal |author-last=Lipsitz |author-first=George |title=Learning from Los Angeles: Another One Rides the Bus |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40068231 |journal=American Quarterly |date=September 2004 |pages=511–529 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |location=Baltimore |volume=56 |issue=3 |doi=10.1353/aq.2004.0037 |jstor=40068231 |s2cid=144088300 }}
- {{cite journal |author-last=Macías |author-first=Anthony |title=Bringing Music to the People: Race, Urban Culture, and Municipal Politics in Postwar Los Angeles |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40068239 |journal=American Quarterly |date=September 2004 |pages=693–717 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |location=Baltimore |volume=56 |issue=3 |doi=10.1353/aq.2004.0038 |jstor=40068239 |s2cid=144934499 }}
{{authority control}}
Category:1928 establishments in California
Category:1974 disestablishments in California
Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1928
Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 1974
Category:Boxing venues in California
Category:Culture of Los Angeles
Category:Defunct indoor arenas in California
Category:Defunct sports venues in California
Category:Demolished buildings and structures in California
Category:Demolished sports venues in California
Category:Former music venues in California
Category:History of Los Angeles
Category:Music venues in Los Angeles
Category:Sports venues completed in 1928