The Birth of Noir: James M. Cain's Southern California Nightmare December 15, 2007

It all plays out against the bulldozed orange groves packed with new urban sprawl and under the desiccating sun: thwarted dreams and double crossing lovers, mothers, daughters, husbands and speculators. When it goes south, it goes fast. The gun smoking, the bodies piled up, the house foreclosed, and the bitter truth sinks in: you can't eat the sunshine.

The tour draws on Cain's essays, short stories, novels, films and the memories of his friends and colleagues to paint a portrait of Los Angeles in the 1930s and 1940s through the eyes of the writer. The tour spans Cain's L.A. from Hollywood to Glendale and along old Route 66, and includes illuminating visits to Forest Lawn Memorial Park (a Glendale institution and site of the funeral of Mildred Pierce's "other" daughter, Ray), the Glendale Train Station where the "Double Indemnity" murder plot played out, and the punch line to a Billy Wilder joke so subtle, it's taken 63 years for anyone to get. Join us on the bus to share in the laughter and the pathos of Cain's SoCal.



Want to join us on the tour day, but haven't purchased tickets? We may have room for you. Please phone Richard at 310-995-4591 to reserve, and be prepared to bring cash to Philippe's The Original by 12:30pm.

Instructions for passengers:

There are no paper tickets: your name will be on a list at the bus door. Check in is at 12:30pm for a 1pm sharp departure from Philippe The Original in downtown Los Angeles, just across from Union Station. Why? For the pie!

MAP

PARKING: There are a couple of pay lots in the immediate vicinity of Philippe's, along New High Street one block north and parallel to Alameda. Please do not park in the restaurant lot. You may also choose to arrive by train at Union Station, which is a block from the restaurant.

Tickets can be ordered online until the morning of the tour. For last minute bookings, please feel free to call 310-995-4591 after 8am on tour day, and if there are seats available, you can reserve a spot and pay with cash at the bus.

Food and drink are permitted and suggested; no audio or video-taping without permission. We regret that there are no refunds for passengers who miss the bus.

Official Website: http://esotouric.com/cain