LARHF celebrated the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad with a Hollywood twist May 2 at Philippe the Original French Dip in downtown LA. LARHF's Joe Lesser and LA historian Marc Wanamaker unveiled the latest “satellite” history exhibit, "Hollywood's Golden Spike," while Wanamaker spoke about the movie studios' long relationship with trains and trolleys (the subject of their new book to be released by LARHF this fall).
The new exhibit celebrates Hollywood’s portrayal of the Golden Spike with films such as John Ford's Iron Horse, Cecil B. DeMille's epic Union Pacific and the AMC television series Hell on Wheels. Following the talk, Philippe’s presented the movie Union Pacific on its flatscreen TV. Be sure to visit Philippe's and check out the exhibit with rare photos and colorful model trains!