In This Fleet, Funny Novel, a Writer Makes Art and Sells Out in Hollywood
The heroine of Danzy Senna’s new book is a novelist envious of the material pleasures all around her in Hollywood.
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The Blue Line opened, in 1990 The planner, engineer, and architect Earl Gales didn’t enjoy the spotlight much. He liked to fly under the radar, staying in the background while letting other people shine. But he played an important role in creating our rail system, even if it isn’t obvious to riders today. Gales’ dad was born in Louisiana and enlisted in the army during World War II. After the war ended, he headed out West seeking better opportunities –– one of millions of Black people to take part in the Second Great Migration. He arrived in Los Angeles in 1945 and settled in the predominantly Black neighborhoods of Watts, where he worked as a carpenter for the City of Los Angeles. Earl Gales (bottom right) with his brother, Edward (bottom left), mom, Bessie (top left), and father, Earl Sr (top right). At that time, Watts was served by the Long Beach Line, one of the last Pacific Electric streetcar lines (the Red Cars) remaining in Los Angeles. Thousands of people relied on it. Even if many of the Red Cars were in bad shape at that point –– the green plush seats were worn, the paint was blistering, and much of the glass on the windows was cracked –– they were the last pieces of an expansive streetcar network that used to cover the entire region. Traveling up to 50 miles per hour, you could go from Watts to Downtown LA by streetcar in only 20 minutes. The Long Beach Line passing through Watts, c. 1956 In April 1961 the Long Beach Line was put out of service (although many people, including the cities of Long Beach and Compton, protested it). The tracks were removed a few months later. Officials said that the new ‘Dreamliner’ buses would provide faster service than the trains, but that didn’t happen. Without reliable transportation, job opportunities shrank. That struck a chord for Earl Gales, who was a teenager at that time. Los Angeles Times coverage of the Long Beach Line, April 7, 1961 In 1968, Gales enrolled at Cal Poly Pomona –– […]
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The heroine of Danzy Senna’s new book is a novelist envious of the material pleasures all around her in Hollywood.
Kelly Blatz directing KJ Apa in ‘One Fast Move.’ Photo Credit: Frank Masi. Filmmaker Kelly Blatz chatted about writing and
