The Broken Drum, Santa Monica, 1940s mENU aRT
The Broken Drum, Santa Monica, 1940s Menu

The Broken Drum, Santa Monica, 1940s

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Product Description

This beautifully drawn menu is an essential piece of California's culinary history. Patrons were incredibly loyal to The Broken Drum on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica and were shaken when the restaurant closed in 1986, according to local newspaper reports we've seen. The hamburger joint was a long-standing institution and is even now remembered fondly by former customers. With its open fire and wood-burning ovens and fresh flowers on every table, the restaurant served food until 4am and many aspiring actors and actresses used it as a place to meet and fret about their careers. The menu cover, showing a clown beating a broken drum, with the words "you can't beat it," is thought to be from the 1940s.

Paul has emailed this memory: "I remember this restaurant as a child when my parents drove past it.
They laughed.  Why?  Because in neon was their tag line: 'You Can't Beat It'
I didn't understand why they laughed as a child.  I do now."

Courtesy Private Collection.

Gallery quality Giclée print on natural white, matte, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using Epson K3 archival inks. Custom printed with border for matting and framing.

All printed in USA.

Each print is accompanied by a copy of the interior menu


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