Reginald Denny's Hobby Shop

Does anyone remember the Reginald Denny's hobby shop that existed in the Hollywood area until the late 70s? I learned from a website devoted to Reginald Denny that he opened his hobby shop on Hollywood
Boulevard in 1935 and sold it to a Colonel Tom in 1963. A visitor to the site emaailed its manager, stating that he was born in 1956, and that he remembered buying models at a Reginald Denny's hobby shop (perhaps not the original) until at least 1966 and possibly and possibly until a few years after that.

Well, I grew up in the Hollywood area (on the same street as the guy who sent that email to the site manager, no less), and I remember buying armor models at a Reginald Denny's (I don't *think* it was on
Hollywood Boulevard) until 1977. I recall that the guy who usually worked there was a curmudgeon who wouldn't sell me model glue (unless
I also bought a kit) and who wouldn't allow me to read the store's magazine's ("This isn't a library," he growled) even though I was a regular customer. I learned that the shop closed in about 1980.

Anyone have any further history on this shop?

short but interesting bio of him at internet movie database too www.imdb.com

Commodore Schmidlap from the 1966 Batman movie and the head of the railroad shot by Jane Fonda ( ! ) in Cat Ballou.

Reginald Denny was a British actor with 46 years in Hollywood. Probably the best known part he played that members here would recall was the chap shot by
Jane Fonda in "Cat Ballou" that brought her to being hung.

Yeah, Cookie Sewell mentioned that. Reginald Denny was an actor before he opened up his Hollywood Boulevard hobby shop.

You won't believe this, but I have his business card in front of me. It says (in part):
Wood & plastic kits
Airplanes - ships - cars - trains
Complete hobby supplies
Wood structural shapes
Complete Model Shipways line
To reach us by phone dial one word
H-O-B-B-I-E-S
462-2437 (note the lack of area code)
5905 Hollywood (at Bronson)

They take BankAmeriCard & MasterCharge

I remember buying a kit & several books at the time. I only went once, since I lived in the South Bay area & it was all the way up in
Hollywood. This was probably in late '76.

No. I moved away from CA. in '77 and heard in about 1980 that the shop had closed.

Thanks everyone for the interesting responses!

and permanently messed up.

Actually, I was thinking the same thing when I saw the name ;~).

"The world would be a much simpler place if every one could pick and choose their obligations, but we can't and we shouldn't." Major Charles W. Whittlesey

I too, lived in Hollywood in the 1950's. My first model from them was in 1955.
T that time they were located on Hollywood Blvd. and Taft Ave. It was owned by
2 or 3 brothers, one who's name was Vern. They sold it to 3 brothers, two of whom ran the shop. The third brother worked as a model builder for I believe
Warner Bros. Studio. The studio that make Ice Station Zebra. Models of the
MiG21's that were in the movie were hanging at the shop later. These brothers were Don, Jack and Bob. Around 1965(?) the store moved the the corner of
Sunset Blvd. and Western Ave. in Hollywood, where it stayed until about 1972 when the property was sold for a strip mall. The store then moved to Hollywood
Blvd. just west of Bronson Ave and started to go down hill. Some time around then Bob died, he was the youngest. Jack the middle brother was an alcoholic and was hospitized around the mid 70's died 1976(?). Don continued running the shop but sold it and died shortly afterwards. I heard that orginally the shop was on the south side oh Hollywood Blvd near VanNess or where the Hollywood
Freeway became. Possibly they moved for the freeway. Who lived there in the
50's? Letme here from you.

wasn't Reginald Denny also the name of the truck driver that was beaten live on
TV during the riots in LA many years back?

I remember the Reginald Denny Hobby shop. It was right next door to the Pix Theater which is now The Henry Fonda Theater on Hollywood Blvd. Being more interested in Monster Models than trains or aircraft at the time I didn't frequent Denny's that much because they seemed to frown upon anythng that wasn't realistic or Historical. They did have some good astronomical and science type stuff but it was often more expensive than Hollywood Toy shop an few blocks down the road. The thing I remember most about it was that it was closed a lot and you could never guarantee by the sign on the front who would show up or not. It seemed like it stood there for at least a year in the late seventies never opening it's doors and looking very cool and haunted as thick layers of dust hung over the suspended dirigibles and Lionel Trains. Indie toy shops still flourished until Toys are us took over but Hollyood Toys and The Hollywood Magic Shop (formerly Bert Larson's Magic Shop ) are still going strong. All the other train and hobby shops have moved deep into the valley. Until recently fans of old school planes and car models could go into Stanton Ca. next to Buena Park by Knotts Berry Farm and spend a grand time at Hobby City which sported about a dozen different shops and a famous antique doll museum. THe old ladies that ran the doll museum remember Reginald and the subsequent owners quite well. If you pick up the low budget DVD pack of 50 discs called Mystery Classics ( Amazon.com,Deep Discount ) you'll get tol see Mr. Denny in six of the Bull Dog Drummond films. If you talk to the folks at the Los Angeles Live Steamers Association in Griffith Park which is open every Sunday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM you're bound to find several old timers who used to frequent the Denny Shop as Kids and a couple who even got to meet the old Blighter. Once you there take a ride on a hand made one 16th scale handmade steamer or diesel train for a minimal donation. It's especially reccomended to go there at Holloween time as they go all out on the kid friendly but spooky decorations.

Dukey

Dukey welcome to this forum I hope you will like it here.

That's one piece of interesting information you have placed here! Thank you so much for sharing this.

I'm a little late on this thread as I just saw it. However, I can attest to being a regular customer of Reginald Denny's Hobby Shop in the early 50's. I grew up in Hollywood near the corner of Vermont and Hollywood Blvd. My best friend and me used to bike down to the shop on Hollywood Blvd all the time in the early 50's. I, too, recall it being on the corner of Taft and Hollywood.

We learned to fly U-Control there...they had free classes.

I recall the staff being pretty friendly at that time. They had a tremendous inventory of types of modeling stuff. Truly a one-stop model shop.

I spent most of my paper route earnings there.....

Great memories....

This is why I love this site,I'm 40 now and still love modeling as I did when I was 10.It's so sad all the mom+pop stores are gone.when I was growing up in Cleveland you couldn't throw a rock without hitting a hobby shop .