M’Goo’s
M’GOO MADE HOLLYWOOD FAMOUS
In the 1960s, the place for pizza and calliope music was M'Goo's. The cherished eatery at Hollywood and Cherokee in the heart of Hollywood was formerly the site of Bradley's Five and Ten, a rather wicked bar owned by Robert Brooks, John Phillips, and Frank Bursinger.
Not sure what they were serving, but the District Attorney alleged that the watering hole was a haven for prostitutes and homosexuals. In 1945, Bradley's Five and Ten was sued for racial discrimination. The place was strictly out of bounds to all military personnel.
Two years later, along with a handful of other establishments, Bradley's Five and Ten was targeted during an effort to "purge Hollywood bars of immoral and degenerate persons". The legal shenanigans were permitted under the Red Light Abatement Act. The archaic legal action was brought by D.A. William E. Simpson, who was incensed enough to order the bar to be padlocked.
In 1948, the "former rendezvous of male perverts" was auctioned off, and the site became The Hofbrau. Opened in 1955, the bar served draught beer and juicy ham — only to be replaced in 1958 by the short-lived Kosh-O-Mat, owned by Bernard Bartnick. Oddly, a building permit for a neon sign in March of 1959 showed The Roaring 20's restaurant as owner.
But drinking hours were brief — Bartnick, who passed away in 1960, sold the place. New owner Martin (Marty) Bryman took over. Born to Russian parents, the veteran restaurateur previously operated the House of Rhythm in Long Beach and co-owned The Huddle Inn, a pizza joint in Lafayette, about five hours from Los Angeles.
The Northern California restaurant opened in 1956, on the site of Oliver’s Patio Shop. Aside from pizza, spaghetti and ravioli, the Huddle Inn offered imported beer.
Screwball Pizza Palace
Marty Bryman, the affable proprietor, launched his latest venture on Hollywood Blvd. in late August of 1959. Designed by architect Robert Kliegman, M’Goo’s was the town's newest nightspot. It was was a hit; perhaps the 6lb. bucket of beer for $2.50 helped.
In 1961, the LA Times noted, "the zany, sawdust-on-the-floor spot… is attracting most of the college traffic these days."
Not surprising, given that the enterprising eatery also attracted young customers with free silent movies, shown on Wednesday nights.
One customer who didn't appreciate Vilma Banky was Irish playwright Brendan Behan. The noted rabble rouser was ejected from the place in 1961 for disturbing the peace. Owner Marty Bryman gave customer service a new meaning, and bailed out the shit-faced novelist to the tune of $105.
Word had spread. In 1962, the essential trade publication Restaurant Management called M'Goo's "a unique pizza specialty restaurant… uses inside gas lighting to enhance its Gay Nineties decor, complement its merchandising efforts."
And one year later, the Irish Digest commented, "It's a viceless Roaring Twenties type place with no age restrictions…" — which sounds dubious.
The preferred hangout proved popular with teenagers; in 1962, the old tyme sawdust emporium hosted the Miss World Beauty Pageant. The esteemed event selected Miss Hollywood and Miss M'Goo (attired in one-piece bathing suits). Two years later, the savvy restaurant had an exhibit at the fashionable Teenage Fair, held at the Palladium on Sunset Blvd.
One excitable M'Goo's patron was Adam Nimoy. In his 2024 book, The Most Human, the 10-year-old fondly recalled going to M'Goo's on Saturdays with his father, Leonard. And as they had done previously, the two would proceed to Burt Blum's Cherokee Bookshop, where his Dad would buy him vintage comics.
Business was good, and Martin Bryman expanded with another restaurant in 1964, Diamond Lil's. Located a stone's throw from M'Goo's, his latest spot was formerly The Gallery.
One customer guaranteed not to show up at Diamond Lil's was actress Mae West. The 71-year-old star of Myra Breckinridge objected to the use of the bar's name and filed suit in 1964. It wouldn't have mattered; Diamond Lil's lasted a year and became Leaping Liz's, a New Orleans jazz joint that soon went topless.
By the mid-1960s, Martin Bryman's crowd-pleasing pizza restaurant included several locations, including Canoga Park (located on the southeast corner of the Big A Discount Store parking lot) and Westwood, which later used the name M'Gee's. The Westside pizza parlor became Junior's Delicatessen in 1966.
Bryman continued the Irish-Italian cheeriness with spots in Newport Beach (replaced by a ski shop in 1971) and Van Nuys, which became China House in 1970. The earlier M'Goo's in Pasadena soon became a Laemmle's movie theatre.
M’Goo’s Hollywood, circa 1972. Original slide in author’s collection.
Photo by Don Ware.
Three years after owner Martin Bryman passed away at the age of 60, the original M'Goo's in Hollywood suffered fire damage in 1975.
The pre-dawn blaze covered most of the building, affecting four other businesses. Eventually, the complex was demolished and slated to become home to a new Bank of America branch.
The address was altered, and today, the corner spot is home to a souvenir shop.
