L.A. Meekly: A Los Angeles History Podcast

L.A. Meekly: A Los Angeles History Podcast

L.A. Meekly is a monthly comedy podcast about Los Angeles history put out by comedians Greg Gonzalez and Daniel Zafran that battles the idea that LA has no history by delving in the weird, unbelievable and, occasionally, haunted details from the past of their native city.

Episodes

July 1, 2025 111 mins
Look! What's that up in the sky? It's a bird? It's a plane? It's a plane.  This month we're diving into one of the foundational industries in Los Angeles history: aerospace. We'll be covering the companies and the men behind them of Douglas (27:32) and Hughes (1:00:22).
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Surfs up, glasses down. To kick of summer we're diving into two pillars of the hot months of the year: Tiki culture (17:00) and surfing (58:27).
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May 1, 2025 134 mins
Hey Mr. DJ (Daniel and Jreg) put a record on. This month we're going to be talking about AND listening to a smattering of some of the most iconic songs about Los Angeles.  We'll discuss some of their backstory and what they say about the city. Come for the ones you expect; be angry at the ones we missed.
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April 1, 2025 82 mins
Spring is here and our drawers are loaded. That means it's time to empty them out in another junk drawer episode of topics that never found a home in other episodes. We'll be covering the Los Angeles Pigeon Farm (20:24), the geographic center of Los Angeles (34:09) and the Bella Union Hotel shootout (46:55).
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March 1, 2025 74 mins
For Women's History Month we're covering some notable women who made an impact on Los Angeles. We've got the first woman there was: the La Brea Woman (14:24), mental health pioneer Agnes Richards (23:20) and suffragette Caroline Severance (43:33).
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February 1, 2025 87 mins
This ValenTINE's Day we're doing the most romantic thing we can think of and going to a couple houses of ill repute. This month we'll be covering the history of Jumbo's Clown Room (29:52) and Chippendale's (45:59).
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In light of bad people trying to destroy the very fabric of our country, this month we're highlighting that which they want to destroy. We'll be covering some of our favorite ethnic enclaves of Los Angeles including Little Ethiopia (16:22), Historic Filipinotown (32:55) and Koreatown (51:25).
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At long last it's here: our annual Creepy Christmas/Chaunted Channukah. Hide the children. Hide the elf on the shelf. Hide the afikoman (wrong Jewish holiday but still).  This year we'll be covering the haunted Wolf's Lair (15:17), the Dog Woman of Watts (30:13), the Hollymont Hauntings (39:24) and the dreaded Lamb Mortuary (47:07). This episode best enjoyed after dark.
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November 1, 2024 81 mins
This holiday season we're putting the yu back in yultide as we asked YU, dear listener, your favorite LA holiday time traditions. We'll be going over all of those as well as our own and a some historic old holiday traditions from Los Angeles of yesteryear.
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October 1, 2024 90 mins
What's the secret word? That's ok, we don't remember either so just come in. This month, to throw you into spooky season, we'll be covering the history of some of Los Angeles' secret societies. We'll be covering the Amalgamated Flying Saucer Clubs of America (17:06), the Philosophical Research Society (26:25) and the Magic Castle (52:37).
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This month we're juicing Hollywood and getting into the two matrons of juicy Hollywood gossip. We'll be covering Louella Parsons (17:26) and Hedda Hopper (45:07) and their legendary feud. 
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August 1, 2024 89 mins
Make sure you're hungry for this one, or not so that you don't faint from hunger. That's because we're talking about a few sitdown food chains that started in Los Angeles. We'll be covering The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (16:19), Bob's Big Boy (35:02) and IHOP (58:54).
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This month we're fighting the law and the outcome of who won? Yet to be determined. We're going over the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department including their early history (18:00) and the recent scandals surrounding former sheriff Alex Villanueva (53:23).
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This month we're celebrating those of us not from here. Those of us...not of this world. We're covering two famous transplants whose main stories don't happen in Los Angeles but come to a conclusion here. We'll be covering notorious cereal killer Belle Gunness (15:55) and daughter of someone else notorious Maria Rasputin (45:17).
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May 27, 2024 67 mins
It seems as if someone got Candy is Dandy in your L.A. Meekly. That's because we are bringing to you an episode of our other podcast Candy is Dandy on a topic close to the heart of Meeklings: Sunkist Fruit Gems. We get into the LA based history of these beloved gummy candies and then get to tasting. Listen in and, if you haven't already, jump aboard the Candy is Dandy train to get more Greg and Daniel!
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May 1, 2024 81 mins
Hop in. We just stole this podcast and we're going for a spin. This month we're getting into the car culture and history of Los Angeles. We'll be covering the very first cars and car factories that came to the city (14:27), the emergence of low rider culture (41:45) and how it all unraveled (1:03:06).
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April 1, 2024 90 mins
Spring is here and junk is going in the trash. By junk we mean topics that never found a home and by trash we mean your ears. It's time for our annual junk drawer episode where we go over a hodgepodge of topics that didn't quite fit into other episodes. This time we'll be covering Captain "Mad" Jack Morgan (16:53), the Rubel Castle in Glendora (36:30) and the Siege of Fort Anthony (57:13).
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As March arrives and madness descends upon us all, so too does a new episode of L.A. Meekly. This month we're talking docs and going over a handful of documentaries about Los Angeles that we feel captures something about the city be it donuts, music, gangs or, perhaps...madness.
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The love month is here and what better way to celebrate (we guess?) than covering a few of Los Angeles' worst kidnappings. And that's worst in the sense of: these kidnappers had no idea what they were doing. Tune in to hear the stories of Mary Skeele (18:10) and Frank Sinatra Jr (45:39).
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January 1, 2024 92 mins
Welcome to 2024! The year that L.A. Meekly turns deeply religious! This month we're covering a few hidden and not so hidden religious locations and movements from around Los Angeles. We're covering the Jewish eruv (19:06), the Mormon Los Angeles California Temple (31:35), the Pentecostal Azusa Street Revival (45:54) and the Koyasan Buddhist Temple (1:16:55).
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