Behold the Bunnies and Bonnets of L.A.'s Past Easter Celebrations
March 25, 1960: The Easter Bunny gets different reactions as his whiskers tickle Janet Libby, 6, and brother Joey, 3, at a party at St. Matthews Lutheran Church, North Hollywood. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
It may have been a long time since you've seen someone wearing an Easter bonnet — with all the frills upon it — but once upon a time in Los Angeles, Easter was an occasion to celebrate all things spring. And, at least in the 1940s through '60s, that meant crazy hats, furry costumes, and bunny-delivered baskets o'plenty.
Sometimes terrifying, but often adorable, these L.A. Easter celebrations brought a bunny bonanza to city streets, parks, backyards and even bedrooms — captivating the imaginations of toddlers, little tykes and even twins.
Although the reverence of the season was expressed through a number of Easter morning sunrise services — at L.A. venues like the Hollywood Bow, Forest Lawn and the Cross of San Ysidro in Tujunga, as well as across Southern California at Mt. Lowe, Mt. Rubidoux and beyond — it's the images of the more secular springtime celebrations that convey a lasting portrait of family life and the wonder of childhood among Angelenos in the mid-20th century.
A Bunny Bonanza
April 6, 1958: A little girl gets all the Easter Bunny attention she could ask for at the Beverly Hills Easter Parade, passing by the Beverly Hilton Hotel. | USC Libraries Special Collections
April 3, 1961: Baby balefully eyes bunny benefactor in the pediatric ward of Pacoima Memorial Lutheran Hospital. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
April 17, 1965: A "bunny" from the Ice Follies appeared at Valley Ice Skating Center in Encino to share some decorative eggs. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
March 30, 1959: Tami and Teri Nelson, 3 and 1/2-year-old twins, receive help hunting Easter eggs from long-eared, bushy-tailed "friend." | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
April 21, 1962: Twin 5-year-olds Kerry and Karen Henry put on their Sunday best for a tuxedoed cottontail's Easter morning visit. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
Hunting For Treasures
April 3, 1963: You can hop, but you can't hide Easter eggs forever from children who are determined to find them and add them to their basket. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
April 17, 1954: Two girls, both daughters of members of the San Fernando Valley Branch of the Los Angeles County Medical Association's Woman's Auxiliary, seem pleased with their haul as they examine what the Easter bunny brought them. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
March 25, 1964: Three-and-a-half year-old youngsters show off their holiday haberdashery and work on a papier-mâché Easter egg, as they take part in the Burbank Parks and Recreation Department's Tiny Tot program. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
Headfirst Into Easter
March 27, 1959: Diane Green, 17, of North Hollywood High School, tries on her first prize award-winning Easter bonnet, complete with music box that plays Johann Strauss II's "Blue Danube Waltz." | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
April 22, 1958: Eddie "Scooter" Teague, 18, won first prize for the boys category in North Hollywood High School's 'Crazy Hat' contest with this intergalactic creation for Easter. | Valley Times Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
And on a more serious note...
March 27, 1937: Thousands of Angeleno worshippers gather at the now-demolished Tower of Legends at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale for Easter sunrise service. | Los Angeles Herald Examiner Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
April 6, 1969: The Hollywood Bowl's Easter sunrise service was a tradition that first began on March 27, 1921, with the first performance of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. | Los Angeles Herald Examiner Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
