A few months ago we saw a very cool Hollywood used car lot, Kay Kars, featuring rather poorly executed (and dated) film icons as enthusiastic decoration.

A mural along one wall featured Brando, Marilyn, Clint, and Arnold.

A banner along the street showed some of the same classic stars, as well as Bugs and the Three Stooges.

Meanwhile, an otherwise non-famous bunny encouraged potential shoppers to “Come On In”

A few months along, Kay Kars has either moved or closed down (the website describes their luxury car inventory; not likely the same business) and the empty lot is nothing but sad.

Update: Here’s the scene in February 2009:

Last night we watched On the Waterfront. I remember seeing this more than 20 years ago, and not really getting it. Seeing it again was fantastic. It’s a sad (yet heartwarming) movie about the poor, hardworking longshoremen who are taken advantage of by the mob. It has a realist feel for the first 3/4 of the film. Almost like a documentary via the pacing, the amazing cinematography and shots populated by oodles of hangdog faces. I was reminded of Dorothea Lange’s photos of depression-era migrant farm workers.

I was also struck at how many other stories owe a debt to On The Waterfront: West Side Story, Rumblefish, Brotherhood, The Sopranos, The Wire, and NYPD Blue. I thought of each of them at one point as we watched.