This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
It's not every day you get to see L.A.'s most iconic hot dog stand take a ride down the 405 Freeway. Tail O' The Pup made its journey from Torrance to Las Vegas yesterday afternoon on a flat-bed truck after being in storage for over seven years.
The 17-foot wide landmark hot dog stand (that actually resembles a mustard-covered weenie in a bun) was made popular from Hollywood films such as L.A. Story and Body Double. The delicious-looking structure was built by architect Milton Black and plopped down at its location at La Cienega and Beverly boulevards in 1946, with celebrity dance-team Veloz and Yolanda as the owners, according to the Los Angeles Times. Eddie Blake purchased Tail O' the Pup from the dancers in the 1970s and had to close briefly in 1986 to make way for a hotel being built there before reopening at 329 N. San Vicente Blvd. It then had to close again in 2005 to make room for other developments and has stayed in storage since with the Blake family, according to NBC Los Angeles. Until now...
Alison Martino of Vintage Los Angeles was there every step of the way for the weenie's journey to Nevada to get restored, filming a segment for her new Vintage Los Angeles web channel series, according to Martino's Facebook post.
Watch Martino's video of Tail O' The Pup's ride on the freeway. Go, hot dog, go!
