2 were killed by a gunman on Saturday his visit went ahead despite protests from a Jewish organization which said he wouldn't be welcome until he denounced white nationalism on North America editor is John Sopel we had some people arrive with Trump make America great again banners and people shouting at them say this is a place of mourning this is not a trump rally America is deeply divided and seems to be heading in an uncertain direction and a tourist form ahead of a Boston based crime gang has been found dead in jail the F.B.I. Has begun a homicide investigation after the body of James Whitey Bulger was discovered in his cell a to maximum security prison in West Virginia. Inspections will be carried out on all Indonesia's commercial Boeing 737 months 8 planes after one crashed into the sea with 189 people on board the line a jet went down shortly after takeoff near the capital Jakarta Monday there are no known survivors David is an aviation expert it has a heritage going back a pedigree going back 50 years so it's not exactly OK It's the latest version. And it's full of computers like all the airplanes are nowadays but it's it is the very latest version of a well tried machine as the news Shabnam has the sport league on Burton Albion have knocked out championship Nottingham Forest to reach the quarter finals of the League Cup for the 1st time in the club's history the Forest manager has said he's angry and embarrassed after the 32 defeat born with boss Eddie House says they were lucky to go through to the quarterfinals after a narrow $21.00 win over nor H. Less to postpone their cup game against Southampton but have confirmed they will play Cardiff City in the Premier League on Saturday more tributes will be paid to their own or the charge Schriever down a problem and 4 others who died in Saturday's helicopter crash at the King Power stadium the F.A. Has fined Chelsea coach Marco Yani $6000.00 pounds for the way he celebrated a late equaliser against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge provoking an angry reaction from the United boss Josie Marino England head coach Eddie Jones has surprisingly dropped experience back Mike Brown the Saturday's match with South Africa at Twickenham and Novak Djokovic is closing in on becoming world number one again to beating John Sousa in straight sets in the 2nd round of the Paris Masters the serve will return to the top of the rankings if Rafael Nadal fails to win on Wednesday this is B.B.C. 5 Live on digital online smartphone and some of that Wednesday's weather and an unsettled but milder day with Western Region seeing rain in the more. So spreading across northern England in the afternoon highs of 12 degrees Celsius in London. On. Digital and online. Generations of English intellectuals who taught themselves Italian artistry dance here in the original I learned to drive in order to read in the original the writer of the architecture critic. Was the other Bradford boy. In his family David Hockney is the purpose. Of the architecture of Los Angeles is for ecologists as he called them open the eyes of a generation of backpackers from Europe to a city. Completely uncomprehensible or worse as the late Neil Simon called it like paradise where the. All over Britain has 5 past 25 past 10 on my can all island on the back and all Bridge which spans Lake Michigan during the day people come here to wonder at a place that time forgot where even Michigan man Henry Ford never succeeded in introducing a single motor car 5 past 9 in Grand Forks North Dakota where the Chamber of Commerce used to boast our trees are taller than our buildings 5 prostate and Cutbank Montana guests are lured to the go. In there are perhaps not by a 27 food high talking penguin and 57 under the huge parcel wall of Dr falls near the Grand Coulee Dam in the state of Washington long before the dam in the ice age in fact geologists say this was the greatest waterfall on Earth twice as high as Niagara our news comes from C.B.S. . News on the hour. On Pam Colter once feared Boston mobster James Whitey Bulger may have died at the hands of fellow prisoners C.B.S. News investigative reporter Pat Melton the F.B.I. Is investigating the death of the Koreas mobster Whitey Bulger and law enforcement sources tell C.B.S. News that it appears he was severely beaten by one or more of the fellow inmates shortly after his arrival at a federal prison in West Virginia on Monday in 2013 Bulger was convicted in 11 killings before that he was one of America's Most Wanted for 16 years C.B.S. News legal analyst Rikki Klieman. Trip on from the I can't bear to state a little rare and at some point what's. Been peace simply Santa Monica California and Eddie Mackenzie a former member of the Winter Hill Gang says Bulger even frighten the biggest toughest guys such a sterile blankness no compassion in his eyes that just. And horrify anybody in Pittsburgh. This peaceful protest of President Trump's visit to a city devastated by the deaths of 11 members of a Jewish congregation in a shooting rampage C.B.S. Is David Begg No says Mr Trump's 1st stop was the Tree of Life Synagogue president and the 1st lady are putting down 11 white roses and we're told they're also leaving Iraq as is the tradition custom in Judaism they're leaving Iraq a stone actually and it comes from the White House the president has put immigration at the center of the midterm election campaign and said he wants to end the right to citizenship for babies born in the U.S. To people in the country illegally he spoke to the website X. Can definitely do it with an act of Congress but now they're saying I can do it just with an executive order the A.C.L.U. Is Omar Jaguar does not believe the president has the authority to end birthright citizenship it would obviously cause a lot of turmoil and distress I think it would quickly be overturned or up by the court Alyssa Shepherd has been arrested in connection with the crash that killed 3 children in critically injured a 4th as they crossed a road in northern Indiana to board a school bus she was arrested at her business in Rochester and charged with 3 counts of reckless homicide State Police Sergeant Tony Slocum calls the crash a terrible tragedy just can't imagine that pain and our prayers go out to those family members on Wall Street the Dow was up for 31 today Nasdaq ahead 111 this is C.B.S. News ads on a cell phone maybe going to the wrong person it's a potential problem for almost every parent of a young child how to deal with advertising on apps a study led by the University of Michigan finds 95 percent of apps designed for children 5 and under contain an ad Jimmy were a desk behavioral expert and the study's lead author says parents have to get. Involved parents can be there to see what children are encountering and help them be critical of it and help them resist it the study found many of the ads to be manipulative designed to take advantage of the user's young age 65 them in C.B.S. News country music star Keith Urban doesn't want anyone to forget fire Lieutenant Brad Clark who was killed in a crash in Virginia during Hurricane Michael Irvin dedicated his show in Charlottesville to Clark to show appreciation for all that he's done Pam Colter C.B.S. News. Well it's time for us to take a visit to the Pacific coast and join Peter Bourse in Los Angeles Peter hello there Rod How you doing very well very well and I are our topic this week is actually Los Angeles isn't it which is a really difficult topic to get your head around it well it is but it's also a fascinating topic and you know I've lived here quite a long time a couple of decades now and a constant learning something new about this great city and let's start with a question Rod who are the best known British people Brits associated with Los Angeles I suppose in recent times these days you might say David Beckham it's been gone Russell Brand Rod Stewart Simon Cowal not so recent history Stan Laurel Charlie Chaplin William O. Holland the born in Belfast credited with building the infrastructure to provide the water supply for. Griffith Joey Griffith the Welsh industrialist you've probably heard of Griffith Park so if you come on holiday to Los Angeles it's one of the major tourist attractions at the turn of the 19th century he tonight is a plot of land to the city council here and it became this huge landmark that it is today of course home of the British observatory and as I say one of the places that tourists go to because that observatory is a magnificent place so the British influence here has been very strong over the years and let's not forget the Brits in Hollywood you know David Nevin Kerry Grant Yeah exactly Yes So and and of course when award season comes around we always make a big deal cos the Brits tend to do quite well over the usually from a theatrical background but the Brits in Hollywood continue to to win a lot of awards so it whatever facet of life you're talking about there's a there is a huge influence on the city we're going to focus on the architecture in a moment but I was reminded of this and actually encouraged to talk about this tonight right by our guest a few weeks ago the British Consul General Michael Howl's he was on the program and he had this to say. As a lot of people have been here for a very long time and I should be instructed surface about you realize that the British contribution to this city goes back a very long time you know you look at architecture for example landmarks like the question to the tree or city hall designed by British Architects obviously pretty creative talents been involved in Hollywood since the very beginning Charlie Chaplin being one example so I think you know one of the things that Brits do quite well in this part of the world and probably in America more generally is that you know we do we fit in quite well and we absorb ourselves and into the community and the way people live and work together quite well that was Michael how British consul general and he mentioned Broad City Hall magnificent building was indeed designed by a Brit who you may never of heard of John Parkinson John Parkinson was the son of a mill worker from both and Lancashire really an architect extraordinaire and in fact responsible for designing many of the great buildings of Los Angeles some of the really iconic buildings especially in downtown Los Angeles he designed and we're going to learn a lot more about him over the next half an hour or so my guest is Stephen G. Steve is a British ex-parte he's lived here since 1995 and he's worked for much of that time as a television news producer and a writer and over the years Steve and I have attended many of the same Hollywood events you know we huddled behind the velvet ropes on the red carpets and spent many a late night interviewing the same celebrities generally for different news organizations although Steve actually did in the early days work for 5 Live producing some of the entertainment coverage from here and Steve has been a familiar face had all of these events and a good colleague in what really is a relatively small British press corps here in Los Angeles while a few years ago Steve's career headed in a new direction he developed a keen interest in the architecture of this great city. And is now responsible for making the little known John Parkinson rather better known Steve welcome sir as welcome back to 5 life yes thank you thank you for having me as Wonderful be here it is good to see you and I say you've been here you pretty much the same amount of time as I have I think just a few months before you arrived in Los Angeles when you were in the U.K. What were you doing there and what initially brought you to Los Angeles. I think I'd been out of college I think university had been out of college for about a year and my boss of the time a news agency said to me. How do you feel about going to Los Angeles and I said Gray and he said Well how about can you go on Friday and it was supposed to be for 3 months and here we are 24 years later so it was unexpected but it's been it's been a wonderful journey and it was I suppose like a lot of I was initially you were covering the entertainment world Yeah I mean. I think I landed here. You know on that Friday I think on a Saturday I interviewed Angelina Jolie for a film called hackers that just come out and then after that you know a zillion premieres in Hollywood events later. You know he we are and I mentioned that you and this is in more recent years your your interest has moved away from from that from the showbiz world to the very fabric of this city and the architecture I'm just curious what prompted that change it was purely by accident I was working in Burbank where a lot of the film studios are based but not a lot of stuff happens in Burbank there's not a lot of stuff to do. The office that I work for moved downtown which was added largely neglected you know through the fifty's on words but it still had these remarkable structures from the dawn of the 20th century that were largely untouched and you know it was one of those rare places in Los Angeles where you could walk around and I was fascinated by the idea of working there so I started doing all these tours. One towards this guy said you know he kept stopping and saying that's a Parkinson building and that's a Parkinson building and that's a jump pockets of voting and he didn't tell us a lot about who jump Parkinson was and so I went home that night and I Googled him and he said jump are consumed from scorn in Lancashire and my father was from Lancashire and I was like well I'm going to I just want to see what his car looked like so I went into the Los Angeles Central Library and I went into the architecture section and I said I want to check out all of your books on jump Parkinson and the woman that worked in there just looked at me and said Who's that . You know I was in this point where I couldn't believe that the majority of iconic structures built at the dawn of the 20th century in Los Angeles. Were all designed by this guy from Lancashire that nobody seemed to know anything about you know we're not talking about you know unknown structures this is city hall perhaps the most I call it defining structure in the city the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum host of their 32842028 Olympics and arguably the most iconic of buildings in the city why it causes so if the greatest you know the Coliseum calls itself the greatest stadium on earth you know you don't do that unless you've held some decent events. Union Station which if you ask most Angelenos What's your favorite building in the city that's it and this list just kept going on and on and on. You know I just decided that I wanted to make a documentary about him. And that led to a book on him and another books and why I mean my 1st question would be why are you still so obscure why hadn't anyone done this in the past why I asked myself that question a lot of times but think I think what it essentially comes down to is that Los Angeles has a peculiar relationship with its history it's not a city that spends a lot of time looking backwards. You know it's a city that's very forward focused and I think it's only recently that historians have really started picking apart how it transitions so quickly into being Metropolis I mean one of the things that really fascinates me about Parkinson is that here arrived here in 8094 when the the population's 50000 people when he died in 1935 the population is well over 1500000 and within that period when you're transitioning from effectively an outpost to Metropolis he defines the structures that will. The significant building blocks to becoming a major international city and you have written books you've made a foam about him as well which was broadcast on public television here earlier this year and I know that in itself it is quite a story how you made that phone how you got together all the materials how long it took We'll get to that in a 2nd I just want to play a little clip from your phone because it does kind of illustrate that the roots of this guy where he came from and the kind of family that he had back in England all of these distinct Los Angeles landmarks both are designed to a long forgotten architect the son of a mill worker born a world away in the industrial northwest of England. There was nothing about his humble beginnings that hinted at the remarkable journey that lay ahead of John Parkinson born into a working class family in the villages in Lancashire on December 12th 18th 61 his father Thomas was an engineer at the local cotton mill his mother Mary and housewife devoted to her son and his older sister Margaret. He was a capable man strong character but with keen sympathy and cons and as for all things living of a smoked old drunk intoxicating liquors she was every single word mother expresses devoted to a children unselfish and self sacrificing capable and courageous and old circumstances John packets in 870 the family moved 50 miles south to Bolton when Thomas Parkinson was hired as an engineer in a newly opened cotton mill and so the story goes on and Steve you could use the expression salt of the earth I think in terms of that was the image that I got from that description of his family a very very unpretentious and curious that joining his whole life Parkinson remained fairly and potential. You know but it I think one of the things that would be for him hard to get his head around is the oil East his family is that he goes off to America has this wonderful success but he still loves to go back to Britain and what one of the images I always like to you know like to imagine is that he was used to take back the latest American car you know back to seize family and ball and you can just imagine him driving up the Kabul street saw you know going to the pub but his friends and you know say what happened to you in your life you know and had a great life in the factory you know a job what did you do well I designed the majority of iconic structures on the West Coast the United States where you say he would take back a car yes it wouldn't be easy it would it would know that I mean he shipped by train it's like crossed America by train and then put it on a boat I would like a car of a car imagine what that was like and all the kids in Bolton used to follow him so you're talking several weeks maybe months you know she thought yeah and he would do this once a year once a year. You know at a point when he reached the financial success to do that and what kind of cars about stage we're talking about. I would have trouble remembering exactly the names of them but I mean they were very expense Yeah you know he had there was one consistent theme that ran for his family that they loved the most expensive car whatever it was and so from this unassuming background what what did he have that made him so successful around the most presumably been a lot of competition in Los Angeles Well I think I think he was I mean with the curious thing about John Parkinson stories that you know it all happens by accident you know he comes to the United States initially with $5.00 in the top box just looking for adventure after completing an apprenticeship and he thinks he's going to be here for 2 years and in that 2 years you end up in Minneapolis way becomes the foreman of a sawmill building staircases which are 24 years old is a considerable experience and probably something that wouldn't have happened if he'd stayed in Britain he goes back to Britain and. As fate would have it there's an advertisement for a foreman of a saw mill building staircases and he goes for the interview and Bowen and they basically scoff at his American experience but the thing that really defined his life at that point is that they do offer him a job but they offer him a job at a level just above that of an apprentice and so he realizes that really America is this land of opportunity he goes back to San Francisco because he seen a photograph of San Francisco in an art exhibit and literally knows nothing about color California other than it's a warm tropical country where you should be civil in order to be avoid being shot or stabbed which is very much like today but he's hired and Napa as the foreman of a sawmill building staircases decides to build his own house the landlord weighs living sees the plans for his house and says you could design in addition to the bank of Napa where my brother works he's looking for an architect to do it and literally from that moment on he decides to call himself an architect soon afterwards gets a letter from friends in Seattle who say it's a great place for a young architect because the Seattle becomes the 1st schools architect superintendent construction designs 32 schools in the Pacific Northwest new Morse commercial structures as a crash in 1903 and he has a young family in his side's Well you know it's San Francisco or Los Angeles so he goes to Los Angeles. It's a it's a fascinating story Robert and let me just introduce you to Steve here well Steve I'm very we're very pleased to have this bit of her reunion this is really nice to to hear from you and to learn all this is just fabulous for having me it's great I was before you soon as I saw this I thought of by the one book I read before I 1st visited Los Angeles which was a book about Los Angeles architecture and it wasn't just a book about life as a stock that was about the kind of spirit of Los Angeles and it was by our Yorkshireman called Rainer bottom who wrote about you know he wrote about all the buildings of Los Angeles and it opened my eyes I'd have to say I'd never viewed Los Angeles and that way before. He's still a little bit of a legend amongst you know those that have an appreciation for Los Angeles architecture so it's a very it's a very familiar name in Los Angeles and he was the buildings we were talking about many of them as I now realize were Parkinson's buildings. Punch their pockets pockets and really defined the skyline of Los Angeles their own avoidable you know what once you get to know where Parkinson buildings are in Los Angeles you're constantly surrounded by the and did Parkinson build in any one area I mean did they build predominantly on the downturn. Yet put predominately But you know it was an architectural empire that kind of spread as far as Salt Lake City or Dallas Texas but. This still at least 50 Parkinson buildings in downtown Los Angeles right there so yeah the city city hall no. I mean so huge it's huge I suppose that's part of part of the appeal of all these buildings there are massive. Yeah I think also I mean you mentioned City Hall that was a really defining moment in the development of Los Angeles I mean when it opened it was more than 3 times the existing 150 foot height limit. It was the development of that structure was an obsession for Angelenos and you think when it opened in 1928 the population is about 1400000 and they have a parade when it actually opens where half a 1000000 people lined the site works to see sidewalks to see this you know structure officially dedicated and it was it was really the boldest statement possible you know that Los Angeles intended to embrace the future it was an incredible structure that obviously is still there but it really embrace the sort of romantic era of the skyscraper and made a statement Los Angeles intended to have a an important role in the future did John Parkinson have a protector or a back or was there somebody in Los Angeles and the sort of China Tony era who took him under his wing and said My son you can build all the buildings you want. I think I think he had a few actually. An early one was home a lot Flynn who is the better known as a ceramics tycoon. Home a lot Flynn wanted to build a new office structure jump Parkinson convinced him that he should design the city's 1st steel frame structure and Laughlin was unconvinced that a L.A. Based architect could pull this off so he insists the plans are sent to a Chicago firm for inspection they send them back saying they're really the finest arrangement of a steel frame structure that ever seen and that kind of won over Loughlin Laughlin becomes you know a really good advocate for Parkinson in the city and a great reference but by the time we get free to light you know 19 o 2 and he designs the 1st skyscraper in Los Angeles. He really sort of excels into a into a league by himself you know where he doesn't really need to hustle you know or go round pitching himself for jobs they kind of come to him after that and and these guys scrapers are on a par with anything that's been built in Chicago or a New York at the time. Yeah I mean obviously I mean Chicago had had skyscrapers for 10 years before they came to Los Angeles but yes they can they're comparable and you know I mean one of the I recently did a book on Los Angeles City Hall it's it's interesting to look at you know pick 2075 years before the current city hall opened Los Angeles is really sort of governed out of a little shack and then you know 75 years later we have this may just skyscraper defining an entirely new type of city. So I think it was just Parkinson was really I think the key part of the story is you know being in the right man in the VI place at the right Toibin you know having having the skill but also the self belief to capitalize on all the opportunities that existed at the dawn of the 20th century that you know perhaps you know would never existed then you have a period in Los Angeles history but there's never been a construction that really paralleled what went on in Parkinsons time where we're looking forward to talking to a lot more Peter about the city of Los Angeles City of the angels when we come back in just a couple minutes time Stephen G. Is our guest and he's the author of a biography of the great Los Angeles architect. Likes a born. Architect or Parkinson Thank you Peter and John part of so grateful it's half past 2 form digital all my smartphone and tablet this is B.B.C. 5 Live for the news our Custom House news this image of a garden in the West Midlands will receive license as police hunt for the body if Susie Lampley the home used to belong to the mother of John Cannon who's suspected of murdering the estate agent more than 30 years ago 2 teenagers have been arrested in Greater Manchester after a 3 year old boy was critically injured in a hit and run police were following a stolen white van that a fan to stop a lady went down into and was hit on Tuesday morning the government says it's adopting a 0 tolerance approach to violence against N.H.S. Staff as figures show attacks have reached a 5 year high in England ministers say offenders will face tougher sentences and stuff will be given better training in dealing with violence. President Trump has visited a synagogue in Pittsburgh where 11 people were killed by a gunman on Saturday a Jewish organization 100 him to stay away until he denounced white nationalism as the news has the sports league won but it's now been have stunned the championship Nottingham Forest 323 the quarterfinals of the League Cup for the 1st time in the history it was a thrilling match with Burton missing a penalty before all the goals came in the 2nd half a bit surreal for the birds and aftermath who is facing his former club but well it was a mixed emotions for me really because a high schooler forus literally 2 months ago so I'm happy we're doing the boys digging really well I think if you didn't know which team is in the Championship in which it was a League One you could tell that we got some class players and we did really well had a thing we deserved to win born with boss Eddie House says they were lucky to book their place in the quarterfinals after edging past nor each to one but the number we need to say is credit in origin for their actions and Ireland very very good and in all aspects of their place of credit that when you have a really tough game it can be a real threat I think to the championship this year got a great chance of going up on the evidence of tonight's performance but we were below par we didn't before but we got through me got a result and 2 in a cup competition that's the main thing Lester's 4th round cup game against Southampton was postponed after the helicopter crashed at the King Palace stadium but that Premier League game against Cardiff City will go ahead on Saturday more tributes will be paid to the club's owner. In a problem who died along with 4 others on Saturday Chelsea coach Marco Yani has been fined 6000 pounds by the F.A. For the way he celebrated that 96 minute equaliser against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge spawning an angry reaction from the United boss Josie Marino Yani admitted an improper conduct charge experience back Mike Brown has surprisingly been left out of the England rugby squad for Saturday's match with South Africa at Twickenham while lot Courtney Lawes has been ruled out with a niggling back problem he is England's forwards code. Steve Borthwick is a top quality player and we know that he's been. Over this last period of time with these poor Carney's working defense but we've also very very good players that are the scum when you look at the players record here in the train so well since you arrived here in Portugal so we go options now that joke of it could soon be back to world number one after winning his 19th match in a row he beat Portugal as well Number 48 in straight sets in the 2nd round of the Paris Masters all tennis correspondent. A competitive 1st set which Djokovic 175 despite having you serve broken to love was followed by a one sided 2nd which the serve one for the loss of just one game joke of each went into Wimbledon as the world number $21.00 but after losing just one month since June will return to the top of the rankings if the doll fails to win on Wednesday that does match against his fellow Spaniard Fernando if it ask it will be his 1st since retiring from the U.S. Open semifinal against one Martin del Potro with knee trouble and England's batsmen will need to impress on the 2nd day of their woman match against a president's 11 who declared on 329 for 9 on. How I see. What she's doing on the radio. Because it's children in turn lead grownups in grown ups raise money by doing Dancing have your face. On the spot since signing. A deal saying the children down the pool ticket today B.B.C. U.K. Slash across the U.K. . Is B.B.C. 508. John Parkinson John Parkinson John Parkinson John Parker. 100 times Peter. I think I make Stephen's point really doesn't it well exactly a beautifully makes Stevens point that he isn't one of those he isn't a household name far far from it but I think certainly and to Steve's credit Steve he has with us you've done a lot to raise his profile and certainly since writing your book and making a film his profile in this city I think has grown and your to credit for that well I appreciate that but I mean it's I think it was just the right time for the story you know I think you know to get to go to city officials for example and say you know let's celebrate somebody who did design these defining structures was quite an easy sell it wasn't it wasn't hard mission to get ahead you know and we were very fortunate a couple of years ago that the city council took it out and renamed the intersection of 5th and Spring Street downtown jump Parkinson Square you know underneath the big sign monumental architect which I just thought was wonderful and designed all 4 structures on the intersection back in the day that was a an important center of Los Angeles life I'm curious Steve about the process of doing your research and I know you've been many many years into this especially the making of the film was it 8 years from from start to finish and these extraordinary building city hall the Coliseum especially did you do you spend a lot of time up these buildings during the research process I spent a lot of time ever everywhere you know I think you know if there was any lead that I could go to and I mean you know this story took me back to school in Lancashire you know and one of the things I or I love telling Angelenos is that you know as part of research for this I went back to school and like to share Parkinson was born and station late in school so I figured I'm filming some shots in school and saw going to go down the main street and just ask folks knock on the door and say Do you have any. Old pitches of school so I knocked on the door and this is you know to me what makes Lancashire people special is that half the time a knock on the door say you have any photographs they say why don't you come in and have a cuppa to you know I say it was I know you're going to say that yeah it would take literally ages just to get from one end of the street and here I am a random stranger knocking on the door I mean if he did that I'm in Los Angeles he'd be taking your life in your hands yeah and you know you spent quite a bit of time at the Coliseum is what I did I was lucky I got to know the the manager of the Coliseum and you know there was a couple of days where I just said to him you know. Do you mind if I just sit in the coliseum with my laptop you know and I can I can feel the the goosebumps on my arms just telling you this this story now but I mean to think about all the incredible things that happened in that stadium and I mean I think once you spend time with the structures and get to know them they there's an there's an energy or life to them you know that he had been experience that's happened that just just to sit there was just incredible it does you know it it does have an influence in the way that you write or the way that you tell the stories later to know you know just what it meant to these people to be able to create these things and as you I'm just going to vision of you sitting there and this you know homeless building does I mean could you actually get much work done could did or did you just sit in all of the place I mean I was there for a long time so yeah I did I did get I did get work done but yeah it was it was impossible to just sit and try to imagine you know those incredible races that happened there. But also when I was one of the think funny things I was kind of a member with the Coliseum is that the 1st race the ever happened in the Coliseum involved jump Parkinson you know he'd finished the design at the stadium it was almost ready to open and he challenges the construction manager to race around the stadium. He's about 64 years old at this point and it gives up halfway around but you know he still has the distinction of being the 1st race of the Coliseum but not an official just as a great story and you got to know John Parkinsons family quite well very very well yeah and that's been one of the most sort of the warning parts of this process because you know not only was John Park in some forgot to Los Angeles but he was forgotten to his family and in a lot of ways I mean they obviously knew he was very important but you know I think once he you know if you have somebody who's motivated to find out about your family it's a fascinating process anybody's family to learn the history and when you have somebody that's better prepared to dedicate a lot of their life to doing that than you know it's fun it's fun to hang out and talk about things and you mentioned a little while ago the 2 books that he came to the states with 2 books still exist Yeah John Parkinsons house is still in Santa Monica. You know one of the interesting things about that house is that he has his widow lived through into the sort of mid 1960 S. The woman that bought the house there very recently died but. She you go into her lounge she had jumped Parkinsons toolbox as the coffee table you know I To me this is like the holy grail you know and she's like Oh when we watch T.V. We were always put off the upon it. Was just like oh no but you know it still exists it's got Jay Parkinson stamped on it and. And these houses pretty much exactly the same as if you'd walked out of it and you've been able to go through documents and look inside the 2 a box and really get deep into a lot of his possessions Yeah I mean what one of the most fascinating things to me was that I'd always had talk about John Parkinson scrapbook and his relatives seem to believe it gone missing in the 1980 S. They kept telling me about all these important things that it had in it and I kept thinking well what could you find there and that they had all these theories about why it disappeared and then them in a very sort towards the end of this whole process so I got this text message saying we found it you know and I merely went to Boston where it was located and went to look at it it literally had everything in it that I was missing Let me just backtrack you received a text message yes how did you respond to that while I was actually in the middle of a lecture watching somebody somebody else's lecture and I just sneak out. I literally got on the you know the 1st realistic flight that I could get home. To to go and see it and it was just jam packed full of stuff and it was incredible because it had all this correspondence that you know between Parkinson and people like Henry Ford. You know Herbert Hoover and I mean I knew I knew he was well connected but I don't think you know even even though he'd had such an important you know inspiration for Los Angeles I didn't think I even really fully understand the level of his influence until I went for the scrap book. It's been like a treasure hunt feed me yeah I mean I would describe being in that scrapbook as the closest thing to the you know the final stages of an Indiana Jones meet me I mean I would trade that for a Temple Temple find any any day you know it was just. It was just mesmerizing I mean I had 3 days to go through this thing and I just spent exactly 3 days you know I'd go to bed get up and do it again and. When I left I just felt so sad because it was like I knew that would probably never be another experience in my life when you found the holy grail of something that you were so passionate about and that's what's really coming through to me Steve now is your passion for this project and you I suppose you really found yourself in many ways haven't you been here would describe 20 years ago covering a very different world Hollywood and entertainment but but this has lit your passion like nothing else oh yeah I mean I've been fortunate enough that you know. I have when I 1st started working on a documentary I struggled to find funding for the documentary apply for a lot of grants some people would say well we never had a job Parkins you know so. I decided one day somewhat crazily in that I could write a book about him. I looked researched publishers that might be interested in a book like that and I came across a new city press who made these wonderful books about California history and I went to their website and it said send us a proposal or better still send us a letter we'll get back to you and tell you in 2 to 4 months if we've won your proposal and. A wonderful editor publisher cooked a particular stroke literally rang me the next day after it said that letter and said We know we are making this up we didn't believe that. All these buildings had been designed by the same person. You know that led to a book about Parkinson. At that which was a wonderful experience incredibly overwhelming research project and I thought well you know the end of a 4 never do that again and. You know they can publish you came to me and said Would you want to do a book without all sorts man who's an Oscar winning director. An incredible graphic designer who I know you know you know very well I know well and he's been on this program you know and that led to a book on a Los Angeles City Hall so I got like a whole alternative career out of having really a family connection to Lancashire and without that connection I don't think I would have done it. It's a gripping story gripping story isn't it what was what was John Parkinsons relationship to the freeway system you know given how influential as being in the development of the city Well I mean he he would he would have missed most that most of the most of the freeway system he came around in in the 1960 S. Ome woods. You know I didn't do the research for this project I managed to find some home movies for John Parkinson in it you see his house in Santa Monica and there's literally nothing behind it for morals and morals around you know. It was a completely different time a completely undeveloped city in the way that we know it now and you know. The idea of downtown being the center of the city was much more relevant than it is now. And you said it was a good friend of Henry far to me would that have been the major way of getting around or would there have been there was quite a big trains step to San Yes I mean they had the track the tram car system which was incredible in fact in you know the dawn of the 20 century it's much it was much much more extensive than than it is even today you know I mean once Los Angeles sort of got embraced the idea of the automobile as a way of getting around that that tram system really goes away in stages but the network work of transportation at the dawn of the 20th century is actually really quite impressive you know you could get from one end of the city to another in a way that would you'd really struggle to do even now to get from one of those projects to another somewhat easily maybe maybe not and much more time than it would take today given the traffic yeah I mean it's interesting because you read a lot of the old 920 S. Newspapers and you see that Angelenos. Complaining about all the things that they complain about today you know the lack of available parking the gridlock downtown and it's just been one of those things that has been constant to the experience of living here do you have a favorite building. Yes I. Books will share which is a was a very fair it's now a Southwestern law school but it was. For many years what was described as an art deco cathedral of commerce it was. A department store that really sort of signaled the it was the 1st sort of. Department store outside a major metropolitan area it's just like I did a couple miles outside of downtown Los Angeles and Long before I knew who jump Parkinson was this sort of very striking Art Deco structure always got me when I drive down Wilshire Boulevard I would also always trying to get a red light. So I could start right in front of it and look inside of it because it's just it's just a remarkable structure I mean it at the time you know modern know had never been so sort of Masterly masterfully wife went into the design of a building as books will share really is such an artistic statement that would be incredible impossible to replicate today because it would cost too much money and you go into that in quite a lot of detail in your documentary and there was someone who is quite famous who as a young woman work that you know when I when I 1st started researching this project you know I found out fairly early that Angela Lansbury who we all know from medicine she wrote and you know on an incredible film career. Worked in books will share in December 1902 as a cashier she was 1st hired she went on to self. Kits for the store and I thought well who better to tell the story of what it was like to work in this wonderful pockets and design masterpiece and I thought well I'll try and track it down and I found out who her agent was and I rang up the agent and I got this young guy out of the phone and I said well you know this is what I'm doing and he said well send me an e-mail and I said want to email he's like well assistant I think as assistant number 2 whatever the agency name is Dot Com and I thought well this isn't going to work and so I had to find out you know people that work more closely with her and I found out who you know who the system was and I started writing to her and I find out where the Lansbury was a low start of writing to her and then I start sending flash flowers to her and then I start sending flowers to her assistant and this whole process went on for literally a year and then one day a sister calls me up and says you know this Lance Bass agreed to go and talk you know she can come to the house and talk to you which it was to me was another one of those. Incredible moments that you know it would be hard to hard to replicate this is the your experience as an entertainment produce a beginning to pay off you're under stand the system and how to people Well yeah I mean I wouldn't I mean I would say that taking a year to get to somebody it is an efficient way of you know making use of that knowledge but it was it worked you know not I 5 I finally went to a house and she came in and she looked incredibly beautiful she was well you know perfect absolutely perfectly put together and I sat there and I said I said well you know thank you so much for doing this you know it means absolutely having to him to me and she said I know it I know it does and then I said Well do you remember much about working at Bullock's Wilshere and she looks at me and she said no not really and then she paused that you guys I'm only joking Richard it's just like an enormous relief because I was being spoofed by Angela Lansbury she told some great stories you know about being in there William Randolph Hearst come comes in with Marion Davis who's draping this incredible fur coat along the floor and it was you know it was just one of those very special moments because obviously as a as a or her experience she's a wonderful storyteller. And I guess a kind of seen the documentary I guess as a filmmaker I want to your frustrations having achieved this great interview and I guess lots and lots of stories how little of it you could put into the final cut of the documentary Yeah that's it that fact is incredibly frustrating In fact I've been working on the D.V.D. Recently and that's going to be the bonus feature of the good because it it's there's just too many stories in the I mean you know I'm delighted to hear that because I knew that story I watched the film and I was actually Will disappointed how little of until the laundry was in the phones I'm delighted to know that we can get to see the more of the interview or just to give you one example you know Angela Lansbury worked in books where she had mother also worked in Bullock's welsher mother spent too much she would never work in the kids' department and she spent too much time explaining the games to the kids in the store was fired for working in the toy department so I don't know there's just not a lot of stuff about that is hard to get into or what is predominately an architecture film but you know they are fantastic stories that you I know now spend a lot of time you host events you talk to groups of people about your work and about architecture in Los Angeles which maybe 10 years ago 15 years ago that wouldn't have been the Steve G. The dying I knew then you have really transformed yourself and you well I think you know we were talking about this earlier that once you sort of get invested in projects your life changes in ways that I don't think you really anticipate and you know when I when I 1st pitched this book I didn't really expect the publisher to take it when we had the launch for the book it was in city hall and found out that you know a large part of the city government was coming and I had literally no public speaking experience and I'd always been the kid at school that didn't want to speak in front of class or you know no I had to because of the expectation with that I had to learn how to do it and you know I had a couple of friends that helped me I took endless classes in public speaking and now it's very much a very normal part of my life but. I had to do it because I had to promote this book but I think also there was a sense of purpose with with Parkinson that kind of gives you confidence that when you go on stage that you needed to correct in some ways an enormous historical oversight I mean here was a guy whose life is really trying to with the identity of Los Angeles and if you really want to understand what Los Angeles is and why it looks the way that it does then you had to know who he was and to have you know to create a documentary where you struggled to find people to interview because there are so many so few credible voices that could you know properly Arctic you late the you know enormity of his contribution was was just incredible in that it's the kind of story that I could only really happen in Los Angeles you know if this was London New York or Chicago there would be several books about him maybe even a couple of films. But in Los Angeles literally nothing. And how do you reflect on your own journey with that in mind what you've achieved in learning to public speaking in public about a topic that clearly you a very very enthusiastic about you very knowledgeable about but you know a couple of decades ago this it wasn't the journey that you were on was it not but I think you know I mean I think that's one of the ways in which my story current of slightly parallels Parkinsons story in the sense that Parkinson had no formal training as an architect you know he basically. Teaches itself you know he goes to the library he reads every publication he can have and he becomes an expert in the subject by doing that and in certain some ways my own stories been fairly comparable I don't have an architectural background I have a journalistic sort of news background you know I have a background as a storyteller but I don't have a experience in architecture and I had to teach myself in order to get a sort of a mastery of the subject so. It's been it's been a transformative experience but. You know I think anybody is passionate about anything you know there's never a point when you don't want to learn any more about it. Just listening to you talking about public speaking and so I wondered if Parkinson had the same experience because quite often these days you know architects get themselves involved in promoting their projects don't they and talking about it with the citizenry who might for all we know object to what they have in mind did he have to do a lot of self promotion Yes I think I think that's what another thing that's kind of key to Parkinson's story that is that there's really no point in being the most brilliant architect in the world if you can't sell yourself and unfortunately I think that's you know an essential part being an architect then as it is now is that you need to be able to articulate why your vision should be accepted and I think that was something he was very good at and he developed all these strategies in order to capitalize on that you know to get to give you an example if there was ever a commission that would interview perspective architects he would always try and be the last person in the room because he knew that that would be the defining message that stayed in the board's memory where they were consider any and anything can and I think he was an excellent salesman but I think that came down to having a self belief you know I think I was thinking about the Coliseum and the towers were just Turner's were his idea what was he thinking when he put the Turks on the coast whether I mean it I mean if you're thinking more about the so that the Olympic torch that went up there for just this year yeah Was there an $84.00 and I just remember looking over there and seeing this you know impressive structure. At the end of the of the track. Yeah I mean the Coliseum was originally sort of developed as a world war you know tribute to the veterans of the 1st World War. I think you know he sort of had some very sort of classic ideas involved in that but obviously when it opened in 2003 gets massively expanded for the 932 games not the I think the limpid torch that you're referring to was added. In in 1932 for Los Angeles to welcome those games and I think. One of the things to to me about the 32 Olympics that is just is really fascinating is that 20 years earlier L.A. Has a population of about 100000 people and now here they are hosting the largest sporting event in the world and need to think about what must have been like if you are an Angeleno to know that you know. That was followed you know here we have the whole world's attention look at us. Our guest. Has been Stephen G. Is the biographer of the architect of some of the greatest buildings 50 huge body metal buildings in Los Angeles and we're very pleased that you were able to be with us thank you very much Steve thank you. I tried again. Just for news. For anyone else this C.B.C. 5. B.B.C. News now with Liam Smedley news on 5 Live police will continue to search a garden in the West Midlands as they look for the body of Susie lamb player and in sports betting make history by reaching the League Cup quarter finals for the 1st time this is B.B.C. 5 Live police investigating the disappearance of Susie lamb player more than 30 years ago will continue searching a garden in the West Midlands Today the House insisting coalfield used to belong to the mother of John Cannon who was the prime suspect in the state's agent's murder Suki Barker is from the Suzy trust which was set up after her disappearance people always speak with such passion about Suzy's case when we speak to the public have a fall back it has been she knew how to live life to the max and really has gripped the public would be obviously incredible to have some sort of a resolution and we are always amazed at the support that the trust has had an economic research group has described the chancellor's budget as a bit of a gamble the Institute for Fiscal Studies says the forecast that allowed for extra spending could easily change for the worse President Trump has visited Pittsburgh were 11 people was shot dead at a synagogue on Saturday some pull some local politicians religious leaders had urged Mr Trump to stay away accusing him of creating friction and intolerance that campaign rallies. The government says it's taking a 0 tolerance approach to dealing with violence against N.H.S. Staff new measures are being brought in to help speed up prosecutions and improve staff training and access to access to mental health support Kim Stanley is from the role College of Nursing and silly patient and dementia sometimes can accidentally you know her to nurse but that's very different to a willful intentional Strettle punch in the face by and somebody who's completely knows what they do prison officials in West Virginia are treating the death of the notorious Boston gangster James Whitey Bulger as a homicide the 89 year old who was convicted in 2013 of 11 murders without a responsive at the maximum security facility author Michael Connelly used to be a crime reporter in Los Angeles also anybody. Heard about him because he was pretty notorious for how many years he was on the lam phrase they've been looking for him for years and years. And one time before they finally caught him but he lived a long life free where he probably should have been in jail for a long time on being overweight or underweight to present a greater risk of death than previously thought according to new research.