We recently connected with former Cockatoo Inn employee, Val Crotty. When Val worked at the Cockatoo, the joint was in different hands. By 1978, Andrew Lococo had already passed. Despite this, the Cockatoo still had an air of intrigue that commanded a certain level of esteem. Guy walks into a bar Let’s step back a…
By 1971, there were numerous reports about Milwaukee police officers and detectives going on lavish trips on the taxpayer dime. With Andy Lococo’s Milwaukee roots, it was no surprise to find some of those cops at the Cockatoo. Suspects and inmates blew the whistle on law enforcement, offering up first hand accounts of extradition trips…
In the late 1960s, Andy Lococo took several fishing trips to Mexico. In 1972, Andy had commissioned what was at the time, the largest tuna boat in the world. The Largest Tuna Boat in the World Around July 1968, Andy Lococo sought funding for the boat, explaining to officials that he wanted to start a…
The Desert Sun labeled their union an “Italian Romance” in 1963. In August of the same year, the Minervinis celebrated at the Cockatoo Inn. The occasion was their 25th wedding anniversary. Over 40 family and friends attended the dinner in Hawthorne. However, it was in 1938 that the paper said an “American-born Italian girl” (it…
We all know that Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown was an ode to the South Bay. He showed the world Del Amo mall in Torrance, and of course, the Cockatoo Inn in Hawthorne. But his latest film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is more than a nostalgic fairy tale. It’s a love letter to vintage…
I’m not the biggest fan of biopics. You know, movies that try to tell a person’s whole life through generalized events, amidst amorphous timelines. However, this week I picked up a biopic on the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson. As you probably know, the Wilsons grew up in Hawthorne, and went to Hawthorne High School. The…
Recently, a small article was discovered that announced a new joint in southern California. This time it wasn’t Andy’s Cockatoo, but brother Nick’s “Lococo’s” restaurant. The Palos Verdes News headline from Dec 19, 1957 read: “Lococo’s Open in Manhattan.” It called it, “an exciting new restaurant and cocktail lounge” run by brothers Nick and Michael…
Uncovered nice personal memories from Debbie and Keith, a couple of Hawthorne locals. This first one comes from Debbie, who recalled: “Wow, Cockatoo Inn conjures up some interesting memories. My Dad loved the ponies and most of the time on his way home from Hollywood Park he would stop by the Cockatoo Inn. Occasionally I…
When we started this website, we were shocked to find that no one ever wanted this domain. In a way it’s understandable that the Cockatoo Inn never had an official website. It closed just as the web started to take off. But, better late than never. In the short time we’ve been building the site,…
In 1958, a fire destroyed the old Cockatoo. Then, the razing of the entire building finally occurred in 2005. Imagine seeing the Cockatoo Inn destroyed twice. That’s exactly what former Hawthorne resident Jim Dally saw as a child, then later as an adult. According to John Baker’s Cougartown site, Jim stated in 2005: Recently, I…