Imagine being a 6 year-old in the 1960s, walking into the grandeur that was the Cockatoo Inn. In its prime, the Cockatoo drew patrons from all corners. Recently, one lucky lad sent us his memory, feasting like royalty in the dining room decorated in ‘ye olde English’ style. This is the brief tale of Eric…
Over the years, the Cockatoo has had many employees, managers, proprietors – all the people who contributed to make it the memorable landmark it was. Recently, we learned about someone who statedly worked at the Cockatoo, bartender Allan Rivelli. Early Days Originally from Providence, Rhode Island, Allan Rivelli was listed in the 1940 US Census…
Throughout the decades, people have had different types of experiences at the Cockatoo. One can imagine in the 1950s and 60s, date nights in suits and dresses. Maybe you danced with one of the many horse jockeys, like Becky did. There were countless breakfasts, brunches, lunches and group functions. Maybe you rocked out nightly to…
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…
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…
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…
Sometimes, it’s the simple things in life that we remember most fondly. Maybe it was the first time you rode a bike, or saw a ladybug on your hand. Perhaps it was you and the boys in the mud together. Admittedly, that is exactly what happened to Hawthorne native Rick Salisbury. He details exactly how…
The Lococo Trampoline Former Hawthorner, Larry Bach, recalls a great childhood memory of Andy and “the Lococo trampoline”: When the Lococos lived on Manor Drive, they also had a big trampoline that the neighborhood brats would jump all over. One day Andy Lococo got up on the block wall between his house an the next…
While purusing the socials, we came across the account Historic Los Angeles, who posted a memory from Los Angelan, Jose Garcia, posted March 30, 2018: When I was a kid living in Lennox, CA across the street from Hawthorne, CA, I used to walk by the Cockatoo Inn on my way home from Larch Elementary…
Those of us who were kids in the 80s and 90s are the last generations to have actually visited the Cockatoo Inn while it was still operating.