People call in strange sightings all the time from the freeways of Southern California, but we can't imagine the level of jaw-dropping-ness that went down when Tail o' the Pup showed up on the 405.
The iconic hot dog stand rolled along the freeway on the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 3 after emerging from seven-plus years in a Torrance storage unit. The next stop for the Pup? Reno, Nevada, where it will be restored for a History Channel program. (Update: The Pup is actually making for Las Vegas, a city known for some quirky architecture.)
Alison Martino of Vintage Los Angeles was on the scene as the legendary weiner was carefully loaded onto a truck for the big journey. No rollin' free-style for the wee building, though; the movie star meat got to ride in style, uncovered and for all to see.
You know Tail o' the Pup is a total movie star, right? "LA Story" and "Body Double" are two films featuring the frankfurter.
Built in 1946 by architect Milton Black, Tail o' the Pup became a West Hollywood fixture, bopping around San Vicente and La Cienega Boulevards for a number of years. Land got expensive and the Pup bid farewell to its Cedars-Sinai-adjacent location at the close of 2005 when other developments for its space brewed.
After that? Storage was next for the stand, to the great heartbreak of its many fans. Now the Blake family, which has been a part of the Pup since the '70s, want it to have its day in the sun. Or, Las Vegas to begin with, at least during its restoration.
We can't imagine what drivers along the freeways are going to think as the famous frankfurter makes its way along.
Want to see more of its epic roll? Vintage Los Angeles is launching its own channel, with VLA head honcha Alison Martino and producers P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes at the helm (the executive producers behind the sublime Kubrick-cool documentary "Room 237"). So stayed tuned.
And stay tuned for where Tail o' the Pup will land after its renovation, best watch its official Facebook page for the latest.
Oh, but the sweet nostalgia: Look at Tail o' the Pup go!
