Venue Address: 8919 Sunset Blvd. - West Hollywood, CA 
Promotion: London Fog/Jesse James
Event: Venue Exclusive
Also Performing:
Rhonda Layne (Go-Go Dancer)
Setlist:
Rock Me
Baby, Please Don't Go
You Make Me Real
Don't Fight It
Hoochie Coochie Man (Ray On Vocals)
Strange Days
Lucille
Other Known Materials:
Gloria
Latin Bullshit #1 (Instrumental)
Latin Bullshit #2 (Instrumental)
Louie, Louie
The End
Recordings / Film:
Amateur/Audience Recording
Photographers:
Nettie Peña
Reviews / Info:
-The Doors begin their engagement at the London Fog prior to March 12th.
-This venue is known as Jesse James' Opera House prior to becoming the London Fog in September 1965.
-The London Fog attracts ex-G.I.'s and riffraff as customers to its bar.
-John Densmore and Robby Krieger present the owner of the London Fog with their demo in hopes of landing a job.
-The Doors are given an opportunity to audition and bring in an audience.
-During their audition, friends and UCLA classmates show up in large numbers to offer support for the band.
-Impressed by their ability to draw a crowd, The Doors are hired as house band by club owner Jesse James.
-The Doors are hired to play five sets a night from Thursday to Sunday.
-On the second night of performances the venue is dead.
-The Doors are later asked to play additional sets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
-The Doors are later given a banner marquee that includes hired go-go dancer Rhonda Layne.
-UCLA classmate Nettie Peña photographs and records The Doors during their first shows for a student film project.
-Setlist above reflects only one set from opening night.
-The exact number of performances during this time period are unknown.
-The Doors regularly visit the Whisky a Go Go between sets.
-Jim Morrison meets Pamela Courson while The Doors are employed at the London Fog.
-Jim Morrison meets author Eve Babitz while The Doors are employed at the London Fog.
"Back in '66, I saw The Doors perform live at the London Fog on Sunset Strip. Talk about a lead singer being camera shy - you only saw his face maybe 5 or 6 times during the performance. Most of the time his back was to the audience. Being that I saw them over 44 yrs ago, the only thing that I can remember about them was that they didn't seem very tight and they still looked like they were trying to find their place. I can't recall any songs that they did, although I do recall that two of them were blues covers."
Tadeusz Roblewsky
Lethbridge, AB
Copyright © 2010 Tadeusz Roblewsky
A Special Thanks to Tadeusz Roblewsky for sharing his memories of the London Fog with MildEquator.com!
VENUE PHOTO BY ED RUSCHA
CALL IT COLLAGE '66 - NETTIE PENA
Info:
A UCLA student film by Nettie Peña that includes recordings and photographs of The Doors from their first performance at the London Fog. Original screening programs describe this film as "An advanced design project". Nettie's 1965 film is titled Cum Joyn Us and another 1966 film is titled The Wonderful World Of Wigs.
"The artists in my film Call it Collage '66 were my friends. My sister, Estela Peña created paper Collages; Joan Churchill was a filmmaker who loved the camera; Tony Berlant who lived at Venice Beach created metal assemblages; Judith Aston my roommate was a modern dancer in the UCLA Department of Dance; Ben Sakoguchi had experienced the WWII Japanese internment, he painted images of war, Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek were my friends in Film School. I used The Doors London Fog music that I had recorded and the pictures I took in my film Collage." - Nettie Peña, 2020
TAPE BOX & REEL:
SUNSET STRIP 35MM
Info:
Approximately one month prior to the start of The Doors engagement at the London Fog in 1966, two rolls of 35mm film are shot from a moving car along the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. Two angles are set up for filming, both from a sideview and rearview angle, and The London Fog can be seen. The Rascals are headlining the marquee of the Whisky A Go Go during this time period, and other familiar sites associated with The Doors can be identified. Each roll of film contains approximately two minutes of footage.
MONDO BIZARRO - DIRECTED BY LEE FROST
Info:
A brief segment of footage shot for this film shows a legible marquee of the London Fog in 1966. The Doors are the house band at this venue in before moving down the street to the Whisky A Go Go. For many years, the exact location of the London Fog was unknown despite heavy research, however the discovery of this brief segment of film has revealed the original location of the nightclub. While this footage is on the screen, the narrator states "This is Sunset Boulevard, legendary street of dreams and myths. Young people from all over the world are drawn here by the glamour and the film industry. For this is Hollywood. Now, just a small section of Los Angeles. Here are the favored clubs and watering places of the celebrated."
ARCHIVE/MEMORABILIA:
REVIEW:
Newspaper: The Desert SunAuthor: Unknown
Publish Date: March 12th - 1966
Copyright © The Desert Sun
Contributed By: MildEquator.com
VENUE ARTICLE:
Newspaper: The Los Angeles TimesAuthor: Paul Coates
Publish Date: September 24th - 1965
Copyright © The Los Angeles Times
Contributed By: MildEquator.com
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