San Fernando Valley abbreviated SFV.

The 1950 census

gives more information about the LaRocca/Cotterell family unit.

We seem the family listed at a residence in Gardena at 1830 W. 147th.

Enlarge the document and you see that Joseph’s occupation is Radio Orchestra Manager, Virginia, a Christian Science Practitioner.

Donna has an empty box for occupation, her daughters Constance S. is listed as 7 years and Diana L. as 5 years.

Constance would have been in the second grade and Diana, kindergarten, if she went.

See the listing for Virginia LaRocca, CSP, at this same address but no Joseph is listed.

It’s unusual that Joseph and Virginia weren’t listed together. The married couple had been listed together every other year for decades, both in directories and voter registrations.

I first connected the family to 13055 Moorpark St. address by a city building permit dated Dec. of 1952.

It seems reconstruction was made into a duplex, Ned and Virginia are on one side, Donna and the girls are on the other.

More specifically, off of the intersection of Coldwater Canyon and Ventura Blvd.

The duplex on Moorpark & Ethel, is located on the west side of Studio City, close to the eastern border with Sherman Oaks.

The Los Angeles River is nearby the house, as is Sportsman’s Lodge; a classic Hollywood and SFV landmark.

It’s recently been totally or partially demolished.

Ned & family were aware of this part of the SFV area for some time before their move.

Joseph’s only sister of many brothers was named Kathryn Marinello.

She and her husband Anthony, opened a food store at 13251 Moorpark in 1947, seen below.

There is a 1947 City document I have been unable to download; indicating a “food store” at 13251 Moorpark St. The building was not owned by the Marinellos but a business announced, as seen here.

Meanwhile……Diana’s father Robert Morgan Cotterell also moved to the SFV around this time, but further west of his daughters and ex-wife.

His new wife (1949) Patricia/Pat Frick and their two children born in 1950 and 1951, started out in the Canoga Park/Winnetka area.

Robert’s daughters by Donna V., were living in Gardena when “Bob and Pat” were parenting 2 toddlers on Lurline Ave.

I can’t imagine they saw each other that often but who knows?

It’s the first of many moves around LA for the Cotterell family due to Bob Cotterell Sr.’s career at Douglas Aircraft.

We do not know exactly why the LaRocca family moved to the SFV.

However, we know they were part of a massive migration to the area after World War 2, from both inside and outside California.

“The end of WW2 transformed the Valley and vastly accelerated its growth

with: vast tracts of suburban housing, shopping centers and industrial parks where chicken ranches, orchards and cattle ranches and wheat fields once existed. The 1940s and 50s, when I was growing up, the Valley was full of movie cowboys, beautiful ranches and fine horses.”  

Jerry England at cowboyup.com

“In the five years after the war, the population (of SFV) more than doubled to 402,538 residents-the pastoral San Fernando Valley was suddenly the ninth-busiest urban area in the nation. Valley society was a mix of young suburbanites, older families who had come west to try their luck as engineers, animators, or pioneers in the new field of television, and ranchers trying to hang on in the face of the new hordes.”

The San Fernando Valley: America’s Suburb by Kevin Roderick

 I discovered that Ned LaRocca spent most of the 1950s working as an “orchestra manager.”

He worked for composer/conductor Leith Stevens.

I saw this information through Ned’s death certificate, seen below.

I can confirm two Leith Stevens projects that have a credit as “contractor” for Ned LaRocca: A Doris Day album recorded in 1951 at 1032 Sycamore Street.

It was a studio known at that time as “The Annex.”

The website careerexplorer.com defines an orchestra contractor is:  “He or she has the job of finding the appropriate musicians for Broadway shows, television episodes and commercials.”

Ned had experience adapting to a new mass medium.

In his first industry performing on the Vaudeville stage performing the harp. (See related chapters)

Vaudeville died in the early 1930s during the Great Depression and Radio programming became a mass entertainment form.

One significant factor that changed the popularity of radio programming was the rise of TV in the 1950s.

Drama, comedy and musical variety and interview shows moved to TV.

In the 1950s Los Angeles had a burgeoning music recording industry scene.

Ned worked in each of these mediums. Performing on radio broadcasts and orchestra managing for films.

In 1950, just under 20 percent of American homes contained a TV set. Ten years later, nearly 90 percent of homes contained a TV—and some even had color TVs. The number of TV stations, channels, and programs all grew to meet this surging demand.

encyclopedia.com

Ned LaRocca has a credit on Leith Steven’s 1953 score to the Marlon Brando movie “The Wild One.”

This record was a hit, released by Decca records, it remains Stevens’ most widely known work.  J. Ned LaRocca is credited as “Contractor” on the project: Per Discogs.com.

As I understand, the Wild One was the first soundtrack entirely made up of Jazz music.

I recently watched The Wild One and noticed there are long stretches where there is an notable absence of music.

Besides composing and conducting “The Wild One” soundtrack, Leith Stevens composed scores for radio shows, movies and  T.V. from the 1930s until his death in 1970.

This includes Film Noir classic Private Hell 36, co-written by and starred Ida Lupino.

Another Stevens credit was for The Bigamist, directed by and starring Lupino. So there was a relationship there with the pioneer female director, Lupino. Or maybe he was just assigned to the project.

A minuscule list of Leith Stevens credits includes both credited and uncredited work.

Just a very few: It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946, Ma & Pa Kettle Back on the Farm, 1951, 1954, Earth Vs. Flying Saucers in 1956, The Ann Sothern Show, 1960, Twilight Zone, early 1960s.

He composed 100s of stock music pieces for Hollywood media.

Virginia Young LaRocca in the 1950s.

Diana’s grandmother. She started out life as a Mormon in Utah, but somewhere along the way became a Christian Scientist.

She is listed as “Chr. Sci.pr.” (Christian Science Practitioner) in Los Angeles telephone directories in the 1940 and 1950s. Virginia was listed with her own telephone line.

(Read more about Virginia and her sister Josephine’s early years as a Vaudeville performer in the family history chapters.)

A Christian Science practitioner is an individual who prays for others according to the teachings of Christian Science. Treatment is non-medical, rather it is based on the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (1875) by Mary Baker Eddy (1821–1910), who said she discovered Christian Science in 1866 and founded the Christian Science church in 1879. According to the church, Christian Science practitioners address physical conditions, as well as relationship or financial difficulties and any other problem or crisis.

wikipedia

At some point, the Christian Science Church won the right to accept insurance for their practitioners. However, I have been unable to find exactly what year.

So, I can’t tell how much income Virginia might have earned from her vocation as a CSP.

In 1955, an LA telephone directory lists a Ned J. LaRocca at 4414 N. Ethel and a Virginia Young LaRocca with the same address.

Donna Cotterell is listed with the 13055 Moorpark address. 13055 Moorpark is on a corner with Ethel St.

4114 Ethel St. doesn’t seem to be an “real” address;  I don’t find a record of it anywhere besides the phone directory.

1957 Virginia Young LaRocca is listed in the phone directory at 4414 N. Ethel State 4-7052 North Hollywood. Cr. Sci. Pr.

This could be a result of the house modification for Donna, Diana and Constance Cotterell, it was made into a duplex.

I’m sure Donna received child support from her ex-husband Robert Cotterell. And likely alimony until Donna remarried in 1958 to Jack Holroyd in a Las Vegas wedding.

It is probable that grandfather Ned LaRocca was the primary breadwinner of this household.

This would have been normal for the times.