In the 1950s, Litchfield’s Bermuda Palms was “the place to see and be seen” in the North San Francisco Bay. Promoted as “California’s Las Vegas,” big bands played there and Hollywood celebrities stayed there. It was important that the sign be as grand as its associated business. Not surprisingly, the Litchfield’s sign measures a whopping 46 by 8 feet, and features 1,500 scintillating bulbs. By the 1990s, the sounds of music playing and pool splashing had long faded into history. The once notable venue was on its way to becoming a rather forgettable Days Inn. In 2010, the Litchfield’s sign was beautifully restored by Neon Works of Oakland, thanks to funding from Perry Litchfield. And today, there’s still a little bit of Vegas left in San Rafael.  

San Francisco’s Coca-Cola billboard used to be one of several Coca-Cola spectaculars that dotted the state. Electrical Products Corp. manufactured and installed the South of Market sign in 1937. In the 1950s, the billboard looked a bit different. A banner at the top encouraged viewers to “Have a Coke” and there was a timed messaging sequence incorporated into the scaffolding below the main bulletin. Viewers were encouraged to “pause…refresh,” “drink Coca-Cola,” and perhaps go sailing? (a trio of neon sailboats appeared in one scene). In 2010, the 70 by 30 foot sign was stripped of its neon and retrofitted with LEDs—a change praised by some, cursed by others.

At 180 by 50 feet, it was the largest illuminated advertising display to be erected in Northern California in the year 1956. The C and the H letters, representing the states California and Hawaii respectively, are each 24 feet in height and filled with bulbs. In 2015, the 900 incandescent bulbs were swapped out for LEDs. The C and H sign also used to be animated. In 2017, Hawaii’s last sugar mill closed, marking an end to the “H” in the California and Hawaiian Sugar Refining Corp. But the sign still glows at night and the refinery still operates, processing sugar from other locations.

Hayward’s Holiday Bowl opened in 1958. The center, designed by the architect Robert L. Lustig, had 40 automatic lanes, a full-service restaurant called the “Bashful Bull,” a cocktail lounge, pro shop, nursery, and beauty salon. In 1965, the Holiday House banquet room was added—the site of Ronald Reagan’s gubernatorial campaign kick-off celebration. After a commendable run of 47 years, the 100,000 square foot Holiday Bowl closed in 2005 to make way for new development. The Holiday Bowl sign featuring the Bashful Bull was designed by Electrical Products Corp. Look for the EPCO label between the “A” and the “U” under the word “restaurant.”   

Following its completion in 1963, it was said to be the tallest standalone highway sign in the country. This was according to Harold Blanc, Manager of Electrical Products Corp., and 35 year veteran of the sign industry. From base to top, the Milk Farm sign in Dixon reportedly spans an impressive 100 feet. Although there was some serious competition for the sign’s design (a competitor was Ad Art), Electrical Products Corp. won the bid and the restaurant (which no longer exists) ended up with an eye-popping advertisement that could be seen from miles away. In the 1960s, the Milk Farm sign was beautifully lit at night and the cow on top would spin. The sign has been dark and static for years, but its great design stands the test of time. 

In the late 1940s, the seeds for the legendary Tower Records were sown in the back of a Sacramento drug store. There, alongside aspirin, lipstick, and chewing gum, a young Russ Solomon peddled 78s to enthusiastic customers. A good number of those patrons were teens so it was only fitting that a sign be designed to appeal to their tastes. In 1949, Electrical Products Corporation was hired to bring the concept of the “Dancing Kids” to life. Alas, Tower Records is no more (in the U.S., at least) but lucky for us, the Tower dancers are still shuffling.    

San Jose’s Western Appliance sign stands regally on West San Carlos Street, once a major artery to and from the city’s downtown. In the 1960s, city sign ordinances restricted the construction of a rooftop sign, so the legs of the sign pierce the roof and go straight through the store. There used to be three blinking balls adorning the sign’s spires but the orbs were removed when they proved to be a distraction to airplanes. When the sign was first erected, it proudly displayed an Electrical Products Corp. label. The label, however, was removed when the company branding switched to Federal. “I removed the EPCO letters and installed [the Federal Sign and Signal] in April 1963,” the company’s former superintendent Dennis “Denny” Livengood tells Curbed.

The dapper dancing pig of the former Stephen’s Meat Products in San Jose has been holding his ground for more than half a century. His porcelain enamel sign, with its Electrical Products Corporation label intact, once advertised “California’s Most Modern Sausage Kitchen.” For several years, however, Mr. Piggy’s dance card has been empty and he stands a wallflower. Perhaps the most beloved sign in San Jose, efforts are underway to restore the Stephen’s sign to its former animated glory.     

Perhaps the most well known sign in the state of California. Indeed, world famous. A prop in countless selfies. While LA’s 45-foot tall Hollywood Sign, designed by Electrical Products Corp., is most often associated with movie stars, glamour, and glitz, its original purpose was to advertise a housing development. The sign originally read Hollywoodland and its letters were illuminated by some 4,000 incandescent bulbs. One of the best locations to view the Hollywood Sign is at 3000 Canyon Lake Drive in Hollywood.  

In the mid-1930s, the Cinegrill Supper Club opened in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. With live performances and dancing, it would become one of Hollywood’s most popular night spots. In the early 1950s, someone must have noticed that the Cinegrill’s signage did not live up to its associated marketing. Advertised as “glamorous,” “world famous,” and “the home of the stars,” Cinegrill’s sign was nice enough, but rather forgettable, by Hollywood standards.

Enter Electrical Products Corp. of Los Angeles. Around 1952, the Cinegrill sign received the star treatment with a bulletin spectacular framed by three animated shooting stars and 46 smaller scintillating stars. The neon starburst spans 27 by 10 feet, according to Signs of the Times. Today’s version of the sign incorporates an LED screen but the starbursts, thankfully, have survived.

In 1931, the Dyas Emporium on the corner of Hollywood and Vine closed its doors, a victim of the Great Depression. Arthur Letts, owner of The Broadway Department Store, saw a golden opportunity to expand. Letts bought the building, refurbished it, and opened the Broadway Hollywood. He installed two neon rooftop signs, built by Electrical Products Corp. The Broadway Hollywood closed in the 1980s and its sign fell dark. For years, the building’s fate hung in limbo. But in 2005, the Broadway Hollywood was resurrected as a residential high-rise, and today, one of its signs still glows.

Hollywood’s Earl Carroll Theatre opened on Sunset Boulevard in December 1938. Promoted as “the most distinctive theater in the world,” the venue offered fine dining, nightly dancing, and opulent stage productions featuring “the most beautiful girls in the world.” To ensure that patrons knew what they were in for, Carroll invested in a number of neon signs by Electrical Products Corp., including a 20-foot portrait of his lady friend Beryl Wallace.

Wallace and Carroll died in 1948, victims in an airplane crash. Wallace’s neon likeness survived for 20 more years before itself falling victim to a building remodel. In 1993, in a tribute to what was once one of Hollywood’s most famous supper clubs, the Museum of Neon Art recreated the Beryl Wallace sign. The reproduction was designed by Richard Jenkins and Lili Lakich of MONA and fabricated by YESCO. Today, the sign is on display, with several other vintage neon signs, at Universal CityWalk.