McHenry’s Tail O’ The Cock

The photo above is of the Tail o’ the Cock at 44 S. La Cienega Boulevard, aka “Restaurant Row.” There was another at 12950 Ventura Boulevard — both popular dinner joints famous for their America menus (steak, prime rib, etc.) and bar scene. The Tail o’ the Cock claimed to be the first place in Los Angeles to serve Margaritas, and it may well have been, I don’t know.

As one might gather from the name, the big selling point at Tail o’ the Cock wasn’t the food so much as the cocktails. It was a popular place for people to meet for drinks, especially late in the afternoon. An awful lot of Hollywood deals were consummated there over martinis. It was where a voice actress named June Foray met with two animation producers — Jay Ward and Bill Scott — and they told her they wanted her to play a new character named Rocky the Flying Squirrel. And there were probably less important roles cast there involving big Academy Award productions… read more >