FOCUS ON THE PARK

MacArthur Park may be on the upswing these days, but it'll take a long time to wipe away its ghoulish reputation from film or the page. These mostly fictionalized accounts suggest some ugly surprises in MacArthur Park, and we're not talking about cakes melting in the rain. A sampling:

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Literature

"3 Women" from "The Most Beautiful Woman in Town & Other Stories" by Charles Bukowski

Oddly, LA's most caustic barfly looks fondly at the park. Regarding the duck pond, within view of the narrator's apartment: "You've got to believe me, that when your health is down from continual drinking and lack of decent food ... you can't beat the ducks."

"The Choirboys" by Joseph Wambaugh

A bunch of night-shift cops get together in the park at the end of their shift for "choir practice," officer-slang for trash-talking and drinking. Why MacArthur Park? It's not part of their patrol so they don't care what happens there.

"Wrecking Crew: The Really Bad News Griffith Park Pirates" by John Albert

In this memoir of a junkie-turned-ballplayer, Albert recalls: "My night ended up rather unceremoniously, near the drug-infested fields of MacArthur Park, sitting all alone ... shooting colorful balloons of Mexican heroin until my money was gone."

Movies

"MacArthur Park" ('01)

Nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2001, this portrait of a homeless, crack-smoking community was based on a script by former playwright and recovered addict Tyrone Atkins.

"Where the Day Takes You" ('92)

This gritty drama stars Dermot Mulroney as a patriarch to a band of runaways. Sean Astin, Will Smith and Lara Flynn Boyle costar.

"Volcano" ('97)

A volcano erupts from the La Brea Tar Pits, no less, and threatens to wipe out downtown, heading first for MacArthur Park. Hmm ...

Television

"Six Feet Under"

The funeral home soap opera ascended to heaven in 2005 but David's carjacking episode lives on for some as the moment "Six Feet" jumped the shark. The park, where David is dragged to smoke crack, has never looked more menacing.

"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"

The Fresh Prince challenges his squeaky-clean cousin Carlton to spend a night in Compton. Ignoring geographical realities, Carlton heads to MacArthur Park to prove Will wrong.

— Margaret Wappler