Jon Ponder

In advance of the Cock ‘n Bull’s opening on October 22, 1937, Life Magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt took a nighttime photo of the tavern’s exterior as part of a pictorial series for the magazine on Hollywood. Today, that photo offers a rare view of the restaurant’s appearance from the street in the beginning, before it was altered over the years.

In the photo, the restaurant’s famous red door is flanked at its right by a large window over which is the logo – a pub sign depiction of a rooster and a bull. To the left of the door there’s a brightly lit storefront. Above the entrance a sign identified the building as the Leyton Building,9170 Sunset Boulevard. According to assessor records, the building was constructed in 1936. The Cock ‘n Bull opened on October 22, 1937.

Where Does the Name Come from?

Cock and bull stories are tall tales, the sort of stories barflies tell each other after a few rounds. According to a 1953 syndicated column by Frank Colby titled “Take My Word for It,” the expression “cock and bull” refers to a fantastic or incredible story. The expression appears in the literature as early as 1600, but it is believed to be much older than that.

Matthew Prior (1684-1721) closed his poem “Riddle on Beauty” with these lines:

Of cocks and bulls, and flutes and fiddles,
Of idle tales and foolish riddles.

In his column, Colby cited a definition published in the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable in 1804: (1) “A corruption of ‘concocted and bully’ story. The catch-pennies hawked about the streets are still called ‘cocks, i.e., concocted things. Bully is the Danish bullen, ‘exaggerated,” (2) “A corruption of ‘Cock and Bottle,’ a public house sign meaning that draught and bottled ale may be had on the premises. The ‘cock’ here means ‘tap’; hence, ale on tap, or bottled ale.”

The King’s Feast

A special event at the Cock ‘n Bull