Podcast Summary: Boiling Point — Smoglandia Pt 3: COUGH COUGH

Host: Pat Morrison, LA Times Studios
Date: November 13, 2025

Main Theme / Purpose

This episode explores the lived reality of Los Angeles’ smog crisis between the 1940s and 1960s: how it shaped daily life, activism, and the city’s economic trajectory. Through historical anecdotes, expert interviews, cultural artifacts, and personal memories, Pat Morrison chronicles the health toll—especially for children—a public awakening, industry resistance, and the unintended consequences of LA’s rapid industrial growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Child’s Plea and Public Awakening

• Katie Dilkes' Letter ([00:11]–[02:26]):
  • At age 11, Katie Dilkes (now Katie Purdy) writes to Governor Pat Brown about the impact of smog, detailing how, even during school fire drills, the air was so thick students couldn't recognize each other.
    • Quote: "The smog here in Los Angeles is so thick that it's pitiful... don't you think that I and everyone else should have a little more to grow up to?" —Katie Purdy [00:21]
  • Her letter, misspelled “smogg,” becomes famous—cited by the Governor in a legislative plan, symbolizing a generational call for action.

2. Smog in Everyday Life: Humor and Horror

• Cultural Souvenirs ([05:11]–[07:29]):
  • Morrison and USC’s Suzanne Noreschot discuss ‘smog chotchkis’—souvenir smog cans, towels, postcards—that poked fun at LA’s predicament, reflecting both civic despair and dark humor.
    • Quote: “Breathe the air the movie stars breathe. The souvenir cans made another pledge: No pollutants or irritants removed.” —Pat Morrison [06:41]
  • Archival photos show life interrupted: mothers helping children with stinging eyes, City Hall barely visible, and protests marked by ordinary citizens in homemade gas masks.

3. Citizen Activism—From Housewives to Hollywood

• Early Environmentalist Protests ([08:30]–[11:29]):
  • Beverly Hills socialites form SOS: Stamp Out Smog, staging creative events for awareness (smog-masked children, cakes with skull and crossbones) and drawing celebrity involvement (Groucho Marx, Ringo Starr).
  • Even Optimist Clubs turned pessimistic, donning gas masks at luncheons—humor masking urgency.
    • Quote: “Why wait till 55? We might not even be alive.” (Optimist Club banner) [10:10]

4. The Toll on Kids—Health Realities

• Jane Fonda’s Perspective ([12:14]–[14:44]):

  • Oscar-winner Jane Fonda speaks about her family’s health issues, her activist awakening, and the global toll of air pollution on children.
    • Quote: "My kids got asthma… we began to be really concerned about it." —Jane Fonda [13:23]
    • Quote: “There are parts of the world where children are presenting at hospital with black lung… Air pollution in the US also contributes to 10,350 preterm births and 216,000 new cases of childhood asthma a year.” —Jane Fonda [13:48]

• Medical Expertise ([15:05]–[17:43], [16:18]):

  • Dr. Ed Avall (Keck School of Medicine) explains children’s vulnerabilities: developing organs, high activity levels, less self-protection.
  • Smog forced lifestyle changes: school sports rescheduled, parks built near freeways (inadvertently exposing kids more).
    • Quote: “…if they don’t get a good start… you never catch up.” —Ed Avall [16:18]
    • Quote: "The freeway to hell being paved with good intentions..." —Pat Morrison [17:38]

5. Public Skepticism & Conflicted Priorities

• Denial and Debate ([17:43]–[21:51]):
  • Despite mounting evidence, many resisted accepting smog’s health dangers.
  • Official causes of death rarely cited smog, but clusters of deaths during heavy smog events hinted at lethal consequences.
    • Quote: “Nobody is dead now who would be alive were it not for smog.” —UCLA pathologist (paraphrased) [17:43]
  • Hollywood production suffered lost days and locations; actors like Cary Grant and Don Knotts threatened to leave over conditions.
    • Quote: "It’s a shame that Smog has ruined this city... It’s not so wonderful anymore." —Cary Grant (read by Laird McIntosh) [21:20]
    • Quote: "Everybody makes a joke of the smog, but it's not fun. It could kill us all." —Don Knotts (read by Laird McIntosh) [21:49]

6. Smog’s Impact on Agriculture & Industry

• The Death of LA’s Farming Glory ([22:57]–[25:20]):
  • LA was once the richest agricultural county in the U.S., growing everything from citrus to avocados—until smog decimated farms, crops, flowers, and bees.
    • Quote: “Smog... could kill off a spinach crop in half a day and scorch the leaves on beans in half an hour.” —Pat Morrison [23:10]
• Fontana and Kaiser Steel—A Devil’s Bargain ([24:22]–[29:35]):
  • Rick Dias (author, historian) details how the Kaiser Steel mill displaced agriculture, with the local government approving the factory despite warnings that "the vineyards will die, the orchards will die."
    • Quote: "...what we need around here is more smoke." —San Bernardino County Supervisor [25:20]
  • Steel workers and residents adapted, valuing jobs despite health risks. Female interviewees recall crops dying overnight, but economic necessity won out.
    • Quote: “We just didn't have the money to stand up to Henry J. Kaiser.” —Female former steelworker [30:10]

7. Clean Air vs. Jobs: The Core Dilemma ([29:35]–[31:00])

• Smog’s industrial sources were also LA’s economic engine. Industry messaging: “Do you want pink lungs or pink slips?”
• Protests abounded, while wild schemes to “blow the smog away” were proposed—but consistently unworkable.
  • Quote: “A bad Smog day pressed 200 million tons of pollution down on the LA basin … it would take two weeks of power generated by Hoover Dam to move one day's worth of LA smog.” —Pat Morrison [32:14]
  • Perfume bombing stunts, helicopter schemes, and “smog tunnels” are recounted as a testament to both LA’s innovation and desperation.

8. Smog in LA Noir – Raymond Chandler’s Literary Lament ([33:23]–[34:04])

• Excerpt from The Long Goodbye captures how omnipresent smog became an urban scapegoat and symbol:
  • Quote: "The acid sting of the smog had crept as far west as Beverly Hills... everything was the fault of the smog. If the canary wouldn't sing... that was the smog." —Raymond Chandler (read by Christopher Goffert) [33:23]

9. The Inevitable Confrontation With Car Culture ([34:04]–[35:25])

• By 1960, LA had 7.5 million vehicles, nearly all polluting, making cars the next battleground.
  • Quote: “The biggest car market in the United States was on course for a head-on collision with the biggest car makers in the United States.” —Pat Morrison [34:50]
• The show hints at future episodes centered on automotive emissions and regulatory change.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Katie’s poignant letter:
  • "The smog here in Los Angeles is so thick that it's pitiful..." —Katie Purdy [00:21]
• Community Dark Humor and Despair:
  • “Breathe the air the movie stars breathe... No pollutants or irritants removed.” —Pat Morrison [06:41]
  • "Here's mud in your eye... but instead, we have smog files like these." —Pat Morrison [07:07]
• Health impact on children:
  • “There are parts of the world where children are presenting at hospital with black lung children who never smoked.” —Jane Fonda [13:48]
• Protest wit (Optimist Club photo):
  • "Why wait till 55? We might not even be alive." —Optimist Club [10:10]
• Industry’s message:
  • “Do you want pink lungs or pink slips? You can't have it both ways. It's clean air or jobs. Prosperity or purity.” —Pat Morrison [31:00]
• Raymond Chandler’s LA:
  • “The acid sting of the smog had crept as far west as Beverly Hills... everything was the fault of the smog.” —Raymond Chandler [33:23]
• On crop loss and adaptation:
  • "As soon as that plant fired up in 1943, everything died. And what she did then was become a Kaiser employee..." —Rick Dias (paraphrasing interviewee) [30:10]

Highlighted Timestamps

• [00:11] Katie Dilkes’ original letter and its impact
• [05:11] Discussion of smog souvenirs and archival photos
• [08:30] Early activism and protest spectacle
• [12:14] Jane Fonda on family, health, and activism
• [15:05] Dr. Ed Avall: Why kids suffer worst
• [25:20] Fontana agricultural loss and “more smoke”
• [31:00] Industry’s clean-air-or-jobs false choice
• [33:23] Chandler’s noir vision of smog-soaked LA
• [34:04] The looming battle: LA’s dependency on automobiles

Tone & Style

Pat Morrison’s narration is wry, compassionate, and steeped in historical detail, blending archival research with lived experiences and a touch of LA’s trademark humor amid crisis. The episode alternates nostalgia, scientific clarity, and sharp critique, while guest voices add urgency from grassroots, expert, and celebrity perspectives.

In Summary

"Smoglandia Pt 3: COUGH COUGH" lays bare how LA’s infamous haze shaped its kids, culture, and economy. With richly woven stories, it captures determined activism, official resistance, and bittersweet adaptations—all leading to a future where clean air would require nothing short of remaking the city’s way of life.