1984 Wagner Pictorial View of Los Angeles, Olympics Theme

This is William Wagner's 1984 promotional pictorial view of Los Angeles, produced for the Miller Brewing Company in tandem with the 1984 Olympic Games.

A Closer Look

Oriented towards the northeast, with the coastline from Malibu to Laguna Beach in the foreground, this view contains many references to the Olympic Games and local Los Angeles landmarks. Venues of the Games' various events and the competitions taking place at each are marked in white boxes with red text, often with accompanying illustrations of athletes. Throughout the L.A. Basin (and San Fernando Valley in the background), educational institutions, museums, film studios, and other attractions are labeled and illustrated, as are the area's famous (or infamous) freeways. Aside from Los Angeles, neighboring cities (Glendale, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and so on) are likewise labeled. Many references to Miller High Life beer are also featured, including building-sized cans and bottles, a team of stunt planes at right, and the large hot air balloon in the foreground at left.

1984 Los Angeles Olympics

The 1984 Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles, California, from July 28 to August 12, 1984, fifty-two years after the city hosted the 1932 Olympics. Though marred by a boycott of the games by the Soviet Union and other Communist countries, the games were, in several respects, unusually successful. The two preceding Summer Olympics (Montreal and Moscow) had proven so costly to the host city that few cities expressed interest in hosting in 1984. However, Los Angeles, led by dynamic mayor Tom Bradley (in office 1973 - 1993), led planning efforts to minimize costs and solicit corporate funding. By relying on existing venues, including the L.A. Memorial Coliseum built for the 1932 Games, the Rose Bowl, and various college and university facilities, L.A. managed to avoid the debts incurred by other recent hosts. The games were a boon to the city's image and coincided with new infrastructure projects championed by Bradley, including a downtown subway system and a new international terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. With the Soviets out of competition, the U.S. easily captured the most medals, and the Games' overall success coincided well with the optimistic zeitgeist of former California Governor Ronald Reagan's 'Morning in America.' The city hopes to repeat this feat when it hosts the Olympics again in 2028.

Publication History and Census

This view was prepared by artist William Wagner in 1984 for the Miller Brewing Company. We have been unable to locate any examples in institutional collections.