"The Formula"

We're in lots of exotic places like Berlin, Switzerland and on Wilshire Blvd. in John G. Avildson's surprisingly good thriller about the oil business "The Formula" (MGM, 1980). After we get a prologue in Germany, police detective George C. Scott is seen leaving the Vagabond.

Outside the Vagabond.

Another shot from the scene at the Vagabond. The theatre, after a long run as a repertory venue, became a legit house, renamed the Hayworth. See our page on the Hayworth Theatre for more about the building.

The film also stars Marthe Keller, John Gielgud and, of all people, Marlon Brando as an oil tycoon. Here near the end of the film we get a look, at the right, of the tower of the Fox Westwood from Brando's office window. See our page on the Fox Westwood Theatre for many photos of the 1931 vintage building.

On IMDb:  "The Formula"