"Lady Killer"

"Lady Killer" with James Cagney (Warner Bros., 1933) starts in New York on the rooftop of a Warner Bros. theatre called the Strand. It's time for roll call and a pep talk. Silent film detective John Bengtson has determined that the scene was shot on the roof of the former Arnold Building auto dealership and parking garage at 7th, Figueroa and Wilshire. Later the Statler Hilton was on the site. It's now the location of the Wilshire Grand Center. John has it all delightfully analyzed in his article "How James Cagney Filmed Lady Killer."

On the right it's part of the Barker Bros. Department Store, a building still on the southeast corner of 7th and Figueroa. The Signal Oil vertical sign we see at the center of the image is on the building now known as the Fine Arts Building.

Cagney showing up late for roll call.  On the left in the distance is the Bible Institute on Hope St.

The manager telling the head usher that he's been hearing stories about a particular usher using the mezzanine men's room for games of dice. We don't see it in this shot but the usher's hat has a lovely WB crest on the front.

We get a night view of the marquee of the theatre whose roof we were supposedly on earlier. It's actually just a couple blocks away. It's footage of the marquee of the Warner Bros. Downtown Theatre at 7th and Hill. with a bit of work in the center to rename it the Strand. We get the tip of the Hill St. vertical sign on the right where it says "...TOWN THEATRE."

"Wild Boys of the Road" was a September 1933 release. "Lady Killer" was out in December. See the pages about the Warner Downtown on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the building as well as several hundred photos. The theatre, now used for selling jewelry, opened as the Pantages in 1920.

Cagney soon gets fired at the theatre for multiple infractions including not being nice to a lady trying to bring her dog into the show and then gets involved in various rackets. When things get too hot he leaves New York with Mae Clark and goes to Los Angeles. He gets picked up by the cops at the Santa Fe station but Mae bails him out. Of course Cagney becomes a film star when a scout looking for gangster types spots him. The film, directed by Roy Del Ruth, also stars Douglas Dumbrille, Margaret Lindsay and Leslie Fenton.

Later some mobsters from back east arrive and we get a chase that includes this view up Vine St. showing what is now the Montalban Theatre south of Hollywood Blvd. Thanks to John Bengtson for spotting the theatre in the film. All ends well with Cagney continuing his film career and marrying a movie star.

The Los Angeles Theatres site has a page on the Montalban Theatre with many photos.

On IMDb: "Lady Killer"