"Nocturne"

We get off to a fine start with the titles of "Nocturne" (RKO, 1946). We're looking east with the Egyptian Theatre's vertical on the right above Lynn Bari's name. It's a crime drama directed by Edward L. Marin. A womanizing composer's death is a listed as a suicide. But was it really? Raft is the detective who will investigate even when his superiors are convinced it's a closed case.

A moment later we get the vertical of the Hollywood Theatre just east of Highland Ave. See the pages about the Egyptian and Hollywood theatres on the Los Angeles Theatres site for histories of the buildings and many photos.

Bari is one of the charming suspects. She says she went to the Pantages, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., the night of the murder so Raft goes to check out her alibi. On the marquee (although looking intentionally blurred in the shot) are Joan Fontaine in "From This Day Forward" (RKO, 1946) and "Man Alive" (RKO, 1945) with Pat OBrien, Adolfe Menjou and Ellen Drew.

Thanks to Jack Tillmany for noting the appearance of the Pantages in the film. He comments: "The exterior shot of the Pantages shows RKO's 'From This Day Forward,' which indeed was being shown there in June 1946 when 'Nocturne' was filmed. However, in the close-up at the box-office, RKO's 'Woman on the Beach' is on the time schedule; the latter film was in production at the same time as 'Nocturne,' but, due to unforeseen production delays, did not open at the Pantages until over a year later, in July 1947. In the ticket lobby we see a poster for 'Riff-Raff' (1947)."

A boxoffice view with, as Jack notes, showtimes listed for RKO's "Woman on the Beach."

Raft having a chat with the manager to see if Bari's claim holds up that she used a $50 bill the night she was there. A poster for RKO's "Riff-Raff" (1947) with George O'Brien is behind the manager. We get a quick glimpse as he moves during the fade to the next shot. 

RKO would take over the Pantages operation in 1949. For a history of the theatre along with hundreds of photos see the Pantages Theatre pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site.

The film also gets out on the streets of Hollywood for some other nice views near Hollywood and Vine including shots of the Brown Derby. Shots from the film appear in Thom Andersen's "Los Angeles Plays Itself" (2003)

A poster appearing on IMDb. 

On IMDb: "Nocturne"