"White Heat"

We get a view up Weddington St. in North Hollywood toward the back of the El Portal Theatre on Lankershim in Raoul Walsh's film "White Heat" (Warner Bros., 1949). The film stars James Cagney, Virginia Mayo and Edmond O'Brien. Margaret Wycherly, playing Cagney's Ma, is driving the car and trying to lose the cops who are on her tail.

Cagney, Mayo and Wycherly decide to duck in to the San Val Drive-In in Burbank to evade the cops on another chase later in the film. On the marquee it's "South of St. Louis" and "Siren of Atlantis."

Pulling up to the boxoffice. 

 

 

A nice view over the cashier's shoulder. Thanks to Joe Pinney for providing this shot.  

 

 

Pulling into a space. It's another shot Joe Pinney located.

Parked and watching the show. Cagney sneaks off leaving the two ladies to be picked up by the cops. Cinema Treasures contributor Oobleckboy notes that what we actually see on the San Val screen are shots from the 1949 film 'Task Force."

A shot of the filming at the San Val from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

For more about the theatres see the San Val Drive-In and El Portal Theatre pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site.

On IMDb: "White Heat"