About 20 minutes into "Three Husbands" (United Artists, 1950) we get this shot of the marquee of the Monica Theatre, 7734 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood. The film is ostensibly set in San Francisco and revolves around a recently dead playboy who is granted one wish in heaven. That he'll be able to see the expressions on the faces of three friends when they each read a letter he's sent them saying he had a fling with their wives.
We get the Monica as the theatre where two of the couples attend a French language film. Not together. Several of the participants try to avoid being seen by the others. Eve Arden, Ruth Warrick and Vanessa Brown are the three wives. Irving Reis directed. The film is available on YouTube. That banner below the marquee must be the best ever ballyhoo for a subtitle writer.
A look toward the screen of the "Monica." The interiors were not done in a real theatre.
The back wall of the studio setup used for the interior shots. There's not even any upholstery on the seat backs.
Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting the marquee shot in the film. Head to the page about the Monica Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more about the venue. It opened in 1940 and is still around, now as a porno house.
On IMDb: "Three Husbands"
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