"Scatterbrain"

One of the vertical signs of the El Capitan Theatre is seen in this process shot from "Scatterbrain" (Republic Pictures, 1940). The film stars Judy Canova as a girl rounded up (by mistake) in the mountains who is brought to Hollywood and becomes an unlikely movie star. Here Judy is with Eddie Foy, Jr. and we're pretending it's the balcony of an apartment just west of the El Capitan. The theatre is located at 6838 Hollywood Blvd., across from the Chinese. 

See the pages about the El Capitan on the Los Angeles Theatres site for the history of this legit and film house along with many, many photos of all areas of the building.

Sorry about the quality of the shots. They're taken from a bootleg DVD made from a long-ago TV airing of the film. Also featured are Alan Mowbray, Ruth Donnelly, Wallace Ford, Joseph Cawthorn, Billy Gilbert, Emmett Lynn and Isabel Jewell. Gus Meins directed. The cinematography was by Ernest Miller.

 

 

 

Later Judy is on a ledge outside a hotel room at Hollywood and Vine after she's been hypnotized by Luis Alberni. We get background footage for this shot looking south on Vine. The neon is for the Plaza Hotel, just south of the Broadway Hollywood Building.  

 

A look down at the street but the view they give us is of the Tower Theatre downtown at 8th and Broadway. It's pre-1938 footage as the theatre still has its original rectangular marquee. The end panel is advertising something with Clark Gable.

See the pages about the Tower Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the 1927 vintage building along with hundreds of photos. It's now an Apple store.  

 

 

 

Another shot with background footage showing Vine St. Here we get the neon for the Brown Derby over on the left. She's balancing on a ladder. 

 

The ladder shot from inside. Yes, it goes up and down a few times. Behind these intruders is a guy in bed who just wants to get back to sleep. 

 

And yes, despite various plots to send her back to the mountains, Judy's character does indeed become a movie star.

On IMDb: "Scatterbrain"

 

 

 

A poster for the film appearing on IMDb. 

 

A publicity shot with Judy Canova, Emmett Lynn as her father, Eddie Foy Jr. as a Hollywood agent and star wannabe Isabel Jewell. Foy's scheme was to have director Alan Mowbray "discover" Isabel up in the hills but he ran across Judy first. He thought she was doing a great hillbilly act and was the girl he was supposed to find. The photo is one appearing on IMDb.