"The Unfaithful"

A great shot looking east on Santa Monica Blvd. from the noir epic "The Unfaithful" (Warner Bros., 1947). A bit of the Monica Theatre at 7734 Santa Monica Blvd. is over on the right. That's a Red Car coming along as a lawyer played by Lew Ayres is stepping out of his car. 

See the page about the Monica Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more about the venue. The theatre began its life in 1940 as a neighborhood house and later segued into foreign films and then more risque product. In its later years it was called the Pussycat and Studs. 

Lew is headed for a junky art and antique shop after getting a call from Steven Geray saying he had an item for sale that might be of interest. It turns out to be a bust by a dead sculptor that resembles Ann Sheridan, who plays one of his clients soon to be accused of murder. That vertical sign down the street was for the Golden Rule Liquor and Wine House at 7739 Santa Monica Blvd. It's still in business, and still called the Golden Rule.  

A shot of the north side of the street a moment later. The storefront on the right says "Bob Baker Marionettes" in the window. It was listed in the phone book as the Carnival Room. Geray's shop is just beyond. In the film we're told that the address is 2500 Santa Monica Blvd. but we're actually on the 7700 block. 

The film also features Eve Arden, Zachary Scott, Jerome Cowan, John Hoyt, Peggy Knudsen, Marta Mitrovich, Douglas Kennedy, Claire Meade, Frences Morris and Jane Harker. Vincent Sherman directed. The cinematography was by Ernest Haller.

Other interesting location work in the film includes a trip on Angel's Flight, visiting a Bunker Hill hotel, several scenes upstairs in the Bradbury Building, and some evocative shots west of the 3rd St. tunnel and in MacArthur Park. 

On IMdb: "Unfaithful"