"The Scarf"

John Ireland is sitting in a bar on Main St. called Level Louie's 54 minutes into "The Scarf" (United Artists, 1951). Mercedes McCambridge plays a waitress who knows him from a past he can't remember and, trying to avoid trouble, tells him to get out. Thanks to Riichkay for sharing seven screenshots from the film in his Noirish Los Angeles post #61897. He calls the film a "psychological thriller with some noirish elements."

Also featured are Tom Kennedy, Lyle Talbot, Emlyn Willlians, Lloyd Gough and James Barton. Ewald André Dupont directed. The cinematography was by Franz Planer. 

As he leaves we see the Gayety Theatre across the street. On the marquee it's Randolph Scott and Don Ameche. Not, of course, in the same film. After John walks out the door the camera swings back to the bar where Mercedes says "Scotch, quick. I just had a nightmare."

 

As Riichkay notes, it was a process shot in the film but "there was a bar/restaurant directly across from the Gayety, as seen in this 1940's photo." This photo that he includes in his post is one from the Nathan Marsak collection.

The theatre was at 523 S. Main St., on the west side of the street just south of 5th. See the page about the Gayety Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site. It opened as the Novelty in 1905.   

 

Noirish contributor Henry Huntington comments: 

 

"I'm pretty sure that the exterior shot looking north on Main St. from the Gayety Theatre/Harry's Bar location was a B-roll taken in 1946 or the first half of 1947 based on the depiction of two-way traffic on 5th St. and on the LATL streetcars crossing Main St. at that location. IIRC, east-west streets in that part of DTLA were made one-way on or about August 24, 1947. The resulting gridlock caused by the changeover was monumental."

 

The next day we get a nice tour along 1st: 

 

 

 John walking east on 1st. St. Riich notes that the Hill St. tunnel is in the background.

 

 

 Continuing east on the south side of 1st.

A shot at 1st and Spring.

 

 

Looking toward 1st and Main. Riichkay was wondering about the building on the right. Noirish contributor  Henry Huntington commented:

 

"I believe that the building you inquired about was the Hellman Building at 120 N. Main St., not to be confused with the other Hellman Building at 223 W. 2nd St., nor with the H.W. Hellman Building at 356 S. Spring St. and certainly not with the I.W. Hellman Building at 411 S. Main St. Got all that? :-)  Source: L.A. City Directory 1912."

 

The exterior shots end as he enters the Times building at 1st and Spring. City Hall is in the background.  He's going to see a psychiatrist to try to figure out whether or not he committed a murder. Once we go inside it's not the Times building. 

 

 

We get another glimpse of the Gayety Theatre out the bar's windows during the last scene of the movie. John is at the bar with James Barton, the guy who found him wandering in the desert at the beginning of the story. 

A last shot in the bar, with a bit of the Gayety's marquee seen on the left.  

 

Mercedes is over at the piano and takes us out as she sings "Summer Rains." That's King Donovan at the piano.

Thanks to Riichkay for investigating the film. He notes that the full thing is on YouTube.

On IMDb: "The Scarf"