"One Way Street"

Near the beginning of "One Way Street" (Universal-International, 1950) James Mason turns from Citrus Ave. and we get this view of the Four Star Theatre at 5112 Wilshire Blvd. He's a mob doctor who has run away from boss Dan Duryea's nearby apartment with $200,000 and Dan's girl, Märta Torén. They end up in a small beachfront village in Mexico. 

Also featured are William Conrad, Basil Ruysdael, Rodolfo Acosta, King Donovan, Emma Roldán and George J. Lewis. Hugo Fregonese directed. The cinematography was by Maury Gertsman. The full film is on YouTube.

 

In the center of these images, down in the next block, we get the vertical sign for the Fox Ritz at 5214 Wilshire. Note the dark roofsign on the stagehouse of the Ritz, seen just to the left of the speed limit sign. In the upper right that structure with the tower is the E. Clem Wilson Building at Wilshire and La Brea. 

 

See the pages about the Four Star Theatre and the Fox Ritz on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more about these two Miracle Mile theatres. They've both been demolished. 

 

 

 

 

A process shot as James Mason drives on Wilshire.  

 

 

 

Jack Elam pops up from behind the seat. Part of that 200 grand is his. 

 

 

 

Märta drives as the two guys fight in the back seat. One gets killed. And it isn't James. He doesn't think his time is up yet. 

On IMDb: "One Way Street"   

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