"Farewell, My Lovely"

The credit sequence of "Farewell, My Lovely" (Avco Embassy, 1975) features stylized footage of Hollywood landmarks. Here, just before the title appears, we're at the Earl Carroll Theatre, 6230 Sunset Blvd., just east of Vine St. The neon sculpture is of Beryl Wallace, Earl's girlfriend and a star of his shows. Thanks to Wayne King for noting the film's use of this footage. See the pages about the Earl Carroll Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site. 

The film is an adaption of Raymond Chandler's 1940 novel.  Moose Malloy, just out of prison, is looking for his former girlfriend Velma Valento, who for several reasons doesn't want to be located. Jack O'Halloran is Moose. Robert Mitchum plays private eye Philip Marlow. Also involved are John Ireland, Charlotte Rampling, Sylvia Miles, Harry Dean Stanton, Anthony Zerbe, Sylvester Stallone and Kate Murtagh. Dick Richards directed. The cinematography was by the king of noir, John A. Alonzo.   

The book had an earlier adaptation as "Murder, My Sweet" (1944) starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley, Otto Kruger and Mike Mazurki. 

 

On the left it's the vertical of the Iris Theatre, 6523 Hollywood Blvd. It had opened in 1918 and in 1968, after a remodel by National General, emerged as the Fox Theatre. See the page about the Iris/Fox on the Los Angeles Theatres site.  

 

Looking east from Highland with the Hollywood Theatre on the right. Down the street it's the vertical sign for the Egyptian Theatre at 6712 Hollywood Blvd. and, a bit left of center, one of the radio towers atop the Warner Hollywood at 6433 Hollywood Blvd.   

See the pages about the Hollywood Theatre, the Egyptian Theatre and the Warner/Hollywood Pacific on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the buildings along with many photos both recent and vintage. 

 

A view west with Hollywood appearing to be on fire. On the right it's one of the Warner Theatre's roof towers and a look down to the vertical and the marquee. The Iris/Fox is part of all that brightness on the other side of the street.  

 

Just for variety, we then get a c.1940 clip shot on Main St. The cafe on the left at 527 S. Main was in the Green Hotel building, also housing the Star Theatre at 529. In the center it's a pawn shop at 525. The Gayety, at 523, is on the right. See the Los Angeles Theatres page about the Gayety Theatre. It opened in 1905 as the Novelty. 

On IMDb: "Farewell, My Lovely"

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"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"  

"The Crooked Way"

We're under the marquee of the Gayety Theatre, 523 S. Main St., in "The Crooked Way" (United Artists, 1949). John Payne is a veteran suffering from amnesia who comes to Los Angeles to try to get some clues about his forgotten life. He's learning he was a gangster and some of his previous associates (and an ex-wife) aren't too happy to see him again. Robert Florey directed the film which also features Ellen Drew, Sonny Tufts and Rhys Williams.

The Gayety has posters up for "Pitfall" with Dick Powell and Lizabeth Scott. The theatre was in the Waldorf Hotel building. Earlier we had shots of the restaurant in the building and the hotel entrance.

Another view looking out to the east side of the 500 block. The signage we see is for a store called The Fair.

A look at the boxoffice. Payne is asking the manager if he's seen a former associate called Petey.  Everybody seems to know where he is but nobody wants to tell Payne.

See the page about the Gayety Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more data and photos. It openeed in 1905 as the Novelty Theatre. The building has been demolished.

On IMDb: "The Crooked Way"