In this delightfully atmospheric shot, we’re looking north up Vine St from Selma Ave toward the famed corner of Hollywood and Vine. It appears to be dusk and the neon signs for the Plaza Hotel, Broadway department store, Miller High Life Beer atop of the Taft building, and the Brown Derby restaurant are flickering to life. It looks like the Mobilgas station is selling at 20 cents a gallon, and I especially like that twin-globe street light on the corner. The Huntington Hartford Theatre is still under construction, so this photo was probably taken in 1953.
Roughly the same view in February 2021:
Since the Huntington Hartford Theatre is still under construction, the photo probably dates from1953.
That is pure film noir. Or any Perry Mason episode from the 1950s. (These, by the way, are a great way to catch glimpses of the city as it looked back then.)