I recently watched an RKO movie from 1946 called “Nocturne” in which George Raft plays a homicide detective. I didn’t think Raft was very good in the role, but the movie had a number of interesting location shots, including this one. I stopped the movie and took a photo of it because it gives us an idea of what the Vine Street Brown Derby looked like in real life. The filmmakers didn’t even bother to hide the roadworks going on in May/June 1946, which is when the film was shot. I don’t know what sort of car is parked out front, but it looks like it had plenty of leg room!
That stretch of Vine St is somewhat changed these days. This image is from March 2018.
Love the Brown Derby screenshot from that movie, which I’ve not seen!
Your note that “That stretch of Vine St is somewhat changed these days,” is certainly an understatement. One can look east down Hollywood Blvd. from Highland and the general outline of the buildings is the same as it was in the 1930’s. But Vine Street from Hollywood Blvd. to Sunset Blvd. is completely unrecognizable from the past, nowadays. One thing hasn’t changed from 1946 to now, though. It appears there are “roadworks going on” in the 2018 photo as well!
It looks like from the more current photo; that a portion of the facade remains from the Original Vine Brown Derby.
What do you think?
I seem to recall something about it being either a recreation or part of the building but not part of the restaurant itself.
Thank you for setting me straight on this issue. But is that where the Vine Brown Derby originally stood possibly?
Approximately, yes.
Quite interesting to see a woman up above on what is a balcony area. How could you know that was even a building feature without such an image?
The building in the current photo is what remains of Bernard Luggage. It is not the shell of the Brown Derby which was bulldozed years ago and was half a block south. Both were designed by Carl Jules Weyl so resemble one another but are totally different buildings.