Look how many Angelenos turned out to watch a Victory Loan Parade as it made its way northward up Broadway. The cross street here in 7th Street, where “Laura” was playing at the Loew’s State Theatre (where movies ran 24 hours a day to accommodate wartime workers. This photo was taken in December 1944, during WWII, when 4 of 5 street lamps were blacked out on top and instead of Christmas trees decorating the streets, we can see Santas sitting in the middle of a big “V” for Victory.

This is how that same corner looked in February 2023. The building is largely intact, and the Loew’s State is now a church.