It looks like the LA premiere of Eddie Cantor’s “Whoopee” – was a big deal this particular night in late 1930. United Artists pulled out all the stops: crowds on both sides of Broadway, searchlights, a public address van (on the left), a marquee ablaze with light. It was worth all the trouble, too, because “Whoopee” was a huge hit. It was an early color movie that made a movie star of Cantor who until then had largely been known as a Broadway headliner. According to Wikipedia, it also features future stars Betty Grable, Paulette Goddard, and Ann Sothern as “Goldwyn Girls.”

This is how the United Artists Theatre looked in February 2023. Thanks to a recent and full refurbishment/restoration, these days it looks every bit as it did in its heyday.