Yesterday we took a drive down Sunset Blvd. in 1952. Let’s leap backwards twenty years and get some color glimpses of L.A. in 1931. This neat little newsreel is essentially an architectural tour–what else really is there to do in L.A. other than drive around looking at houses?–but at the end we get transported to a good old-fashioned Hollywood premiere at the Chinese Theater. The movie is ‘Dirigible’ , directed by Frank Capra and released in 1931. So was ‘Bad Sister’, the poster for which is visible at 4:12. That pretty well pegs the date on this film. By the way, the lovely building seen at 1:11 is now a Scientology center (whatever else you may think of Scientologists, they have excellent taste in real estate. One day I’ll write about my meeting with John Travolta at the Clearwater, Fl. center–a fabulous old 1920s hotel). Oh, and there are nice views of the Hollywood Bowl and the old band shell. Actually I’ll add going to the Bowl along side driving around looking at houses as the only other thing to do in L.A. Especially now that Greenblatt’s Deli is out of business…