Wednesday, 26 June 2013

After 68: The Rise and Fall of The Ambassador Hotel - New Documentary In The Works

The Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles

When the Ambassador Hotel opened for business in 1921 the hotel became a favorite spot for Hollywood celebrities and dignitaries alike. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Salvadori Dali, Winston Churchill, Amelia Earhart and every U.S. president from Herbert Hoover to Richard Nixon had visited the hotel. Stars such as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Spencer Tracy, Carey Grant, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Ginger Rogers, Bing Crosby,  Rudolph Valentino, Benny Goodman, The Supremes, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Marilyn Monroe and Lena Horne were known to either socialize or perform at the hotel's famous nightclub, The Cocoanut Grove. Six Academy Awards ceremonies were held at The Cocoanut Grove, including the ceremony in 1939 when Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win Best Supporting Actress, accepted her award. And unfortunately, on June 5, 1968, it was at the Ambassador Hotel that Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated.

The Cocoanut Grove nightclub inside the Ambassador Hotel.

What was once considered the "Crown Jewel of Wilshire Boulevard" would eventually close its doors in 1989. For the next 15 years the fate of the Ambassador Hotel was debated. There were those who wanted to preserve the historic building and a school district that felt the best option was to tear the building down and build a new campus on the site. 

Teaser trailer for LOVE IN THE TIME OF MONSTERS

Thanks Andy for your time.

LOVE IN THE TIME OF MONSTERS stars Doug Jones (Pan's Labyrinth, Hell Boy), Kane Hodder ("only actor to play three of the most famous horror icons:" Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger's gloved hand, and Leatherface), Michael McShane (Whose Line Is It Anyway, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), Gena Shaw (Not Another Teen Movie), and Marissa Skell (Slumber Party Slaughter). To learn more about the film LOVE IN THE TIME OF MONSTERS here are a few links: