Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (April 30, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0143123114
ISBN-13: 978-0143123118
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #247,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #134 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional U.S. > West #739 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Television Performers #1296 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Pop Culture > General
LIFE AT THE MARMONT STILL SHINES!OK I admit it, I'm a junkie of the "golden" days of Hollywood. When stars looked like stars and there was a sense of glamour and fantasy. And that's as it should be, they were, after all, selling illusions, pretending to be someone they weren't, living fictional lives that were projected on huge screens in places that used to be called movie "palaces."So I was destined to lap up every page and every story that authors Raymond Sarlot and Fred E. Basten told. And just for the record, I've stayed at the Marmont many times, on various floors, in various sized rooms, and once, just once, in a poolside bungalow. I got upgraded for that treat! And it was swell! So I know the hallways, the back doors, the infamous lobby and the little cubby that's the front desk.Now, about this fantastic book! Starting in 1977 then whooshing you back to the beginning in 1926, it's gossipy and dishy and full of details, and that's what you want in any book about Hollywood. This book was first published back in 1987, co-author Basten has included a really great afterward that brings more recent thoughts about the Marmont into the mix.One of favorite parts is when you find out HOW the dishy gossip was getting into the press, back when the hotel was newer. Word of warning that's still true today, never assume. People are never who they say they are. I was intrigued to read the dish about the late Grace Kelly and her uh... friendliness towards men. That blonde bombshell Jean Harlow had a super protective "stage mom," who was also a Christian Scientist and didn't want her daughter hospitalized for surgery.
Published in 1987, this fascinating book, written by two former Chateau Marmont owners, Raymond Sarlot & Fred Basten, takes the reader back in time to 1929, when the Chateau Marmont was first opened on a hill overlooking Sunset Drive in an unincorporated area between the city limits of L.A. and Beverly Hills referred to then as "No Man's Land". Interwoven with the history & development of Hollywood & the movie industry through the silents, talkies, war years and today, the Chateau reflected the tastes of its various owners, starting with L.A. attorney Fred Horowitz, who returned from a trip to France with a dream to build an apartment hotel based on the Chateau Amboise he had seen in the Loire Valley. The plans for the 7 story building called for 43 spacious apartments of one to six rooms each, some with balconies & terraces, separate service entrances, an elevator, a courtyard garden and underground garage. An example of how spacious the rooms were can be seen by the book's description of Suite 3BC -- two adjoining suites connected by a long central hall with a foyer, living room, separate dining room & terrace, kitchen, master bedroom, two full his and her baths, each with its own dressing room, & elegantly furnished with period pieces of the Chippendale style. Albert Smith who next purchased the Chateau in 1931, created the "look" of the Chateau by furnishing the Chateau with Persian rugs & antiques he found at estate sales, ranging from curio tables to massive armoires & a baby grand piano which once stood in the lobby salon & was played by pianist Jose Iturbi. So many antiques were collected, that Smith photographed each item & stored them in a warehouse so that guests could review the photos & select an item for their room if they were displeased with the current furniture. Edwin C.
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