Experience a few hauntings here in Hollywood!
Musso
and Franks, Hollywood
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Musso and
Franks 1919 |
Musso
and Franks present |
Few
places capture the essence of Old Hollywood like Musso and
Franks Grill. Established in 1919, Musso and
Franks lays claim to being the oldest eatery in Hollywood.
And, stepping into the restaurant, one can see that, since
that time, little has changed.
Opened
by two business partners, Joseph Musso and Frank Toulet, the
eatery has been the haunt … literally and figuratively,
for many of the Hollywood Old Guard. Charlie Chaplin held
court in Booth Number One in the “old” section
of the restaurant, and Raymond Chandler is rumored to have
written sections of his novel “The Big Sleep”
in the famed “Back Room” of the restaurant, the
space of which was leased from the Vogue Theater between 1935
and 1954. When the restaurant lost its lease for the area
in the mid 1950’s, the owners then leased the bookstore
next door and opened the west room.
The
décor of Musso and Franks has changed little since
the days that Charlie Chaplin ruled over booth number one.
The leather of the booths in the “old” section
still gleam with a deep red sheen. The woodwork is still darkly
mahogany. The tile floor has seen many a style of shoe, and
the counter space invokes a simpler day. The food is still
served the old fashioned, elegant way by servers in red and
green waistcoats. The menu is mostly ala cart and consists
of every food one can imagine, from thick steaks to cracked
crab on ice. The waiters themselves often prepare some of
the salads and side dishes to ensure their customers have
the best.
Indeed,
stepping into Musso and Franks is like stepping into a real,
live time machine.
And
some of the specters of Hollywood past have never left.
Our
team ran into the ghosts of several poast stars, especially
Charlie Chaplin, thanks to Tammy. You can read all about Tammy's
first hand encounter with Charlie Chaplin here on the Haunted
Playground Blog.
Charlie
wanted his picture taken with us, so we were instructed by
him to sit in his favorite booth, where he would pose with
us. Note the orb between Tammy and Danielle. That's right
where Charlie said he would be! Check out the photo
here.
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Roosevelt
Hotel, Hollywood
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Roosevelt
1927 |
Roosevelt
present |
Named
after President Theodore Roosevelt, the "Hollywood Roosevelt"
was financed by the Hollywood Holding Company whose investors
included Mary Pickford; Douglas Fairbanks; Louis B. Mayer
and. Charlie Chaplin. Headed by property developer Charles
Toberman, who had previously created and supervised the building
of many Hollywood landmarks, including:- Graumans Chinese
Theater, the Egyptian Theater, the Pantage Theater and the
Hollywood Bowl.
"The
Hollywood Roosevelt" had its grand opening on May 16,
1927. Its opening ceremony being attended by Hollywood celebrities
such as Louis B. Mayer, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford,
Will Rogers, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Clara Bow, Greta
Garbo and Gloria Swanson. It was built at the then staggering
cost of $2.5 million and quickly became known as "The
Home of the Stars". The first Academy Awards presentation
was held in the Hotel Roosevelt's "Blossom Room"
on May 16, 1929. The awards were originally called Merit Awards,
and were given for performances and work covering a two year
period. This was also the shortest Academy Awards ceremony
ever, lasting just fifteen minutes, as Douglas Fairbanks and
Al Jolson gave away the awards including Janet Gaynor - Best
Actress, Emil Jennings - Best Actor, and to "Wings"
starring Buddy Rogers, as Best Picture.
From
the its beginning the "Hollywood Roosevelt" has
been a favorite "location" site for feature films
& television shows including "Internal Affairs"
(with Richard Gere), "Beverly Hills Cop II" (with
Eddie Murphy), and numerous TV shows such as "Knot's
Landing" "Moonlighting", "Almost Famous",
"The Dorothy Dandridge Story" etc. The exterior
of the hotel appeared in the 1998 film "Mighty Joe Young."
Look for it in the scene where the giant gorilla rampages
down Hollywood Boulevard then climbs the roof of Mann's Chinese
Theatre, with police helicopters circling over the Cinegrill
sign.
Each
time that the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honors a Hollywood
celebrity, by placing their star on the Walk of Fame, a gala
reception is held at the "Hollywood Roosevelt" immediately
afterwards for the inductee.
"Hollywood
Roosevelt" Haunted 9th Floor Corridor.
While filming the movie "From Here To Eternity"
in 1952, Montgomery Clift stayed in room 928, which is located
on the 9th floor. Whilst occupying the room, Clift practiced
playing the bugle. (His character in the film, Private Pruitt,
was the company bugler). Clift also paced up and down the
corridor practicing his lines. Many guests residing in the
room have since reported hearing a bugle and the sound of
footsteps pacing corridor. In November, 1992, a guest felt
an invisible hand pat her shoulder while she was in bed.
Marilyn's
Haunted Mirror
The hotel's most famous haunting concerns a mirror which sits
outside the elevators on the lower floor. Hundreds of tourists
pass the full length mirror each day without knowing its strange
history. The mirror was originally part of the furnishings
in room 246 which was frequently used by Marilyn Monroe. Hotel
staff and guests have reported seeing the tragic actresses
image reflected in the glass of this particular mirror.
Haunted
Playground team members Tammy and Danielle had some exciting
paranormal events occur at The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood
-- check out the photos here!
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