Many of us missed the opportunity to see Marilyn Monroe alive and in her prime, but not to worry, you can still see the movie starlet when visiting the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, California. The only problem with seeing the beauty is that it’s only her ghostly image that is actively living in a mirror located in a well traveled hallway at the grand hotel on the lower floor by the elevator. Guests unknowingly pass the mirror daily, stopping to check their own image for any out of place hairs, but instead they get a glimpse of themselves, along with the blond bombshell leering at them from behind.
It is easily explained as to why Marilyn Monroe is still hanging around the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, simply put, it was like a second home to her at one time, in fact, Marilyn Monroe posed for her first suntan lotion ad on the diving board of the “Hotel Roosevelt’s” pool. Of course Marilyn was never happy with sitting still for too long as is witnessed by the many visitors that frequent her tomb at the Westwood Memorial Cemetery, located at 1218 Glendon Ave, in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California.
The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel quickly became known as the home of the stars once it officially opened on May 16, 1927. The carefully detailed beauty of the hotel made it a perfect location for filming feature motion pictures and television shows from Internal Affairs, starring Richard Gere to Knot’s Landing, Moonlighting, and Mighty Joe Young.
Another famous actor whose ghostly image remains within the walls of the hotel is Montgomery Clift who stayed in room 928 in 1952 while filming “From here to Eternity,” and has apparently never felt the urge to leave the graceful structure. He often practiced his bugle in between filming, and paced the halls while practicing his lines for the movie. To this day guests report the faint sound of a bugle while occupying the room, and walking in the corridor that mimics someone pacing the floor.
Celebrities naturally gravitate towards the lavish architectural structure as it is the location where the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honors Hollywood celebrities by placing their star on the Walk of Fame with a gala reception at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel that follows soon after the induction. In fact, The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel has made it their business to see that the stars are catered to, no matter how ridiculous the request may be.
It is no wonder that the wild new poolside Tropicana Bar attracts celebrities by the droves with the late nights of partying with a full staff answering their every whim, and stars like Bruce Willis, Kirsten Dunst, Lindsay Lohan, Eva Longoria, Jake Gyllenhaal, Scarlett Johansson, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Topher Grace, Hugh Hefner and Eva Mendes have all been spotted living it up at the hotel’s adult playground that is shared with two legendary ghosts who do not seem to realize that they are no longer a part of the living.
The Blossom room in the hotel has also had its share of activity from several entities that emit cold spots and subtle touches to passersby. No one is certain as to whom the ghosts may be, but since this was the original location of the very first Academy awards banquet, held in 1929, it is anybodies guess as to which one of the many stars that frequented the event it could be. The sharp dressed ghostly image of a man has been spotted on the balcony looming above the mezzanine, but he promptly vanishes when approached, leaving guests with a firm cold chill running up and down their spine.
Whether you enjoy a good spook or not, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is worth the visit, and the many stories that evolve around the structures history is highly entertaining as well as a part of Hollywood’s glitzy history. Shenanigans typical of the stars, including the prohibition days with notorious antics from celebrities like Errol Flynn mixing his gin recipe in the back of the hotel barbershop, and Shirley Temple, who learned her first tap dancing lesson from Bill “Bojangles” Robinson on the hotel’s ornate tile stairway.
The hotels heyday was thought to have suffered a permanent death in the late 1950’s, but was restored to her original luster when the hotel chain Radisson purchased and renovated the Roosevelt to the tune of 35 million, restoring a part of history to her former glory. A climb up the famous Shirley Temple tiled stairs will lead you to a piece of old Hollywood that has been captured to the tee. The exhibits are exquisite, and will leave you feeling as though you are a part of the history that has sustained the best and worst of times.
Of course the renovations included restoring the lobby to its original elegance, along with the remaining details from the rooms to the sparkling chandeliers and the bubbling fountain that is surrounded by historic photographs of days gone by. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is considered a superior first class hotel with 12 floors, 30 suites, and 320 rooms offering a piece of the past with all of the modern conveniences of the present, and although you must pay a hefty price to endure a prime piece of Hollywood for one evening, the ghosts come absolutely without cost.
