"If you must get into trouble, do it at the Chateau Marmont." The famous line by Harry Cohn, head of Columbia Pictures, sums up all the Chateau Marmont embodies. Every celebrity has wanted to be seen at the gorgeous hotel since about the 1930's. The hotel was originally designed as an apartment building in 1927, and became a hotel in the 30's. Many celebrities have lived there at one time or another, or have simply partied there either at Bar Marmont, or in their own private bungalow. The hotel is a photographer's dream, with lush grounds, cathedral ceilings, and of course historic interiors. The quality that most celebrities love about the Chateau? The element of secrecy and discretion (guests have been banned for violating policies).
Curbed LA, one of my favorite blogs, featured the Chateau Marmont and some of the interesting stories that have been discussed about the hotel over the years. Shocked?
-- Howard Hughes would supposedly spy on women at the Chateau pool using prism binoculars-- It's widely-said that F. Scott Fitzgerald had a heart attack at the Chateau in the late 1930s (as Hollywood was slowly beating him to death), but it actually happened across the street at Schwab's drugstore while he was buying a pack of cigarettes.-- In 1955, James Dean supposedly jumped through a window to audition for Rebel Without a Cause. Director Nicholas Ray lived in a bungalow at the time, where he was having an affair with underaged Natalie Wood.-- There are a few stories--or probably one muddled story--about Jim Morrison of The Doors having a rough time getting into or out of the building. He supposedly jumped off either a roof or terrace, but was so high he walked away fine. And he also supposedly spent "the eighth of [his] nine lives" falling from a drain pipe that he'd been using to try to swing in from the roof.
-- Led Zeppelin rode their motorcycles through the lobby in the 1960s.-- On March 5, 1982, comedian John Belushi died from a speedball injection in Bungalow 3.-- On January 23, 2004, photographer Helmut Newton, who lived at the hotel, lost control of his Cadillac and crashed into the driveway wall. He was killed.-- There is a commonly-denied and non-denied story that Benicio Del Toro andScarlett Johansson hooked up in the elevator the night before the 2004 Oscars.
-- Lindsay Lohan shacked up at the Chateau in the midst of her (first) drunk driving scandal.-- During her public meltdown phase, in September 2007, Britney Spears was temporarily banned from the Chateau for smearing her face with food, disgusting fellow diners.-- Lohan was finally banned in 2012 (she'd been living in Suite 33) after racking up a $46,350.04 tab on stuff like cigarettes, candles, iPhone chargers, and copies ofArchitectural DigestAll facts courtesy of Curbed LA
Don't forget to enter my Shabby Apple Giveaway! Good luck!
