Chateau Marmont’s 10 Most Iconic Moments
At the premiere of Sofia Coppola’s new film Somewhere last week, viewers of the film were enchanted by not just Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning, but also by the movie’s third star and one of LA’s best known landmarks: Chateau Marmont.
The Chateau, opened in 1929, seems to have been perennially in style since Harry Cohn, chairman of Columbia Pictures, famously told up-and-coming heartthrob William Holden in 1939, “If you’re going to get in trouble, do it at the Chateau Marmont.” This year, the Chateau has been particularly buzzy: it’s also name-checked as the title of Lauren Weisberger’s recently released book Last Night at Chateau Marmont.
Led Zeppelin hanging out one of the Chateau Marmont's windows
The Chateau is personally beloved to me. It’s where I stayed for my first three days in Los Angeles, met my dearly-departed friend George Hickenlooper, and had my 30th birthday lunch. At the Chateau over the past three years–time for some serious name-dropping!–I’ve crashed in Josh Hartnett’s bungalow, accepted a drink and a hug from Jason Segal, grabbed a ride home from Sean Penn, had Scarlett Johansson give me a tampon, been toasted by Sumner Redstone and Bob Evans, shared brunch with Max Azria, and sang “Any Man of Mine” in the courtyard with Cuba Gooding Jr. (Actually, that last one happened this past weekend).
The food is solid, the staff is warm, the drinks are stiff (try the French Martini), the courtyard is buzzing, and the lounge is the coziest living room ever.
In honor of my favorite Hollywood spot–hell, one of my favorite spots in the world–I’ve put together a random, in-no-particular-order list of the most iconic moments at the Chateau. Some are fact, some are rumor, some are probably a combination of the two, but oh if those walls could talk…
1) March 5, 1982: John Belushi overdoses in Bungalow 3. Both Robin Williams and Robert DeNiro stop by his room before he dies
2) 1968?: John Bonham of Led Zeppelin rides his motorcycle through the lobby
3) 1977: The Eagles’ release “Hotel California” in 1977. The song is widely rumored to be about the Chateau
4) January 23, 2004: Helmut Newton dies after leaving the Chateau in his car and crashing into the wall opposite the hotel
5) 1940: F. Scott Fitzgerald suffers a heart attack across the street at Schwab’s Drugstore in 1940 while buying a pack of cigarettes
6) 1955: James Dean hops through a window to meet Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo, to audition for Rebel Without a Cause
7) Jim Morrison of The Doors injures his back permanently while swinging from a drainpipe off the roof trying to get into his room. (The other version of this story–or perhaps a separate incident?–has him jumping off the roof of a poolside cabana.)
8 ) 2006/2007: Following her first DUI, Lindsay Lohan bunks for months in Room 16–a room in plain view of the front desk, who reportedly wanted to keep an eye on her
9) 2007: Britney Spears is (temporarily) banned from the Chateau for smearing food on her face in the garden
10) August 1992: Demi Moore poses naked for Annie Leibowitz and Vanity Fair’s infamous “Demi’s Birthday Suit” cover
Tags: blacklist, Britney Spears, Chateau Marmont, Demi Moore, Elle Fanning, F. Scott Fitzgerald, George Hickenlooper, Harry Cohn, Helmut Lang, Hotel California, James Dean, Jim Morrison, John Belushi, Last Night at Chateau Marmont, Lauren Weisberger, Led Zeppelin, Lindsay Lohan, Natalie Wood, Rebel Without a Cause, Sofia Coppola, Somewhere, Stephen Dorff, The Eagles, Vanity Fair, William Holden
December 13th, 2010 at 10:44 am
I saw “Somewhere” last week and have to admit it does manage to capture some of the Chateau’s magic. I swear, you walk into that place and you are transported to another time completely. It is just so lush and relaxed and quiet (unless Cuba is in the room) and I have never been disappointed there. A rare feat for any place, let alone a hotel in Los Angeles.
December 16th, 2010 at 10:45 am
This post intrigues me and makes me smile at the same time. I am obsessed with places that have a sense of history such as this…something tells this hotel has an endless list of iconic moments…
December 26th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
[...] Here are a few of the infamous Hollywood events that have taken place at The Chateau Marmont (from Nadine Jolie) [...]