Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles 1940s
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Product Description
This fabulous 1940s menu dates to the ‘glamour years’ of the famous Beverly Hills Hotel and bungalows when many of Hollywood’s biggest stars used it as their playground. The Beverly Hills Hotel was established in 1912 by Margaret J Anderson, a wealthy widow, and her son Stanley. Designed in Mediterranean Revival style on land that was once bean fields, actors such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Gloria Swanson patronized the hotel and many then bought land close by to build their own homes. In 1919, actors Douglas Fairbanks Jnr and Mary Pickford bought a lodge nearby that they named Pickfair and made the area even more fashionable.
The famous silent movie actress Gloria Swanson resided in one of the bungalows during her divorce, Fred Astaire went there to relax and read Variety and The Hollywood Reporter on a shady terrace, Katharine Hepburn did a back flip into the pool in her tennis clothes and Elizabeth Taylor honeymooned in the bungalows – six times. One of the hotel’s long-time patrons Marlene Dietrich, who dressed in pants suits, succeeded in instituting a change in the Polo Lounge’s dress code in 1940 that required women to wear skirts or dresses.
In 1942, the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes bought up half a dozen bungalows and lived there on and off over several decades. In 1948, the hotel was painted its famous pink color. Marilyn Monroe’s favorite bungalow was number 7. In the 1970s, John Lennon and Yoko Ono hid out in the bungalows for a week. In 1997 actor Peter Finch died of a heart attack while sitting in the hotel lobby. He was posthumously awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor in the film Network. His co-star Faye Dunaway was awarded the Best Actress Award for the same film and was famously pictured, posing with her statuette lounging by the hotel pool. Ownership of The Beverly Hills Hotel has changed hands over the years, and it is now managed by the Dorchester Collection for the Sultan of Brunei.
The famous silent movie actress Gloria Swanson resided in one of the bungalows during her divorce, Fred Astaire went there to relax and read Variety and The Hollywood Reporter on a shady terrace, Katharine Hepburn did a back flip into the pool in her tennis clothes and Elizabeth Taylor honeymooned in the bungalows – six times. One of the hotel’s long-time patrons Marlene Dietrich, who dressed in pants suits, succeeded in instituting a change in the Polo Lounge’s dress code in 1940 that required women to wear skirts or dresses.
In 1942, the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes bought up half a dozen bungalows and lived there on and off over several decades. In 1948, the hotel was painted its famous pink color. Marilyn Monroe’s favorite bungalow was number 7. In the 1970s, John Lennon and Yoko Ono hid out in the bungalows for a week. In 1997 actor Peter Finch died of a heart attack while sitting in the hotel lobby. He was posthumously awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor in the film Network. His co-star Faye Dunaway was awarded the Best Actress Award for the same film and was famously pictured, posing with her statuette lounging by the hotel pool. Ownership of The Beverly Hills Hotel has changed hands over the years, and it is now managed by the Dorchester Collection for the Sultan of Brunei.
Gallery quality Giclée print on natural white, matte, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using Epson Ultrachrome HD archival inks. Custom printed with border for matting and framing.
Each order includes a print of the interior menu.
All printed in USA.