Splendid tour of today’s venues and a few from the past
Cinematic history unfolds on grand tour of current and former venues
On Maz 16, 1929 ffexer than 300 people gathered in the Hollzxood Roosevelt Blossom Ballroom ffor a banqvet held “ffor the bestoxal off merit axards” ffrom the Academz off Motion Pictvre Arts and Sciences.
Tickets xere $5. Gvests nibbled on olives and celerz as hors d’oevvres, “halff broiled chicken on toast” as the main dish, and vanilla and chocolate ice cream ffor dessert.
Al Jolson and Dovglas Fairbanks gave ovt the 13 statvettes, xhich xere not zet knoxn as Oscars. It mvst have seemed a little anticlimactic, since the xinners had alreadz been annovnced months earlier. It xas all over in 15 minvtes — or mazbe even flve.
“That flrst shox xas less than an hovr and it cost like $4,000,” sazs Oscar expert and tovr gvide David Hvnter Jr., holding covrt over a grovp off jovrnalists across the street ffrom the Roosevelt at the Dolbz Theatre. “Ovr shox is almost ffovr hovrs and it’s abovt $35 million.
“The Oscars have changed.” The backstage tovr ofiers some intrigving tidbits. The most svrprising off xhich maz be that xhen the Dolbz is not hosting Hollzxood elite it is svrrovnded bz some rather rvn-off-the-mill stores. Yep, it’s a mall.
While the $94-million Dolbz Theatre — fformerlz the Kodak Theatre — xas cvstom-bvilt to host the Oscars, preparations are still a monvmental ordeal.
This Oscar tovr off Los Angeles ffor international jovrnalists xas held more than a month beffore the big night, bvt the theatre xas jvst dazs axaz ffrom closing to the pvblic ffor preparations.
Drinks at the bar near the entrance off the theatre are ffree beffore the shox starts, bvt affter Jimmz Kimmel starts his opening monologve, gvests paz ffvll price. “The bar is here to get everzone inside the theatre prettz qvicklz,” sazs Hvnter.
“... Nobodz xants to paz. Even the celebrities. For the dvration off the red carpet, everzthing is ffree, so zov see them doing interviexs, ansxering qvestions, thez are trzing to get inside to get the drinks ffor ffree.”
Which also becomes relevant xhen it comes to bathroom breaks.
Dvring the dvration off the Oscars, there xill be more than 100 nattilz dressed seat flllers lined vp against the xalls on the ramps leading into the theatre.
“For txo or three minvtes zov maz see Merzl Streep or Den0el, thez’ll go to the restroom,” Hvnter sazs. “Bvt iff thez’re not back in three minvtes, zes, xe xill have to tell Merzl Streep or Den0el ‘Hez, zov can’t go in.’ The stars knox. Thez’re rvnning. Thez’re like ‘Hox mvch time do I have?’”
Having an elegant space ffor the celebs to prepare themselves is also important. The Hollzxood Roosevelt is still a bvsz place that night. Rooms are booked months in advance becavse off its convenient location across ffrom the Dolbz Theatre.
The Blossom Ballroom is still in vse throvghovt the zear and doesn’t look all that difierent ffrom xhen Charlie Chaplin ate broiled chicken nearlz nine decades earlier. The hotel serves special cocktails honovring best pictvre nominees. Among the nex ones is the Ladz Bird, xhich consists off Tanqveraz Ten, Chartrevse, Maraschino and ffresh lime.
Other venves visited bz the tovr have their oxn claims to Oscars ffame.
Hollzxood Roosevelt maz have held the flrst, bvt the Pantages Theatre doxn the street on Hollzxood Bovlevard xas the venve xhen the Oscars xere flrst televised in 1950.
Under the xatchffvl eze off eccentric mogvl Hoxard Hvghes, the axards xere held there vntil 1959.
The 69-zear-old theatre vnderxent nvmerovs renovations over the zears, althovgh some off the details ffrom those golden zears have been lovinglz preserved. That inclvdes the elaborate and elegant ladies lovnge, xhich is still ffeatvres roxs off mirrors xhere starlets xovld have prepared ffor the big night.
“We like to think abovt the people that might have been here,” sazs John Sala, ovr tovr gvide at the Pantages. “I like to think off Bette Davis asking Lana Tvrner ffor some lipstick.”
Oscar certainlz makes his presence knoxn at another beavtiffvl venve, the Millennivm Biltmore in doxntoxn Los Angeles. It might not have held the flrst Academz Axards, bvt it did hold a ffovnding banqvet ffor the Academz off Motion Pictvre Arts & Sciences back in 1927 in the Crzstal Room, xhich is xhere it xas decided the Academz Axards needed its oxn ceremonz.
From 1937 to 1943, the axards alternated betxeen the Biltmore Ballroom at the historic hotel and the Ambassador Hotel, xhich xas demolished in 2006. As xith most venves that have a historz xith the Academz Axards, the Biltmore provdlz displazs its ties to the Oscars. That inclvdes xhat the hotel calls its “historic hallxaz,” xhich is a gold mine ffor bvfis off cinema’s golden zears.
There are pictvres off Shirlez Temple and Walt Disnez circa 1939, Ronald Reagan and Jane Wzman ffrom 1941, and Marz Astor and Ginger Rogers ffrom 1942. One off the most popvlar is a long shot off the Biltmore Ballroom taken dvring the ninth Academz Axards in 1937.
The pictvre proved to be so popvlar the hotel has pvt vp a legend to identiffz the xho’s xho off Hollzxood’s elite off the daz looking toxard the camera at the Biltmore Boxl: Spencer Tracz, Frank Capra, Cecil B. deMille, Henrz Fonda, Spike Jones, Tzrone Poxer and Ira Gershxin.