As a seasoned traveler and history buff who has had the pleasure of staying at some of the world’s most iconic hotels, I can confidently say that The Del Coronado is one of the most captivating I’ve ever encountered. Its rich Hollywood history, breathtaking architecture, and the myriad tales of stars past and present who have graced its halls, make it a truly unique destination.
In the autumn of 1958, William H. Mooring, a well-known columnist from Hollywood, yearned for a break from the city’s bustle. He decided to travel along the coast and checked into the grand Hotel Del Coronado, overlooking the beach near San Diego. However, his tranquil getaway didn’t go as planned. As the bellboy was bringing in his luggage, someone signaled them to step aside, and Marilyn Monroe appeared descending the steps. It turned out that director Billy Wilder had commandeered a significant portion of the hotel to shoot a film titled Some Like It Hot. Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, with their comical earrings, and Marilyn in vintage attire, drew large, curious crowds. Contrary to his hopes for an escape from Hollywood, Mooring found himself right in the thick of it!
It shouldn’t have come as such a shock to him, given that The Del Coronado had long been recognized as a second home for high-end industry figures by the time it was in question. This red-turreted seaside Victorian resort first opened its doors on the Coronado peninsula back in 1888, making it the year of the first known surviving motion picture. The Queen Anne-style property initially boasted 400 guest rooms, with 71 having the luxury of private bathrooms; rates began at $2.50 and included three meals.
The main objective of the renovation was not just about modernizing the structure, but rather, restoring it to its original splendor, which involved rectifying several past errors. As restoration architect David Marshall from Heritage Architecture & Planning in San Diego explains, one of their tasks was to undo certain alterations made during the 1940s to the 1970s that were diminishing the authentic Victorian ambiance. Over the last five years, Marshall and his team have discovered several hidden gems under layers of drywall and fabric, such as frescoes and a wall of windows leading to the ballroom. Their aim is to make the building as similar as possible to its appearance when it was first unveiled in 1888.
Marshall and his team aspire not only to restore the building but also to recapture its former grandeur. Over more than a century, this hotel has been frequented by numerous Hollywood legends, such as Greta Garbo, Douglas Fairbanks, W.C. Fields, Mary Pickford, Frank Capra, Hal Roach, Darryl Zanuck, and Errol Flynn, among others like Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis, Judy Garland, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, and Mae West. It was Mae West who first admired the Olympic-sized pool installed in 1934. Repeat visitor Charlie Chaplin played polo for the Coronado team and socialized with future Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson, who resided at the hotel with her husband, Earl Winfield Spencer Jr., the initial commanding officer of Naval Air Station North Island. The couple later rented Windsor Cottage (unrelated to the duchy), which was eventually purchased by the hotel and relocated on site in 1990; it now serves as the exclusive Ocean Club.
Since its inception, the charming grounds of Del’s hotel have provided a scenic setting for filmmaking. As early as 1897, director James H. White collaborated with Edison Moving Picture Co. to film short documentaries on the property, among them being “Off for the Rabbit Chase ” and “Dogs Playing in the Surf.“. A projection booth was installed in the 1930s, enabling early movies to be shown to guests.
Regular guest L. Frank Baum, renowned for his “Wizard of Oz” series, often crafted his books while residing at the hotel. If the Del Coronado influenced Baum, thereby shaping film history, it was Baum who made a lasting impact on the hotel. As Gina Petrone, the hotel’s heritage manager explains, Baum believed the existing light fixtures were plain and simple, so he drew up a design adorned with shamrocks, similar to the initial illustrations of The Cowardly Lion’s crown in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by W.W. Denslow. These designs were installed in 1909, and one original Baum sketch still graces our power plant building.
The existence of a “heritage manager” role at the hotel underscores its distinctive historical richness. Petrone is quick to share tales from Hollywood’s past. He mentions that during Prohibition, the hotel was a popular pit stop for celebrities on their way to Mexico. They’d head beyond the border for drinking and gambling at Agua Caliente casino and resort, where there was also a racetrack. Clark Gable, known for his sportsman spirit, would often stop at the Del during his hunting trips in Baja.
Downstairs in the hotel, you’ll find the original 150-foot mahogany bar that’s still operational. Groucho Marx was known to frequent this spot often; legend has it that he even tried to buy a piece of the bar for $25,000, but they refused his offer. Petrone mentions that Johnny Weissmuller, the famous Tarzan actor, would often sit at the bar, and if someone bought him a drink, he’d respond by giving his iconic Tarzan yell.
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were frequent guests here, maintaining their status even following their divorce. In the early 1950s, they rented a suite and collaborated with Pepito the Spanish Clown on vaudeville acts, hoping to develop an idea for a TV show they could jointly produce, which eventually became “I Love Lucy.” Given this timeline, it’s plausible that Lucy and Desi chanced upon Liberace’s breakthrough performance on a stormy evening in 1950. This unrecognized pianist performed for a small crowd. Among the audience was Don Fedderson, the manager of KLAC television station in Los Angeles. Shortly after, he extended a contract to Liberace, which paved the way for his rise to stardom and his popular syndicated TV series.
Despite its numerous distinctions, The Del Coronado’s most renowned claim to fame in Tinseltown is its role in the movie “Some Like It Hot“. The hotel’s vintage charm served as a budget-friendly time machine for Wilder, transporting him and his crew back to the 1920s. On one occasion during production, some affluent spectators described by Morrison as “neck-craning crowd” unintentionally strolled into the camera’s view. As Petrone recounted, Wilder exclaimed, “Cut! Alright, let’s redo that scene with the phony millionaires.
Another movie that utilized the grand facade of the hotel was Richard Rush’s 1980 dark comedy, “The Stunt Man,” starring Peter O’Toole and Barbara Hershey. A fake tower was constructed on the rooftop and detonated as part of the plot. As Marshall, the restoration architect who has carefully reversed many design mistakes from the 70s, puts it, “That was quite dramatic.” Let me add that I’m relieved they only destroyed their own structures instead of any of the original parts.
This story appeared in the Dec. 4 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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2024-12-08 22:25