darlings
such a delightful treat.
our friend – whom we must only refer obliquely to as the duke – has moved into rooms-at-the-El-Royale!
well – we *sighed* (prettily and deeply) upon hearing this – we could not Resist the invitation to tea while taking in the sunset (all 360-degrees of it, from the roof terrace) – over los angeles.
as you may know, the El Royale has an illustrious history dating from 1927 (Clark Gable was a resident) and even the taps (faucets) are similar to those at Chateau Marmont for twas the same architect we are reliably informed.
and yes, we took the grown-up camera to capture it for You.
isn’t it d i v i n e?
all this – chandeliers, art deco faucets/taps, and sunset over the Hollywood Sign.
the duke is most happily in Residence now.
we did a little digging on the history.
apparently – according to this article in the Los Angeles Times – the famous neon sign was dark for many years due to the energy shortage in the 70s (not an easy time for many and very challenging in terms of fashion) and got switched on again as the money flowed into Town in the mid 80s.
also (our source here is again the L.A. Times):
There used to be a library where a fireplace glowed on chilly afternoons and a tea-and-reception room for the ladies to enjoy after an afternoon’s shopping.
in other sources we found that there were many Agents from CAA (like Mr. Huvane and Mr. Lourd) and moviestars (such as Ms. Uma Thurman) who moved in after the once-bright starlets and stage decorators from nearby Paramount, who had lived there since 1929 when it opened, had transitioned into other forms, glittering still, on the Sound Stage of beyond….
of course it is these people that we dreamed of as we drifted down the corridors under the chandeliers, past the service entrance (yes! each apartment had a separate service door so your Jeeves could slip into the kitchen quietly to make the coffee piping hot before rousing you from slumber in the boudoir beyond) and through the apartment door (a nice dark heavy wood).
people like, for instance, Virginia Fox, who appeared in silent pictures (with Mr. Buster Keaton), Mr. Clark Gable, Marian Nixon and the lovely Loretta Young.
couldn’t you just IMAGINE them all gathering over a soothing cup of cocoa on a winter’s night (or what passes for a winter’s night over on This Coast)?
gosh!
we *knew* we’d seen that picture of the lovely Loretta Young (with Mr. David Niven and Mr. Cary Grant) before – that’s because we just bought a ticket to a Special Screening that’s coming up here in Los Angeles.
just in case it’s not showing near you – here’s the trailer (or non-trailer as they amusingly might call it these days).
*sighs*
isn’t that delicious?
we bet the lovely Loretta Young went home to her apartment in the El Royale after making the Bishop’s Wife and had a nice cup of tea and loosened her corsets and starting to read scripts that her agent had sent over by Messenger for her consideration.
wonder if the duke has a script or two lying around……it’s entirely possible.
living at the El Royale inspires one to be simply gloriously Hollywood you see.
