Saturday, February 08, 2014

Postcards and ramblings from the Chateau

Vintage Chateau Marmont postcard 1940

This vintage postcard was sent from the famed Chateau Marmont Hotel in January 1940. While Hollywood was getting rain, Chicago was getting snow.

Vintage Chateau Marmont postcard 1940

The next vintage Chateau postcard was unused. No message. No weather report. But...it does appear to be the photo (albeit colorized) that the previous postcard's art was based.

Vintage Chateau Marmont postcard 1940

From a somewhat similar angle is this pre-1953 photograph taken from Sunset Boulevard showing the Chateau towering over Preston Sturges' The Players Club. Sturges was a famous Hollywood director ("Sullivan's Travels") who decided to invest in The Players, a theater/nightclub/restaurant that was frequented by the likes of Hollywood heavy-hitters Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, Orson Welles, and Howard Hughes. Unfortunately, the Players was a money pit for Sturges.

Vintage Chateau Marmont photo, pre-1953

My 2011 shot from the same vantage point shows Miyagi's Japanese Restaurant/Bar where Sturges' former hotspot once was.

Chateau Marmont and Pink Taco on Sunset Boulevard photo, 2013

Today, it has morphed into the Pink Taco.

Chateau Marmont and Pink Taco on Sunset Boulevard photo, 2013

I wonder if Bogie would eat at the Pink Taco?

See more vintage & current Chateau Marmont photos on my main website.

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