This vintage shot of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles is from 1938.
Jay Whidden & His Orchestra are on the marquee. On the r2ok! website, I found these references to the Cocoanut Grove:
In May 1934 he made his first appearance at Sweets Ballroom in Oakland, as Jay Whidden and his Mark Hopkins Hotel Orchestra and then moved on throughout California.…He also managed to fit in a number of appearances at the famous Ambassador Hotel’s Cocoanut Grove Ballroom in Los Angeles.…Jay [made] his first appearance in the new year on January 29, 1938 at the Cocoanut Grove for the Annual President’s Birthday Ball which featured Shirley Temple, Tyrone Power, and Henry Fonda. In the spring of 1938 Jay was back in Hollywood appearing with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy in the MGM musical, “Sweethearts,”as usual unbilled.
Want to hear what the band sounded like? I found this clip on Youtube:
While I regret the loss of the architecturally interesting Garden of Allah Hotel on Sunset Boulevard, I can’t say I mourn the loss of the Ambassador. The boxy structure with the tower at the top resembles a prison facility. I am sure the inside was a different story, with the exotic Cocoanut Grove nightclub. THAT is a tragic loss.
At first, I wasn’t sure that this vintage photo of a pool was truly L.A.’s Ambassador Hotel. Sure enough, the Lido Club belonged to the same property! This façade piqued my interest, and even included a sandy beach area for those too lazy to drive to the coast.
I zoomed in to see what was written on the top of the building. Feminine Conditioning? Sounds like a mind control program; I assume it was some special kind of gymnasium for women.
See more Ambassador Hotel photos at my main website.
The main building really does resemble a prison. Ha-! All it needs are searchlights and a touch of razor wire to complete the look. My memory of the Ambassador was when the annual 'Hi-Fi' show was held there, with the myriad of manufacturers occupying many suites [bungalows] , allowing sound isolation between exhibitors. I never attended any events at the Cocoanut Grove, Unfortunately.
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