The Marmont at Sunset Strip: The playing field for the rich & famous since 1920s

Book Reviewed: Life at the Marmont: The Inside Story of Hollywood's Legendary Hotel of the Stars--Chateau Marmont, by Raymond R. Sarlot

This is a fascinating history of one of the most famous apartment turned hotel in Tinseltown that was the home of many celebrities. Currently named as Chateau Marmont is located at the Sunset strip, and it reigned as the hotspot for men and women of show business since Feb 1929. The rents which peaked at $750 a month at that time was regarded as outrageous by some, but most were too happy to take up residence. It started very nervously as the nearby Beverly Hills Hotel had closed its door because of losses, and so was the Garden of Allah situated in the same neighborhood, which was near bankruptcy after two years in business.

The setup was perfect because it was very private. Just drive into the garage, get in the elevator, go upstairs and nobody would see you. Ladies came in and out at all hours to see the famous male residents, and no questions were asked. Marmont also became a place to stay after spending nights on town at celebrity hangouts on Sunset Strip. Major attractions included nightclubs such as; Trocadero, Mocambo, Ciro's and Preston Sturges's Players.

The great stars have come and gone, replaced by newer names and faces. Many of the giant studios have dwindled and disappeared. Movie moguls; Mayer, Cohn, Zanuck, Warner and others no longer rule. The Garden of Allah and the glittering nightclubs and the famed Sunset Strip's Schwab's Pharmacy are a memory but Marmont remains. The years of glamorous highs and lows, storybook romances, fast times and wild parties, overnight success and failures and even tragedies; through them all, Marmont remained as Hollywood's Grand Hotel. It is a proud legacy of times past. The memories of Garbo, Gable, Harlow, Monroe and many others are linked by this magnificent place some called their home. Actress, Sandra Bullock once commented that "it has an incredibly seductive atmosphere, no wonder people come here to have affairs, and it has that air of mystery."