The Biltmore’s (formerly Millennium Biltmore Hotel) love affair with Hollywood began almost immediately when the landmark hotel opened in 1923. Since then, it has been in the limelight of many movies and TV shows such as the long-running American period-drama television series, Mad Men (2007-2015). Pictured above is the hotel’s The Galleria which stood in for the Chevrolet lobby in Mad Men’s Season 6 episode, “For Immediate Release.” (Photo credit: “Mad Men”, Facebook)
On Location:
Hollywood Flicks
Filmed At
Millennium
Biltmore
Lights, camera, action! It’s a common phrase heard at the hotel, The Biltmore Los Angeles (formerly named Millennium Biltmore Hotel), which has served as the setting for some of Hollywood’s biggest hits. Since the historic Los Angeles hotel opened its doors to the public on 2 October 1923, the historic Beaux Arts-style structure designed by architects Leonard Schultze and S. Fullerton Weaver, has appeared on screen in many iconic productions.
Here are some areas of the hotel that have lit up both the big and small screens, adapted from an article in Discover Los Angeles, the travel trade newsletter of Los Angeles’ tourism marketing organisation.
Hollywood’s love affair with the grand hotel began almost immediately. Over the years, the hotel has played host to show business royalty such as Walt Disney, Mary Pickford, Ginger Rogers, Cecil B. DeMille, Clark Gable, and Shirley Temple.
According to Discover Los Angeles, the travel trade newsletter of Los Angeles’ tourism marketing organisation, The Biltmore has hosted eight Academy Awards ceremonies, and legend has it that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences itself was first established during an event held at the Biltmore in 1927.
The opening gala of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in 1923.
The late American producer and founder of Walt Disney Productions, Walt Disney (left) with a young Shirley Temple at the 1939 Oscars at the Crystal Ballroom at The Biltmore.
See if you can recognise some areas of the hotel that have lit up both the big and small screens.
The Lobby – “Ghostbusters”
Originally functioned as a ballroom and known then as the Music Room, The Biltmore’s Lobby was used as the fictional “Sedgwick Hotel Ballroom” in the 1984 hit Ghostbusters, where actors Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd and Harold Ramis starring as eccentric parapsychologists, were seen trying to capture a ghost.
The elegant chamber of the lobby, best known for its ornate frosted glass and wrought iron-paned ceiling, also served as the campaign headquarters for former President John F. Kennedy during the 1960 Democratic National Convention.
In the 1984 blockbuster Ghostbusters, the lobby at The Biltmore was used as the fictional “Sedgwick Hotel Ballroom”, where actors Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis (left photo) were filmed trying to capture a ghost (right photo). (Photo credit: Spook Central)
Rendezvous Court – “Beverly Hills Cop”
The Rendezvous Court which was The Biltmore’s original lobby, has appeared onscreen countless times over the years. It was portrayed as the fictional “Beverly Palm Hotel” in the 1984 American action comedy film, Beverly Hills Cop, where Eddie Murphy’s character Axel Foley checked in under the guise of a Rolling Stone reporter.
The court has also been used in episodes of television series, Revenge, Mad Men, NCIS, Glee, and 90210, as well as in the movies Blow and Daredevil.
The Rendezvous Court with its dramatic vaulted ceiling, a marble fountain and an elegant double stairwell, has appeared onscreen countless times over the years.
Actor Eddie Murphy was filmed checking into the fictional “Beverly Palm Hotel” for the action comedy flick, Beverly Hills Cop.
Crystal Ballroom - “The Fabulous Baker Boys”
The Biltmore’s most famous venue is the Crystal Ballroom, where Michelle Pfeiffer clad in a red dress, famously sang “Makin’ Whoopee” on top of a piano in one of the 1989 movie’s iconic scenes.
An exquisite two-story space featuring a domed hand-painted ceiling, chandeliers made of Austrian crystal and three towering arched windows, the Crystal Ballroom was also used as the boxing facility where Rocky Balboa (Sylvester) trains in Rocky III. An actual boxing ring was brought into the ornate room for the filming of those scenes.
The Crystal Ballroom was also the location of the prom in the 1986 movie Pretty in Pink, and where Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger famously danced to the tango at the end of the 1994 thriller True Lies.
The Crystal Ballroom is one of The Biltmore’s most famous venues used in movies including the 1989 movie The Fabulous Baker Boys.
Fitness Centre – “Cruel Intentions”
The Biltmore’s Fitness Center, which houses an exquisite indoor pool, workout facilities, a dry sauna, a Jacuzzi, and a steam room, was designed in 1926 to resemble the gyms in upscale cruise ships. It was used as a private country estate pool where Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe) attempts to seduce Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon) with a late-night swim, in the 1999 American teen drama film, Cruel Intentions.
The Fitness Centre also played itself in the 1991 American crime-drama film Bugsy starring Warren Beatty and Mickey Cohen.
The Biltmore’s Fitness Centre was designed in 1926 to resemble gyms in upscale cruise ships.
Staircases – “GLEE”
The steps were most notably featured in an extensive dance sequence to the Marina and the Diamonds’ song, “How to Be a Heartbreaker” in the Season 4 episode of popular American musical comedy-drama television series, Glee, titled “Feud.”
The stairwells were also featured in other movies and TV series including the Shandor Building in Ghostbusters, as well as the steps leading to the rooftop of a Beirut resort in the Season 7 episode of crime-drama television series, The Mentalist. The episode was titled, “Orange Blossom Ice Cream”.
The Biltmore’s staircases tower over a hundred feet in length. (Photo credit: Lindsay Blake)
