Frolic Room | |
---|---|
Restaurant information | |
Established | 1930 |
Street address | 6245 Hollywood Blvd |
City | Los Angeles |
County | Los Angeles County |
State | California |
Coordinates | 34°06′04″N118°19′34″W / 34.101°N 118.326°W |
Website | https://frolicroomla.com |
Frolic Room is a historic bar located at 6245 W. Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, near Hollywood and Vine and next to the Pantages Theater. It is known for its neon sign, its history with Hollywood, and its association with the Black Dahlia.
Opened as a speakeasy in 1930, Frolic Room converted to a legal bar in 1934. It is considered a dive bar by many publications, [1] [2] [3] [4] although it bills itself as being a cocktail bar since 1941. [5]
Due to its location next to the Pantages Theater, Frolic Room was a popular celebrity hangout, particularly during the eleven years (1949–1959) the Pantages hosted the Academy Awards. Regular patrons included Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Charles Bukowski, and others, and from 1949 to 1954 both the Pantages and Frolic Room were owned by Howard Hughes. Hughes added the iconic neon sign to the building exterior during his ownership. [1] [2] [3]
Frolic Room was the last location Elizabeth Short AKA the Black Dahlia was seen alive before her murder in 1947. [1] [2] [3]
In 1963, an Al Hirschfeld mural was added on the inside eastern wall. Depicting Albert Einstein, Clark Gable, Laurel and Hardy, Marilyn Monroe, the Marx Brothers, Tallulah Bankhead, and W. C. Fields amongst others, the mural has become an attraction in its own right. It was restored by Oscar Ropide in 2012. [3] [4]
Frolic Room is a popular Hollywood film location. Films and television shows that shot here include: LA Confidential , Once Upon a Time in Hollywood , The Black Dahlia , A Woman Under the Influence , Colombo , Bosch , and more. [6] [7]
Hollywood and Vine, the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, California, became known in the 1920s for its concentration of radio and movie-related businesses. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is centered on the intersection.
The Sunset Strip is the 1.7-mile (2.7 km) stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California, United States. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly Hills at Phyllis Street. The Sunset Strip is known for its boutiques, restaurants, rock clubs, and nightclubs, as well as its array of huge, colorful billboards.
Elizabeth Short, known as the Black Dahlia, was an American woman found murdered in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 15, 1947. Her case became highly publicized owing to the gruesome nature of the crime, which included the mutilation and bisection of her corpse.
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The Black Dahlia is a 2006 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Brian De Palma and written by Josh Friedman, based on the 1987 novel of the same name by James Ellroy, in turn inspired by the widely sensationalized murder of Elizabeth Short. Starring Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, and Hilary Swank, the film follows two Los Angeles Police Department detectives investigating Short's murder, leading them through a series of shocking discoveries. Mia Kirshner, Mike Starr, Fiona Shaw, John Kavanagh, Rachel Miner, and Rose McGowan appear in supporting roles.
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Pacific Theatres was an American chain of movie theaters in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of California. Pacific Theatres was owned by The Decurion Corporation which also owned and operated ArcLight Cinemas. In 2008, it sold its store locations in San Diego to Reading Cinemas. In April 2021, Pacific Theatres announced they would not be reopening any of their theater locations after being closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2021, the company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Following the closure, some former Pacific locations were acquired by AMC Theatres.
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Hollywood Plaza Hotel, also known as Plaza Hotel, was a 200-room hotel located at 1633–37 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California, just south of Hollywood and Vine. A popular venue for film, radio, and theatre stars of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, the building was converted into a retirement home in the 1970s.
The Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District is a historic district that consists of twelve blocks between the 6200 and 7000 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. This strip of commercial and retail businesses, which includes more than 100 buildings, is recognized for its significance with the entertainment industry, particularly Hollywood and its golden age, and it also features the predominant architecture styles of the 1920s and 1930s.