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Archiver > FOLKLORE > 2001-05 > 0989358893
From: "Kath" <>
Subject: [FOLKLORE FAMILY] S T R A N G E D E S T I N A T I O N S
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 15:01:41 -0700
S T R A N G E D E S T I N A T I O N S
The Best Vacation Spots This Side of The Other Side!
Tuesday, May 8, 2001
* HOLLYWOOD'S HAUNTED HOTEL
* A SIGN FROM BEYOND
* STAGE FRIGHT
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
HOLLYWOOD'S HAUNTED HOTEL
Not everybody sees stars when they visit Hollywood. I was
there for nearly three weeks and the only real-live
celebrities I saw were Maria Shriver and
"What's-his-name-again?," the cop with the big vocabulary
from the old "Barney Miller" sitcom.
Your chances of rubbing elbows with movie stars improves,
however, if you're willing to drop the "real-live"
requirement and stay at the right hotels. Many of Hollywood's
most famous stars are allegedly still making the scene,
dropping in on unsuspecting folks decades after their bodies
were buried beneath expensive Hollywood headstones.
Consider the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Eternal guests of
this historic building at 7000 Hollywood Blvd are said to
include Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Humphery Bogart,
Carole Lombard and Carmen Miranda, according to "Ghost Stories
of Hollywood," by Barbara Smith. While some hotels downplay
ghostly activity for fear it will scare away business, the
Roosevelt has embraced its paranormal notoriety. It keeps
detailed files on reports of ghost sightings and even posts a
roundup of them up on its web site. (Click HYPERLINK
http://www.hollywoodroosevelt.com/tall_tales.htm .)
The Hollywood Roosevelt was known as "The Home of the Stars"
when it hosted the first-ever Academy Awards presentation in
1929. Today, if you look closely, you might see the ghostly
image of one of those stars reflected in a full-length,
dark-framed mirror near the elevators in the lobby.
The mirror once hung in suite 1200, one of Marilyn Monroe's
favorite collection of rooms, according to Hollywood
Hauntings, a directory located at HYPERLINK
http://gothic.vei.net/hollyood/hauntings/hotels/roosevelt.htm
The site also offers a pretty good photo of the mirror.
Since 1985, when the hotel reopened after renovations, many
people have reported seeing the reflection of a young,
platinum blonde woman in the mirror. When they turn to look
at her directly, however, no one is there.
The ghost of the troubled sex symbol has also been seen by
the hotel pool near the Tropicana Bar. She has similarly been
spotted in the coffee shop of the Hotel Knickerbocker,
1714 Ivar St., Hollywood, according to an accountposted at
HYPERLINK http://www.microla.com/ltpages/knickerbocker.htm .
While Marilyn's ghost seems to get around - old habits,
after all, die hard - the shade of actor Montgomery Clift is
apparently confined to the Roosevelt Hotel's 9th floor,
especially Room 928.
Clift lived in that room in 1952 while he was filming "From
Here to Eternity." His continued presence is blamed for an
inexplicable cold spot in the room that has puzzled and
frightened guests and employees alike.
If you're looking for close encounters, I'd recommend
spending a night or two in this room. In 1992, for example,
one guest felt an invisible hand pat her shoulder while she
was in bed, according to Hollywood Hauntings. Doors in that
room have been known to slam mysteriously shut and guests
have heard the ghostly strains of Clift practicing his trumpet.
Of course, Clift isn't responsible for all of the weird stuff
that goes on at the Roosevelt. Mysterious phone calls have
been received by the desk from empty rooms on the 12th floor
that weren't yet wired for phone service. In 1986, a
housekeeper on the 11th floor was pushed from behind into a
storage closet. When she turned to see who had pushed her, no
one was there.
Other hotel guests have spotted actress Carole Lombard's ghost
in the top-floor suite she shared with Clark Gable before she
was killed in a 1942 plane crash. Psychic researcher Peter
James said he felt the presence of Hollywood tough guy
Humphrey Bogart and Latin dancer Carmen Miranda in a hallway
on the third floor.
At the Hollywood Roosevelt, encountering long-dead stars
doesn't seem to be a problem. But just try getting them to
hold an autograph pen...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
A SIGN FROM BEYOND
As I've mentioned in previous newsletters, Hollywood is - per
square mile - probably one of the most haunted cities in
America. In fact, you can even get a map of haunted Hollywood
sites similar to the "Maps of the Stars," available from
disreputable roadside guides along Sunset Boulevard and other
major tourist streets. For a haunted cyber-map, check out
E Online at HYPERLINK
http://www.eonline.com/Features/Features/Halloween2000/Hollywood/
map.html (you may need to cut and paste this link into your
browser).
The place is SO haunted that even the famous block-letter
H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D sign on Mount Lee overlooking the city has
a resident apparition.
Getting the best view of the famous sign can easily use up
an afternoon in Los Angeles. When you twist and turn through
the Hollywood Hills, you're constantly catching glimpses of it
peeking above mansion rooftops while you're negotiating hairpin
curves. The best view I found was above Lake Hollywood near
Griffith Park, by the entrance drive to Madonna's old mansion.
There's a great scenic overlook there. If you look south, you
see all of the hazy Los Angeles basin. If you look north,
you'll see the sign. And, if you keep looking, you just might
see Peg Entwhistle slowly moving up the slope beneath the
giant letter "H".
The sign's 50-foot by 30-foot white letters have been there
since 1923, when they were erected to publicize a housing
development. As the movie industry boomed, the sign became a
symbol of Tinseltown.
Lillian "Peg" Entwhistle, an aspiring, 24-year-old actress
from New York City, was drawn to the glitz and glamour of the
town represented by the sign, Smith wrote in "Ghost Stories
of Hollywood." But after her first movie role opened to poor
reviews, Entwhistle became despondent.
She was so depressed, that, on Sept. 18, 1932, she picked her
way through the brush on the side of Mount Lee to the sign.
Leaving a note and a purse at the base of the "H", Entwhistle
climbed a latter left leaning against the letter by a
maintenance worker to the top. From there, she threw
herself off onto the rocks below. She tumbled down the hill,
battered and broken, through cacti and thorns.
They found her the next day, and life lingered in her body
until October 14.
But Peg Entwhistle, according to legend, still isn't done.
Many hikers and long-time residents have reported seeing her,
wearing the white dress she had on the evening she jumped,
making her way back up the hill, according to Smith. They say
it is a vaporous image that moves too swiftly and is dressed
too inappropriately for a living human being. Dogs running
the trails with hikers have acted strangely in the
apparition's presence.
Her ghost has also been seen walking down Beachwood Drive,
where she once lived, according to Dennis Hauck's haunted
places directory.
According to legend, Entwhistle is doomed to make her fatal
ascent until the sign - the means of her suicide - is taken down.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
STAGE FRIGHT
Several famous theaters and nightclubs in Los Angeles are
alleged to offer truly haunting performances, according
to Smith.
Paramount Studios, for example, sits next to Hollywood
Memorial Cemetery, at 5451 Marathon Avenue. Like the studio,
the cemetery has a reputation as a, stage for those with roles
in the afterlife. Several people have reported seeing figures
dressed in clothes from the 1940s pass through walls between
the studio and the graveyard, according to Hallucinet.com.
HYPERLINK
http://www.hallucinet.com/asylem/asylem2/as_paramount.html .
The ghost of comedian Red Foxx is said to haunt the Paramount
stage where he died of a heart attack. Doors and window in the
studio typically lock and unlock by themselves. One entity is
blamed for stealing people's wallets and other objects. Another
ghost is said to loiter in the catwalks above Studio 5 on the
movie lot.
Rudolph Valentino, the silent film era's leading male, is said
to haunt the studio's costume department, according to Hauck's
directory. His shimmering form has been reported among the
colorful period garments stored there.
For information on visiting the studio, or for arranging a tour,
check out its website at HYPERLINK http://www.paramount.com/
------------------------------------------------------------
STORIES
How about you? Do you know of mysterious destinations other
kindred spirits (no pun intended) might enjoy? Any paranormal
travel experiences you'd like to share? As always, you can
contact me at:
<a href=" mailto: ">Email Fred</a>
Until next time.
Your editor,
Fred
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