In October in Los Angeles, when the sunny is shining and the thermometer reads 80 degrees, it’s hard to think of the City of Angels as haunted. Yet the ghosts of film stars from Marilyn Monroe to Montgomery Clift, as well as TV icons from Ozzie Nelson (of OZZIE AND HARRIET) to Lucille Ball are said to wander the hotels, homes, and sets of Hollywood.
There’s no need to wait until next Halloween to visit. The ghosts of Hollywood are working all the time.
The 12-story Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard. has been the choice of Hollywood for over 90 years. Built in 1927, the Roosevelt hosted the very first Oscar ceremony on May 16, 1929. Naturally, it’s considered one of Hollywood’s most haunted buildings, but the hotel and its famous bar are quite accessible if you’re wandering the sidewalk ‘walk of fame.’
With Marilyn Monroe as headliner, the Roosevelt’s hauntings do not disappoint. Marilyn had a long relationship with the hotel. She posed for her first print ad, a toothpaste spot, on the diving board of the hotel pool. Not surprisingly, the Roosevelt’s Tropicana Pool is “buzzy” with spirit energy, Patti Negri, “psychic/medium to the stars,” told me.
As Marilyn went from starlet to star, she often stayed in a second-floor cabana at the Roosevelt overlooking the pool. The hotel provided Marilyn a tall, dark wood-framed full-length mirror, which after her death was moved to the manager’s office. A hotel maid was dusting the mirror and saw the reflection of a sad-looking blonde woman. The maid turned to ask if she could help, but there was no one there. While the mirror is not on display, guests can stay at the Marilyn Monroe suite overlooking the pool, replete with vintage Eames furniture.
