Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Roosevelt

The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood is easily visible in the final minutes of 1941, a movie set in late December of that year. Soon after Pearl Harbor, people are worried about what will be happening next. With good reason: A Japanese submarine is off the coast intending to do some damage. Hilarity ensues.

A moment of consideration might make one wonder what the Roosevelt Hotel was doing in existence during the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. While it was the unprecedented 9th year of his presidency, it must have been built very recently, if it's his name up there.  Or did Spielberg skimp on his research?

No, the Roosevelt really was there at the time. It was built in 1927 - so very near the end of the Roaring '20s.  Two years after opening its doors,  it was the site for the first Academy Awards in May 1929 - only a few months ahead of the Crash and the Great Depression. The Roosevelt it was named after, evidently, is Theodore.

No comments:

Post a Comment