Hotel (1967)

I love this movie so much

Thanks for the memories!

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

I fondly recall my first long distance family vacation in sunny Mexico around November 1974. I was truly taken in my the awe and majestic grandeur of the tropical and mountainous seaside coastline. Among st the beauty I entered the luxurious grounds of the Camino Real Hotel. I felt like the character Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz seeing the Emerald City for the first time. Everything about this Hotel was first class from their nightclubs, ocean view rooms facing the turquoise waters of the Pacific ocean and the grand centerpiece the swimming pool with a waterfall at one side and a bar recessed in the pool at the other end with bar stools in the water. If that wasn't enough all the woman there were absolutely gorgeous. With in one hour I was invited to play volleyball with these beauties. At one point the ball rolled away and ended up in the Pacific Ocean. I ran to get the ball and paused for a moment as I knelt down into the salty surf. The girls ask whats wrong? I said I was making history entering the Pacific ocean for the first time. Nothing like a grand hotel to make you forget about your daily drab lifestyle. Arthur Hailey's novel Hotel puts you right inside the main entrance of the St. Gregory's Hotel in the adult playground called the "Big Easy" New Orleans, Louisiana. Our Story centers around the Hotel's manager Ian Peter McDermott (Rod Taylor) who overseas the daily operations of the lavish hotel. McDermott is employed under his out of touch, racial, elderly owner Mr. Trent (Melvyn Douglas). Our first prospective buyer is a Mr. Joe Laswell played by Ken Lynch. Lynch plays the quintessential New York business tycoon along with his tough sounding raspy voice waiting for a fair price from the elderly Mr. Trent. Most of his scene are via the telephone. Buyer number two is the energetic confident Curtis O'Keefe played by (Kevin McCarthy) who has ideas of modernizing the lavish hotel. O'Keefe has his french mistress Jeanne (Catherine Spaak) along side. Jeanne shows an interest in McDermott and an affair begins to blossom between the two. Meanwhile there's a thief running through the hotel stealing, "cash only" from room to room played by Karl Malden. If that wasn't enough, a black couple enter the hotel while McDermott is away with Jeanne enjoying the lunch and his hide-away apartment. Because of the McDermott's absence being detained by O'keefe's mistress, The concierge Bailey played by Roy Roberts takes it upon himself to restrict entrance for the smartly dressed black couple from Phildelphia. Bailey rejects the colored couple claiming the hotel never got their reservation, but is willing to book them in another hotel. Roberts reprises his role of the restrictive hotel clerk in an earlier movie Gentlemen's Agreement snubbing Gregory Peck as being of the Jewish faith. Another story line intertwined with the hotel is the Duke) Michael Renny) and Duchess (Merle Oberon) of Lanbourne who are entertaining at the hotel but earlier were involved in a hit and run accident killing a youth. One of the headlight rims was left on the scene and missing from their exposed Jaguar which currently is parked in the hotel parking garage noticed by house detective Dupere (Richard Conte). Dupere sees dollar signs as he confronts the Royal couple reverting to blackmail. The elegance and charm of the old hotel is magnificently filmed along with the well attired players in our movie. Rod Taylor was well tailored but I felt he could of been a more assertive character. A little stronger than just offering drinks on the house. Melvyn Douglas was very believable as the Trent character which he carried off as the old racial order. Kevin McCarthy's O'Keefe character shows an energy and confidence that holds the audiences attention. A different vehicle for actor Karl Malden's part. Less dialogue and more in the way of the physical timing. Malden the trespasser shows a grace as if you are stealing the items right along with him. At times I felt myself rooting for him instead of going with my conscience. Just a great way to "Check In" for a couple of hours at the Saint Gregory's Hotel where a reservation is not required. You might check in, but your memories of this film will never leave.

Yes, this is the same "St. Gregory" as the 1983-1987 TV series, just a different city. Obviously, the Trent family went on to buy a lavish hotel in San Francisco, run first by Bette Davis and later by Anne Baxter. But in this movie version of Arthur Hailey's novel, they are in New Orleans, run by an older relative of theirs. Still, the format is the same. A bevy of guests arrive for a stay, having different adventures and causing some grief for the staff and the hotel's seemingly recluse owner (Melvyn Douglas). Instead of James Brolin, Rod Taylor is the hotel's manager, and he is involved with the beautiful but bland Catherine Spaak. As much happens here as happened in one episode of that Aaron Spelling soap opera like anthology drama, and it is all done with class, if a bit empty headed and wrapped up a bit too easily. The two story lines that stand out in my mind are the ones about the thief (Karl Malden) and the domineering countess (Merle Oberon) involved in a blackmail plot with a hotel staff member (Richard Conte). You can see some of the same plot devices that author Arthur Hailey would use in his next big novel turned screen epic, a little something called "Airport".

Hotel is a film concerning a few days at the end of the life of one of those old fashioned hotels, the St. Gregory's in New Orleans. It's owner Melvyn Douglas is facing some financial problems and he's hired Rod Taylor as manager whose made some improvements and the place is beginning to turn around. But way too slowly to keep Douglas's creditors off his back. The story on which Hotel is based is from an Arthur Hailey novel who wrote Airport and inspired that series of films. The film bears some resemblance to Airport to be sure, but I also think it bears comparison to the Humphrey Bogart classic Deadline, USA about a newspaper going out of business with Bogart in the Taylor role and Ethel Barrymore in the one that Melvyn Douglas has here.Douglas and Taylor are not going down without a fight. What they don't want to do is sell out to Conrad Hilton like hotel magnate Kevin McCarthy who will turn the place antiseptic and it will lose its traditional charm. It's a problem with hotels, so many of even the finest rated old ones are being purchased by chains, a problem back then to be sure. So few independents are even operating today.McCarthy does have a secret weapon in the charming and voluptuous Catherine Spaak and her assignment is Taylor.There are a couple of other subplots working here. Titled couple Michael Rennie and Merle Oberon are involved in a hit and run accident after they've both had too much and they face a blackmailing house detective in Richard Conte. And the police are after a very clever thief who works the New Orleans hotels in Karl Malden. All these stories do connect as you will see.Director Richard Quine directed this film with an eye for style and elegance which the fictional St. Gregory is famous for. The cast is seasoned one of good professionals who give some professional performances. Hotel is a film of class and I think you'll like it.

Unfortunately this is the impression you get of this film when watching it, although the excellent acting and very grandiose set pieces have nothing in common with the crap, long-running English soap opera. In addition to the already mentioned, top marks go to Rod Taylor as the no-nonsense hotel manager and Kevin McCarthy as the obsessed businessman intent on buying the hotel to settle a petty score. The supporting cast were also great and eased the sometimes mundane scenes. Likewise I agree that the 'outside' scenes were too obviously the Warner Brother's backlot and the big-band score was a bit annoying and repetitive.I think the problem with this film is that, although Arthur Hailey's novels make great easy reading, they don't really transfer well onto the big screen which is probably why you get many adapted and spectacular disaster sequels of his 'Airport' series. Sequels of 'Hotel' were obviously never going to happen.