The demise of the Ambassador and the surrounding neighborhood began in the 1970s, when gang and drug problems grew severe. The Cocoanut Grove was renovated in the mid-1970s, but it didn’t help. The hotel checked out its last guest in 1989.
Charles MacArthur, Norma Shearer, Jimmy Stewart, and Helen Hayes MacArthur, 1938.
On location at the Ambassador for the film Foolish Wives, 1921.
The Ambassador was said to be the most-used filming location that wasn’t at a major studio. More than 120 motion pictures, music videos, and television shows were filmed there. In the 1967 film The Graduate, the Ambassador stood in for the Taft Hotel, where Mrs. Robinson and Ben Braddock had their affair. In 1990, the hotel established a private company, Ambassador Films, to lease the hotel for film production. In 1992’s Sister Act, Whoopi Goldberg fled the Mob through the same kitchen where Robert Kennedy had been shot. Two hotel rooms were used as Gary Sinise and Kevin Bacon’s “apartments” in Apollo 13. Fittingly, Bobby was the last film shot there, in 2006, while other sections of the hotel were being demolished.
Postcard featuring the Cocoanut Grove, circa 1962.
Thelma Todd and Pat DiCicco at the Ambassador before Todd’s mysterious death a short time later, 1935.
During this time, private groups and event promoters were allowed to rent out the ballrooms or even the Cocoanut Grove for dances, parties, and other events. In 1992, I was fortunate enough to attend a Halloween party at the Grove. As I wandered the halls of the shopping arcade and the lobby area, I hoped the Ambassador would return to its former glory.
In 2004 and 2005, the hotel was restricted from filming because of a legal struggle between the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and Sirhan Sirhan, who wanted to conduct more testing in the pantry where Robert F. Kennedy had been shot. When the hotel was razed beginning in 2005, the pantry was dismantled and placed in storage, where it remains today.
Henry Fonda making a promotional appearance for The Best Man at the Ambassador, 1962.
In 1998, after almost ten years of proposing to build the world’s tallest building on the site of the Ambassador, Donald Trump blamed the LAUSD for ruining his investment and pulled out of the purchasing talks. The LAUSD had put up a $50 million dollar deposit for the site. Part of the deal of sale to the LAUSD was that many of the elements of historical value in the building would be preserved and used in the new school. These terms were agreed upon, but when demolition started they found that the areas they had planned on saving were not structurally sound.
I personally watched the demolition from across the street a few times in the first part of 2006. The agreement was for the Cocoanut Grove to be saved for the school auditorium, and the Palm Bar & Coffee Shop would be turned into a teachers’ lounge and café. Based on what was possible, the original terms of preservation were altered to reflect that they would incorporate “working original elements” into the design of the new campus.
Today, the campus is called the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools. Six schools sit on the property. The north side of the campus resembles the original hotel façade. The front lawn is now the school’s sports field, and there is also a small park with quotes from Kennedy adorning its front gates on Wilshire.
William Demarest, Jerry Lewis, and William Bendix at a wrap party for The Errand Boy, 1959.
Guest of honor Claudette Colbert, 1934.
Guests at a 1933 party, including: Josef von Sternberg (top row, center); Leo Carillo, Marlene Dietrich, Jean Harlow, and Joan Blondell (middle row, center); John Boles (front row, far left); and Dolores del Rio, Edward G. Robinson, and Heather Angel (front row, second, third, and fourth from right).
Beef Short Ribs with Brown Gravy
These delicious ribs were a staple on the Cocoanut Grove’s menu.
Serves 6
6 (12 oz.) beef short ribs
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
fresh rosemary
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrot
½ cup red wine
Brown Gravy (recipe follows)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Place the ribs in a shallow baking pan, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and rosemary, and place the celery and carrot pieces around them. Roast for 1 hour.
3. Add the red wine and Brown Gravy to the pan, cover with foil, and roast for an additional 1½ hours, or until the meat is tender when a fork is inserted.
Makes about 3 cups
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
14 oz. chicken broth
14 oz. beef broth
1 tbsp. beef concentrate (or one bullion cube)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and stir in the flour until smooth and pale golden.
2. Whisk in the chicken broth, beef broth, and beef concentrate until blended. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper as needed.
When the Cocoanut Grove hosted large banquets, this bread pudding was a mainstay of the menu. It was also a very popular late night snack at the Palm Bar & Coffee Shop.
Serves 8
6 large eggs
4 cups whole milk
1