A Hollywood Journey

15. Montmarte Cafe

Hollywood, CA

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With its famous motto "where everyone worthwhile goes to see and be seen," one of Hollywood's most chic night spots opened on the second floor of the building in 1923. Adolph "Eddie" Brandstatter heard the call of people looking for somewhere to go to spend an evening having fun. The genteel tea dances at the Hollywood Hotel, on the corner of Hollywood and Highland, just weren't satisfying anyone's inner party animal anymore. This was the roaring 20s! Sympathetic to the bohemian tastes of actors, Brandstatter learned the way of performers having worked in Paris, London and New York. The oh-so-swanky cafe was the first nightclub to serve Hollywood. Originally housing a bank on its ground floor, the Montmartre Cafe was a spectacle of violins and white-tie evenings paired with quasi-French Continental cuisine. Brandstatter, a Parisian, knew that anything French would be considered classy, and established a French themed menu and club to compete against other upscale restaurants in LA. With regulars such as Bing Crosby, Rudolph Valentino and Joan Crawford dancing the night away, Brandstatter knew the locals would flock here as well. Crawford was first seen and discovered here. For its working class crowds, wide selections of hometown favorites ranging from mince pie and enchilada to borscht and chicken burgers were offered. The house specialty and a particular favorite of Marlene Dietrich, one of the highest-paid glamorously exotic actresses during the 20s, was spaghetti tetrazzini. It was at this very location Brandstatter introduced the concept of the hot and cold buffet to LA, and the world. With Prohibition in full effect, Brandstatter knew plush decorations, a first-class band and the hot buffet weren't enough to keep a crowd coming back. So he kept a bootlegger, untaxed and unlawfully made alcohol, just in case his thirsty patrons drank their flasks dry. During the 1920s, everyone was on a dance-mad craze, so naturally Hollywood's first nightclub needed a spacious dance floor accompanied by an orchestra. Brandstatter organized dance contests that quickly became popular and helped people reach the fame they had searched for. A great example of this was Valentino, who was still an unknown household name when he first visited the Cafe. After winning a tango contest, his career soared and he became the world's first on-screen sex symbol. Afternoons were also a busy time for the cafe, as the ladies-who-lunched crowd kept the tables full. At night, lines to get into this hip and chic club stretched down the block. Many became regulars, but there was one consistent nightly table hopper and notable in search of the next big spice and scandal. Known as the queen of gossip columns, Louella Parsons' uncanny gift for sensing scandal could make or break an actor's career.