THE DATE: June 13th, 2008 (Friday the 13TH)
THE PLACE: The Library Bar (located in the haunted lobby of the Hotel Roosevelt) map
THE GHOSTS: This hotel is as famous for the list of celebrities who have stayed there, as it is for the ghosts that continue to stay there, including a couple of celebrities who are also ghosts (or vice-versa). Most famously, Marilyn Monroe is said to haunt a mirror that hangs in the lobby near the elevators. Witnesses have claimed to have seen her phantom reflection smiling back at them. Legend has it that the mirror was one of her favorite possessions in her private poolside suite.
The lobby is also the home for two other ghosts. First, there is the unidentified “man in white” who walks along the mezzanine level of the lobby, eventually disappearing as he steps through the solid, locked doors on the north-east corner of the building... Many believe he is connected to the first Academy Award ceremony, which was held in that room. Perhaps, he is a forgotten celebrity from the silent era of movies.
Second, there is the ghost of a little girl seen playing in the lobby who is solid as can be one second, only to vanish into thin air the next. Could this be the ghost of Shirley Temple, who used to practice her dance routines in this very space?
Also, haunting this famous Hollywood landmark is Marilyn Monroe’s co-star from her last completed movie, Montgomery Clift, who is said to occupy Room 928. Over the years, people have claimed to have heard him pacing and practicing the trumpet (for his role in “From here to Eternity”). Some even believe the dark shadows seen moving in that hall are connected to his troubled spirit.
Other celebrity ghostly guests seen over the years include Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, and Harry Lee (who committed suicide by jumping of a fire escape). Maintenance workers, while on the rooftop, have felt invisible hands pushing them towards the edge. Could this energy by connected to Harry Lee's death? Perhaps, he was pushed, and his spirit will not rest until the true cause of his death is known.
In addition to those celebrity guests, Housekeeping and patrons have reported voices from empty halls and vacant rooms. Lights turning on and off by themselves, phone receivers that would lift from their cradles by an unseen force, telephones from vacant rooms calling the front desk, bedspreads that move off the beds, a typewriter in an office that types by itself, cold spots in the ballroom, and even one housekeeper that was shoved into a supply closet by invisible hands. Could this be the handy work of other temperamental stars that need attention? What ever the answer, one thing is for sure… The Hotel Roosevelt provides the best accommodations for ghosts with discerning tastes.
It is also worth noting, that across the street from the Hotel, at the world famous “Chinese Theater,” the ghost of TV star, Victor Killian, has been seen strolling along the side walk. It is said, that in death, he is repeating that last walk from the Roosevelt’s bar (his regular hang-out) to his Hollywood apartment, where he was murdered.
