• The Hotel: A Week in the Life of The Plaza, by Sonny Kleinfield, published by Simon and Schuster.
1991
• Movie Home Alone 2 begins filming in the Fifty-ninth Street lobby (December).
1992
• Movie Scent of a Woman released, with scene shot in Oak Room.
• Filmmaker Woody Allen declares his love for the daughter of his former companion at crowded Terrace Room press conference (August).
1993
• Actor Eddie Murphy weds Nicole Mitchell in Ballroom (March 18).
• Plaza owner Donald Trump weds actress Marla Maples in Ballroom (December 20).
• Trader Vic’s closes.
1994
• Gauguin, a nightclub featuring tropical French cuisine, opens in basement space formerly occupied by Trader Vic’s (June).
1995
• Plaza used as setting on an episode of Seinfeld, the nation’s top-rated comedy (April 6).
• Hotel sold to Prince Alwalid bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Saud, owner of Fairmont Hotels, and CDL Hotels International for $325 million (July 28).
1996
• A Plaza Wedding, by Lawrence Harvey, published by Villard Books.
1997
• First female doorperson, Sheila Connors, begins work at the Fifth Avenue door (November).
• Cinema 3 closes.
1998
• Edwardian Room closes; space reverts to room for private functions.
2000
• Plaza Spa opens in lower-level space formerly occupied by Trader Vic’s and Cinema 3.
Filmography
Although The Plaza appeared fleetingly in earlier films, the hotel made its true movie debut in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 classic North by Northwest—the first time a crew, director, and cast assembled on this site to make a picture. Before then, movies had been shot almost entirely on Hollywood soundstages, rarely on location (The Plaza portrayed in films like The Band Wagon was solely the set designer’s version of the place). Once cameras were freed from soundstages in the 1960s, the hotel appeared in so many pictures that it eventually became New York City’s most popular movie location. As the following list attests, The Plaza has been muse to a far-reaching variety of filmmakers and films:
North by Northwest. 1959 (MGM). Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. With Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint. (Scenes shot in Fifty-ninth Street lobby, Oak Bar, and guest corridor; hotel room re-created on soundstage.)
Man on a String. 1960 (Columbia). Directed by André De Toth. With Ernest Borgnine and Colleen Dewhurst.
Barefoot in the Park. 1967 (Paramount). Directed by Gene Saks. With Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. (Scenes shot in Fifty-ninth Street lobby and fourth-floor corridor.)
Plaza Suite. 1971 (Paramount). Directed by Arthur Hiller. With Walter Matthau, Maureen Stapleton, Lee Grant, and Barbara Harris. (Scenes shot at Fifth Avenue entrance, Fifty-ninth Street lobby, Baroque Room, and seventh-floor corridor; Plaza suite re-created on soundstage.)
The Way We Were. 1973 (Columbia). Directed by Sydney Pollack. With Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. (Scenes shot at Fifth Avenue entrance.)
40 Carats. 1973 (Columbia). Directed by Milton Katselas. With Liv Ullmann, Edward Albert, and Gene Kelly. (Scenes shot at Fifth Avenue entrance, Fifty-ninth Street lobby, and seventh-floor corridor; Plaza suite re-created on soundstage.)
The Great Gatsby. 1974 (Paramount). Directed by Jack Clayton. With Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. (Scene shot at Fifth Avenue entrance; hotel interiors re-created at Pinewood Studios, London.)
Network. 1976 (MGM/United Artists). Directed by Sidney Lumet. With Peter Finch, William Holden, and Faye Dunaway. (Scenes shot in Ballroom and Ballroom foyer.)
The Front. 1976 (Columbia). Directed by Martin Ritt. With Woody Allen and Zero Mostel. (Scene shot in Plaza suite.)
King of the Gypsies. 1978 (Paramount). Directed by Frank Pierson. With Eric Roberts, Judd Hirsch, and Susan Sarandon. (Scene shot at Fifth Avenue entrance.)
The Rose. 1979 (Twentieth Century—Fox). Directed by Mark Rydell. With Bette Midler and Alan Bates. (Scene shot at Fifth Avenue entrance; Plaza room re-created on soundstage.)
Love at First Bite. 1979 (American International Pictures). Directed by Stan Dragoti. With George Hamilton and Susan St. James. (Scenes shot at Fifth Avenue entrance; Plaza suite re-created on soundstage.)
Just Tell Me What You Want. 1980 (Warner Bros.). Directed by Sidney Lumet. With Ali MacGraw and Alan King. (Scene shot in Palm Court.)
Arthur. 1981 (Warner Bros./Orion). Directed by Steve Gordon. With Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli. (Scenes shot at Fifth Avenue entrance and Oak Room.)
Prince of the City. 1981 (Warner Bros./Orion). Directed by Sidney Lumet. With Treat Williams and Jerry Orbach. (Scene shot in Plaza suite.)
They All Laughed. 1981 (Moon Pictures). Directed by Peter Bogdanovich. With Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara, and John Ritter. (Scenes shot in Palm Court and Fifth Avenue and Fifty-ninth Street lobbies.)
Paternity. 1981 (Paramount). Directed by David Steinberg. With Burt Reynolds and Beverly D’Angelo. (Scenes shot at Fifth Avenue entrance and Oak Bar.)
Author! Author! 1982 (Twentieth Century—Fox). Directed by Arthur Hiller. With Al Pacino and Dyan Cannon. (Scene shot in Palm Court.)
The Cotton Club. 1984 (Zoetrope Studios). Directed by Francis Coppola. With Richard Gere and Gregory Hines. (Scene shot in Plaza suite.)
Unfaithfully Yours. 1984. (Twentieth Century–Fox). Directed by Howard Zieff. With Dudley Moore and Natassja Kinski. (Scene shot at Fifth Avenue entrance; Plaza suite re-created on soundstage.)
Brewster’s Millions. 1985 (Universal). Directed by Walter Hill. With Richard Pryor and John Candy. (Scenes shot at Fifth Avenue entrance and Fifty-ninth Street lobby; Plaza suite re-created on soundstage.)
Crocodile Dundee. 1986 (Paramount). Directed by Peter Faiman. With Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski. (Scenes shot at Fifth Avenue entrance and Fifty-ninth Street lobby; Plaza suite re-created on soundstage.)
Big Business. 1988 (Touchstone). Directed by Jim Abrahams. With Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin. (Scenes shot at Fifth Avenue entrance and Fifty-ninth Street facade; hotel interiors re-created on soundstage.)
The January Man. 1989 (MGM). Directed by Pat O’Connor. With Kevin Kline, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Susan Sarandon. (Scene shot at Fifth Avenue entrance.)
Soapdish. 1991 (Paramount). Directed by Michael Hoffman. With Sally Field, Kevin Kline, and Whoopi Goldberg. (Opening scene shot at Fifth Avenue entrance.)
Regarding Henry. 1991 (Paramount). Directed by Mike Nichols. With Harrison Ford and Annette Bening. (Scenes shot in Oak Room and Edwardian Room.)
Scent of a Woman. 1992 (MCA/Universal). Directed by Martin Brest. With Al Pacino and Chris O’Donnell. (Scene shot in Oak Room.)
Home Alone 2. 1992 (Twentieth Century—Fox). Directed by Chris Columbus. With Macaulay Culkin and Joe Pesci. (Scenes shot in Fifth Avenue and Fifty-ninth Street lobbies, fourth-floor corridor, and Suite 411.)
Sleepless in Seattle. 1993 (Tristar). Directed by Nora Ephron. With Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. (Scene shot at Fifth Avenue entrance; Plaza room re-created on soundstage.)
The Pickle. 1993 (Columbia). Directed by Paul Mazursky. With Danny Aiello and Dyan Cannon. (Scenes shot at Fifth Avenue entrance, Fifth Avenue and Fifty-ninth Street lobbies, and Oak Bar; Plaza suite re-created on sound-stage.)
It Could Happen to You. 1994 (Tristar). Directed by Andrew Bergman. With Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda. (Scenes shot at Fifth Avenue entrance, Fifty-ninth Street lobby and entrance, eighth-floor corridor, and Suite 811.)
Eddie. 1996 (Hollywood/Island/Polygram). Directed by Steve Rash. With Whoopi Goldberg and Frank Langella. (Scene shot at Fifth Avenue entrance.)
The Associate. 1996 (Buena Vista/Hollywood/Polygram). Directed by Donald Petrie. With Whoopi Goldberg and Dianne Wiest. (Scenes shot at Fifth Avenue entrance, Fifth Avenue and Fifty-ninth Street lobbies, Palm Court, and Vanderbilt Suite.)
&n
bsp; For Richer or Poorer. 1997 (MCA/Universal). Directed by Brian Spicer. With Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley. (Scenes shot at Fifth Avenue entrance and Grand Ballroom.)
Cameo Appearances
Gentleman’s Agreement (1947), scene shot in Grand Army Plaza. The Band Wagon (1953), mentioned in dialogue; Plaza suite re-created on soundstage. Woman’s World (1954), Plaza suite re-created on soundstage. Midnight Cowboy (1969), scene shot in Grand Army Plaza; mentioned in dialogue. John and Mary (1969), mentioned in dialogue. I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), mentioned in dialogue. Two of a Kind (1983), Palm Court re-created on soundstage. Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), brief view at Fifty-ninth Street entrance; mentioned in dialogue. The Money Train (1996), scene shot in Grand Army Plaza. Mission Impossible (1996), mentioned in dialogue. Mighty Aphrodite (1995), mentioned in dialogue. Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Plaza suite used as stand-in for hotel suite in Venice.
Bibliography
For further reading about The Plaza, inquire at your library about the following titles.
Books
Primary Sources
Brown, Eve. The Plaza: Its Life and Times. New York: Meredith Press, 1967. The only general history of the hotel, written by its former head of publicity.
———. The Plaza Cookbook. New York: Prentice-Hall, 1972. More than three hundred recipes from the hotel’s kitchens, along with culinary anecdotes.
Harris, Bill. The Plaza. Secaucus: Poplar Books, 1981. A large-format picture book, with many contemporary color photos.
Harvey, Lawrence D. A Plaza Wedding. New York: Villard Books, 1996. The story of weddings at the hotel, written by its executive director of catering.
Kleinfield, Sonny. The Hotel: A Week in the Life of The Plaza. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989. A journalistic look at the hotel over a seven-day period.
Secondary Sources
Arnold, Eve. Marilyn Monroe. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987, pp. 63–67. An illustrated account of the actress’s notorious press conference in the Terrace Room.
Bogart, Michele H. Public Sculpture and the Civil Ideal in New York City, 1890–1930. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989, pp. 185–193; 205–217. An account of the construction of the Pulitzer Fountain.
Brown, Henry Collins. Fifth Avenue Old and New, 1824–1924. New York: Fifth Avenue Association, 1924, p. 87. Description of the Plaza site in 1863, when it was home to the New York Skating Club.
Dabney, Thomas Ewing. The Man Who Bought the Waldorf. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1950, pp. 154–174. A life of Conrad Hilton, with an account of his purchase of The Plaza in 1943.
DeShazo, Edith. Everett Shinn. New York: Clarkson Potter, 1974, pp. 100, 104–111. Illustrations of the three murals painted by the artist for the Oak Bar.
Guerrero, Pedro E. Picturing Wright. San Francisco: Pomegranate, 1994, pp. 137–143, 156–157. Reminiscences about Frank Lloyd Wright’s years as a Plaza permanent guest, along with pictures of his apartment in the hotel.
Hennessee, Judith. Betty Friedan: Her Life. New York: Random House, 1999, pp. 121–122. An account of the National Organization for Women’s 1969 sit-in in the Oak Room.
Hilton, Conrad. Be My Guest. New York: Prentice Hall, 1957. Autobiography of the hotelier, with a short account of his 1943 purchase of The Plaza.
Obolensky, Serge. One Man in His Time. New York: McDowell, Obolensky, 1958. Memoirs of The Plaza’s postwar public-relations and promotion director.
Plimpton, George. Truman Capote. New York: Doubleday, 1997, pp. 248–278. An oral history of the writer’s life, with reminiscences about his Black and White Ball.
Reynolds, Donald Martin. The Architecture of New York City. New York: John Wylie and Sons, 1994, pp. 184–188. Concise architectural overview of the hotel.
Souhami, Diana. Greta & Cecil. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994, pp. 147–151, 162–178. The story behind the 1946 Cecil Beaton photographs made of Greta Garbo in Room 249.
Stern, Robert A. M. New York 1900. New York: Rizzoli, 1983, pp. 258–262. Architectural analysis of the building, part of a general history of turn-of-the-century hotels.
Tauranac, John, and Christopher Little. Elegant New York. New York: Abbeville Press, 1985, pp. 150–155. A history of The Plaza and its builders.
Periodicals
Brenner, Marie. “Kay and Eloise.” Vanity Fair, December 1996, pp. 297–313. A biography of Kay Thompson, author of Eloise.
Collins, Amy Fine. “A Night to Remember.” Vanity Fair, July 1996, pp. 120–139. An account of Truman Capote’s 1966 Black and White Ball.
Crowninshield, Frank. “Up on Central Park.” Vogue, October 1, 1947, pp. 196, 242–243. An appreciation written on the occasion of The Plaza’s fortieth anniversary.
Frazier, George. “Elegance Entrenched.” Esquire, January 1956, pp. 79–80. An appreciation and short history of the hotel.
Goldberger, Paul. “At 75, Plaza Hotel Seeks to Remain Old Forever.” New York Times, September 27, 1982. New York Times architecture critic on The Plaza’s seventy-fifth birthday.
———. “A Spot of Paint Won’t Hurt This Lily.” New York Times, January 22, 1989. Speculation on the hotel’s future after its sale to Donald Trump.
Gray, Christopher. “Grand Hotel.” Avenue, September 1988, pp. 76–88. An analysis of the hotel over the years.
Meyers, William H. “The Great Plaza Plot: The Jockeying for One of the World’s Great Hotels.” New York Times Magazine, September 25, 1988. The story of Donald Trump’s acquisition of the hotel.
Molnar, Ferenc. “The Plaza.” Park East, June 1950, pp. 10–11. A memoir by the noted Hungarian writer and Plaza permanent guest.
Muschamp, Herbert. “Taliesin the Third.” House & Garden, October 1983, pp. 40, 44. A description with color photographs of the suite occupied by Frank Lloyd Wright from 1953–1959.
“Another Fine Hotel Now On the City’s List.” New York Times, September 29, 1907. An introduction to the new hotel, published just prior to its opening.
———. “The Plaza: A Genteel Hotel is a New York Tradition.” Life, November 18, 1946, pp. 86–93. Photo essay on newly renovated hotel under Conrad Hilton’s supervision.
Warren, Virginia Lee. “Fitzgerald’s Plaza Sheds Its Cobwebs.” New York Times, December 25, 1966. A profile of the hotel in the mid-1960s.
Works of Fiction with Plaza Settings
DeLillo, Don. Underworld. New York: Scribner, 1997. Gives imaginary account of J. Edgar Hoover attending Truman Capote’s party.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1925. Fitzgerald’s masterpiece incorporates the Palm Court and a Plaza suite as settings.
Simon, Neil. Plaza Suite. New York: Random House, 1969. The long-running play, observing three sets of guests who inhabit the same hotel suite.
Thompson, Kay. Kay Thompson’s Eloise: The Absolutely Essential Edition. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1955. The children’s classic, with an added scrapbook detailing the lives of the author and the book’s illustrator, Hilary Knight.
Illustration Credits
All illustrated material in this book is drawn from The Plaza Archives, with the following exceptions:
Frontispiece
Museum of the City of New York
The New York Skating Club
Author’s collection
The First Plaza Hotel
Author’s collection
The Fifth Avenue Door, Circa 1895
Ken Royer collection
top, Ken Royer collection
bottom, © Bettmann/CORBIS
At The Plaza, 1898
Museum of the City of New York
October 1, 1907
bottom, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photograph Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection
The Fifty-ninth Street Lobby
Museum of the City of New York
The Tearoom (the Palm Court)
&n
bsp; Museum of the City of New York
Mrs. Patrick Campbell Lights a Cigarette
Museum of the City of New York
The Men’s Cafe (the Edwardian Room)
Museum of the City of New York
The Men’s Bar (the Oak Room)
Museum of the City of New York
The Dining Room (the Fifth Avenue Lobby)
Museum of the City of New York
The Ballroom
© CORBIS
The Cornelius Vanderbilt Mansion
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection
Museum of the City of New York
The Sherman Monument
Author’s collection
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection
Enrico Caruso and the Magneta Clock
Museum of the City of New York
The Postcard Craze and The Plaza
Author’s collection
Princess Lwoff-Parlaghy Adopts a Pet
Courtesy of the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery
© Bettmann/CORBIS
The Plaza Lighted for the Hudson-Fulton Celebration
© Collection of the New-York Historical Society
Author’s collection
The Pulitzer Fountain
© Bettmann/CORBIS
F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby
Papers of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Manuscript Division. Princeton University Library
left, Author’s collection
right, Princeton University Library
The Persian Room
Author’s collection
At the Plaza Page 9