GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters and those that just like ghost stories. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, and toast a ghost! Let’s put the “Boo!” back into “booze.”

All those who attend will receive a free (square) G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you already have one, please wear it so others can find you, without asking the staff about our group.

THE DATE: March 13th (Tuesday)
THE PLACE: The Beverly Hilton, Trader Vic’s Lounge (poolside)
9876 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills (Map)
THE TIME: 8:00pm to the witching hour

THE GHOST(S):

When architect Welton Becket designed the “ultra smart” Beverly Hilton in 1954, he used an inspired gimmick to speed along the construction process. The actual hotel rooms were built (and completely decorated and furnished) elsewhere, so that they could be brought to the construction site, hoisted up, and slid into their appropriate place, one next to another (like placing books on shelves).

Walt Disney, who was friends with the mastermind behind this and other futuristic local buildings (like the circular Capital Record building in Hollywood or the spider-like Theme Building at the center of LAX), was so tickled by this trick that he asked Welton to repeat it, when he commissioned him to build the futuristic Contemporary Hotel in Walt Disney World. Becket’s sleek, white, automobile-centric designs (entering the Beverly Hilton without a car can be a confusing experience) also influenced Disney’s “world-on-the-move” vision of Tomorrowland and EPCOT (Walt’s never realized Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow).

Even though this glamorous resort seems to have one foot in the future, luckily it still has the other foot firmly in the past, as evidenced by the ghosts of another era that still linger.

When GHOULA asked a security guard about possible spirit activity, he proudly replied that all the great hotels in America have a ghost story, and the Beverly Hilton is no exception. In addition to the odd electrical anomalies and misplaced objects that are chalked up to mischievous ghosts, there are two prominent apparitions that have been seen by many employees over the years. One is in the Ballroom, and the other wanders the spaces of the 8th floor. The “man” in the Ballroom is believed to be a former electrician, whereas the “woman” of the 8th floor is a guest. Why these two spirits have taken up residency here, as well as their exact identities, is still a mystery.

Although there have been a few well-publicized suicides here as well as a least one murder (involving Howard Hughes’ “scientific advisor” and an Israeli war hero), none of these incidents are connected to an electrician or a female guest…

However, ever since movie star Marilyn Monroe died in 1962, conspiracy theorists have attempted to connect her “suicide” with Senator Robert Kennedy. Officially, Mr. Kennedy was in Central California with his wife and family when she died. According to LA’s then Chief Deputy District Attorney, the then Mayor, and the then Chief of Police, Kennedy was secretly staying at the Beverly Hilton that day. Unfortunately, other than statements made to the LA Times, no documents or files exist to prove this. FBI files recently declassified due to the Freedom of Information Act, imply a relationship between Marilyn and Robert Kennedy, that he abruptly ended. Did she visit him at the Beverly Hilton that day? Did he give her the bad news there? Was she so distraught over this that she killed herself later that night? Does her ghost now revisit the place where this happened, reliving those moments over and over, or maybe trying to change them? We will probably never know for sure the answers to these questions.

There is also a third ghost that GHOULA has heard rumors about, and those that have seen “him,” know exactly who he is and why he’s there…

It would seem that this friendly ghost is none other than Merv Griffin (1925-2007), TV talk show host, singer, creator of “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy,” as well as the famous hotel’s former owner (1987-2003), who lingers to keep an eye on things. It should be noted that critics claim that the hotel’s glory faded under Griffin’s ownership as expensive maintenance and renovations were deferred.

Regardless, the happy ghost of Merv Griffin is said to stroll around the hotel’s pool, past the Polynesian-themed Trader Vic’s poolside lounge, which seems appropriate for a man famous for singing “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts”

The Beverly Hills’ Trader Vic’s, which opened with the hotel in 1955 at a different location on the ground floor, launched the tiki-bar craze of the 1960′s, created the tropical concoction known as the “Mai Tai,” and is where Trader Vic (Victor Bergeron) would unexpectedly stick an ice-pick into his leg (a prosthesis from a supposed shark attack), closed in 2007. Fittingly, Merv Griffin’s post-burial reception was one of the last events held in the historic dining room.

Although the modern poolside redo of the Trader Vic’s concept has its haters, where else can you enjoy these historic drink recipes outside in the warm night air… along-side the original masks of the Lone Ranger and Captain America on display? So come on out to this lounge, have a Mai Tai, toast the ghosts, and welcome Whitney Houston’s spirit. (The Beverly Hilton is also the site of the pop-star’s untimely death.)

(to read about last month’s haunted location… )

Also, if you participated in GHOULA’S CHILLING CHALLENGE: THE DOHENY MURDERS, please join us and share any information you may have discovered.

GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters and those that just like ghost stories. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, and toast a ghost! Let’s put the “Boo!” back into “booze.”

All those who attend will receive a free (square) G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you already have one, please wear it so others can find you, without asking the staff.

THE DATE: February 13th (Monday)
THE PLACE: Barney’s Beanery – The Original
8447 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood (Map)
THE TIME: 8:00pm to the witching hour

THE GHOST(S):

The “City of the Angels” (and its dark history) is apparently ideal as a back-drop for detective stories since it is home to so many famous fictional detectives (Phillip Marlowe, Easy Rawlins, Quincy, Barreta, Joe Friday, The Three Investigators, etc). Among that crowd, Lt. Columbo (no first name), portrayed by Peter Falk on the popular Columbo TV series that spanned five decades, is perhaps the most beloved Los Angeles-based fictional detective.

…One more thing, when Columbo needed to mull over the clues and figure out who-dun-it, do you know where he would go? He would have a seat at Barney’s Beanery, and enjoy a bowl of their chili, and as if by magic the solution would present itself.

Although the Beanery proudly boasts that it has the “2nd Best Chili in Los Angeles,” based on a 1960′s local chili cook-off (1st place went to The Magic Castle), Barney’s chili is tops with Columbo, who claimed to eat chili everyday (sometimes without beans for variety). To underscore the importance of Barney’s to Columbo, Burt, the show’s fictional proprietor of the Beanery, played by John Finnegan, was one of the very few reoccurring roles of that anthology program that would change its cast with each episode. It is also interesting to note that through most of the TV show’s run, Los Angeles’ real life chief of police, Daryl Gates, ate chili at the fancier and more up-scale Chasen’s restaurant just a few blocks away. Was Columbo’s presence at the more down-to-Earth, rough and tumble, ram-shackle juke-joint nearby meant as a statement to emphasize Columbo’s “outsider” persona?

Ever since Barney’s Beanery opened on Route 66 in 1920, it has always appealed to outsiders and the fringe of our great city, whether it was transients, outlaws, hoodlums, artists, beatniks, hippies, or the lowest of all… screenwriters. Barney’s started life as an isolated roadhouse along a dusty highway outside of town, where bar fights were common, and happily that atmosphere still exists today. It is said that singer, Janis Joplin, once cracked a bottle over the head of LA’s “Lizard King,” Jim Morrison during a dispute here.

Speaking of Jim Morrison, does the ghost of this 1960′s rock star, and lead singer of the LA-based band, The Doors, haunt this historic establishment? Is it his ghost that is seen in a white shirt walking past the door of the rooftop office? According to local legend, Morrison was a free spirit during his life, and would occasionally climb up to, and walk along, the rooftops of many of the buildings in that area despite the obvious danger. Also according to local legend, Morrison (in death) seems to be a spirit that moves freely around West Hollywood since other places in the immediate area claim to be haunted by Morrison ghost.

Likewise, who is the phantom in the basement that plays with the levers to the bar’s beer system, and is felt pushing past employees as they descend down the stairs? Is this the sad, booze-obsessed spirit of Janis Joplin, who had her last drink at Barney’s before going back to her hotel room in Hollywood and overdosing on Heroin?

Or, are these haunted hi-jinx due to a deceased former employee who still lingers at his old workplace? Perhaps, as some believe, it is even a long gone busboy (or rather “busboooo-oy).

Whoever/whatever it is that spends his/her/its after-life taunting the staff is unknown. All we can do is come out, patronize this piece of history, be a part of its history, …and mull over these possibilities while enjoying a bowl of their famous chili. Perhaps, as if by magic, the solutions (and the apparitions) will present themselves?

Burt: “You know what’s your trouble? You don’t have much imagination….You always look at the menu, and you always order chili.”
Columbo: ” I’ll have the chili.”
Burt: “See what I mean?”
Columbo: “Well, look at it this way, you’ll never be disappointed.”

(to read about last month’s haunted location… )
(to read about the lawlessness of the area… )
(to read about Morrison’s ghost… )
http://www.barneysbeanery.com/

The key to making a period ghost story that’s genuinely scary is attention to detail. Here, the team behind The Woman in Black explain how they created the film’s air of menace

Viv Groskop

The Observer, Saturday 4 February 2012
Article history

Scare story: The film was brought to life by insistence on authentic period detail for the haunted house and everything in it. Photograph: Nick Wall

The aesthetic of a horror film is the most important thing about it. If you get that wrong, everything is ruined. “In any film, the colour palette and the overall look are such important elements,” explains Chris Moore, location manager for The Woman in Black. “But even more so in a period horror film, because you have to believe that you’re in that period every step of the way. If there are any errors and the audience “sees” something they shouldn’t, then they’re back in the 21st century, it breaks the illusion and suddenly the “Woman in Black” is just a woman in makeup.”

The Woman in Black
Production year: 2012
Country: UK
Directors: James Watkins
Cast: Ciaran Hinds, Daniel Craig, Daniel Radcliffe
More on this film

There was no danger of that on this set, where every nuance was scrutinised. If the film were more upbeat, the attention to vintage detail could be described as lavish. Instead, with the film’s haunting tone, it comes across as both disturbing and macabre. The atmosphere is predictably dark: there is a lot of candlelight inside and mist outside, handprints on the windows and dogs barking at blank space. The film features hundreds of original vintage artefacts, all showcased to maximum effect: taxidermy figures, bizarre children’s toys, creepy porcelain dolls, eerie family portraits with the eyes scratched out. The lighting and grey and sepia colour tones throughout are crucial in the film, and the cinematography has already been praised in online film forums.

Director James Watkins hinted even in pre‑shoot interviews that atmosphere and feel would be key and that most of the film would be shot “in-camera” (ie any special effects would be created on camera and not modified afterwards). “We probably don’t have enough money to have lots of CGI. The way we shoot it, the sound design and all those things will contribute. There’s an opportunity to make a great British ghost story that’s classy and scary.” As Daniel Radcliffe, who plays solicitor Arthur Kipps, has said of Watkins, “He knows what buttons to press to frighten the life out of you.”

Set decorator Niamh Coulter and production designer Kave Quinn went to great lengths to research the period intricately, uncovering all kinds of unsavoury insights into the Victorian psyche. Props master Jamie Wilkinson explains: “Niamh had all this wonderful imagery on the walls [during preparation]. It was quite a grim time for death, and the Victorians seemed to really thrive on it. It was a morbid time. They painted pictures of their dead children.”

Wilkinson adds: “It was common to carry a picture of a dead person or a lock of their hair. So Daniel’s character has a locket on his fob chain [with a picture of his dead wife]. They even took pictures of their children as corpses and kept them on the wall. They used to sit their [dead] children next to a teddy bear on the couch and that would be the last memory of that person. That vogue lasted for 20 or 30 years.”

The children’s toys are no less spooky. Wilkinson says: “All the automatons were in the script, and James [Watkins] was very specific about what he wanted, particularly the monkey with the clappers and a very scary clown. We found all of it, none of it was made.” Wilkinson says he found the tea-drinking monkey, the clowns and the porcelain dolls’ heads particularly creepy. “I think they are creepy for anybody.”

All the artefacts in the film are Victorian originals. “Some were sourced in the UK and some imported on loan from a dealer in the US. About 80% came from one American collector. The only thing we did make was the zoetrope [a moving picture cylinder with slits cut vertically in the sides]. It’s like a Victorian Rubik’s Cube. We had to modify it for the shot, to make a scaled-up version so you can see the ghost’s eye looking through.” It was a particularly satisfying film to work on as a props master, he says, because “everything is seen and photographed and it looks so rich. Very often you go to all this trouble to make and source props and the effort is not seen.”

The action in the film takes place in and around a small, remote village and nearby Eel Marsh House, the place haunted by the Woman in Black. The whole feel of the area is very claustrophobic. In reality, it was shot across 15 different locations. “We shot a lot at Pinewood Studios,” says Wilkinson. “There was one special set there and others at smaller studios in London. There were other locations in Essex and Yorkshire. The house itself was in Peterborough, an actual house we dressed up.”

The shoot for the entire film was nine weeks and they only had a week to get the haunted house ready. In real life it is Cotterstock Hall, a perfectly unscary, lived-in residence which had been previously used in a children’s TV drama. “We put ivy on the exterior and we aged and cobwebbed the doors. We just put layers and layers on. We had a greenery department to dress 100 feet of garden with benches all overgrown,” adds Wilkinson.

Location manager Chris Moore had a very specific brief for the haunted house itself. “It was all about isolation. The director and the production designer wanted the house to be taller rather than wider. It’s got a foreboding about it. There’s this idea that it’s standing over Arthur Kipps as he approaches it. We went with that house because of the colour of the stone as well. It has something about it you can’t quite put your finger on. It just feels eerie and isolated.”

The local village also needed to be special, Moore adds. “The director wanted ‘a village that looks like it has been dropped from the sky’. A friend of mine scouted a hamlet in the Yorkshire dales, and when I went there and drove over the hill, there it was, looking exactly like it had dropped from the sky. The nearest village is 15 miles away.”

During filming there was much excitement locally when “Harry Potter” was spotted. “He was here,” reported writer Bridget McGrouther. “Staying in our pretty little village of Grassington in the Yorkshire dales. Imagine our surprise when we walked into our local, the Devonshire Hotel, to find Daniel Radcliffe sitting there.”

The locations for The Woman in Black have already been hyped as “poised to become tourist hotspots” as part of a new trend for “location vacations” for film buffs desperate to see the original settings. The film includes scenes shot at the Bluebell Railway in East Sussex, the Colne Valley Railway in East Anglia and the Tudor palace of Layer Marney Tower near Colchester in Essex. (Personally, I’d just like to say one thing: if, having seen the film, you do decide to visit any of these places, you might want to take a massive industrial torch with you for use at night as well as someone very large and comforting to hold your hand at all times. I’m not sure I will ever be able to look at a stretch of marshland ever again without shuddering.)

Wilkinson’s scariest moment in the finished film? “It definitely has the scare factor. The rocking chair does it for me. Even though I had read the script loads of times, when I saw it on film I finally realised why you see the chair rocking. I jumped on more than one occasion.”

Moore was less easily spooked when he saw the film for the first time recently. (He laughs long and hard at me when I tell him I could not watch most of the film because I was so petrified, then adds: “So was my wife.”) You can’t get that sucked in, he says, “when you’ve worked on it and you know all the angst you’ve had to sort the locations…” The most terrifying moment for him was on set. The entire crew had an uncomfortable moment while shooting one particular scene at the train station. “It was the first time I had seen [the actor playing] the Woman in Black. It was two o’clock in the morning in October. All the crew were, like, ‘Woah’.” He shudders. “Every member of the crew was saying, ‘That was a bit too scary for me’.”

Calling all ghost hunters, paranormal investigators, psychics, sensitives, and those interested in getting a glimpse of the “other side.” Whether you are acting alone, or in a team, GHOULA wants you! Whether you are a seasoned pro or this is your first ghost hunt, GHOULA wants you! (If you are none of the above, you may also participate. All are welcome)

If you are up for the challenge, come be a part of history, and solve Los Angeles’ first high-profile, unsolved murder. February 1, 2012, will be the 90th anniversary of the death of silent film director, William Desmond Taylor. To mark the occasion, GHOULA is asking the local ghost-hunting community to try to shed new light on this cold case.

1.) In the days leading up to the anniversary, we invite paranormal investigators to investigate the crime scene, the North-Eastern section of the parking lot at 420 South Avarado Street (map), adjacent to Maryland Street, the site of his former home. Hopefully your skills will uncover a new piece of information to add to the discussion, or perhaps even the solution to this historic whodunit.

2.) On the actual day of his Murder (Wednesday, 2-1-12), come and meet-up at 8PM, at the 1920′s bar, The Prince, 3198 1/2 W. 7th Street at Catalina Street (look for someone with a square GHOULA button), toast this forgotten film pioneer, and share any evidence you have gathered (proper names, odd words, locations of disturbances, etc.) with people familiar with the nuances of this complicated case (or just come and socialize). The bar is also a few doors down from one of the only buildings connected to the murder that hasn’t been torn down to make a parking lot.

25 years before the murdered body of “The Black Dahlia” was found naked in a vacant lot, the country had their eyes on LA, and on the newpaper headlines concerning another strange murder case, involving one of Hollywood’s top directors. On the morning of February 2, 1922, William Desmond Taylor’s body was found, face down, in his Bungalow (formerly 404-B South Alvarado Street), apparently shot in the back the night before. No cash or anything of monetary value was stolen, but it is said that when the police arrived that morning, studio executives and one of his leading ladies were stepping over the body, tearing the place apart, and burning documents. What they were looking for, or what they destroyed is still a mystery.

Like the Dahlia case, there are easily a dozen prime suspects (including his brother, who was secretly pretending to be his butler), and scholars and historians still debate aspects of this case. Over the decades, wild theories incorporating sex scandals, drug use, secret identities, and disguises have also surfaced. Was it even really William Desmond Taylor’s body?

Because of the crime-scene contamination, the case is still unsolved, and probably unsolvable… until now.

Good Luck.

Those ghost-hunters that investigate the site, but can not come to the meet-up, please email GHOULA with your results, so we can discuss them that night. Thank you.

For info about the bar…

http://www.theprincela.com/

(below is a diagram of the original layout of the parking lot.)

Where: Heritage Square
3800 Homer Street, Los Angeles (map)
Date: February 4 (Saturday)
Admission:
Before the 29th: $55.00 (single), $100 (double)
After the 29th: $60.00 (single), $115 (double)
Note: This is not a GHOULA event, it’s a ghost-themed event, that GHOULA feels its members should be aware is happening in our great haunted city.

Haunted Orange is hosting this event at Los Angeles’ Heritage Square. It is a paranormal investigation open to the public. Ramiro Ramirez (of MUN2 “From Beyond”) and Kathryn Wilson (the psychic from A&E Storage Wars) will be leading the investigations. Teams will be broken up into small groups, and it is a fabulous opportunity for enthusiasts to see some real paranormal activity. There are 8 Victorian homes that we will be investigating. Haunted Orange has already had the opportunity to investigate them, and claims they are most definitely haunted.

(Although in years past, Heritage Square officially denied that any of their buildings were haunted, GHOULA has heard privately from employees that two of the historic structures do indeed have very active other-worldly residents. Additionally, Heritage Square was created to preserve a famously haunted Victorian home, which ironically burned to the ground once it was moved to this location.)

Don’t miss out on getting to investigate these fabulous haunted Victorian homes! Small groups, 8 buildings! Limited amount of tickets.

(to order tickets… )
(for more details about this event… )
(for more info about Heritage Square… )

What: A Drinking Game: Ghostbusters!
When: January 21 (Saturday)
Time: 8:00p to 11:00p
Where: The Next Stage Theater
1523 North La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles (map)
Admission: $15
Age Suitability: 21 and up

Note: This is not a GHOULA event, it is a ghost-themed event, GHOULA feels its members should be aware is happening in our great haunted city.

Ghostbusters performed LIVE on stage as an audience-interactive Drinking Game! Join our cast of talented actors as they perform the entire movie live, and join in as they drink on specific keywords and queues! Great fun for cast and audience, even if a little hard on your liver! 21+ Only!

Show is BYOB, there is a liquor store downstairs…how convenient! Interactive kits available to complete your experience and make you part of the action! Voted as one of the Top 5 things to do in LA by Thrillist.

(to learn more about LA’s connection to the movie GHOSTBUSTERS… )

Date: March 2 (Friday)
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Saban Theatre
8440 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills (map)
Admission: $20 – $75

The Paley Fest this year will feature the cast and crew of the (LA-centric) TV Drama, American Horror Story for an in-depth discussion of the program.

The Harmons see dead people. The exceedingly troubled family at the epicenter of this outlandish spine-chiller from FX—“arguably the season’s sexiest, scariest, strangest show” per TV Guide—has moved from Boston to L.A., hoping to begin anew after a miscarriage and an affair, but their adopted home is a house of horrors flush with dead, tortured souls, all of the malevolent variety. The show, from Glee’s Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, was highly anticipated and hasn’t disappointed; three-plus weeks after its October premiere, trick-or-treaters were masquerading as one of its characters, the Rubber Man. Much credit goes to the cast, including Dylan McDermott and Connie Britton (the Harmons); Taissa Farmiga (daughter Violet); and Jessica Lange (their sinister and completely batty neighbor).

In Person Panel to be announced.

For more info…
http://www.paleycenter.org/

GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters and those that just like ghost stories. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, and toast a ghost! Let’s put the “Boo!” back into “booze.”

All those who attend will receive a free (square) G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you already have one, please wear it so others can find you, without asking the staff.

THE DATE: January 13th (A Frolicking Friday the 13th)
THE PLACE: the Frolic Room
6245 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood (Map)
THE TIME: 8:00pm to the witching hour

THE GHOST(S):

January 15th (Sunday) will mark the sixty-fifth anniversary of the internationally known “Black Dahlia Murder.” If you are not familiar with this dark chapter of our city’s history, details and theories can be found elsewhere on the internet. Simply put, in 1947, the body of Elizabeth Short was found in two pieces in a vacant lot, bisected at the waist. No killer was ever caught, and the case is still unsolved. This event was so bizarre and disturbing (even by today’s standards), that it has almost become a symbol of L.A.’s shadowy underbelly that co-exists with our sunny skies. A cottage industry has even developed for the morbidly curious, from books to movies, and from tours to merchandise. There is even a drink named after her (which is best enjoyed when divided between two separate glasses).

“Officially” the last time she was seen alive was at the (haunted) Biltmore Hotel, downtown, on January 9th, prompting some to call those missing days in between the “lost week.” However, during the investigation of this highly-publicized case, police did track down eye-witnesses that where able to fill in some of these gaps. Although, those who academically study this stuff argue about the legitimacy of these sightings, one account by John Jiroudek who had known Elizabeth Short, claimed she was in a 1937 Ford Sedan on Hollywood Blvd with an unknown blonde woman behind the wheel on January 13th.

So, in honor of the “city of angel’s” most famous/infamous fallen angel, GHOULA is also headed to Hollywood Blvd this 13th (65 year to the day) to one of the Dahlia’s favorite watering holes, The Frolic Room (AKA “Bob’s Frolic Room”), established in 1934 on the ground floor of the Pantages Theater (built in 1930), replacing Halgreen’s Fountain Cafe.

Daniel Jackson, a private detective, who had a chance meeting with Elizabeth Short in the Frolic Room a year before her death, was supposedly told by police investigators “We do know it to be a fact that Beth Short was in that cocktail bar and around that locality numerous times just before her murder.” What makes her preference for this particular dive even more interesting is that (according to “The Story of Hollywood” by Gregory Paul Williams) in the post Second World War years, the Frolic Room had become one of Hollywood’s secret gay bars. Was the Frolic Room the destination for Beth and her blonde “companion” that day?

In the years after her death, Ms. Short has been accused of being many things, a prostitute, a burlesque dancer, a drug addict, and yes, even a lesbian. At this point, no one really knows if any of those labels are true. However, among the 25 serious suspects listed by the District Attorney was the cryptic entry, “Queer Woman Surgeon.” It was thought at the time that perhaps a woman cut the body in half to make it easier to transport. A few women even confessed to the police. Did the Dahlia meet her murderer, or rather murderess, here?

Unfortunately, the male ghost of this tiny tavern doesn’t provide any clues to this mystery, or does it? Although the management claims no knowledge of any ghost stories connected to this historic bar, patrons have told GHOULA about a “man” that is only seen in the reflection of the mirror behind the bar (and not present in the actual room). Curiously, this phenomena also occurred in the bar in the Biltmore (until they removed the mirrors). Does the same spirit haunt both of these places linked to the Black Dahlia’s final days? Was “he” stalking her?

Additionally, the Pantages building with its ominous hooded statues along the roof, in which the Frolic Room resides, is famously haunted. The historical marker on the street light in front even references the ghost of Howard Hughes, who is one of the spirits said to haunt this building, (along with a female spirit, and a singer). Hughes purchased the building in 1949, and moved into the offices upstairs. It is said that during his time as owner/occupant, he micro-managed the Frolic Room, and installed the iconic Technicolor (almost psychedelic) neon sign in front. Who knows, maybe the male spirit in the bar is him (before his decline into insanity).

Lastly, there was a 1950′s TV anthology program entitled “Screen Director’s Playhouse.” One episode featured a story about a lonely older man, watching the Academy Awards broadcast live from the Pantages Theater on the TV in the Frolic Room (next door). Unbeknownst to the other patrons, the film pioneer mentioned in an acceptance speech is ironically that sad, poor elderly man. This fictional story is clearly based on film pioneer, D.W. Griffith. Although, he had died by the time the Oscars came to the Pantages, he had spent much of the later part of his life, forgotten and destitute, in bars like the Frolic Room. Could he be the “man” in the mirror?

So, come out and raise a glass to the three victims of the “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” the Black Dahlia, Howard Hughes, and D.W. Griffth, and hear some of the other ghost stories about the building and street outside this 13th… if you dare.

(to read about last month’s haunted location… )
(to read more about another Black Dahlia haunted hangout… )
(to read about the ghosts of the Biltmore… )

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