Hotel *** (1967, Rod Taylor, Catherine Spaak, Karl Malden, Melvyn Douglas, Merle Oberon, Richard Conte, Michael Rennie, Kevin McCarthy) – Classic Movie Review 10,003

Arthur Haley’s bestselling novel about the dramas at a grand hotel (the imaginary St Gregory in New Orleans) gets the glossy, over-elaborate, rather laborious Hollywood treatment in director Richard Quine’s 1967 film Hotel.

It is written for the screen by Wendell Mayes and stars Rod Taylor, Catherine Spaak, Karl Malden, Melvyn Douglas, Merle Oberon, Richard Conte, Michael Rennie, Kevin McCarthy.

However, the busy, fairly intriguing multi-story drama is put over in reasonable style by a game cast. Among the enjoyable old-style performers, Melvyn Douglas and Karl Malden check in for the best of what’s going on, and the film is absorbing in its laid-back, lumbering way.

Owned by elderly, suave Warren Trent (Douglas) and run in the old style by manager Peter McDermott (Rod Taylor), the St Gregory is in cash trouble. Creepy new rich Curtis O’Keefe (McCarthy) arrives with girlfriend Jeanne Rochefort (Spaak) to try to buy it. British duke Geoffrey Duke of Lanbourne (Rennie) does a hit-and-run car crash, while the house detective Dupere (Conte) turns out to be as corrupt as the thief Keycase Milne (Malden).

The screenplay is more trashy than classy, but the show is very entertaining on that level.

The 1983 TV movie Hotel, with Bette Davis and James Brolin, and a TV series followed.

Also in the cast are, Alfred Ryder, Roy Roberts, Carmen McRae, Clinton Sundberg, Al Checco, Sheila Bromley, Harry Hickox, William Lanteau, Al Checco and Ken Lynch.

Melvin Douglas plays the owner of the hotel but the 1983 TV movie cast Bette Davis as the owner, though Anne Baxter took over for the series.

Hotel is directed by Richard Quine, runs 125 minutes, is made and released by Warner Bros, is written by Wendell Mayes, based on Arthur Haley’s novel, is shot in Technicolor by Charles Lang, is produced by Wendell Mayes, is scored by Johnny Keating.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,003

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