Hotel (1967)

A historical New Orleans hotel struggles to financially survive while the dramas of its various guests unfold.

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

Arthur Hailey (novel), Wendell Mayes (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Rod Taylor, Catherine Spaak, Karl Malden

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rod Taylor	...	Ian McDermott
Catherine Spaak	...	Jeanne Rochefort
Karl Malden	...	Keycase Milne
Melvyn Douglas	...	Warren Trent
Merle Oberon	...	The Duchess Caroline
Richard Conte	...	Detective Dupere
Michael Rennie	...	Geoffrey - Duke of Lanbourne
Kevin McCarthy	...	Curtis O'Keefe
Carmen McRae	...	Christine
Alfred Ryder	...	Capt. Yolles
Roy Roberts	...	Bailey
Al Checco	...	Herbie Chandler
Sheila Bromley	...	Mrs. Grandin
Harry Hickox	...	Sam
William Lanteau	...	Mason

Storyline

This is the story of the clock-like movements of a giant, big city New Orleans hotel. The ambitious yet loyal manager, wrestles with the round-the-clock drama of its guests. A brazen sneak thief, who nightly relieves the guests of their property, is chased though the underground passages of the hotel. The big business power play for control and the thrilling crash of an elevator add to the excitement.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | hotel employee | hotel detective | hairy chest | bare chested male | 

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Taglines:

Warner Bros. unlocks all the doors of the sensation-filled best-seller!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Hotel

Filming Locations:

New Orleans International Airport - 900 Airline Drive, Kenner, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,651,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Emil Van Horn.

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Quotes

Peter McDermott: A sure way to empty a hotel fast: drop an elevator.

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Connections

Referenced in Quatermass and the Pit (1967)

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Soundtracks

When the Saints Go Marching In
(uncredited)
Traditional
Played by the street musicians outside the hotel
Also played when Peter calls the Audobon at the end

User Reviews

Never Glossy; Filled With Fascinating and Real Characters; a Gem

"Hotel" was a very popular novel by Arthur Hailey. It told the story of the last days of the St. Gregory Hotel, an historic edifice in New Orleans, and of those who run it, visit it, covet it and try to use it for their own purposes. The conception of the screenplay that Wendell Mayes based on the novel is probably even better than the lovely execution of this cinematic gem; but that is only true I suggest because the idea was very clever indeed. The plot line concerns the hotel's aging owner, the great Melvyn Douglas, his young manager ably played by Rod Taylor, the man who wants to buy the hotel, Kevin McCarthy, and others such as troubled guests Michael Rennie and Merle Oberon, hotel thief Karl Malden, hotel detective Richard Conte, and the girl who comes into Rod Taylor's life, attractive but weak actress Catherine Spaak, plus many others touched by the edifice's power and struggling with the question of its future. These include Alfred Ryder, Harry Hickox, Ken Lynch, Clinton Sundberg, Roy Roberts, Tol Avery, Davis Roberts, Carmen McRae and many more. The art decoration by Casey O'Dell is memorable; the film has a very spacious look and fine fluid camera-work by director Richard Quine. The plot to expose Douglas as a racist that eventually ruins all deals to save the place from being sold and "modernized"or razed is equally memorable; so is the search for a murderer, Malden as a hot prowl "key-case" bandit who speaks no dialogue, and the use of the city of New Orleans as more than background to the hotel's past, present and future. Even the music is quite good. The movie lacks strong style, but voids gloss and achieves something quite unusual I assert; it becomes better than its material because it is functional, clean, intelligent--a sort of modern-architected house that provides a space for sparkling things to happen within. If it lack great meaning, this dramatic look at people's lives being lived in a fascinating building is one of the best of its sort since "Weekend at the Waldorf". For many reasons, it is a low-key but well-paced film that I can watch many times with pleasure.