Hotel (1967) User Reviews (35)

It was a great house

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 21 January 2012]

Hotel is a film concerning a few days at the end of the life of one of those old fashioned hotels, the St. Gregory's in New Orleans. It's owner Melvyn Douglas is facing some financial problems and he's hired Rod Taylor as manager whose made some improvements and the place is beginning to turn around. But way too slowly to keep Douglas's creditors off his back. The story on which Hotel is based is from an Arthur Hailey novel who wrote Airport and inspired that series of films. The film bears some resemblance to Airport to be sure, but I also think it bears comparison to the Humphrey Bogart classic Deadline, USA about a newspaper going out of business with Bogart in the Taylor role and Ethel Barrymore in the one that Melvyn Douglas has here.

Douglas and Taylor are not going down without a fight. What they don't want to do is sell out to Conrad Hilton like hotel magnate Kevin McCarthy who will turn the place antiseptic and it will lose its traditional charm. It's a problem with hotels, so many of even the finest rated old ones are being purchased by chains, a problem back then to be sure. So few independents are even operating today.

McCarthy does have a secret weapon in the charming and voluptuous Catherine Spaak and her assignment is Taylor.

There are a couple of other subplots working here. Titled couple Michael Rennie and Merle Oberon are involved in a hit and run accident after they've both had too much and they face a blackmailing house detective in Richard Conte. And the police are after a very clever thief who works the New Orleans hotels in Karl Malden. All these stories do connect as you will see.

Director Richard Quine directed this film with an eye for style and elegance which the fictional St. Gregory is famous for. The cast is seasoned one of good professionals who give some professional performances. Hotel is a film of class and I think you'll like it.

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

[silverscreen888 · 7/10 · 28 June 2005]

"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.

Easy viewing

[Chase_Witherspoon · 6/10 · 29 January 2011]

Very mild account of major New Orleans hotel facing closure and its last days as the owner (Douglas) and general manager (Taylor) attempt to secure its future without compromising its integrity and traditions. A number of story lines intertwine amid the closure backdrop, with Rennie & Oberon as the Duke and Duchess of Landbourne entangled in a police matter, Malden as the hotel's resident kleptomaniac and McCarthy as a potential investor keen to save the grand hotel but with a litany of changes in mind of which Douglas disapproves.

Taylor does a good job as the efficient right hand man, not tempted by McCarthy's graft offer to persuade Douglas to sell, taking Spaak instead as a consolation prize. Malden was a bit too hammy for my liking and the film never quite fulfilled its promise, although I thought Taylor and McCarthy in particular were very engaging. "Hotel" has a pseudo disaster film texture with its diverse characters coming in and out of focus against a common backdrop; it even indulges the genre with a reasonably tense elevator malfunction and a feverish rescue while the lift hangs by a thread.

The decorative touches, lounge music and brassy sets are all fashionable reminders of the mid-to-late sixties and the film itself is old-fashioned in its tone and sentiment, perhaps too dated for younger viewers today. I'd categorise this as a somewhat bittersweet tale, a window into the late sixties social culture, suitable with tea and biscuits moreso than beer and pizza.

Great Stars

[williwaw · 20 July 2011]

Warner Bros cast Rod Taylor, a perfect leading man, in this film directed by Richard Quine who made those great Kim Novak films at Columbia -Strangers When We Meet, Pal Joey, Notorious Landlady-when Hotel features two legendary stars Melvyn Douglas and Merle Oberon, both given wonderfully rich parts to play. Also cast Richard Conte and Michael Rennie. This is a film where the action on the set was likely to be even better than when the cameras rolled. Kevin McCarthy is properly tough minded. Lovely Catherine Spaak has the nominal female lead.

Merle Oberon one of the cinema's great all time beauties steals the movie. The real show stopper is Ms. Oberon then 60 but looking 35 and gorgeous to behold, and I recall Merle Oberon wore her own fantastic jewel collection in Hotel. While Oberon's peers like Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Ann Sothern, and Olivia De Havilland were starring in horror films to stay in the public eye, Merle Oberon who in her legendary career worked with Brando, Cooper, Wyler, Laughton, et al stayed above the fray and lived the live of a real Movie Queen.

Not quite "Grand Hotel", but a big, handsome showcase...

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 1 October 2005]

Highly enjoyable adaptation of Arthur Hailey's bestseller about tumult in an older New Orleans hotel: nearly all the guests are up to no good! Rod Taylor, excellent as always, plays the hotel manager, Melvyn Douglas is the property owner, Kevin McCarthy is a takeover shark, Karl Malden plays a thief, Merle Oberon is a troubled duchess being blackmailed by Richard Conte, etc. Lots of intricate human action, well-written and staged. The romance between Taylor and Catherine Spaak doesn't get in the way, and there are some very humorous, mordant asides. Marvelous backing score by Johnny Keating; good fun. Later a TV series. **1/2 from ****

A More Than Passable Time Waster

[ijonesiii · 7/10 · 4 January 2006]

HOTEL was the 1967 all star soap opera based on the novel by Arthur Hailey revolving around the goings-on at an old, yet elegant New Orleans hotel called the Saint Gregory. Basically, this is just a grounded version of Hailey's later AIRPORT, only not quite as interesting, but pleasant to look at with a competent enough cast. Rod Taylor plays Peter McDermott, the hard-nosed, but compassionate manager of the hotel. Melvyn Douglas plays Warren Trent, the owner of the hotel, trying to conceal his concern about a possible buyout from Kevin McCarthy as O'Keefe, who arrives with his mistress (the plastic Catherine Spaak), who falls in love with McDermott in about five minutes. Michael Rennie and a still gorgeous Merle Oberon play a Duke and Duchess staying in the hotel who are concealing an accident they were involved in and are being blackmailed by house detective Richard Conte and Karl Malden is amusing as Keycase, a thief and conman working the hotel. OK, it's not GRAND HOTEL...it's not even AIRPORT...but there are worse ways to spend two hours.

Glitzy, All-Star Goings-On from Arthur Hailey and Jack Warner

[BobLib · 7/10 · 19 October 1999]

The late Arthur Hailey was not a great writer, but he was a great storyteller, which made up for it. And that's evident in the films of his books, as well. The original "Airport" is probably the best known, but "Hotel," which later became a hit TV series in the 1980s, is a good, overlooked adaptation as well. One can easily dismiss it as colorful, all-star glitz and gloss, but one is fascinated by it as well.

As directed by Richard Quine, written and produced by Wendell Mayes, and costumed by the legendary Edith Head, it has atmosphere to spare, even if most of that atmosphere is courtesy of the Warner back lot. The story is slight and somewhat diffuse, but the atmosphere and cast, especially Rod Taylor, Melvyn Douglas, Kevin McCarthy, Karl Malden (In a role with almost no dialog!), and the ageless Merle Oberon, keep you riveted every step of the way. And, as with "Airport," there's the usual crisis element, in this case an elevator crash sequence that's suspsnsefully staged.

One complaint, though: Johnny Keating's music, while nice, is often loud and intrusive. Background music is supposed to be just that, BACKGROUND music. If I wanted to hear the score that badly, I would have bought the soundtrack album.

Make a reservation

[tomsview · 7/10 · 9 November 2016]

Buried in the late 1960's this film would have to have been seen as a throwback even then. Compared to films such as "Easy Rider", "Woodstock" and "The Graduate" this one seemed less than cool.

However I like the unselfconscious way it revelled in its rather familiar characters and situations, and I think Rod Taylor gave a perfect performance.

The esteemed St Gregory Hotel in New Orleans is about to go bust. Its old-fashioned elegance is dying out along with its traditional clientele; takeovers are in the air. Owner Warren Trent (Melvyn Douglas) leaves the running of the hotel to his young Protégé Peter McDermott (Rod Taylor). But saving the old hotel isn't easy when he's faced with devious guests, a thief, a crooked house detective, and a buyer with an axe to grind as well as Warren Trent's outmoded social attitudes.

Rod Taylor is suave, upright and self-confident as the hotel manager. His character projects worldliness despite the fact that he seems to have spent his entire life either inside the St Gregory or in his hideaway apartment in the French quarter – where he has a rather sedate affair (by late 60's standards) with enigmatic Jeanne Rochefort (Catherine Spaak), the mistress of hotel magnate Curtis O'Keefe (Kevin McCarthy) who is bidding for the hotel.

I love other aspects of the film including the pan up of the beautifully rendered main title artwork, which sets the elegant hotel in New Orleans more so than the skimpy location photography. Johhny Keating's score captures the feeling of the passing glamour of the old St. Gregory although he couldn't help a touch of Mickey Mousing for Karl Malden's hammy performance as the key thief.

Only a couple of sequences were shot on location; the rest of the exteriors were shot on an artificial looking backlot. The film could have used some long shots of New Orleans although dropping a convincing looking St Gregory into a wide shot of the city was a tricky job before CGI.

However the interiors are sumptuous and the film really is a slick production. The presence of Melvyn Douglas, Merle Oberon and Michael Rennie give it extra clout.

Unlike Arthur Hailey's novel, the movie stayed in my memory. It has no pretensions at classic status but it gets you in, and Rod Taylor adds a genuine touch of class – he was good in "The Birds", but he's better here.

Sophisticated Fun

[ecarle · 10/10 · 26 November 2002]

I love this movie, a smooth 1967 throwback to the "Grand Hotel" tradition of interweaving stories, stylishly directed by Richard Quine ("Bell, Book, and Candle.") Johnny Keating's lush score shifts easily from sad melancholy (for the grand lost past of this grand hotel) to sexy jazz (in accord with the film's New Orleans setting.) Three main stories interact: the business battle to takeover the hotel; cover-up and blackmail attendant to a hit-and-run by a regal guest; the comedy relief antics of hotel thief Keycase Milne as he tries to make a big score. It all comes together in an elevator cliffhanger. Favorite bits: the surrogate father-son relationship between hotel owner Melvyn Douglas and his ace manager Rod Taylor; the antics of Karl Malden as Keycase (in one of Malden's personal favorite roles); and the tough intelligence of the three-way battle to take over the hotel. The characters are smart, witty, and gracious (even the villains), the mood slightly mournful for the good old days. I hated checking out of "Hotel."

the last days of a great hotel

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 1 November 2011]

From 1967, "Hotel" is based on the book by Arthur Hailey, who wrote the original "Airport" and more importantly, "Zero Hour," the inspiration for "Airplane!" "Hotel" concerns the last day of the elegant St. Gregory Hotel in New Orleans. Some years later, Hailey's work would be credited for several episodes on the TV series "Hotel," also about the St. Gregory, this time in San Francisco.

The film boasts a top cast, starring Rod Taylor, Melvyn Douglas, Merle Oberon, Karl Malden, Kevin McCarthy, Richard Conte, Camilla Sparv, Carmen McRae, and Michael Rennie. Each character deals with a life-changing moment: the manager, McDermott (Taylor) and the owner Trent (Douglas) face the end of an era, while McDermott falls for the girlfriend (Sparv) of a man with a chain of hotels who wants the St. Gregory (McCarthy); Karl Malden is a thief working the hotel; Oberon and Rennie fled the scene of an auto accident and Oberon now wants the telltale car removed by Conte. Carmen McRae plays the lounge singer.

"Hotel" is entertaining and the performances are decent, with the possible exception of Camilla Sparv, who in the '60s was touted as a great beauty and is treated as such in the film. She is pretty boring, and as far as I'm concerned, can't hold a candle to the stunning Oberon. Fifty-six at the time of the film's release, Oberon was one of the first actresses to address aging in films and was quite open about efforts to keep her looks. She was successful. Rennie as her husband is very handsome, though he doesn't have a lot to do.

Entertaining.

All-star cast on the Warner's backlot!

[Pat-54 · 5/10 · 19 April 1999]

I was attracted to this movie because of the all-star cast and it takes place in my favorite city, New Orleans, Louisiana. Sadly, only three scenes were actually filmed in the "Crescent City," the rest are PAINFULLY evident that they were filmed on the Warner Brothers Studio backlot. As for the movie itself, it's very dated and not very good. The background music is so distracting that it drove me mad! Blaring away whenever dialog is not being spoken. Proves that silence, at times, is indeed golden.

Hotel- Please Check into This One! ****

[edwagreen · 10/10 · 9 October 2006]

Crisp dialogue adds to a memorable film regarding the life of a hotel on the chopping block.

Melvyn Douglas, as crusty at his best, plays the old fashioned owner who knows that the time is drawing near to sell the grand old place so rich in history and memory.

Rod Taylor is his able manager who started as a bell boy but rose through the ranks by hard work and slick talking.

The movie details one day in the life of the hotel with Michael Rennie and Merle Oberon as aristocratic guests. Rennie has a problem as a hit and run driver. Further tragedy strikes when he is found out as the culprit.

Karl Malden says little but his turn as the thief with the key is terrific given his timely expressions as he pulls off heists and avoids capture.

Roy Roberts, as the man at the front desk, plays a role similar to what he did in "Gentleman's Agreement" in 1947. In that one, he denied a room to Gregory Peck when the latter said he was Jewish. In this one, Roberts is there to deny a room to a black couple. Of course, the couple has been sent by the NAACP to foment trouble.

A very good film. Check in and see for yourself what is going on.

Hotel, the Movie

[JLRMovieReviews · 7/10 · 18 October 2010]

Melvyn Douglas and Rod Taylor run this "Hotel," which was the inspiration for the 1980s TV show. One plot revolves around the fate of the St. Gregory Hotel, as it is facing financial trouble or something or other. I can't remember the details. But Kevin McCarthy wants some revenge by buying the place out from under Mr. Douglas, because Melvyn didn't give Kevin a job at the hotel years ago. Despite the fact this is very important to all those concerned, this plot was rather boring and didn't do much for me. Then, Kevin had a girlfriend, Catherine Spaak, of whom Rod was interested in. Who the heck is Catherine Spaak? They shared plenty of time together, her and Rod, but still that part disinterested me, on the whole, even though Rod Taylor is nice to look at. But they had no spark together at all. I've seen Rod Taylor in better material with better love interests.

One of the better subplots was Duchess Merle Oberon and Duke Michael Rennie, who are dodging the law because he was involved in a hit-and-run accident. They ultimately get house detective Richard Conte to drive the damaged car away and out of sight. Merle Oberon shines in one of her better roles during the last years of her career. She handles the scenes very well and is very moving towards the end. But the star and scene-stealer of the film is Karl Malden, as a thief, who steals room keys to get in while the occupant's out or asleep and take all their money or valuables. He darts about with a grin on his face, like he's enjoying his "work," and also I'm sure Karl Malden knew he had the best role in the film and was enjoying the spotlight.

All in all, I would say I enjoyed this film if for no other reason than Mr. Karl Malden, and also getting a chance to see Merle Oberon. While this may be a good time killer, I'd still recommend "The Oscar" first. But then, once you've seen it, the St. Gregory Hotel may seem like any other hotel.

Welcome to the Inn of a Little Happiness.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 29 November 2012]

Yes, this is the same "St. Gregory" as the 1983-1987 TV series, just a different city. Obviously, the Trent family went on to buy a lavish hotel in San Francisco, run first by Bette Davis and later by Anne Baxter. But in this movie version of Arthur Hailey's novel, they are in New Orleans, run by an older relative of theirs. Still, the format is the same. A bevy of guests arrive for a stay, having different adventures and causing some grief for the staff and the hotel's seemingly recluse owner (Melvyn Douglas). Instead of James Brolin, Rod Taylor is the hotel's manager, and he is involved with the beautiful but bland Catherine Spaak. As much happens here as happened in one episode of that Aaron Spelling soap opera like anthology drama, and it is all done with class, if a bit empty headed and wrapped up a bit too easily. The two story lines that stand out in my mind are the ones about the thief (Karl Malden) and the domineering countess (Merle Oberon) involved in a blackmail plot with a hotel staff member (Richard Conte). You can see some of the same plot devices that author Arthur Hailey would use in his next big novel turned screen epic, a little something called "Airport".

Karl Malden steals the show!

[JSPrine · 8 October 1999]

Big, colorful, lavish, HOTEL is a very nice movie. It's set in New Orleans' French Quarter, and Warner Brothers even managed to get the NOPD star-and-crescent badges on the police officers' uniforms correct...a nice attention to detail. Even the music was properly scored to the locales depicted...another plus. True, most of the movie was shot on WB's back lots, but some of the French Quarter scenes were actually shot in New Orleans.

An all-star cast performs more than adequately, but Karl Malden literally steals the movie! He plays a sneak-thief named "Keycase", and he obviously played his role with relish. In one wonderful scene, he surveys his loot after a harrowing evening's thieving, and sadly mutters "It's those damned credit cards!" If you remember that Malden later became the American Express man ("Don't leave home without it!"), this scene is priceless.

Another classic is when the cops finally get him. Handcuffed to a NOPD officer, Malden can't help but swipe a hotel ashtray as he's being led to jail...grinning happily the whole time.

It's great entertainment, and I rate it 9 out of 10.

The daily balancing act of a good hotel manager

[SimonJack · 6/10 · 10 December 2018]

"Hotel" is an interesting film set in New Orleans in the early 1960s. It's based on the 1965 novel of the same title, by Arthur Hailey. The British-born novelist was known for tremendous plots in several best-selling books. His other top sellers include "Airport" in 1968 and "The Moneychangers" in 1975. Most of his novels were turned into movies or TV series. All were highly successful on the screen and TV. Besides this early film, a TV series ran on ABC from 1983-1988, called "Arthur Hailey's Hotel."

This film, as the book, is about life in and around the St. Gregory Hotel. It revolves around the manager, Ian McDemott, played by Rod Taylor. The hotel is the center of the picture, with the manager holding together several mini-plots around hotel guests and employees. While mostly daytime drama, the plot includes some crime, mystery, romance and excitement in the form of an elusive hotel thief and a failing elevator.

Hailey may have been inspired to write his story by the success of the 1932 film, "Grand Hotel," and the book it was based on by Austrian writer Vicki Baum ("People in a Hotel," of 1929). Of course this doesn't come near the level of the characters or drama of the 1932 film masterpiece set in early 20th century Berlin.

But Warner Brothers took a shot at the earlier film by having a duke and duchess staying at the St. Gregory, with big names stars of the past, Merle Oberon and Michael Rennie. Among other big names of the screen are Karl Malden and Melvyn Douglas. And, the film has a good list of other names in supporting roles.

Almost all the film takes place within the hotel, with little outside scenery of New Orleans, although some of it was shot there. It's an interesting look at the life of a hotel manager and the skills he or she needs to deal with a variety of little problems and issues each day. The main subplot - the impending sale or bailout of the hotel because of its financial problems, is the source of much of the story and drama.

The cast are all fine but none are exceptional. And, the plot doesn't grab one's interest. One very annoying thing in the film is the background music during scenes with the thief, Keycase Mine, played by Karl Malden. It also seemed strange that he would be smiling constantly, even while entering guest rooms at night to steal money and jewelry. His role was nothing like that of John Barrymore's Baron von Geigern in "Grand Hotel."

"Hotel" is interesting and somewhat entertaining, but it's not something to spend more than a few dollars to see. The movie does have a nostalgic ending.

Dated and a bit dull

[adamsandel · 6/10 · 12 January 2021]

It's handsomely done but could use more plots, characters, and tighter direction. The European beauty (which was all the rage in 1960s movies) can neither speak English nor act.

hotel hijinx

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 5 April 2021]

Various characters have various stories in the St. Gregory Hotel in New Orleans. There is a negotiation to sell the hotel.

I couldn't keep track of half the characters in this movie. There is various hijinx and drama in this hotel but I'm lost. Then 70 minutes into the movie, it decides to play the race card to add some color to the scheme. I'm still lost but it's a little more interesting. There's some action with the elevator. Karl Malden is a fun character. I'm not sure who everybody is but they're all dressed very well.

hotel

[mossgrymk · 6/10 · 28 January 2021]

Good schlocky fun. Until it isn't. In other words, I didn't much care for desegregation being used as a plot device, especially in a film made at the time of King's "I Have A Dream Speech". And the romantic sub plot between Rod Taylor and the monumentally untalented Catherine Spaak has about as much spice as canned gumbo. And speaking of ersatz Creole/Cajun, what's with filming on location in one of America's most pictorial cities and 90% of the movie is interior? So I guess scenarist/producer Wendell Mayes and director Richard Quine, usually the purveyors of good work, fell down on the job here, although the stuff with Melvin Douglas and Kevin McCarthy, representing the past and future of American innkeeping, is interesting, and Karl Malden's cheerful, perky thief is good until he too, like this film, wears out his welcome somewhere in the long second hour. Give it a C plus. PS...Don't know if it was intentional or not but Roy Roberts, the actor who plays the desk clerk who denies entry to the African American couple, was also the clerk who denied entry to Gregory Peck's pretend Jew in 1947's "Gentleman's Agreement".

must be only one thief in Hotel

[davidshort10 · 8/10 · 13 May 2005]

I find Hotel strangely compelling and have watched it countless times on cable TV. In fact, it is playing right now as I write. I remain fascinated by the fact that the hotel thief (Karl Malden) leaves his own room unlocked. Perhaps he knows there's only ever one thief in any hotel. I like the scene when the hotel security and manager describe the thief as wearing a grey suit. They too, all three of them, are wearing grey suits, like just about every other male in the hotel! At least Malden has a hat on (at about two in the morning) to distinguish him from every other male (now how dumb is that?). Plus I can never figure out why Malden, once he has the briefcase stuffed with money from the Duke, doesn't simply check out right away and go retire (to some hotel or another...). I agree with other contributors that the jazz riff in the background, especially signalling the activities of Malden is really annoying and it serves to date the movie too much.

Not the best disaster flick

[HotToastyRag · 4/10 · 27 February 2023]

Part Grand Hotel and part disaster flick, Hotel features a large cast of characters who all are staying in a hotel and awaiting (albeit unknowingly) an accident involving the elevator. The main plot is whether or not hotel owner Melvyn Douglas is going to sell in order to save himself from financial ruin. Manager Rod Taylor is juggling negotiations of three different bidders, and also has to be all things to all guests, since he's a fixture there and the regular patrons expect good service.

As in all disaster flicks, there are a host of colorful characters who are given a brief introduction to make the audience care. Merle Oberon and Michael Rennie are wealthy and powerful, but they're hiding from taking responsibility of a recent car accident. Richard Conte, the house detective, finds out and blackmails them. There's a love triangle between Rod, Catherine Spaak, and Kevin McCarthy, as well as the typical "Helen Hayes" comic relief part played by Karl Malden. He sneaks into rooms and steals things. On the more serious side, Davis Roberts and Annazette Chase, are denied accommodations because Melvyn is racist and wants a whites-only hotel.

I'm probably making this sound very exciting and dramatic, but it's not very good. It definitely feels like a tv-movie, or a low-budget attempt to cash in on all the disaster movies of the 1970s (which, ironically, this film predated by a few years). You can try it out, but if you're not compelled to finish it, you can pop in The Towering Inferno instead and no one will blame you.

The Villain Steals The Show, and He Even Thanks God For It

[TheFearmakers · 10/10 · 17 January 2019]

The 1967 film, HOTEL, that later spawned a 1980's television series, was at a contradictory crossroads for women: While Catherine Spaak plays the typical young and complacent, older rich man's trophy girlfriend, she can't stand him - and even tells him so. That being Kevin McCarthy, whose Curtis O'Keefe represents two things Hollywood despises...

He's supposedly a Christian, leading a bizarre prayer ritual that sounds as if God were his own personal accountant; and he's a corporate raider who's actually pretty sharp, knowledgeable and experienced: Yet we're not supposed to appreciate (or even notice) these things because no one in the movie does...

As a phony-polite, suit-and-tie villain, McCarthy plays the kind of boss even his closest, well-paid employees roll their eyes at. And yet, at least initially, he's the most interesting character - especially when opening-up to Spaak's Jeanne about how he was once young, broke, and denied a job as assistant desk clerk at the St. Gregory i.e. our titular HOTEL...

From that story we learn more about his character and motivation than the handsome, square-jawed Rod Taylor who, as the hotel manager, is more about the present time: always thinking and moving ahead...

His Ian McDermott is owner Melvin Douglas's right and left hand man. And in the role, Taylor is his usual capable, strong silent type who seems like he knows everything - and can eventually figure out what he doesn't. Taking interest in the gorgeous French girl from the onset, it's intentionally predictable they'd eventually hook up...

But there are more important stories tucked away in other rooms: Like an elegant yet paranoid and/or guilt-ridden Countess and Count played by sophisticated beauties Merle Oberon and Michael Rennie, covering up for a lethal drunk driving car accident with the help of slimy yet cool Richard Conte as the hotel's crooked security chief...

Meanwhile, the most fun's had with Karl Malden as a roving, room-to-room thief, who even overacts when just his eyes are shown. He'll do anything to snake other people's money, and at one point teams up with a neighboring strip joint's b-girl for a random cash-in-pocket heist (former 1950's backless dress model/starlet Vikki Dougan, who inspired the iconic cartoon sexpot "Jessica Rabbit" from the neck down)...

While it seems that actor turned director Richard Quine's pleasurable, addictive, New Orleans-jazz blaring HOTEL is the kind of all-star ensemble that'd saturate the following decade's Irwin Allen pictures or Agatha Christie adaptations, these actors and actresses were, at the time, more distinguished than relevant...

Except for Rod Taylor, the star of two already established (and semi-recent) classics, THE TIME MACHINE and THE BIRDS, who walks around with a sharp eye - figuring how to thwart McCarthy's plans to morph the turn-of-the-century style hotel into a proverbial shopping mall - all the while making side-deals, trying to keep his boss modern, and avoiding a local-media scandal...

So when not wasting time with the glorified French harlot, who IS downright gorgeous with a good-enough screen presence for her otherwise robotic delivery to not really matter, he's an interesting protagonist juggling various problems in a suave, even-keeled manner. And, thankfully, the political and/or racial elements aren't dated or preachy, connected tightly within a story-line that rarely strays from providing a cozy (if slightly overlong) two-hours of pleasurable, top rate, four-star entertainment.

Metamorphoses of Hotel

[randalfaris-872-817361 · 1/10 · 26 September 2015]

I've read The novel 15 years ago. I've read it again a week ago. Both times I was amazed by the descriptions, the crises, the characters, the internal dialog, the struggle, and the richness of each character. Unfortunately, I've watched the movie only an hour ago, and I wish I didn't. Everything is superficial. I consider squeezing the wonderful novel into two hours, without preserving the spirit of the novel or its characters is a very bad job. I understand that canceling an entire character could happen because of the time. However, canceling key characters, and wasting the time instead with unnecessary scenes, that what I cannot understand. Arthur Hailey made me live and feel the back stage of a hotel... the crises that could happen in hotels and how to handle them efficiently without effecting the atmosphere around the gussets. I've felt nothing when I was watching the movie. Not even one character was written as it should be. The ending is different, the music is annoying. The ingenuity and the patience of Keycase techniques were demolished into nothing. The professionalism of Peter's work, his caring about the hotel, his fear of losing his job, his fear of his past, all that wasn't in the movie. Warrant's feeling of the slow death of his beloved hotel wasn't in the movie. The loving, caring, generous character of Kristine was canceled. Walt's character, The KEY-PIECE of the puzzle was canceled. Then what was left? The screen play writer left and canceled all that for what? For writing scenes with Jazz music? with a Jazz singer? Were that important? What I felt is this: the movie is an ugly metamorphoses of the novel.

Worth a one-night stay

[Poseidon-3 · 11 November 2002]

This slick drama based on Arthur Hailey's novel has similarities to the later "Airport" in that various plot threads eventually converge at the climax. This film's climax isn't even a fraction as exciting as the bomb in "Airport", but the film has loads of style and a fair amount of interest to keep viewers watching. Taylor plays the general manager of the New Orleans hotel The St. Gregory (switched to San Francisco in the long-running TV series based on the novel.) His feats include fending off a takeover by McCarthy, trying to thwart sneaky thief Malden, appeasing crusty owner Douglas, figuring out what's going on with Rennie and Oberon, searching for house detective Conte and cavorting with Spaak. He's an appealing man, though, believe it or not with all this to do, he still seems a tad bland. McCarthy grabs a bit more attention in his role. His Method training for some reason led him to believe that his character should undress and play with his belly and twiddle his own chest hair during business meetings! The self-appointed sex symbol of the film, he finds 3 or 4 different ways throughout of having his shirt unbuttoned! Malden's role is nearly pantomime with little opportunity to speak. He skulks around the hotel with a sh*t-eating grin on his face while the world's most annoying music plays the same riff over and OVER and O-V-E-R! Douglas is a believable curmudgeon, stubbornly holding on to his ways. Rennie has almost nothing to do, his character being completely underdeveloped. Oberon, however, is a vision. Her still-lovely face is framed in all sorts of elaborate hairstyles and Edith Head hats. Each time she appears, she's in another jaw-dropping Head concoction. Unfortunately, many of her scenes are chopped down to the bare bones and she's hardly given time to register before it's on to the next episode. She manages to give a performance despite nearly all the attention going to her clothes. Conte appears in some of her best scenes as a detective trying to extort her secret. Spaak gives new meaning to the term "decorative". Her character barely does anything but lie around in a series of trendy outfits and ornate hairdo's whispering lines in a French accent in which wrong syllables are emphasized. Even at 22, she's filmed in a soft focus that would make Lucille Ball in "Mame" jealous. The film has beautiful sets and is plush look to it. Despite this, there's really nothing special about it which explains why it's become overshadowed to almost the point of anonymity.

Merle Oberon more beautiful than ever

[hist-36123 · 8/10 · 8 April 2022]

The racist part was hard to watch. Else, Merle Oberon was beautiful, Michael Rennie wonderfully tragic, Rod Taylor the epitome of cool. When I first saw this at age 14, Karl Malden made me want to grow up to be a hotel thief.