Events
The Los Angeles Biltmore is known for being an early home to the Academy Awards ceremony—the Oscars.[14] The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded at a luncheon banquet in the Crystal Ballroom in May 1927, when guests such as Louis B. Mayer met to discuss plans for the new organization and presenting achievement awards to colleagues in their industry. Legend has it that MGM art director Cedric Gibbons, who was in attendance, immediately grabbed a linen Biltmore napkin and sketched the design for the Oscar statue on it. Eight Oscar ceremonies were held in the Biltmore Bowl[15][16][17][18][19][20] during the Academy's early years of 1931, 1935–1939, and 1941–1942. The band leader Shep Fields conducted his "Rippling Rhythm Orchestra" during the 1939 ceremonies at the Biltmore.[21] Decades later in 1977, Bob Hope hosted the Academy's 50th Anniversary banquet in the same room.
The Biltmore Theater was situated at the corner of 5th and Grand, now the Biltmore Court & Tower location. Will Rogers emceed the opening of the theater in 1924, which then hosted plays starring Helen Hayes, Katharine Hepburn, Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Bela Lugosi and Mae West until it closed in 1967. It also occasionally booked high-profile films such as the 1925 silent epic Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ which ran for 14 weeks in 1926 and silent Academy Award winner Wings, which stayed over 20 weeks in 1928.[22]
In 1929, Germany's Graf Zeppelin airship soared over the hotel on its round-the-world voyage, sponsored by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Crew and passengers were fed by Biltmore culinary staff, who also replenished their on-board supplies.
The Los Angeles Biltmore hotel also featured notable recordings from the early 1930s on the Brunswick record label by Earl Burtnett & His Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel Orchestra, with songs such as the popular "Putting on the Ritz" being recorded with an orchestra attributed to the hotel.
During World War II, the Biltmore served as a military rest and recreation facility, with the entire second floor equipped with cots for military personnel on leave.
On March 7, 1952, the well-known yogi and author Paramahansa Yogananda, collapsed and died of a heart attack after finishing a speech at a banquet in honor of the Indian ambassador Binay Ranjan Sen.[23][24] This site within the hotel is now revered by many as the place of the yogi's mahasamadhi, or conscious leave of the body.
The 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles chose John F. Kennedy as the party's presidential nominee. He set up his campaign headquarters in the Music Room (now the Lobby), with running mate Lyndon B. Johnson across the hall in the Emerald Room. Their press conferences in the Crystal Ballroom were heavily photographed and documented.
The Beatles paid a visit to the Presidential Suite in August 1964 during their first U.S. tour. Due to the overwhelming number of fans crowding the sidewalks in front of the hotel, the band was forced to access their room by landing atop the hotel in a helicopter.
The Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel served the International Olympic Committee as their headquarters during the 1984 Summer Olympics. In 1988, the Duke & Duchess of York were hosted by Armand Hammer at a Biltmore gala. Recently the Biltmore has hosted the semi-finals for American Idol, the yearly awards for the Cinemal Audio Society, visiting teams for the World Baseball Classic, and multiple Grammy Awards after-parties.
