Catherine Spaak and Rod Taylor |
The beautiful and stately St. Gregory's hotel in New Orleans is in danger of shutting its doors forever. The owner, Warren Trent (Melvyn Douglas), is fielding two offers, the most aggressive of which comes from Curtis O'Keefe (Kevin McCarthy) who isn't above playing a few dirty tricks, such as using his girlfriend, Jeanne (Catherine Spaak), to get information from the hotel manager, Peter McDermott (Rod Taylor of The Liquidator). While this is going on there is a thief (Karl Malden) loose in the hotel, and a Count (Michael Rennie) and Countess (Merle Oberon) are being blackmailed by the house dick (Richard Conte) because they ran over a child in their expensive car.
Hotel is basically sixties schlock, devoid of deep characterization or any meaning whatsoever. At one point, when a dignified black couple is turned away at the desk of the St. Gregory according to the hotel's long-standing racist policy and their unproven fear that it will cost them clientele, it looks as if there might be something of substance to say. But everyone seems much more upset at what bad publicity will do to their coffers than their unfair and dated policy toward "Negroes." It's a case of "this is bad for the hotel" as opposed to "this is just plain bad." Peter may not be a racist but his employer definitely is.Kevin McCarthy and Taylor
Michael Rennie and Merle Oberon |
Verdict: Watch Grand Hotel instead. **1/2.
2 comments:
Very glossy bit of nothingness, agreed! For this 60s genre I prefer the VIPs with Taylor and Burton and Maggie Smith, but you are right, Bill, nothing can beat the extraordinary 1932 Grand Hotel with Crawford, Garbo, Barrymore et al!!
- Chris
That reminds me that I'll have to revisit VIPs one of these days.
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