Lights, Camera, Action
H
otel del Coronado
has enjoyed a long
and extraordinary
relationship
ALWAYS READY FOR HER CLOSE-UP, THE DEL HAS A
LEGENDARY HISTORY WITH CINEMA AND CELEBRITIES
his lover’s daughter to gain access to the family’s fortune. This silent film beautifully showcased the
hotel’s gardens and beaches.
with Hollywood. Even throughout the Great Depression, Hollywood seemed immune to the nation’s financial
Moviemakers like setbacks and moneyed celebrities continued to frequent The Del, often using it as a base for day
Frank Capra, Daryl trips into Mexico during Prohibition. Frequent guests included Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks,
Zanuck and Billy Wilder sought The Al Jolson, Greta Garbo, Mae West, Rita Hayworth, Stan Laurel, Anthony Quinn, Ginger Rogers and
Del’s spectacular location, while A-list James Stewart.
luminaries gravitated to the island
retreat as a getaway. Coronado’s A high point in The Del’s filmography was the movie musical Coronado (1935),
cinematic roots began with Edison starring Johnny Downs, a young man who had grown up in Coronado and
Moving Picture Company filming short appeared in Our Gang comedies. In the story of a rich hotel kid who falls in love with
documentaries back in the 1890s. a Tent City chanteuse, Downs tap-danced atop The Del’s famous mahogany bar.
Maiden and Men is believed to be
While the war raged in Europe, Naval Air Station North Island became the
setting for many military-themed movies and drew additional celebrities to The
Coronado
Del like Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Gary Cooper, Kirk Douglas, Judy Garland,
Mickey Rooney, Lana Turner, and Robert Montgomery. After the war, sightings included George
Sander as well as Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall; and in 1946, America’s premier dance
instructor, Arthur Murray, established a studio at The Del.
The Married Virgin
the first feature film shot at The Del
in 1910. Seeing an opportunity in
1915, Del owner John D. Spreckels
offered motion picture giant at the
The hotel was also instrumental in launching the careers of some television giants. Lucille Ball
and Desi Arnaz retreated to The Del in 1950 to polish their comedy routine under the direction of
“Pepito the Spanish Clown,” a renowned vaudeville performer, and developed their Ricky and Lucy
personas. The Del was later featured in an episode of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. Dinah Shore,
Donna Reed, Doris Day, Dick Van Dyke. Carol Burnett and Walt Disney enjoyed the resort as well.
time, Siegmund Lubin, an expansive Liberace, the undisputed king of keys and candelabras, was discovered playing piano at The
piece of property along San Diego Del in 1950. On that fateful night, the audience was so small that the manager told him he could
Bay in exchange for a $1 a year rental cancel his performance. Liberace luckily declined and in the audience that night was a television
fee to encourage the community’s producer who recognized Liberace’s ability to connect with an audience and the rest, as they say,
commercial development. Once is Hollywood history!
established, Lubin Studios produced
In 1957, Ronald Reagan filmed Hellcats of the Navy at Naval Air Station
more than 20 movies in Coronado and,
North Island, becoming a frequent visitor to The Del during his years in
soon, Hollywood royalty such as Mary
Hollywood and later as Governor of California and as President. He even
Pickford, Gloria Swanson and Anita
proposed to his wife Nancy at The Del. And when the Coronado Bridge
Page were flocking here, with The
opened on August 3, 1969, Governor Reagan officiated the ceremony and
Del often cast as a playground for the
was one of the first passengers to drive over the bridge to a luncheon in
wealthy. In 1918, Rudolph Valentino
The Del’s Crown Room.
starred in The Married Virgin as a
dashing social climber who marries
6
Hellcats of
the Navy