Alla Nazimova took young Edith Luckett under her wing when Edith was starting her career on Broadway in the very early 20th century. Later, Edith asked Alla to be the godmother of her daughter, the future first lady, Nancy Reagan.

One of the objectives of the Alla Nazimova Society is to identify and locate artifacts related to the legacy of Madame Nazimova. Among the items at the top of this list is a scale model of the Garden of Allah Hotel, which was once displayed in the bank building that now occupies the property where […]

Inge Gregusch, editor of Creme de la Creme: film, fashion & frivolity, has published a wonderful essay with photos on Alla Nazimova’s “Camille,” one of the last movies Nazimova made for Metro Pictures, and the first and only film she made with Rudolph Valentino. The essay, “Camille ‘a la’ Nazimova,” is published in two parts […]

Cross-posted from Playground to the Stars. Plans were unveiled this week for redeveloping the former Garden of Allah Hotel property on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. The plans show a couple of high-rise buildings, including a 12 story tower. Here’s the project description from the developer’s website:

Found this on this at Cheezburger.com.

Earlier this year, CA California Home+Design published an article about the demise of the Garden of Allah Hotel. The money quote came from Martin Turnbull, author of the Garden of Allah novels and Alla Nazimova Society co-founder: “It became a magnet for a certain type of person,” says Martin Turnbull, a novelist who has extensively […]

This photo was associated with Metro Pictures’ promotion of Alla Nazimova’s 1919 production of “The Brat.”

Alla Nazimova died on July 13, 1945, in Los Angeles, as a result of a coronary thrombosis that she suffered in her villa at the Garden of Allah Hotel. She was buried in Forest Lawn Glendale. The inscription on her marker reads: In Memoriam Madame Alla Nazimova 1945 “Voice of World’s Conscience – Immaculate beyond […]

LOCATION Les Noces du Figaro 618 S Broadway Los Angeles, CA, 90014 United States Phone: (213) 915-8687 34° 2′ 45.9636″ N, 118° 15′ 8.6544″ W Map: Click HERE The Los Angeles Visionaries Association (LAVA) is hosting a salon on Sunday, June 30, 2013, that will focus on a pair of historic structures at the east […]

Reviews for The Garden on Sunset, by Martin Turnbull:

Like Nathanael West’s The Day of the Locust, Martin Turnbull’s Garden on Sunset is steeped in Hollywood decadence–yet not so jaundiced and infinitely more fun. It grabs you by the throat and plops you smack down in the middle of Tinseltown during Prohibition, scraping elbows along the way with a constellation of stars, from Tallulah Bankhead to Greta Garbo. It’s one helluva kick-off for a promised series of page-turners. Count me in.” — Sam Irvin, author of Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise

“What a fun glimpse into old Hollywood and the fabulous Garden of Allah Hotel with its fascinating tenants. The three main characters, Marcus, Kathryn and Gwendolyn mix it up with such legendary names as Ramon Novarro, Tallulah Bankhead and George Cukor–not to mention the exotic Nazimova herself. Made me wish I was there!” — Debra Ann Pawlak, author of Bringing Up Oscar: The Story of the Men and Women Who Founded the Academy