Checking Out: Grand Hotel (2004)

• 34%
• 2004
• Documentary
• Drama
• Peter Fitzgerald
• Tom Kane
• Sydney Guilaroff
• J.J. Cohn

The making of the Oscar-winning classic, "Grand Hotel" was rife with blazing egos and star behavior unlike anything else in Hollywood history. Never before had there existed an all-star, ensemble cast on film, and none with so many heavyweights as MGM could provide. Concieved by MGM's production genius Irving Thalberg, (who brainstormed the notion of an ensemble cast for the film) the film boasted names like Garbo, Crawford, Beery and two Barrymores, went on have its celebrated premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre and won the Academy Award for best picture. Thus, the ensemble cast film became a staple for the studio, who went on to produce "Dinner at Eight" and several others in the ensuing years.