In Popular Culture
L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, did much of his writing at the hotel, and is said to have based his design for the Emerald City on it. However, other sources say the Emerald City was inspired by the "White City" of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. Ambrose Bierce used the hotel as the setting for his short story, An Heiress From Redhorse. It also was the setting for the 1975 novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson; however, for the movie version, Somewhere in Time, the story setting and filming were moved to the Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island) on Mackinac Island, Michigan.
The initial story inspiration for the movie and short story 1408 came from a collection of real-life news stories about parapsychologist Christopher Chacon's investigation of a notoriously haunted room at the hotel. The short story was written by Stephen King.
The hotel was first featured in a film in 1927, when it was used as a backdrop for the film The Flying Fleet. Since then, it has been featured in at least twelve other films, including: Some Like It Hot (which starred Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis where it was called the "Seminole Ritz"), The Stunt Man (which starred Peter O'Toole), Wicked, Wicked (which was completely filmed on location there), and the 1990 version of My Blue Heaven (which starred Steve Martin and Rick Moranis).
In the 14th and 15th episodes of the 4th season of Baywatch, called Coronado del Soul Part 1 and 2, the story evolves in and around the Hotel.
The hotel is featured on a US Postage Stamp honoring director Billy Wilder, with images of Marilyn Monroe and the hotel from Some Like It Hot.
Read more about this topic: Hotel Del Coronado
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