A recent New York Times headline boldly pondered, “Can Jennifer Lopez Save the Rom-Com?” In the article running below it, author Nicole Sperling espouses that the Hollywood multihyphenate’s new film, “Marry Me,” which hits both theaters and streaming service Peacock today, has the potential to “revive a genre that’s been left for dead by both the studio system and the rom-com stars of the past.” I wasn’t aware the genre needed salvaging, but I guess if anyone is up to the task, it’s JLo! A veritable romantic comedy queen with such stalwarts as “The Wedding Planner,” “Monster-in-law” and “The Back-Up Plan” under her designer belt, she certainly has the résumé to back up the NYT’s assertion!
And let’s not forget Sony Pictures’ 2002 offering “Maid in Manhattan,” arguably one of Lopez’s most popular rom-coms, which sees the star stepping into the shoes of Marisa Ventura, a housekeeper at the exclusive The Beresford Hotel who inadvertently tricks a handsome guest, New York State Assemblyman Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), into believing she is a wealthy socialite, subsequently starting up a romance with him. According to IMDB, the film is partially inspired by the real-life love story of millionaire Steven Clark Rockefeller, son of then-New York governor Nelson Rockefeller, who wed Anne-Marie Rasmussen, one of his family’s domestic helpers.
Originally slated to be shot in Chicago with John Hughes at the helm, “Maid in Manhattan” directing duties were eventually transferred to Wayne Wang (of “The Joy Luck Club” and “Last Holiday” fame) and filming shifted to New York, with the iconic Waldorf Astoria taking center stage as The Beresford, the lodging at the heart of the story. Though several location websites claim that the Waldorf only appeared in exterior shots of the movie’s fictional inn and that the now-defunct Roosevelt Hotel was utilized for interiors, that is not the case. The inside of The Beresford was a combination of the Waldorf’s actual internal spaces, as well as soundstage-built sets created by production designer Jane Musky at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens.
But The Roosevelt does make a couple of appearances in “Maid in Manhattan.” Playing itself, the luxury lodging is where Marisa gets hired at the end of the film after losing her job at The Beresford once her much-frowned-upon romance with Christopher comes to light. And the place truly is a sight to behold!
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Image Credit: Roosevelt Hotel The stunning Midtown property, which takes up an entire city block between Madison and Vanderbilt Avenues at 45 E. 45th St., was commissioned by United Hotels Company of America founder Frank A. Dudley in 1922. Designed by the architectural firm George B. Post & Sons, the 19-story Renaissance Revival-style building took two years to construct at a cost of $12 million. (That’s about $200 million in today’s dollars!) Named in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt and boasting interiors inspired by those of New York City Hall, as well as several opulent East Coast mansions, the site represented the ultimate in luxury and was met with immediate fanfare upon opening to the public on September 22, 1924.
Known as the “Grand Dame of Madison Avenue,” just a few of the luxe amenities offered during its early days included a daycare service for young guests, dog kennels for four-legged patrons, in-house doctors with on-site operating and exam rooms, private gardens, a hair salon and an underground tunnel that provided quick access to Grand Central Terminal.
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Image Credit: Roosevelt Hotel The hotel’s crown jewel, though, is easily the stunning two-story-height lobby with its gorgeous coffered ceiling, gilded columns, and marble flooring. Jen Carlson of Gothamist deemed the mezzanine level that towers above the stunning space “one of the most perfect spots in all of Midtown,” noting “You can bring a book, or even a drink from the bar up there, where you’ll find tables for two (paired with old sunken, comfy chairs) overlooking the lobby.”
Considering the level of opulence offered, it is no surprise that the lodging has had its fair share of claims to fame over the years. Not only did bandleader Lawrence Welk get his start there, but Guy Lombardo also performed regularly on the premises and it was at the hotel that Thomas E. Dewey learned he did not actually defeat Harry Truman in the 1948 presidential election despite the infamously erroneous reporting of the Chicago Daily Tribune. The property was also owned for a time by famed hotelier Conrad Hilton, who promptly moved into the luxe Roosevelt Suite upon purchasing the site in 1943.
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Image Credit: Roosevelt Hotel Over the past four decades, the hotel has been operated by Pakistan International Airlines. Though as gorgeous and luxurious as the day it first opened almost a century ago (while maybe in need of some updating), the site, unfortunately, faced insurmountable financial losses in recent years due to “debt servicing and unionization, as well as the dilapidated conditions of the building including infrastructure, guest rooms, and public areas,” as reported by New York Yimby. The Covid-19 pandemic proved the final nail in the property’s coffin, causing the Roosevelt to close its doors for good on December 18, 2020, much to the sadness of locals, tourists and preservationists everywhere.
The building’s future has been up in the air ever since, with PIA weighing possible outcomes, including leasing it out and, tragically, demolition. As local Pakistan newspaper The Express Tribune recently reported, “Privatisation Minister Muhammadmian Soomro informed the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation that various options were currently being looked into regarding the fate of the Roosevelt, adding that a financial adviser will take the decision regarding leasing out the hotel. ‘It would take around five years to demolish the hotel and build a multipurpose building,’ he said. He called for starting the process immediately to save the time.”
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Image Credit: Roosevelt Hotel Thankfully, New York City Councilman Keith Powers, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, State Senator Brad Hoylman and State Assembly Member Richard Gottfried have stepped in and are attempting to landmark the hotel to protect it from both demolition and major alterations.
At the time of its shuttering, the Roosevelt boasted 1,015 guest rooms with 38 suites, three restaurants, a whopping 30,000 square feet of meeting space, two grand ballrooms, a business center, a gym, 15 retail storefronts and a rooftop bar that Gothamist’s Jen Carlon deemed was “worth a cramped elevator ride up to the 19th floor for the view alone.” All of it now sits dark and vacant behind boarded-up doors and windows.
If the property does wind up falling victim to the wrecking ball, fans of the space can, at the very least, take comfort in the fact that it has been preserved for future generations via its many onscreen appearances.
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Image Credit: Google Though the Roosevelt only makes a couple of cameos in “Maid in Manhattan,” its presence is no doubt memorable as it is at the hotel that (spoiler!) Christopher and Marisa finally get together at the end of the film.
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Image Credit: Roosevelt Hotel Both the exterior and interior of the lodging are featured in the segment, with the Terrace Ballroom serving as the backdrop for Chris’ campaign speech, where he is sweetly interrupted by Marisa’s son, Ty (a very young Tyler Posey), who implores the assemblyman to give his mother another chance.
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Image Credit: 20th Century Studios Additional productions to feature the Roosevelt include the 1987 classic “Wall Street.” It is in another of the hotel’s event spaces, the Grand Ballroom, that Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) speaks at the Teldar Paper annual stockholders meeting and advises his fellow shareholders that greed is, in fact, a good thing.
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Image Credit: New Line Cinema At the beginning of the 2000 drama “Boiler Room,” the J.T. Marlin gang heads to the property to celebrate the fact that their firm is no longer being investigated by the SEC. While there, company founder Michael Brantley (Tom Everett Scott) makes a rousing speech in the Terrace Ballroom.
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Image Credit: Paramount Pictures The Terrace Ballroom is also where Admiral General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) gathers with the press to sign a new democratic constitution in the 2012 comedy “The Dictator.”
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Image Credit: Sony Pictures The Roosevelt masks as the supposed San Francisco-area Hotel Huntington, where Patti Robinson (Genevieve Angelson) tracks down and interviews a reclusive source named Danielle (Rebecca Naomi Jones) in the pilot episode of the 1969-set series “Good Girls Revolt.”
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television Root (Amy Acker) gets into a shootout there while protecting pollster Simon Lee (Jason Ritter) in the season four episode of “Person of Interest” titled “Prophets.”
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Image Credit: CBS Television Dr. Dylan Reinhart (Alan Cumming) and Detective Lizzie Needham (Bojana Novakovic) investigate the murder of a cheating couple at the Roosevelt in the pilot episode of “Instinct.”
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Image Credit: CBS Media Ventures Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) and Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez) also investigate a murder on the premises in the season ten episode of “Blue Bloods” titled “Vested Interests.”
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Image Credit: CBS Media Ventures And the Roosevelt is also the hotel where Dr. Jason Bull’s (Michael Weatherly) love interest Diana Lindsay (Jill Flint) stays while visiting New York in the season three episode of “Bull” titled “Separate Together.”
While I’m not certain that JLo can officially save the rom-com, here’s hoping someone can save the Roosevelt!