The comments on my last post about Dino’s revealed quite a bit of interest in another Sunset Strip eatery, the Hamburger Hamlet. The Hamlet had other locations but the one at 9201 Sunset was the one that attracted more A-listers and is remembered most fondly.
Back in 1950, Warner Bros. contract player Harry Lewis and his wife-to-be Marilyn scraped together $3,500 to open a restaurant at 8951 Sunset on the corner of Hilldale and Sunset, in the heart of the entertainment industry at the time. Since Lewis planned to cater to the acting community, he named the place Hamburger Hamlet, since many actors dream of playing Hamlet.
The Sunset Strip location was so successful that other Hamburger Hamlets followed, eventually making a chain of 24 restaurants across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. In 1963, the original Hamlet moved to a larger building farther west at 9201 Sunset at Doheny in a brand new high rise that housed many doctors’ offices and, a Schwab’s Pharmacy. The Sunset Strip Hamlet was the flagship of the chain, attracting a long list of stars that included Bette Davis, Tony Curtis, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Lana Turner, and Debbie Reynolds.
The Hamlet’s most famous habitue was Dean Martin, who could often be seen enjoying a drink at the bar. Martin lived nearby in Beverly Hills and began dining regularly at the Sunset Strip Hamlet after the breakup of his longtime marriage to Jeanne Martin in 1969. The singer also found consolation in his friends at the restaurant after the tragic death of his beloved son Dino in a 1987 plane crash.
The success of the Hamburger Hamlet allowed Marilyn Lewis to pursue her original ambition of being a fashion designer, launching her Cardinali line in the 1960s. Her sophisticated styles were favorites with many glamorous stars and she designed the wardrobe for the Marlo Thomas TV series “That Girl.”
As memorable as the celebrities who hung out at the Hamlet was the food. The Hamlet menu included dishes like Lobster Bisque, French onion soup, “Those Potatoes”, “Zucchini Zircles” with apricot dipping sauce, and a variety of customizable hamburgers.
We can’t reminisce about the Hamlet without mentioning Frances Davis, the “maitre diva” of the Sunset Strip location. Frances had a fascinating career before joining the Hamlet staff, being one of the earliest black ballerinas and an original member of the Broadway cast of “West Side Story.” Her performing career was derailed for a few years by her marriage to jazz legend Miles Davis but she returned to the stage in the 60s and 70s. She can be seen as the sexy maid in the Peter Sellars movie “The Party” and as one of the white-clad dancers in the gospel number on Elvis Presley’s 1968 Comeback Special. Frances brought her talents to her job at the Hamlet, singing to regular customers as she led them to their tables. I got to know Frances in the last years of her life before she left us in 2018 at the age of 89.
I confess that I did not spend a lot of time hanging out at the Hamlet, although I do recall enjoying tuna melts with singer/songwriter Tommy Boyce of the duo Boyce & Hart back in 1972 and worked as a cashier briefly when I was between jobs. My most vivid memory is checking out Liza Minnelli and Richard Chamberlain, who were collaborating on a project at the time.
Things began to decline after Harry and Marilyn Lewis sold the Hamburger Hamlet chain to a private NY company in 1987 and opened Kate Mantilini on Willshire Blvd. The Sunset Strip location closed in 2011, Harry died in 2013, Kate Mantilini closed in 2014 and Marilyn passed in 2017. The Strip just isn’t the same without a Hamburger Hamlet.
What are your fondest memories of the Hamburger Hamlet?
It appears that the City and its business community liason has done precious little to encourage the life of many yet evolving business interests ie. restaurants which normally have much historic nostalgia attached. In other cities this is not rocket science but one of the ingredients of meaningful and lasting neighborhoods. In Europe there is no such turnover like this in our disposable and replaceable concepts.
I went to the Hamlet several times, was hooked on the Lobster Bisque, and dated someone who was a waiter there.
What a magical place! I remember the ones on Sunset and in Westwood, in particular, and they had a vibe no place has anymore. And the burgers were actually quite good!
I met John Ritter there and remember checking in with Frances. My boyfriend at the time went there so often. Nice write up. Thank you.
I started in the Hamlet in Chicago (much more glamorous decor than the ones out here). Also worked at the Hollywood and Westwood locations. A good job while I was doing the actor/model/waiter thing. My favorite celeb sighting was in Westwood. I was picking up a drink order with my back turned away from the front door. I felt the electricity of the room change. In walked Lana Turner with some friends. The whole place went dead silent. You could hear everyone thinking THAT’S WHAT A REAL MOVIE STAR IS! In Hollywood became familiar with The Carpenters and waited on… Read more »
Thanks for sharing that. I forgot about the Westwood location. Unmentioned nearby there was also one on south Beverly Drive, Sepulveda and National, and one in Brentwood where I recall once seeing Carol Burnett. If I’m not mistaken, there may have also been a small location inside the short lived Bonwit Teller department store in Beverly Hills.
fyi…..typo alert….”Elvis Presney’s”
When did the term “Eatery” come into existence? I think it’s a very vague way in referring to a restaurant, cafe or diner. Also, in my opinion “Eats” is just plain stupid.
having worked for hamburger hamlet for seven years in various capacities, I have more stories than I have room to tell here!!
But you are right, wehoqueen, the Stella Nelson was named after an employee. She was the Hamlet’s purchasing agent… and one of the toughest women I’ve ever met!
Miss that place.
Enjoy the sun and water in a comfortable and fashionable swimsuit that boosts your confidence.
While not a diner at Hamburger Hamlet I did frequent Kate Mantilini on Wilshire which was architecturally interesting, designed by Mike Rotondi & Thom Mayne of Morphosis as well as serving terrific food. The atmosphere was always a sophisticated mix punctuated by many in the legitimate arts community of the time. The Lewis team certainly had a rare talent as restauranteurs so missing today. A big loss of both locations.
I recall that the Hamburger Hamlet was the first nice restaurant to hire more African-American staff in the 1960s when there was still a lot of segregation. I remember in a large corner booth was a plaque “The Swifty Lazar Table”. Their “Stella Nelson Special” was a favorite: half a sandwich, a bowl of soup and a small salad, the legend was it was named after an employee. The “Tap Room”, by the bar, was the most popular area to sit, and always had celebrities in it. I was having dinner there in the 90s with a well known comedian,… Read more »
I started at the Brentwood Hamlet as a fifth assistant manager. Back then after 9 P.M., the garden room became a disco. After a scandal in the restaurant occurred, (a great story in and of itself!) they moved some of us managers out to different locations, and I was moved to the Hollywood one. Most of the servers there were African-American women who had originally been hired by Marilyn. They watched everything I did, and would report back to the main office anytime they thought I was not acting to their liking. I finally confronted them and asked them why… Read more »
How interesting! I was always impressed that they hired so many African-American staff, not because they had to, but because they were free to do so and they wanted to. I think they had their offices somewhere around Maple Drive in Beverly Hills. I once saw Cary Grant at the Magic Pan you mentioned. It’s sad to think a restaurant like the Hamlet just couldn’t survive in today’s economics. And I can’t think of any restaurant around today that is similar.
their main office was on Foothill in BH.
The wonderful thing about the Hamlet was that you could get almost anything that you had a craving for! I once told Harry Lewis that the only thing you couldn’t get if you had a craving for it, was an eggroll! And that man did a search of every frozen eggroll that was for sale to retail outlets. He actually came back to me, God bless him, and apologized that there were no eggrolls on the market that lived up to the Hamlet’s standards!
Marilyn Lewis was quite a character. During a staff orientation she explained that when they first started out she felt that hiring African Americans would give her patrons the same quality of service experienced in Pullman railroad cars. Later on when a lot of Gays were being hired she explained that patrons enjoyed servers who were attractive, hip and ‘with-it’.
Joan lived up the street (as did sister Jackie who I knew, loved and adored) at the Sierra Towers. I was just a kid and she loved to take us H’s as we called it. Good times had by all! I miss Jackie! What a true star!
When I made a list in my head of all the celebrities I used to regularly see there, they are almost all gone now. And to think, back in the day, for around only $15, you could be seated at a table next to Susanne Pleshette, Sid Caesar, Betty White, and on and on. And I remember you could go a half a block up Doheny, across the border into Beverly Hills, and park your car for free on the street. And there were no safety concerns walking around there. I’m touched that others share the same fondness for the… Read more »