Writers Tricks of the Trade SPRING 2017 ISSUE 2, VOLUME 7 | Page 19

W HICH FAMOUS PEOPLE
STAYED AT THE B OULDER
D AM H OTEL ?
Some famous guests
during 1934 included
A.P. Gianni, founder of
Bank of America;
Bette Davis, who
stayed at the hotel
while on vacation
following the filming
of “Of Human
Bondage;” and the
cast and crew of RKO
films, who stayed
while they produced
“Silver Streak.”
Famous 1935 guests
included
honeymooners Mr.
and Mrs. Cornelius
Vanderbilt, Jr.; Will
Rogers, who was
performing on stage at
the Boulder Theatre;
the Maharajah and
Maharani of Indore,
India; and Cardinal
Pascelli, who later
became Pope Pius XII.
If the walls of the Boulder Dam Hotel could talk they would tell a story of Jim
Webb, who in 1932 had a vision of what Boulder City needed: a grand hotel with
unprecedented private baths, air conditioning, and a wood paneled lobby that
would welcome world dignitaries visiting the Boulder Dam (now Hoover Dam).
Webb’s vision became a reality, and during the 1930s the Boulder Dam Hotel
became a huge draw for people visiting Boulder Dam. The hotel also quickly
became popular with movie stars who needed to establish Nevada residency so
they could obtain a “quickie” divorce.
W RITERS ’ T RICKS OF THE T RADE
P AGE 11
The remainder of the
1930s welcomed the
Duchess of West-
minster; George
Pepperdine, founder
of Pepperdine
University; Henry
Fonda; Boris Karloff;
Senator Robert Taft;
Shirley Temple; and
Howard Hughes, who
recuperated at the
hotel after wrecking
his airplane on Lake
Mead.
S PRING 2017