Chandelier Room's Luster Has Faded

officials unveiled a new hospitality room the other day called the Arcadia Suite. There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by several Arcadia politicians, including Arcadia’s Mayor Pro-Tem Gary Kovacic, City Councilman Roger Chandler and City Manager Don Penman.

It’s a nice room and the creation of such a suite wasn’t a bad idea.

Allen Gutterman, Santa Anita’s vice president in charge of marketing, said the Arcadia Suite is going to help attract groups to the racetrack, and no doubt it will. But the room is located far past the finish line and has a capacity of only about 30 people.

Maybe a better idea would be to restore the legendary Chandelier Room located inside the Turf Club.

At one time this was one of the hotspots in all of Southern California, attracting Hollywood Stars and all kinds of dignitaries. It’s a huge room that can hold hundreds of people.

The old room is a bit rustic now, but at times it still glistens – as it did on opening day Dec. 26.

Unfortunately Santa Anita officials have let the room run down. Meanwhile, a tremendous amount of effort has been put into the FrontRunner restaurant, which opened in 2000 and provides a bird’s-eye view of the track.

It’s a hip place that attracts a younger crowd, and keeping it looking sharp makes sense. What hasn’t made sense is neglecting the Chandelier Room.

It could use a good going over – new furniture, new carpeting, some paint here and there. Also, open it up to everyone, not just people who pay $20 admission, and relax the dress codes. Even the fanciest Beverly Hills restaurants don’t have dress codes as strict.

The Chandelier Room is still a popular place for wedding receptions and special functions. It’s the racing set that has been ignoring it in recent years. On weekdays, the place is virtually empty. There are still a few steady regulars, such as actor Dick Van Patten and Hollywood restaurateur Carmen Miceli, but some days there is absolutely no one sitting at the giant, marble-top bar.

The Chandelier Room has been around since the Arcadia racetrack opened on Christmas Day in 1934. The name comes from the four giant chandeliers that hang from the ceiling. They were imported from the Versailles in France.

The room’s décor also includes four giant, strategically place gold-plated palm trees, along with three smaller ones behind the bar.

John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Clark Cable, Greer Garson, Betty Grable, Cary Grant, Harry James, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Telly Savalas, Walter Mathau and James Darren were among the regulars at one time or other. Liz Montgomery of the television show Bewitched was often at the bar before she died in 1995, sometimes with Liz Sheridan, who played Jerry Seinfeld’s mother on the hit show Seinfeld.

Frank Panza, somewhat of a legendary figure himself, has been working behind the bar since 1961. He can rattle off name after name – Farrah Fawcett, Mickey Rooney, Mickey Cohen, David Janzen and Phil Harris are some of the other patrons Panza served over the years.

He recalls the day Desi Arnez came to him in a panic because he had lost a cufflink from a set his wife Lucille Ball had given him. Looking for it was futile, so Panza simply suggested having a replacement made. Arnez liked that idea.

And then there was a time John Wayne brought of bottle of Mexican tequila to the bar and told Panza to use it to pour him a drink. “You trying to get me fired,” Panza told him.

The room has been used in a number of movies, including the 1954 version of A Star Is Born and the 2003 film Seabiscuit.

But the glory days of the Chandelier Room are long gone. It’s a long shot they’ll ever return, but sprucing up the place, promoting it, and opening it up to more people couldn’t hurt.

It’s a shame to let such of potentially beautiful room go to waste.