The Sunset Strip nightclub was the place to be, frequented by everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Katharine Hepburn to Rat Packers like Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. It was baroque chic, known for its red ceiling and red silk sofas, celebrities dripping from every table.

The pivotal West Hollywood nightclub, which regularly hosted artists like Dorothy Dandridge and Eartha Kitt, served as the debut spot for two singular performers: Frank Sinatra, who was making his Los Angeles debut as a solo act, and Ella Fitzgerald, who only got a slot thanks to a bit of lobbying from Marilyn Monroe. “She personally called the owner of the Mocambo and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night,” Fitzgerald once said. “The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again.”

Favorite Restaurant: Romanoff’s (in Hollywood)

Oscar parties were thrown there. Alfred Hitchcock could be seen falling asleep at his favorite booth. Marilyn Monroe would sneak in after a long day of filming, dining solo, too afraid to be seen in her casual after-work slacks.