Off The Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's (1997)

Synopsis: In 1936, vaudeville performer Dave Chasen opened a modest restaurant on the edge of West Hollywood, serving up a specialty chili which, according to legend, he originally concocted in the kitchen of director Frank Capra. Over the next 60 years, Chasen's restaurant rose to culinary and... In 1936, vaudeville performer Dave Chasen opened a modest restaurant on the edge of West Hollywood, serving up a specialty chili which, according to legend, he originally concocted in the kitchen of director Frank Capra. Over the next 60 years, Chasen's restaurant rose to culinary and cultural fame as it catered to Hollywood's elite--Humphrey Bogart, Rock Hudson, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Stewart, and Elizabeth Taylor all dined on Chasen's famous fare--as well as U.S. presidents, foreign dignitaries, and royalty. So when the legendary eatery finally closed its doors in 1995, filmmakers Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (AMERICAN SPLENDOR) set out to document Chasen's final days through archival footage and interviews with management, staff and celebrity regulars such as Quentin Tarantino, Sharon Stone, Jay Leno, and John Travolta, resulting in a nostalgic homage to the golden age of Hollywood and the end of an era. [More]