Opened in the heyday of the Gatsby Era in 1928, Don CeSar Beach Hotel in St Pete Beach, Florida celebrated its 95th Anniversary on January 16th, 2023. From high society's playground to starring on the silver screen, to being a Gulf Coast icon, Don CeSar boasts a rich and glamorous history.
Distinguished celebrities such as Clarence Darrow and F. Scott Fitzgerald have stayed at the Pink Palace on St. Pete Beach.
In 1982, Robert Di Niro, James Woods, and Tuesday Weld filmed scenes on the beach with the majestic Pink Palace in the background for the movie, Once Upon a Time in America.
However, before that for three months in 1979, Robert Altman's movie Health was shot at the Don CeSar, something not mentioned on the hotel's website.
In 1979, I started preproduction work on January 8 on Health. Among other things, I typed the script on an IBM Selectric typewriter in one of the two penthouses. Altman, Frank Barhydt, and Paul Dooley wrote the script during lunches with Monte Christo sandwiches and wine.
Production began on February 20, 1979, the day after I sustained a skull fracture at the Don CeSar parking lot.
Robert Altman's movie Health was not on home video; however, President Ronald Reagan screened the film at Camp David during stormy weather. In his diary for that day, he called Health "the world's worst movie."
