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Valley Motel Is Huge Hollywood Attraction

Valley Motel Is Huge Hollywood Attraction Sun Valley’s industrial sprawl of construction companies, factories, and auto repair shops provides a surreal backdrop for the Pink Motel and Cadillac Jack’s Caf & #233;. While the surrounding landscape might have witnessed dramatic demographic and cosmetic alterations over the past 57 years, the Pink Motel remains identical, leaving visitors feeling like “Back to the Future’s Marty McFly: stuck in 1955. Owner Monty Thomulka has run the Motel and Caf & #233; since 1969, when he took over the business from his parents who built the complex in 1945 and opened it in 1946. While the 20-room motel still thrives due to a primarily live-in clientele, Cadillac Jack’s only operates in Hollywood’s fantasy world. Closed to the public in 1989, the caf & #233; has since been used for numerous movies, advertisements, music videos and assorted print work. Cadillac Jack’s echoes a different era, with vintage cigarette, candy bar, milkshake, and pinball machines dating back to the late 1940’s. Faded signs still advertise for a “Barbu-cated top Sirloin Steak Dinner, with salad, spaghetti, French fries, and coffee $4.95.” A fully functioning juke box still spins original 45 rpms of Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel. “I closed the diner in 1989 because it was just too much work for me to run it myself. You make a lot more money for movie work. It’s pure profit. All types of entertainment companies have shot the motel and caf & #233;, including “The Last 10 Yards,” with Bruce Willis, “Highway to Heaven,” “Murder She Wrote,” “Columbo,” and “Unsolved Mysteries.” I do anywhere from 50 to 60 movie shoots a year, charging from $2,500 to $3,500 a day. It really holds the business up. The money is with the studios, ever since I closed the caf & #233; down, it’s been really attractive for them. “It’s a competitive business. I’m in the California Film Commission’s locations book and I work with 24 location agencies. You’ve got to have the right look to catch the eye of the director. The television show Las Vegas used us, which is pretty common. The motel and caf & #233; often stand in for Las Vegas, Phoenix, or Miami. In addition, we have a fleet of 55 to 60 classic cars that we often rent out to he studios, with lots of 1950s cars including a 1957 Mercury, a 1957 Ford, a 1955 Cadillac, a 1958 Plymouth, and a 1962 Ford Thunderbird. “My parents started the business back in 1946 and I’ve been here in some capacity since 1950. I began as a dishwasher and now I oversee everything. I’ve got a daughter and several grandchildren. Hopefully, I’ll be able to turn the business over to them when I’m ready to check out.” Jeff Weiss

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