Heading into the 1940s, director Preston Sturges was working at the top of his game, but apparently that wasn’t enough. In 1940 he opened a club called The Players at 8225 Sunset Boulevard, next to the Chateau Marmont and down the street from the Garden of Allah Hotel. It had three levels, each with its own restaurant—one of them was dinner theatre/dance floor with a revolving, hydraulic stage. The place never even broke even during its 13-year run but I suspect making money was never the point. Sturges just wanted a place to entertain his friends. The building still exists and is currently known as Pink Taco.

See also: Spotlight on…The Players