CHASEN'S RESTAURANT; HOLLYWOOD HISTORY UP FOR AUCTION.

Byline: Steve Carney Staff Writer

Before Chasen's restaurant closed four years ago, it was the ultimate L.A. hangout for 60 years - where in darkened red-leather booths Alfred Hitchcock sliced into steaks, James Cagney broke into song and Ronald Reagan proposed to Nancy.

On Sunday, mere mortals have the chance to cart away some Hollywood history, as every chunk of Chasen's - silverware, bar stools, autographed photographs and yes, even the kitchen sink - will be sold at auction.

They include the photo Groucho gave the owner, Dave Chasen.

``To Dave, a man for all seasons - salt, pepper, oregano, etc. Affectionately, Groucho Marx.''

But they don't include Reagan's booth, which has been set aside for his presidential library in Simi Valley, said Atsie Stein, who is handling the auction through his company, A.Z. Stein Co. Auctioneers and Appraisers of Van Nuys.

The other booths - and everything else - are going on the block.

``You've got Bob Hope right there. That one was Pat O'Brien. One of these was Spencer Tracy,'' Stein said, motioning to the tables.

``The interest level has been phenomenal,'' said Stein's associate, Mark Weitz, who added that they've gotten calls from museums, collectors and former patrons interested in bidding. ``It holds very special meanings for some people throughout California.''

Chasen's dimly lighted aisles and paneled rooms hosted everyone from Humphrey Bogart to Howard Hughes, and from F. Scott Fitzgerald to J. Edgar Hoover.

``The food was good, and you had that Hollywood glamour,'' Weitz said, recalling the childhood visits he made with his family. ``It was always special when you came to Chasen's. It was where Hollywood dined.''

It had humble beginnings.

A chili stand

In 1936, vaudeville comic Dave Chasen opened a chili stand at 9039 Beverly Blvd., at the corner of Doheny Drive. As the restaurant grew, Chasen played host to an expanding legion of faithful customers, including movie stars, politicians, sports figures and other celebrities.

``A lot of it had to do with Dave Chasen,'' said the restaurant's chief executive officer, Ralph M. Woodworth, who is overseeing its closure. ``He had a great personality. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about him.''

When Chasen died in 1973, his wife, Maude, carried on the tradition.

``People had their privacy when they came here. It was a clubby atmosphere,'' Woodworth said, with no photography allowed, for example. And that ambience gave stars the comfort to cut loose.

Hope once rode a horse into the place.

Ray Bolger danced table-side.

And after one long night of drinking, Bogart and Peter Lorre stole the safe from Chasen's office and rolled it into the middle of Beverly Boulevard.

Nearly every artifact in the joint is a touchstone for some Hollywood legend. Like the huge serving tray sitting in the middle of Chasen's office floor, covered with a washtub-sized lid. At Jimmy Stewart's bachelor party, Chasen asked him to carve the main dish. When Stewart raised the lid, he found two little people in diapers waiting for him.

``I wonder if the midgets are still in there,'' Stein mused.

Time capsule

Chasen's hideaway office still serves as the restaurant's time capsule, its wall space covered with autographed photos of nearly every celebrity imaginable.

``Dear Dave, it's always a pleasure dining with you. Clark Gable.''

Other photos include Buzz Aldrin, Johnny Carson, Bing Crosby, Kirk Douglas, Jerry Lewis, Jack Dempsey, Stan Musial and Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan. Even an unsigned picture of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini hangs near the ceiling, though Stein and the others aren't sure why.

A 1972 letter from Richard Nixon to Maude Chasen thanked her for sending a batch of the restaurant's signature chili to the ``Western White House'' in San Clemente.

``As you suggested, I did share it with Henry Kissinger and Bebe Rebozo (Nixon's friend and financier), and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.''

And the photo of Jackie Gleason - appropriately - swings open to reveal a passageway into the bar, where he and Chasen were delivered drinks.

Weitz and the other auctioneers say they have no idea what items will fetch at Sunday's auction: ``The booth that Jimmy Stewart sat in every Friday night - is it worth $100 or $10,000?''

Few appraisals

Only a few items even carry appraisal prices, including three Toulouse-Lautrec sketches valued at $600 apiece, and a pair of drawings by humorist and artist James Thurber listed at $11,000 each. A pastel picture of ballerinas signed ``Degas,'' is available, though the auctioneers aren't sure it's genuine. And there's a pencil sketch by W.C. Fields of him and John Barrymore receiving intravenous gin transfusions.

In addition to the artwork, collectible photos, historic memorabilia and other fixtures, the auctioneers are selling literally everything else in the place, including four pianos, 396 margarita glasses, endless stacks of plates, stainless-steel 30-gallon cooking pots and a pressure cooker the size of a hot tub.

Demolition scheduled

Demolition begins next month, but part of the restaurant will live on in the Bristol Farms market going up in its place, said auctioneer Adam Alexander. The facade will remain as the storefront, and a corner of the restaurant - paneling, booths and all - will sit inside.

The Chasen's name endures in a Beverly Hills restaurant in which Chasen's grandson owns a stake. And Woodworth and the Chasen family sell the trademark chili, frozen, via mail order and on their Web site, www.chasenschili.com.

The restaurant played host to the occasional private party since it closed, but the final gavel at Sunday's auction will signal the end of the Los Angeles landmark.

``It really hits when you see everything out on display,'' Woodworth said, surveying the main dining room, where every flat surface was covered with stacks of plates, rows of silver serving bowls and seemingly endless glassware - all awaiting cleaning and cataloging.

Weitz said they've taken the job with sentiment and a sense of history.

``It's an emotional event,'' he said. ``Let's dress it up one more time, like an old lady, and give her one big sendoff.''

Everything will be available for inspection from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today. The restaurant and kitchen equipment will go on sale at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, with the memorabilia available at 2 p.m. A refundable $300 cash deposit is required for entry.

For information call A.Z. Stein Co., [phone].

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1) Hollywood landmark and former celebrity hangout Chasen's restaurant in West Hollywood will be auctioning off its contents such as this signed photo of patrons Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy.

(2) The equipment from Chasen's restaurant will be auctioned off Sunday.

(3) Dave Chasen's office wall with covered by signed celebrity photographs, which will be auctioned off at the restaurant Sunday afternoon.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer