THE ROVING EYE.

MARILYN Monroe ate there. So did Clark Gable. W.C. Fields was a visitor as well as Ernest Hemingway.

They all frequented the Cinegrill, the famed eatery inside the 74-year-old Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Over the years the Cinegrill has been the watering hole for scores of legendary celebrities.

But it will be put out of commission for the next few months. Like so many things in Hollywood, the restaurant and cabaret is getting a facelift.

The Cinegrill closed its doors on Oct. 1 to undergo a renovation and relocation to another area of the historic hotel that was the site of the first Academy Awards in 1929.

"It needed to be renovated," said the hotel's general manager, Sam Cole, who wouldn't reveal the Cinegrill's new location until it is approved by the city's Cultural Affairs Commission.

Most likely, the new Cinegrill will occupy an area near the swimming pool.

The overhaul is being done by a Hong Kong architectural and design firm. The new Cinegrill will open next March to coincide with the Academy Awards at the new Kodak Theatre across the street.

One person who will sorely miss the Cinegrill is Hollywood's honorary mayor Johnny Grant. But he believes the new restaurant will be an improvement.

"Noises seep in through the glass windows," he said. "Many a performance has been halted when the fire engines go by. Now you won't be able to hear that in the new location."