WITH LESS than two months to go before Baltimore's Planet && Hollywood opens at Harborplace, representatives for the theme restaurant chain have come up with a new batch of Maryland-related film memorabilia to display there.
They also are finalizing the design for the exterior of the Pratt Street Pavilion, which will feature larger-than-life images of the four celebrity investors who founded Planet Hollywood and other personalities.
Known for its elaborate displays of movie costumes, props and other artifacts, Planet Hollywood typically tries to localize its restaurants by showcasing memorabilia used in films shot on nearby locations.
The latest items available for display in Baltimore's restaurant are: Bruce Willis' prison costume from "12 Monkeys"; the driver's license Winona Ryder used in "Boys"; Nicolas Cage's and Shirley MacLaine's Ray Ban sunglasses from "Guarding Tess"; and Clint Eastwood's portrait with his daughter, White House badges, and wads of money stolen from a vault in "Absolute Power."
Previously identified objects include: Robert Townsend's superhero outfit from "Meteor Man," Charlie Sheen's baseball uniform from "Major League II," a turkey from "Home for the Holidays," gold bars from "Die Hard With a Vengeance," and business cards exchanged by Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in "Sleepless in Seattle."
As presented to Baltimore's Architectural Review Board by the Rockwell Group, project architects, the exterior will feature a series of photo murals that tell the story of Planet Hollywood's coming to Baltimore. The first image, on the north side of the building, shows the restaurant's founding principals -- Willis, Demi Moore, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger -- surrounded by Hollywood landmarks.
In five additional panels that wrap around the second level of the building's west end, the celebrities travel by boat and water taxi to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Along the way they encounter such celebrities as James Dean, Antonio Banderas and Cindy Crawford. One panel depicts directors John Waters and Barry Levinson in a yellow submarine.
In addition to 100 television episodes of "Homicide: Life on the Street," more than three dozen movies have been shot in Central Maryland since the Maryland Film Commission was created 17 years ago.
While Planet Hollywood has succeeded in securing artifacts used in movies that were filmed locally, many of the objects identified say little about Baltimore or Maryland. Many of them come from movies in which Baltimore stood in for other locations ("Guarding Tess," "Absolute Power"), or in which present-day Baltimore wasn't a key part of the story.
What's missing are artifacts that convey the quirky, offbeat nature of Baltimore and its residents -- particularly as seen in the films of Levinson or Waters, or director Lawrence Kasdan's movie of Anne Tyler's "Accidental Tourist."
Evan Todd, vice president of memorabilia for Planet Hollywood, said he chooses objects for a particular restaurant in part by comparing lists of films made in the area with artifacts in the company's archives. Planet Hollywood also moves items from an older restaurant to a new one, he said, if that's appropriate.
Todd said he hasn't been able to find much in the company's archives from John Waters' movies, other than "Cry-Baby," but said his team will be adjusting the mix of artifacts up to the opening of the Harborplace restaurant, tentatively set for mid-May.
He added that Planet Hollywood will change its displays after a restaurant opens, to include pertinent memorabilia from movies made after the restaurant makes its debut. His office also follows up on suggestions from patrons. (Send suggestions to Todd in )) lTC care of Planet Hollywood, 9601 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite GL2, Beverly Hills, Calif. 90210.)
"Getting Away From it All: The Building of SuburbaBaltimore," is the title of a series of three lectures that Walters Art Gallery and the Baltimore Architecture Foundation will sponsor this month and next, with historian Charles Duff as the speaker.
The talks are: "Villas and Villages, 1729-1890," on April 23; "To Plan or Not To Plan, 1890-1945," on April 30; and "The Landscape of Mass Prosperity, 1945-1998," on May 7. All talks will be held at the Walters, 600 N. Charles St., starting at 6: 15 p.m. For the public, the cost is $20 for the series or $10 per lecture. For Walters and foundation members and full-time students, the cost is $10 for the series or $5 per lecture.
Pub Date: 4/09/98
