The Frolic Room has been next to the Pantages Theater on Hollywood Boulevard since at least the early 1930s, originally functioning as a speakeasy attached to the theater before going legitimate after Prohibition. Howard Hughes bought both the theater and the bar in 1949 and added the neon sign that still hangs outside. Inside, an Al Hirschfeld mural from 1963 runs the full length of the bar, depicting Marilyn Monroe, Groucho Marx, and other celebrities of the era in caricature. Charles Bukowski was a regular, and his framed photo still hangs above the register. The drinks are simple and stiff, the prices are low, and the bar is small enough that it fills up fast on weekend nights before or after shows at the Pantages.