Greta Garbo Goes from History to Home

LGBTQ legacy is as fleeting as it is fabulous. We swap stories of love and laughter until they amplify our collective voice, gelling into a cloud of champagne memories and togetherness. Our community revels in the details of yore, from a brief flirty exchange to a must-try queer restaurant to everyone’s favorite gay bars.

Safe spaces are sacred; they are our havens and our hearts. Gay establishments can be simultaneously inclusive and exclusive, blending a gritty back-alley allure with upscale touches that invite the eye to peruse every tantalizing inch of the landscape.

And who is more gaze worthy than Greta Garbo?

The enduring star was rumored to have bedded a bevy of lesbian lovers, including Tallulah Bankhead, Josephine Baker, Louise Brooks, and Billie Holiday. It cemented her reputation as a scintillating siren both off-screen and on.

In addition to lighting up the silver screen, Garbo also shimmers on an iconic painting synonymous with the SoCal queer scene. This piece hung for years in a popular Long Beach watering hole, and it’s about to establish its new residence at The Roost in Cathedral City. We charted Garbo’s path through time by catching up with three key figures in her journey. Our oral history begins with…

Patrick Hess

“Greta came to me from a friend,” recounts Hess. “We all belonged to the Studio City Saturday Night Bowling League back in the eighties… We met every Saturday night and then everybody went to watch The Golden Girls down at the Apache. We had gone to a barbecue at this gentleman’s house. His name was Peter… And he pulled this painting out and I said, ‘Oh, how fabulous.’ And he says, ‘Do you want it?’ And I said, ‘I’ll take it.” And he gave it to me. And that would’ve had to been in ‘89.”

But Hess soon learned that Garbo’s presence was as grand as her persona. “We lived in LA, in the Fairfax District, and I had no wall big enough to hang a painting of that size. So, it just stayed underneath the bed rolled up… and it was underneath the bed from ’93 until, I think 2001, 2002.”

Meanwhile, Hess struck up a collaboration for the ages. “I started work for Michael Barber in 1996 at the world-famous Falcon… I was a bartender there and then I became the manager there and then I helped him open the original Fire Island. And then at Fire Island 2, I was responsible for the decorating and how we were going to do it. Around that time, he purchased The Paradise.”

This playful piano bar was the bedrock of Long Beach queer life, courtesy of Hess and Barber’s passion for prep. “So, he asked me to come and get The Paradise ready,” recounts Hess. “I upholstered everything, we knocked the plaster off the walls to get to the red brick, redid the floors, painted the whole place. And I thought, you know what? Greta would look fabulous on that wall. I made a stretcher bar and I stretched her and brought her in.” Ironically, the actress best known for the catchphrase I want to be alone was suddenly the ringleader of raucousness. “Everybody just kind of fell in love with her,” Hess beams.

LOS ANGELES – 1926: Actress Greta Garbo poses for a publicity still for the MGM film ‘The Temptress’ in 1926 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

But his affair with Garbo came to an end after five wonderful years. “In 2007, I sold the painting and other things that were in the restaurant. There were pieces of furniture and mirrors and stuff that I sold to Michael Barber.” Thanks for the segue, Patrick. We now pass the baton as our oral history continues…

Michael Barber

If you’ve ever enjoyed the gay caress of nightlife in Southern California, chances are you owe a thirsty thanks to Mr. Barber. His clubs echo through our queer consciousness, and his waltz with Greta Garbo began decades ago. “I had a decorator who worked for me, and when I bought The Paradise in Long Beach, he had this [painting] in storage.”

Barber immediately understood that Garbo needed the proper stage. “We had a huge brick wall that was just perfect for it, so we kind of immediately hung it up in the restaurant, and that was just loved and cherished by many. Everyone who came in just loved that portrait.”Her time in Paradise spanned a baker’s dozen anniversaries. “She hung there for 13 years, and she was quite an icon.”

Admiration resonates through Barber’s voice as he underscores Garbo’s significance.

“It’s a painting that just makes you feel good and it reminds you of that Hollywood era. It just kind of makes you smile when you look at it. She’s got the earrings and the mink cap and makeup done to the hilt, and she just looks fabulous on it. I believe it’s one of a kind. I don’t think there’s another one out there like it.”

But not every memory is quite so wholesome. “Supposedly there was a fight with two customers in the bar, and one pulled a knife or something and damaged the artwork. And then my staff without me knowing it, fixed it and never told me about it,” recounts Barber. As tempestuous and infamous as Garbo’s pedigree is, it’s also shrouded in uncertainty. “I tried to research it and google where it came from… there’s a big mystery of how old it is or where it came from.”

After placing the art lovingly in storage, Barber sought her next spotlight. “A lot of my customers from The Paradise live in Palm Springs now, and I just know there’s a lot of people that are going to go in there and go, ‘Greta Garbo, I remember her,’ so that’s why I wanted it to go to someone like Jeff.”

Yet another great hand-off. Our date with Greta continues…

Jeff McDonald

The bombshell brunette is making her way to Cathedral City, California, where she will trade one legendary gay gathering spot for another. “Michael Barber was a customer of mine. Paradise was gone by the time I moved here.” These are the words of Jeff McDonald, one of the owners and operators of The Roost.

“I knew nothing about the painting at all,” McDonald admits, until Barber “came in and told me a little bit of the history.” It’s a history that continues to be written, and McDonald is proud to unveil her next chapter. “As one of the great icons in our gay community back then, I think she just needs a home. And what better place than the Roost?”

Indeed, this desert hotspot exudes a glam glow that perfectly complements Garbo’s complexion. “I just thought it would be a unique piece that would tie a lot of history to a lot of people who were in the Paradise Bar that live here now full time. It’ll be a great conversation piece. And I’ve even just redesigned our menus and we have a drink named after her.”

We’ll drink to that!

“Next time you’re in the Roost,” concludes McDonald, “pay a visit to Garbo and reminisce about your history, maybe tell us your story of the painting.”

Bringing It Full Circle

As our circuitous tale reaches its conclusion, we want to share two last well-wishes from Garbo’s illustrious past as she blazes a bold future. Patrick Hess: “People are going to have warm thoughts about The Paradise and her new beginning [at The Roost]. I think it’s a beautiful tribute and I’m glad that she’s going to be in such a beautiful place.”  Michael Barber: “Maybe when somebody sees your article, they might say, ‘Hey, I know the artist who did that,’ or something. That would be great.”  

So, there you have it – the ball is on your proverbial court. Get with Greta and spill your tea.

The Roost Lounge is located at 68718 E Palm Canyon Drive #203, Cathedral, California.