When it came time to film "Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel," the filmmakers had a significant obstacle: Its namesake was long gone. The abandoned Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles became the Atlanta landmark's deteriorated stunt double. The property had an equally colorful history — it was most infamous as the site of Robert Kennedy's assassination.

A major plus?

JOEY IVANSCO / Staff (ENLARGE)

Leslie Jordan's pet project paid off with a cult DVD.

The property had not been refurbished since a 1970s makeover and could be rented for $1,000 a day.

The downside?

There were feral dogs lurking upstairs, and the film's writer/producer/actor Leslie Jordan and his crew were treated to a creepy caretaker who enjoyed taking them on midnight tours of Kennedy's assassination spot.

Jordan talked old acting friends John Ritter, Marilu Henner (who believed in the project so much that she also loaned Jordan an additional $15,000), Michelle Phillips, Kathy Kinney and Sheryl Lee Ralph into taking bit parts. Future "Capote" actor Mark Pellegrino co-starred with Jordan in the project.

Aside from a screening at Out on Film, Atlanta's gay and lesbian film festival, "Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel" never received a wide release locally. That changed last year when the film bowed on DVD.

It's a popular title at Outwrite Books, a store that is, coincidentally, situated on the corner of 10th and Piedmont, an area where many Pershing Point Hotel residents hung out.

Walking through Hartsfield-Jackson this spring, Jordan was chased down by a young fan, who was likely born after the hotel's demolition. He pulled a DVD of the film out of his bag and told him, "Mr. Jordan, I love this movie so much."

— Richard L. Eldredge