Photo: Blogography
It was the night that Hollywood came to the Alamo City. Following a pre-launch party at The St Anthony Hotel, the red carpet was laid out in Presidio Plaza on the Riverwalk. When the celebrities arrived, they were met by screams from adoring fans, and flashes from hundreds of cameras. Some of those 1500 who attended the “invite only” gala event were Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, Michael Jordan, Charlie Sheen, George Clooney, Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren, Tom Arnold, Jimmy Smits, Dan Aykroyd, Luke Perry, Evander Holyfield and “The Admiral” David Robinson.
Both Arnold Schwartzenegger and Luke Perry delighted fans with impromptu Mexican Hat dances.
Some fans outside admitted they had waited up to 11 hours to catch a glimpse of the celebrities, and it was estimated that the crowd topped 110,000. The opening coincided with the NBA All Stars basketball game at the Alamodome that weekend in San Antonio.
Photo: Texas Archive of the Moving Image
Sadly, “Planet Hollywood” only survived in San Antonio until 2001, when it closed during a national shutdown of the chain. Some blame the closures on the terrorist attack of 9/11, and now, all we have left are the memories…and memorabilia.
Photo: Ebay
Sources: San Antonio Express News
Memories of San Antonio 