Hold on to your hats, my fellow stalkers, ‘cause today’s post is going to be a long one. A few weeks ago, my mom called me up to ask about one of the answers provided in the “Ask Chris” column from the September 2012 issue of Los Angeles Magazine. In the column, an inquiring mind asked associate editor Chris Nichols for the location of the “crazy” abode featured in the 1960 movie Cinderfella. Chris informed him that the property used was none other than the Kirkeby Mansion in Bel-Air, which also stood in for the Clampett residence in The Beverly Hillbillies television series, but that most of the place had been demolished in 1986. Because the magazine had been mistaken in its reporting of locations in the past (you can read my post about the incorrectly identified Leave It To Beaver house here), my mom wanted to know if the Kirkeby Mansion had, in fact, been torn down. And while I had, at the time, never stalked or done any research on the property, come to find out, Chris’ information was indeed erroneous. I am very happy to report that the Kirkeby Mansion is still currently standing at 750 Bel Air Road in Bel-Air in almost the exact same condition (the exterior anyway) it was in the 1960s when The Beverly Hillbillies was filmed. It is, sadly, just no longer visible from the street.
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Construction on the Kirkeby Mansion, which began in 1933 and took five years to carry out, cost a whopping $2 million – and we’re talking 1930s money! The home was commissioned by a wealthy engineer named Lynn Atkinson. When it was completed, the French neoclassical Beaux Arts-style property featured ten bedrooms, twelve baths, 21,523 square feet of living space, a copper roof, walnut paneling, several Baccarat chandeliers, a 150-foot waterfall, gold-plated doorknobs and bathroom fixtures, a pipe organ, an orchestra stage, an elevator that ran seventy feet below ground, underground tunnels that led from the home to the pool area, and a landing pad for autogyros (yeah, I had to look that one up, too). Supposedly Atkinson had the place built for his wife, Berenice, as a surprise and when he first brought her there, under the ruse of attending a party, she took one look at the opulent manse and said, “Who would ever live in a house like this? It’s so grandiose.” Fail! The Atkinsons never wound up living on the premises and the pad was eventually acquired by hotelier Arnold Kirkeby in 1945 for about $250,000.
There are quite a few differing reports as to how and why Kirkeby came to own the mansion, including the rumor that Atkinson owed Kirkeby capital for a gambling debt, that Kirkeby had actually bankrolled the house for Atkinson and, when funds ran out, was given the keys, and that Atkinson had lost a bundle of money that he had borrowed from Kirkeby in order to invest in floating islands during World War II. Whatever the case may be, Arnold and his wife, Carlotta, acquired the manse in 1945 and, from that time on, the pad was known as the Kirkeby Mansion. In a fateful decision, Arnold decided to allow The Beverly Hillbillies to film at his estate at a rate of $500 a day because he apparently thought the show would be a dud. It ended up becoming a colossal hit, turning his house into a major tourist trap, but Arnold never lived to see that day. He passed away in a plane crash on March 1, 1962, several months before the first episode ever aired. Carlotta continued to live in the mansion until her death in 1986, but apparently the countless fans of the series who stalked the abode drove her crazy. After Carlotta passed away, the residence was purchased by TV executive Jerry Perenchio for $13.7 million. And while Jerry did spend the next five years remodeling the interior of the property (which did not appear in The Beverly Hillbillies or Cinderfella), he did NOT demolish it and the exterior was left completely intact (except for the roof area). To deter the hoards of tourists who would stop by to stalk the mansion on a regular basis, Jerry also had the entrance gate moved to a different part of the property, rendering the place invisible from the street. Boo!
While the Grim Cheaper and I were stalking the place, someone opened the gate and started speaking to us in a foreign language. I have no idea what the guy was saying, but the GC proceeded to snap away with his camera anyway. Nice work, honey!
Sadly though, even with the gate open, the only part of the property that was visible was a long driveway and the back of some sort of guard shack.
The exterior of the Kirkeby Mansion was featured each week on The Beverly Hillbillies in establishing shots of the Clampett residence, which was said to be located at 518 Crestview Drive in Beverly Hills. In the second episode of the series, which was titled “Getting Settled”, the Clampetts were told that the manse was originally built for actor John Barrymore, Drew’s grandfather.
The interior of the Clampett house was just a set, though, that was built at General Services Studios (now Hollywood Center Studios) where the series was lensed.
The Clampett’s pool, ahem, ceee-ment pond also only existed at General Services Studios. According to the TV Acres website, the swimming pool set was 27 inches deep, cost $20,000 to construct, and took half a day to heat for filming.
As you can see in the aerial views below, which were featured in the Season 3 episode of The Beverly Hillbillies titled “Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood”, as compared to the current aerial views from Bing, the mansion looks almost exactly the same today as it did in 1964 when the episode was filmed. The grounds have changed a bit, although not as much as I had expected, and the gate, of course, moved, but otherwise the residence is completely recognizable as the The Beverly Hillbillies mansion.
A poster named LifeinLA wrote a comment on a SitcomsOnline message board thread stating, “I have some good news for everyone who is wondering about the house. I was friends with the Kirkeby family and spent much time in the house before it was sold in 1985 to Jerry Perenchio, the owner of Univision, upon the death of Mrs. Kirkeby. Believe me, it was an amazing place. First of all, it is still there, in it’s entirety, but no longer visible from the street. The only thing that the new owner did was remove the beautiful, solid copper roof, which appeared blue from the oxidation (and very beautiful), and make some much needed improvements to a home that was over sixty years old when he bought it. The kitchen was old, the bathrooms needed upgrading, the plumbing and electrical needed to be modernized. And, of course, he did redo all of the grounds, moved the tennis court and rebuilt the pool. He incorporated a new entrance, one that afforded more privacy, as this was always a problem for the Kirkeby family, what with such a high-profile home. He also bought back several neighboring homes that were once part of the estate, but sold off over the years and returned the property to it’s almost ten-acre original glory.” You can see the different roofs in the aerial views pictured below.
The Kirkeby Mansion was also featured in the very beginning of the 1956 flick High Society as the residence where C.K. Dexter-Haven (Bing Crosby) lived. The roofline was changed for the filming, though, via, what I am guessing, was a matte painting.
The interior of C.K.’s house was, I believe, just a set and, as you can see below, looks nothing at all like the interior of the Clampett residence.
In the 1960 flick Cinderfella, the Kirkeby Mansion was where Cinderfella (Jerry Lewis) lived with his Wicked Stepmother (Judith Anderson) and her two sons, Maximilian (Henry Silva) and Rupert (Robert Hutton).
The interior of the Cinderfella mansion was also, I believe, just a set and, again, looks nothing like either the Clampett residence or C.K.’s residence from High Society.
In the 1987 comedy Disorderlies, the Kirkeby mansion was where Winslow Lowry (Anthony Geary) lived with his ailing uncle, Albert Dennison (Pretty Woman’s Ralph Bellamy).
Unlike the previous productions filmed at the estate, the real life interior of the Kirkeby Mansion was actually used in Disorderlies.
The manse was also featured in 1987’s Over the Top as the home of Jason Cutler (Robert Loggia), although the front door area and balcony were changed a bit for the filming . . .
. . . due to the fact that in one scene Lincoln Hawk (Sylvester Stallone) drives his truck into the place, destroying it.
The interior of the manse also appeared in Over the Top and, as you can see below, the entrance hallway, tile flooring, staircase, and roped-staircase railing match perfectly to what appeared in Disorderlies.
Some fabulous current aerial views of the Kirkeby Mansion were shown in a REP Interactive clip about the most expensive homes in the world.
You can watch that clip by clicking below.
You can find me on Facebook here and on Twitter at @IAMNOTASTALKER. And be sure to check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic.
Until next time, Happy Stalking! 
Stalk It: The Kirkeby Mansion from The Beverly Hillbillies television series is located at 750 Bel Air Road in Bel-Air. The front entrance to the home is now located around the corner at 875 Nimes Road, but, sadly, no part of the property is visible from the street.
I worked on the renovation in the late 80’s. Walked thru the entire home, very cool.
Even cooler was the day I was directing traffic when we were hauling dirt. 3 suburban’s and a limo rolled up and as I was waiting I asked the guy in the lead suburban if it was President Regan’s. ( I was aware they lived next door) He said yes and he must have seen something in my eye because when I got the word on the radio to let them by, the limo stopped back windows rolled down… and I was introduced to President Regan and his wife by Ronald Regan.. I was totally astounded by that…..and have never forgot the fact he stuck his hand out and shook my very dirty hand and asked me how the job was going…and how I was doing since it was pretty hot that day. I’ll never for that. Classy
We need more presidents like him!
I worked there Doing the HARDWOOD flooring worked for Rode brothers flooring Contractor who also did the WHITE HOUSE FLOORS DURING THE RONALD REAGAN TERM NACY REGAN REMODELING OVAL OFFICE THE FLOORS IN THE CLAMPET MANSION WERE BROUGHT FROM A CASTLE IN FRANCE THAT WAS BUILT IN THE 14th century.
Ronald and Nancy Reagan bought the house next to the Kirkeby Estate. This is where they retired to after he left the Presidency.
I do not know for sure, but I believe this same mansion appeared in “The Girl Hunters,” a hard boiled detective movie from 1963 starring the writer Mickey Spillane himself as Mike Hammer. There is a clip on YouTube showing this house as a backdrop as Hammer questions the ubiquitous blond bombshell about her husband’s demise.
Has there ever been a floorplan of the house published as it was originally built? And if so, do you know where I can view it?
I bought online a floor plan of the house as it would have looked when the Clampett’s owned it. Kinda cool, showing where Jethro’s bedroom was, Ellie May’s, the kitchen, etc. Not the real floor plan but fun to view.
Hi was reading your bog on the Kirkaby House. The photo with the added roof— The roof is of the Biltmore Estae in Asheville NC. They have also used the house in many movies such as Being There with Peter Sellers and Richie Rich. I have always love both houses. would love to see the inside of Kirkaby. Been in Biltmore many times
No, while the roofline is reminiscent of the Biltmore Estate, it is the Kirkeby mansion with a mock roofline added on. Take a close look at any number of photos of Biltmore House (which I, too, have visited several times) and you’ll see that, while the Kirkeby mansion is certainly impressive, Biltmore House is much larger and grander.
While Biltmore is more impressive, that makes the Kirkeby mansion more “homey”..lol…I love the Kirkeby home. Of course I loved the Beverly Hillbillies home (the interiors) as well, though they were just sets. BH changed my life as a ten year old. I didn’t want to live in a “Ranch” home anymore!
As an aside, the staircase used in the opening shot of High Society is the same staircase used in MGM’s 1938 Marie Antoinette, when MA (Norma Shearer) first enters Versailles and meets Louis XV and the French Court. Amazing what Hollywood set designers can do!
I saw a video on dailymotion.com search for the Beverly hillbillies mansion if you want to see the interior rooms.
Glad to know you confirmed what I thought – after years of living in LA one day I had the urge to see if, well, it was possible to see anything from the street. Googled the address and got to the same entrance you photographed, and agree – you can’t see a thing, even around the corner on Nimes. Good try though – I’ll have to see if I can’t make friends with ‘someone who knows someone’ and at least get inside the gate one of these days! Thanks for posting this as I enjoyed getting to know more about the history of the mansion and seeing some of the real interior photographs from films I’ve not yet seen!
Great place I would love to visit there buy I am out of work and taking care of my 86 year mom.
Well maybe some day before I die, anyway thanks for the memories.
Takes me back to when I was 8 or 9 years old. and Shows were better for kid back then.
Back when I was like 9 years old, my parents and I toured Bel-Air right after the big filre that year to see the damage. Back then you could see the house clearly from the street. There were not as many trees like there are now in 1961. It was a magnificent site and I remember it to this day. I also recall seeing a home half burnt down and you could see the magnificent spiral staircase exposed due to the fire. Thanks for the memories.
I love your site and thank you for reading my column. I pride myself on accurate research, and have been writing about Los Angeles history for many years. I have also been involved in saving historic LA buildings since the 1980’s. In the column, I didn’t say the house was gone, and without access to do an inspection, I qualified the statement by saying that Perenchio demolished “much of the manse.” When evaluating a building for designation, character-defining features like doors, windows, and rooflines – and to a lesser extent, interiors – are key to determining the integrity of a building. Parts of the building are still there, but it’s not the same house once owned by Kirkeby. My sources included noted historian Marc Wanamaker, who was on the site when workers removed the roof, windows and doors (see comment from Roger above) before the house was lifted from its foundation to build an underground parking structure. In 1990, Groucho Marx’s son Arthur wrote about the house in Los Angeles magazine. His phrases “site of the former Kirkeby mansion,” “what’s left of the estate,” and “dismantling the mansion” supported Wanamaker’s observations. I approached this as an architectural historian but without the benefit of an on-site inspection and within the confines of a 60-word story. Thank you for the chance to explain, and thank you again for reading Ask Chris in Los Angeles magazine. I’m always looking for questions. Please write me at askchris (at) lamag.com
Another siting of the mansion in the movies: 1955’s ‘The Big Knife.’ Appears in the opening voiceover introducing Bel Air to the audience. A series of stills of Bel Air homes are flashed on the screen, including the Kirkeby mansion.
I have the original doors, beautifully carved oak over 2″ thick with double investment cast bronze grills that open for glass cleaning or changing. Also all original hardware. I also have a copy of “Cinderfella” and the doors appear in one scene. They are for sale at George II Antiques in Orange, California.
Jerry and his wife wrote a book about their estate called 875 Nimes, but the book is difficult to find and costs $800.
I saw that on Amazon. A little out of my price range, though. 😉
I actually made a typo: it’s $300, not $800. 🙂 I’m sure you noticed that, but that it’s still over an affordable price for many people. The Legendary Estates of Beverly Hills also has a piece about it, but isn’t much cheaper.
For some reason I thought I had seen it for $800. I just remember looking at the price and being like, “Nope!” LOL
Why is the book so much$
the exterior of the home is also used in the 1952 Rock Hudson film “Has anybody seen my gal”. perhaps this is the first use of the mansion on film(?) the interior definitely looks like a set – a cross between the Clampett mansion and Cinderfella’ s .
This post brought back an old forgotton memory. My parents took us to see this place back in the late 70’s. Our visiting relatives wanted to see it.
I love it when you prove false information wrong! How hard would it honestly have been for this guy to find out the truth? Wonder if he ever sees your blog calling out his errors, haha.
Well doggies…i sure loved me some Beverly Hillbillies! Cinderfella is a fav too!
Nice post. The aerial video is cool but how did they produce that & spell “Hearst” as “Hurst” for William Randolph Hearst’s estate. For an otherwise pretty well produced video that’s crazy.
They should fire that guy from Los Angeles magazine & give you your own column.
Totally agree!!!!!!! I couldn’t survive without Lin’s editorials for me.
Great work! I hope Chris Nichols/ LA magazine see this.