Yvette Vickers’ Former Home

Yvette Vickers House (7 of 7)

Boulevard of broken dreams – that phrase pops into my head every time I venture down Hollywood Boulevard and see the men and woman costumed as super heroes or movie stars charging tourists to take a photograph with them.  I can’t imagine it is what anyone who sets out for Los Angeles hopes to do and is a reminder of the sad turn a life in show business can take.  Even those who gain notoriety at some point in their career are not immune to a tragic end – like Yvette Vickers, the actress and Playboy Playmate who was found mummified, alone and forgotten, in her decrepit Benedict Canyon home in 2011.  The Grim Cheaper and I ventured out to see her residence in person shortly after her body was discovered, though I never blogged about it.  When I learned recently from my buddy Scott Michaels, of the Find a Death website, that the structure had been torn down, I figured it was finally time that I do so.

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For those not familiar with the story, Yvette Vickers grew up with dreams of becoming an actress.  The petite beauty graduated from UCLA with a degree in theatre and quickly landed a role in Sunset Boulevard.  Though it was an uncredited part, it was quite a substantial first break.  Other small roles followed.  She was featured in a White Rain Shampoo commercial and the movie Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, as well as its sequel, Attack of the Giant Leeches.  In July 1959, she was named the Playboy Playmate of the Month.  Yvette never obtained the level of fame she so desired, though, and spent the next few decades piddling in bit parts, until they, too, dried up.  She dabbled in real estate for a time and, then in early 2000, worked the fan convention circuit.  Sadly though, Vickers was going blind due to macular degeneration.  During her final years she became paranoid and delusional, convinced she had stalkers.  It was not long before she was a complete recluse, holed up in her tiny cottage on Westwanda Drive.

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Reports differ as to when Yvette purchased the Benedict Canyon property.  According to a fabulous Los Angeles magazine article from 2012 titled “Left Behind,” Vickers originally moved into the residence with her first husband (she had three over the course of her life), jazz bassist Don Prell, shortly after their wedding in 1953. She was then granted the home when the two divorced in 1957.  Scott Michaels’s account states, though, that Yvette purchased the bungalow in 1980 at a cost of $56,000.  Either way, it was inside the 1948 dwelling pictured below that Yvette lived out her final years.  The miniscule residence measured one bedroom, one bath and a scant 676 square feet, and sat on a 0.19-acre plot of land.  By all accounts, towards the end, the cottage was dilapidated and falling apart in places.  Broken windows were held together by duct tape, holes in exterior walls were covered over with tarps and exterior foliage had grown through to the interior of the house.  Yvette had also become something of a hoarder, with boxes, clothing and paraphernalia cluttered throughout the tiny structure.

Yvette Vickers House (2 of 7)

Yvette Vickers House (4 of 7)

On the morning of April 27th, 2011, Vickers’ neighbor Susan Savage happened to pass by the house, spotted some cobwebs in the mailbox and became alarmed.  She had not seen Yvette in months and, though that was not unusual, decided to check on her.  Of entering the home, Susan said, I knocked on her gate for long time; it was impossible to open.  It was bolted twice, nailed shut, and then, braced at the base with a 2×4.  Trust me, it was NOT easily accessible from the street.  If it was, our mail carrier might have been able to make contact sooner.  I ended up scaling her steeply graded hillside, stepping over high metal barricades and bloodying myself in the process, till I finally got onto her property.  All the doors and windows were locked and reinforced from within.  I knocked on every door/window, calling her name the whole time.  I could see that the lights were on, but there was no response.  I  went down to the front door of the house, and saw the broken window pane which is how I ultimately got in.”  When Savage reached the dwelling’s second floor, she discovered what was left of Yvette’s body, mummified on the floor.  It had likely been sitting there for months.  Though a lot of criticism was soon thrown at neighbors and friends for not notifying authorities that the 82-year-old had not been heard from in months, it is obvious that Yvette was, at least in her final years, someone who did not want any sort of contact with the outside world.

Yvette Vickers House (6 of 7)

Next-of-kin was Perry Palmer, Yvette’s half-brother.  The two had not known of each other’s existence until much later in life and never grew close.  Perry had the home cleared of all of Yvette’s belongings a couple of months after her death and the property was put on the market as “a major fixer-upper” in September 2011 for $499,000.  You can check out some photos of what the interior of the house looked like at that time here and you can check out a great video filmed by Scott Michaels about the home here. The residence ultimately sold in January of the following year for $275,000 and was torn down at some point thereafter.  Boulevard of broken dreams, indeed.

Yvette Vickers House (5 of 7)

Yvette Vickers House (3 of 7)

For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.  And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Yvette Vickers House (1 of 7)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Yvette Vickers’ house was formerly located at 10021 Westwanda Drive in Beverly Hills.

Fosselman’s Ice Cream from “Phantasm”

Fosselman's Ice Cream Phantasm (6 of 26)

When I was a little girl, my grandma would regularly take me out for an afterschool treat at our local ice cream parlor.  I cherished those trips, and now the memories of them, and was absolutely devastated when the parlor closed down about 15 years ago only to be replaced by a gift store.  So when I came across this Freddy in Space posting about an old time ice cream shop still in operation – one that is a filming location, no less – I just had to stalk the place.

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Fosselman’s Ice Cream Company was founded by Christian Anthony Fosselman at his family’s Waverly, Iowa bottling plant in 1919.  Christian’s father, who hailed from Germany, had established the brewery in the 18th Century, which Christian later took over.  Besides beer, the company also manufactured soda.  When the prohibition years halted the sale of alcohol, Christian began producing ice cream which he would freeze using blocks of ice from the nearby Cedar River.

Fosselman's Ice Cream Phantasm (7 of 26)

Fosselman's Ice Cream Phantasm (8 of 26)

Once mechanical refrigeration became more common, Christian decided to move the operation, as well as his family, to sunny Southern California.  They settled in Pasadena in 1924 and opened up the first West Coast Fosselman’s Ice Cream parlor on Fair Oaks Avenue.  Christian moved the store to South Pasadena’s Mission Street in 1936 and followed up with sister parlors, first in Alhambra in 1941 and then in Highland Park in 1946.  While the South Pas outpost soon became an area landmark, it was shuttered in 1974 when the building that housed it was set to be demolished.  (A plaque currently marks its former location at 1515 Mission Street.)  The Highland Park store was also closed around the same time, but the Alhambra Fosselman’s remains standing to this day – over seventy years after its inception!

Fosselman's Ice Cream Phantasm (19 of 26)

Fosselman's Ice Cream Phantasm (20 of 26)

The parlor is still owned and operated by the Fosselman family and all of the ice cream served is handmade daily on the premises.  While there are over 200 flavor variations in the Fosselman’s repertoire (from such staples as Cookie Dough, French Vanilla Bean and Strawberry to the more exotic Brown Butter, Lychee and Rum Raisin), “only” 48 are available on any given day.  From what I’ve been able to gather via online reviews, all are pretty darn fabulous.  In fact, The Guardian UK’s Killian Fox proclaimed that Fosselman’s serves the “Best Milkshakes” on the planet in his 2009 article The 50 Best Things to Eat in the World, and Where to Eat Them.

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Fosselman's Ice Cream Phantasm (17 of 26)

Apparently, the locals agree.  When the Grim Cheaper and I stopped by at around 11 in the morning on a recent Saturday, the place was jam-packed!

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We opted for a scoop of Coffee & Cookies – a Columbian coffee-flavored ice cream hand-mixed with Oreo cookies.  Because I am diabetic, I only had a couple of licks, but the small bit I did sample was easily some of the best ice cream I have ever tasted.

Fosselman's Ice Cream Phantasm (9 of 26)

Way back in 1979, Fosselman’s Ice Cream masked as Reggie’s Ice Cream in the horror flick Phantasm.  Well, sort of.  The parlor only appeared in a deleted scene – the scene in which Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) started an ice cream fight with his brother’s friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister).  I had yet to see Phantasm at the time that I stalked Fosselman’s and had to actually order a special edition of the DVD in order to watch the deleted scene.  Now having seen it, all I can say is: Egads, what a terrible movie!  I did enjoy the Fosselman’s scene, though.  As you can see below, little of the shop has changed since Phantasm was shot over 35 years ago.

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Fosselman's Ice Cream Phantasm (11 of 26)

I was thrilled to spot some signage featuring the Fosselman’s logo in the background of the deleted scene.

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The storefront used for the exterior of Reggie’s Ice Cream – which did make Phantasm’s final cut – is located about 140 miles south of Alhambra in the town of Julian.  In real life, it is known as Julian Café & Bakery.

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For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.  And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Big THANK YOU to the Freddy in Space blog for finding this location!  Smile

Fosselman's Ice Cream Phantasm (25 of 26)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Fosselman’s Ice Cream, aka the interior of Reggie’s Ice Cream from Phantasm, is located at 1824 West Main Street in Alhambra.  You can visit the parlor’s official website here.  The exterior of Reggie’s Ice Cream is the Julian Café & Bakery located at 2112 Main Street in Julian.  You can visit the eatery’s official website here.

The El Palacio Apartments

El Palacio Apartments Georgette Bauerdorf (26 of 26)

Situated at the corner of La Cienega Boulevard and Fountain Avenue in West Hollywood is an idyllic complex named The El Palacio Apartments.  The gorgeous Spanish Baroque architecture is hiding some dark secrets, though.  The building has been the site of two infamous deaths, the most notorious of which was the overdoes of actress Dorothy Dandridge in 1965.  I have always been fascinated by the El Palacio’s lesser-known tie to the macabre, however.  It was at the tenement that a young oil heiress named Georgette Bauerdorf was found murdered, face down in a bathtub, in 1944 – a mystery that remains unsolved to this day.

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The El Palacio Apartments were designed by architect William Hauptman in 1931.  The 18-unit courtyard complex features a stuccoed exterior, subterranean parking, mahogany doors, cast stone ornamentation, balconets, a tiled gable roof and gardens fashioned by Seymour Thomas.

El Palacio Apartments Georgette Bauerdorf (4 of 26)

El Palacio Apartments Georgette Bauerdorf (21 of 26)

Georgette Bauerdorf was born into a life of privilege in New York City on May 6, 1924.  After her mother passed away in 1935, she migrated to Los Angeles with her father and sister.  Georgette graduated from the Westlake School for Girls in 1941 and spent the next few years travelling.  In the summer of 1944, she moved into the family’s multi-level, two-story apartment at the El Palacio along with her sister and father.  When they decided to return to Manhattan in August, Georgette remained behind.  She spent her days working for the Los Angeles Times Women’s Service Bureau and also volunteered each Wednesday night as a junior hostess at the Hollywood Canteen, a nightclub for servicemen formerly located at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood.

El Palacio Apartments Georgette Bauerdorf (9 of 26)

El Palacio Apartments Georgette Bauerdorf (10 of 26)

On the night of October 11th, 1944, Georgette left the Hollywood Canteen at 11:30 p.m. and arrived home about a half an hour later.  She ate a can of string beans and some cantaloupe and then changed into pajamas.  The following morning she was found by the cleaning staff, face down in her bathtub with a nine-inch by nine-inch piece of cloth lodged in her throat.  It is said that the bath water had been left running, though I am not sure how or why the tub did not overflow.  The police were immediately called and it was determined that Georgette had been raped and strangled.  Nothing in the apartment was found to be amiss, save for a lone drop of blood on the floor of the bedroom, and Georgette’s expensive jewelry had been left undisturbed on her dresser.  Investigators later discovered that her front porch light had been unscrewed slightly, rendering it unusable, possibly so that the intruder could leave the premises undetected.

El Palacio Apartments Georgette Bauerdorf (6 of 26)

El Palacio Apartments Georgette Bauerdorf (20 of 26)

  A few suspects were later questioned, but the crime was never solved.  It is believed, though, that a man, most likely someone Georgette knew, broke into her apartment while she was at the Hollywood Canteen and then proceeded to hide out until after she returned home, at which time he raped and killed her.  You can read a more detailed account of the case here.

El Palacio Apartments Georgette Bauerdorf (13 of 26)

Twenty years later, Dorothy Dandridge, the first African American woman to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award, moved into unit D2 of the El Palacio.  Her tenure there was not long.  She was in fairly dire straits at the time, victim to both a drug addiction and a Ponzi scheme that had depleted her finances.  On September 8th, 1965, just a year after she had moved in, she was found dead of a prescription pill overdose in the bathroom of her apartment.  She reportedly had $2.14 in her bank account.  You can read more about her death here.

El Palacio Apartments Georgette Bauerdorf (7 of 26)

El Palacio Apartments Georgette Bauerdorf (8 of 26)

According to Curbed LA, my girl Miss Marilyn Monroe also lived at the El Palacio Apartments, in the spare bedroom of actor John Carroll and his wife, Lucille Ryman, for five months in 1947.

El Palacio Apartments Georgette Bauerdorf (15 of 26)

For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.  And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

El Palacio Apartments Georgette Bauerdorf (14 of 26)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: The El Palacio Apartments, where the murder of Georgette Bauerdorf took place, are located at 8491-8499 Fountain Avenue in West Hollywood.

Dorothy Stratten’s Former House

Dorothy Stratten murder site (4 of 12)

True crime has always fascinated me.  One case that I had never followed, though (probably because I was barely three years old at the time the events took place), was the murder of Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten in 1980.  When my friends Lavonna, Kim, Katie and Kaylee came to L.A. for a visit this past June, Lavonna insisted we stalk the house where the killing took place so that I could write a blog post on it come October.  Here goes.

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Dorothy Stratten grew up in Vancouver and, while working at a Dairy Queen at the age of 17, met and hooked up with a club promoter/get-rich-quick schemer/pimp nine years her senior named Paul Snider.  Thinking the naïve and beautiful young blonde could be his potential meal ticket and his “in” to show business, Paul had professional nude photographs taken of her shortly after they met and sent them off to Playboy.  Hugh Hefner liked what he saw and quickly flew Stratten out to L.A.  It was not long before Paul followed, intent on riding on his girlfriend’s coattails.  To seal the deal, he convinced Dorothy to marry him and the couple tied the knot in a quickie Vegas ceremony on June 1st, 1979.  She was 19.  Along with a roommate named Dr. Stephen Cushner, the newlyweds moved into a two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,424-square-foot home located at 10881 West Clarkson Road in Rancho Park.

Dorothy Stratten murder site (2 of 12)

Dorothy Stratten murder site (7 of 12)

Cushner lived in the residence’s upstairs bedroom . . .

Dorothy Stratten murder site (6 of 12)

. . . while Dorothy and Paul stayed in the bottom level room located at the back of the house.  There was to be no honeymoon period, though.  Dorothy’s star was on the rise and as she grew more successful, Paul grew more possessive and controlling.

Dorothy Stratten murder site (11 of 12)

Dorothy was named Playmate of the Month in August 1979 and then Playmate of the Year in 1980.  Predictably, it was not long before Hollywood came a-callin’.  She landed roles in episodes of Fantasy Island and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and in the movies Americathon, Skatetown, U.S.A., Autumn Born and Galaxina.  The starlet caught director Peter Bogdanovich’s eye one afternoon at the Playboy mansion and he cast her in his film They All Laughed shortly thereafter.  Dorothy had to relocate to New York for the shoot and, while there, she and Bogdanovich fell in love.  Upon returning home once filming wrapped in early August 1980, Dorothy separated from Paul, asked for a divorce and moved into Peter’s Bel Air mansion located at 212 Copa De Oro Road in Bel Air.

Dorothy Stratten murder site (9 of 12)

Dorothy Stratten murder site (1 of 12)

Around noon on August 14th, Dorothy agreed to meet Paul at the house the two once shared to discuss the divorce.  She brought along $1,000 cash to placate him and keep things amicable.  The events that followed were anything but.  Paul ended up shooting Dorothy and then killing himself.  Their bodies were found at approximately 11 p.m. that evening by Cushner.  The details of the murder/suicide are not pretty.  If interested, you can read more about them on Findadeath and in this 1980 article from The Village Voice.  In an odd twist, Bogdanovich, who still considers Dorothy the love of his life, wound up marrying her much-younger sister, Louise, in 1988.  They divorced 13 years later.

Dorothy Stratten murder site (8 of 12)

In 1983, famed dancer Bob Fosse directed a movie about Dorothy’s life and untimely death named Star 80.  Model Mariel Hemingway played Dorothy, while Eric Roberts played Paul.  Oddly enough, part of the filming took place at the couple’s real life former home.

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Supposedly, several areas of the real life interior of the dwelling appeared in the movie, as well, including the garage;

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Paul and Dorothy’s bedroom, where the murder took place;

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the downstairs bathroom;

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the downstairs hallway;

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and the downstairs living room/office.  Without having seen images of the home’s actual interior, though, I cannot say with certainty whether or not that was the case.  And because the layout of the windows shown in Star 80 does not match the window layout of the actual residence, I am guessing that the interior was just a set.

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For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.  And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Lavonna for taking me to this location!  Smile

Dorothy Stratten murder site (5 of 12)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Dorothy Stratten’s former house is located at 10881 West Clarkson Road in Rancho Park.

The Chandler Estate from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”

Chandler Estate Invasion of the Body Snatchers (4 of 12)

The Chandlers are widely considered to be one of L.A.’s “first families.”  Patriarch Harry not only served as publisher of the Los Angeles Times for 27 years, but was largely responsible for developing the San Fernando Valley, the Hollywood Hills and Dana Point in the O.C., as well.  He was also instrumental in the construction of some of the city’s most famous structures including the Biltmore Hotel, the Hollywood Bowl, the California Institute of Technology and the Los Angeles Coliseum.  So when I found out that his Los Feliz estate had been used in the 1956 science fiction thriller Invasion of the Body Snatchers, I ran right out to stalk the place.

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The 8,891-square-foot, red-brick, Georgian-style manse was built from 1914 to 1916 and boasts 24 rooms, including eight bedrooms and four baths, a two-story entrance hall, a library, a solarium, a butler’s pantry, a pool, a detached four-car garage, and a one-bedroom guesthouse.  Sadly, outside of a long tree-lined driveway, little else of the place is visible to the public.  The views from the street out front are pretty darn spectacular, though.

Chandler Estate Invasion of the Body Snatchers (5 of 12)

Chandler Estate Invasion of the Body Snatchers (6 of 12)

An aerial view of the Chandler estate is pictured below.  As you can see, it is quite impressive.  You can also check out some close-up and interior photographs of the pad here.

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After Harry Chandler passed away in 1944, his wife Marian continued to live at the mansion until her own death in 1952.  The Chandler family held onto the property for quite some time and in 1972 leased it at a rate of $1,000 a month to the Source Family (the cult that operated The Source Restaurant on Sunset Boulevard, which I blogged about here).  During their time there, the Source Family dubbed the estate “Mother House.”  The Chandler’s opted not to renew the group’s lease after the first year, so in 1973 the Family moved elsewhere.  In September 2008, the mansion was put on the market for $6,799,000.  There were no takers, though, and in January of the following year the price was dropped to $5.499 million.  The residence finally sold in October 2009 for $3,696,000.

Chandler Estate Invasion of the Body Snatchers (3 of 12)

Chandler Estate Invasion of the Body Snatchers (8 of 12)

It is well-documented online that the Chandler estate served as the home of Jack Belicec (King Donovan) and his wife, Theodora (Carolyn Jones), in Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  Having scanned through the flick in preparation for this post, though, I cannot say with certainty that the reports are correct.  So little of the house can been seen in the movie that it is virtually impossible to confirm or deny the location.

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It has also been reported on several Invasion of the Body Snatchers websites and message boards that the Chandler estate was demolished sometime after filming took place.  I think what led to that assumption is the fact that most sites list the address of the residence as 2330 Hillhurst Avenue.  There is no such address is Los Feliz.  The Chandler estate is actually located at 2411 Inverness Avenue.  But as you can see below, both addresses point to the same spot, which leads me to believe that the home was originally numbered 2330 Hillhurst.  In its early days, the Chandler estate boasted five acres.  The majority of the land was sold off over the years, though, and the residence currently sits on 0.83 acres.  I am guessing that the address was changed to 2411 Inverness at some point due to that division of land, leading Invasion fans to believe that the residence was no longer.  Thankfully though, it is still standing in its original state.

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The interior of the Belicec home was also shown in two Invasion of the Body Snatchers scenes, but I am uncertain if the the Chandler estate’s actual interior (if filming did, in fact, take place there) was used or a set.  I am leaning toward the latter, though.

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In 1985, the estate was used in a few Season 4 episodes of Falcoln Crest as the home of Gustav Riebmann (Paul Fremann), although very little of it could be seen in the episodes.

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The Chandler estate was also where Matthew Winfield (a very young George Clooney) hid out in the Season 3 episode of Hunter titled “Double Exposure,” which aired in 1987.  Both the exterior . . .

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. . . and the interior of the property appeared in the episode.

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For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.  And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Chandler Estate Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1 of 12)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: The Chandler estate, from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, is located at 2411 Inverness Avenue in Los Feliz.

Harbor Steps Apartments from “The Ring”

Harbor Steps The Ring (10 of 11)

I am reaching deep into my stalking vault for today’s location.  I visited the Harbor Steps Apartments from The Ring during a trip to Seattle well over four years ago – shortly after being caught in a torrential downpour, which explains my hat in the above photograph – but somehow failed to blog about them.  Since the building’s appearance in the 2002 thriller was decidedly macabre, I figured what better time to write about it than during my annual Haunted Hollywood postings.  So here goes!

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The 734-unit Harbor Steps Apartments, which are situated overlooking downtown Seattle and Puget Sound, were completed in 2000.

Harbor Steps The Ring (1 of 11)

Harbor Steps The Ring (6 of 11)

The upscale complex, which consists of four high-rise buildings, features three fitness centers, a basketball court, a volleyball court, three Jacuzzis, a sauna, a climbing wall, an indoor pool, a business center, a media room/theatre, stunningly gorgeous views, and (my personal favorite) 24-hour concierge service.

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Harbor Steps The Ring (2 of 11)

The Harbor Steps Apartments sit directly across from the Seattle Art Museum and one of Jonathan Borofsky’s Hammering Man sculptures.  (There are several others situated throughout the world.)  The 48-foot-tall instillation was constructed in 1991 out of hollow-fabricated steel and, according to the City of Seattle’s official website, “celebrates the worker’s contribution to society.”

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Thanks to an electric motor, the sculpture’s arm makes a hammering motion every 15 seconds, 24 hours a day, every single day of the year.  Well, except each Labor Day, that is, when Hammering Man is programmed to take a rest – a fact which I thought was so incredibly cool.

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In The Ring, the Harbor Steps Apartments were where Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) lived with her son, Aidan (David Dorfman).  According to the movie’s production notes, director Gore Verbinski chose to shoot the flick in Washington because, “The Pacific Northwest winter provided a seemingly perpetual overcast and cold, gloomy weather that only added to the story’s atmosphere of dread.  The lack of sun also lent itself perfectly to the soft light and lack of shadows that Verbinski and cinematographer Bojan Bazelli were employing to complement the story’s surrealistic moments.”  Production designer Tom Duffield based the film’s coloring on the paintings of Andrew Wyeth.  He says, “In Wyeth’s work, the trees are always dormant, and the colors are muted earth tones.  It’s greys, it’s browns, it’s somber colors; it’s ripped fabrics in the windows.  His work has a haunting flavor that I felt would add to the mystique of this movie, so I latched on to it. “

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He did a fabulous job, too, because, as you can see below, even moments after a downpour, the building is much more vibrant in person than Duffield made it appear to be in The Ring.

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Rachel supposedly lived in Unit 601 in the movie.

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But I am fairly certain that the interior of her apartment was a set.  You can check out a few interior photographs of some real life Harbor Steps Apartments here and here.

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The interior of Rachel’s unit seemed to be much larger and more open than those of the actual complex.

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For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online. And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Harbor Steps The Ring (3 of 11)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: The Harbor Steps Apartments from The Ring are located at 1221 First Avenue in Seattle, Washington.  You can visit the complex’s official website here.

Anoakia Mansion from “Doppelganger”

Doppelganger Psychiatric Hospital Anoakia (3 of 12)

There’s no denying that Doppelganger is a pretty horrible movie.  But part of the fun of the Halloween season is watching ridiculously terrible horror flicks from years past – and stalking their locations, of course.  I had long been on the hunt for the psychiatric institution from the 1993 thriller and was given a tip a couple of years ago that a historic, since-demolished mansion named Anoakia in Arcadia was the right spot.  (For the life of me, I cannot remember who gave me the information.  To whomever it was, I apologize.)  Even though the place is long gone, I figured that it still proved blog-worthy being that several people have asked me about its location over the years.

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Anoakia was originally constructed in 1913 for Anita Baldwin, the daughter of Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin, the founder of Arcadia.  The 50-room estate was designed in the Italian Renaissance style and boasted 17,000 square feet of space, a bowling alley, a gym, wood-paneled rooms, etched glass doors, a pool, an aviary, a bee yard, tennis courts and murals painted by artist Maynard Dixon. The 20-acre grounds featured ponds, gardens, stables, a bathhouse and a chapel.  Upon Anita’s death in 1939, the property was turned into a boarding school for girls.  In 1944, it was purchased by Lowry McCaslin, a former manager of the Baldwin estate.  He continued to operate a school on the premises for several decades.  Unfortunately, after the Whittier earthquake in 1987, McCaslin was forced to make costly upgrades to the mansion to keep it up to code.  Maintaining the site was no longer feasible for the 82-year-old, so he had the school moved and made plans to develop Anoakia’s grounds, keeping the mansion intact.

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City officials rejected all of McCaslin’s proposals and Anoakia sat vacant for the next decade and began to dilapidate.  In 1999, a developer from Orange County purchased the site from Lowry’s estate (McCaslin passed away in 1995) and came up with a plan to build a gated community of 31 homes on the land.  To do this, the Anoakia would need to be demolished.   While the developer met with some opposition from preservationists, the city eventually approved of his plans and the historic mansion was leveled in 2000.  You can see some pictures of how it looked in its last days here.

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Doppelganger Psychiatric Hospital Anoakia (6 of 12)

Today, the upscale community is known as Anoakia Estates.

Doppelganger Psychiatric Hospital Anoakia (11 of 12)

Doppelganger Psychiatric Hospital Anoakia (12 of 12)

The only part of the original property to remain intact are the perimeter wall and a guard house located in the southeast corner of the grounds (circled in the two aerial views below).

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I did not know about the guard house at the time that I stalked the location so I did not take any photographs of it, but you can see what it looks like it via the Google Street View image below.

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In Doppelganger, Anoakia stood in for Our Lady of Mercy Psychiatric Institute, where Holly’s (Drew Barrymore) brother, Fred, was institutionalized.

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True to life, the institute was said to be located in Arcadia in the movie.

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Anoakia showed up a couple of times in Doppelganger.

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The real life interior of the mansion was used in the movie, as well.

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From what was shown in Doppelganger, it is obvious that Anoakia was an absolutely idyllic estate.  What a shame that it is no longer standing!

Doppelganger Psychiatric Hospital Anoakia (9 of 12)

For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online. And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Anoakia Mansion, aka Our Lady of Mercy Psychiatric Institute from Doppelganger, was formerly located at around 1200 North Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia.

The American Cement Building from “Scream 3”

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While I am admittedly not a fan of MacArthur Park, there is a property situated on the border of it that I would absolutely LOVE to live in – The American Cement Building.  Mike from, MovieShotsLA, pointed out the dramatically stunning structure many moons ago during one of our very first stalks together and I have been obsessed with it ever since.  And while Mike also informed me that the edifice had appeared in the 2000 horror flick Scream 3, for some reason I never thought to blog about the place during my Haunted Hollywood postings.  That changes today!

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The American Cement Building was constructed in 1964 and originally served as the American Cement Company’s headquarters.  The Daniel, Mann, Johnson and Mendenhall (DMJM) architecture firm designed the 13-story structure, which was, fittingly, manufactured out of reinforced concrete.

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American Cement Building Scream 3 (14 of 25)

The north and south sides of the building are covered in latticework comprised of 450 X-shaped pieces of precast concrete.  While the design adds beauty to the structure’s façade and is striking to look at, it serves a functional objective, as well.  According to the Los Angeles Conservancy website, “The primary purpose of the latticework is to provide external support for the structural system so the building’s interior can be free of columns.”

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The American Cement Building underwent a multi-million dollar renovation in 2002 during which time the office spaces were transformed into 71 live/work lofts.  You can check out some great interior photographs of the property here.  The units – and their views – are breathtaking!

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American Cement Building Scream 3 (24 of 25)

In Scream 3, The American Cement Building housed the office of horror movie producer John Milton (Lance Henriksen).

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At the time of the filming, the interior of the building was far less modern than it is today.

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I absolutely LOVE the fact that Milton had a diving board attached to his window in the flick.  Anyone care for a swim?  Winking smile

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The American Cement Building also appeared in Pharrell Williams’ music video “Come Get It Bae,” which featured Miley Cyrus.

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The building’s parking garage was where The Bride (Uma Thurman) learned how to wiggle her toe again in Kill Bill: Vol. 1.

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The Entourage movie also apparently did some filming at the building in March of this year.

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For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online. And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Big THANK YOU to Mike, from MovieShotsLA, for telling me about this location!  Smile

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: The American Cement Building, from Scream 3, is located at 2404 Wilshire Boulevard in Westlake.  You can visit the building’s official website here.