Yvette Vickers’ Former Home

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

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

Catalina’s Pavilion Lodge

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This morning my family and I traveled to Catalina Island for a little summer vacay.  We’ve been planning this trip for quite some time now and, let me tell you, I could not have been more excited to finally arrive!  Ever since my grandmother gave me Robert Wagner’s autobiography, Pieces of My Heart: A Life,  for Christmas last year, I have been dying to do some Catalina stalking!  : )  For those of you not in the know, actor Robert Wagner and his movie star wife Natalie Wood were vacationing on Catalina Island the night of her mysterious drowning.  So, the first item on my stalking agenda?  Pavilion Lodge, the hotel where Natalie Wood spent her last night alive. 

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There has always been a shroud of mystery surrounding Natalie Wood’s death, but according to Robert’s book, the story is as follows.  Natalie and Robert were frequent visitors to Catalina Island.  The two owned a yacht, named “Splendour” in honor of Natalie’s 1961 movie Splendor in the Grass, and would often sail from Los Angeles to Avalon to spend a few nights on their boat.   On the weekend of November 27th, 1981, Natalie invited Christopher Walken, with whom she was filming the movie Brainstorm,  to spend the weekend with her and Robert off the coast of Catalina on their yacht.   Robert was a little uncomfortable with Natalie and Walken’s blooming friendship and was fearful that an affair between the two co-stars might be brewing.  Things got a bit heated between the three during their first night together, and, rather than spend the night on the boat with her husband, Natalie had the ship’s captain take her ashore where she booked a room at the Pavilion Lodge.  

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The following day, Natalie returned to the ship and made up with her husband.  And here’s where the mystery comes into play.  On the night of November 28, 1981, after a full day and night of drinking (and arguing) with Wagner and Walken, Natalie disappeared from the Splendour.  No one knows when or why the actress left the yacht, but early the following morning she was found dead, floating in a cove, drowned at the tender age of 43.   Numerous theories abound as to what happened to Natalie that night.  Some think she was pushed overboard by her jealous husband, others guess she accidentally fell off the ship while trying to travel ashore to spend yet another night alone in a Catalina motel room.  The world will perhaps never know the full story, as Robert says that not even he is sure of what happened that night.   And, until Pieces of My Heart was published late last year, neither Walken nor Wagner had ever spoken publicly about Natalie’s death, nor has Wagner ever returned to the island where his wife met her untimely end.  Such a sad story!

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So, one of my first stops after arriving on Catalina Island this morning was, of course, the Pavilion Lodge, where Natalie spent her final night, the night of November 27, 1981.  I was actually shocked to find that the place was still in existence!  And it’s a LOT bigger than I had anticipated.  While most hotels on the island are fairly small, the Pavilion Lodge property seems to just keep going and going and going.  It’s HUGE!  It is, however, by no means fancy and I was very surprised that Natalie, one of the biggest movie stars of her day, would have chosen to stay there.  But because it is located directly across the street – and within walking distance – from Catalina’s pier, I am guessing it was the first place she happened upon after arriving on the island that night.

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And while I would have much preferred to stay at the Pavilion Lodge as it would have made for a much more interesting blog post, sadly, my family opted to book a room elsewhere.  LOL  But from what I saw today, the Lodge looks like a very nice place to spend a few nights.  It is located directly across the street from the beach on a large piece of property, with a nice cental lawn area, and a perfect view of the ocean.  

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And I absolutely fell in love with their retro-fabulous sign.  🙂 

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For those who haven’t yet read Pieces of My Heart, I HIGHLY recommend it!  Robert really dishes up some good Hollywood dirt in it!  So LOVED it!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: The Pavilion Lodge is located at 513 Crescent Avenue in Avalon on Catalina Island.