The Joshua Tree Inn & Motel

Joshua Tree Inn Gram Parsons (18 of 19)

I had never heard of Gram Parsons or the Joshua Tree Inn & Motel, where the musician met his untimely end in 1973, until being interviewed by the “Valley’s favorite talkers,” Bill Feingold and Kevin Holmes, for their radio show on 94.3 KNews this past August.  During the show, Kevin asked me if I had stalked the hotel at any point or if I would ever be interested in spending the night in the supposedly haunted Room 8, where Parsons took his last breaths.  I told them that heck yeah, I was interested (if there was a large group participating, that is!) and also made a mental note to add the place to the Haunted Hollywood section of my To-Stalk list.  While I never made it out there to spend the night in the Parsons room, the Grim Cheaper and I did briefly stalk the motel just a few weeks later.

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Gram Parsons was born Ingram Cecil Connor II on November 5th, 1946 to a wealthy family in Winter Haven, Florida.  He became interested in music at an early age, mainly as a way to cope with the 1958 suicide of his father and the subsequent death of his mother from cirrhosis of the liver in 1965.  It was not until he was exposed to the sounds of Merle Haggard while spending a semester at Harvard University, though, that Gram realized his true passion was country music.  In 1966, he founded the International Submarine Band, but the group broke up before their first album had even been released.  Parsons then joined The Byrds in February 1968 and helped to record the popular album Sweetheart of the Rodeo.  He didn’t last long with them, though, either.  By the summer of that same year, he had cut bait.  In 1969, he and former Byrds band-mate Chris Hillman formed the group The Flying Burrito Brothers.  Despite recording two albums, they were unable to find commercial success and by 1970, Gram had embarked upon a solo career.  His ever-increasing drug habit made producing any new music a rather impossible task, though.  At some point, Parsons travelled to England and met up with British rocker Ric Grech, an old friend who managed to help Gram kick his heroin habit.  Upon returning to the U.S., a rejuvenated Parsons partnered up with Emmylou Harris and, in 1973, released his first solo album, GP, which was a mild success.  He stayed relatively clean from drugs, at least while working on his music, and began recording a second album, Grievous Angel, that was shaping up to be better than his first.

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On September 17th, 1973, Parsons decided to head to Joshua Tree, one of his most beloved vacation spots, for a brief stay before embarking upon a tour that was scheduled for the following month.  Joining him on the trip were Parsons’ girlfriend, Margaret Fisher, his assistant, Michael Martin, and Martin’s girlfriend, Dale McElroy.  The group checked in to Parsons’ favorite area property, the Joshua Tree Inn & Motel.

Joshua Tree Inn Gram Parsons (1 of 19)

Joshua Tree Inn Gram Parsons (3 of 19)

The quaint, hacienda-style inn, which was originally built in 1950 and sits on 3.37 acres, consists of ten rooms, two of them suites, that surround a large central courtyard with a pool.  The charming hotel has been popular with celebrities since its inception and John Barrymore Jr., Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Robert Plant, Keith Richards and John Wayne are all reported to have spent time there.

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Joshua Tree Inn Gram Parsons (12 of 19)

Parsons booked two rooms for his stay – Rooms 1 and 8.  Room 8 is pictured below.

Joshua Tree Inn Gram Parsons (10 of 19)

The morning after their arrival, Parsons sent Martin back to Los Angeles to buy drugs.  He then headed to the airport for lunch with Fisher and McElroy, during which he drank copious amounts of Jack Daniels.  On the return drive to the motel, he stopped in town to purchase heroin and then snagged some morphine from a drug connection who also happened to be staying at the inn.

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Joshua Tree Inn Gram Parsons (2 of 19)

A few hours later, a panicked Fisher summoned McElroy, claiming that Parsons had overdosed.  The two woman proceeded to give him an ice cube enema (yeah, I don’t get it either), which seemed to cure him.  At about 10 p.m., Fisher once again summoned McElroy, this time asking her to stay with Parsons, who was asleep, while she went to get food.  At some point thereafter, McElroy noticed that Gram’s breathing had become labored and she started administering CPR.  She continued trying to revive him for 30 minutes or so until Fisher returned and called 911.  Paramedics took Parsons to the Hi-Desert Memorial Hospital in nearby Yucca Valley, where doctors attempted to save the musician.  They were unsuccessful and Gram was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. on September 19th.  He was 26.

Joshua Tree Inn Gram Parsons (5 of 19)

Gram’s story doesn’t end there, though.  His step-dad, Bob Parsons, quickly made arrangements to fly the body to New Orleans, where he lived.  Gram’s road manager Phil Kaufman had other plans, though.  A few months earlier, Gram had made Kaufman promise that upon his death, he would cremate his body in Joshua Tree. Using a borrowed hearse, Phil and a friend kidnapped Parson’s body from LAX and took it back to Joshua Tree National Park, where they proceeded to pour 5 gallons of gasoline on it and light it on fire.  Kaufman and his friend split as soon as the coffin was set ablaze.  Its charred remains were discovered the following morning by hikers and what was left of Gram’s body was shipped to New Orleans.

Joshua Tree Inn Gram Parsons (6 of 19)

Joshua Tree Inn Gram Parsons (11 of 19)

Though he did not achieve much commercial success during his lifetime, today Gram is looked upon as one of history’s most influential country-rock musicians.  In 2003, the Americana Music Association awarded him the “President’s Award” and Rolling Stone magazine placed him 87th on their list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” in 2005.  Grievous Angel, which was released after Parsons’ death, is now considered a classic.

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The owners of the Joshua Tree Inn have since embraced their connection to Parsons, as tragic as it may be.  A large guitar-shaped memorial to the musician currently stands outside of Room 8 and a sign on the door of the front office states “Joshua Tree Inn, Home of Gram Parsons’ Spirit.”  Most significant of all though is the fact that the very same mirror that was hanging on the wall of Room 8 on the night he passed away is still displayed there to this day.  Supposedly, Parsons’ presence is often felt in the room and numerous guests have reported small belongings being moved around in the night.

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Despite the macabre circumstances of September 19th, 1973, the Joshua Tree Inn & Motel is an absolutely charming little place.  Now that I have wandered the grounds and experienced its tranquility, I would not hesitate to stay there overnight – even in Room 8.

Joshua Tree Inn Gram Parsons (7 of 19)

Joshua Tree Inn Gram Parsons (4 of 19)

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.

Joshua Tree Inn Gram Parsons (14 of 19)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: The Joshua Tree Inn & Motel is located at 61259 Twentynine Palms Highway in Joshua Tree.  You can visit the hotel’s official website here.

George Nader’s Former Home

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Earlier this year, while doing research on the various Coachella Valley-area houses formerly owned by pianist Liberace, I came across a blurb in fave book Palm Springs Confidential about the city’s first ever triple homicide, which took place in a Las Palmas Estates residence that once belonged to actor George Nader.  After wiping the drool from my chin Winking smile, I added the site to my Haunted Hollywood To-Stalk list and finally managed to drag the Grim Cheaper out there a couple of weekends ago.

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The 3-bedroom, 3.25-bath, 3,608-square-foot home, which was originally built in 1961, has quite a distinguished Hollywood pedigree.  Upon its completion, the dwelling was first inhabited by George Arnold, the longtime producer of Las Vegas’ popular Rhythm on Ice show.  When he moved out in the mid-60s, the pad was purchased by The Merry Widow actress Gregg Sherwood, who continued to own the place until 1976, when she sold it to a race track executive named Ed Friendly and his wife, San Francisco socialite Sophia.  The couple did not live there long.  At around 7:30 p.m. on the evening of Thursday, October 12th, 1978, Sophia, who was then 71, and Ed, who was 74, were just preparing to eat a fish dinner that had been prepared by their housekeeper, 67-year-old Frances Williams, when the doorbell rang.  The visitor was granted access to the home and proceeded to have a brief conversation with Sophia, during which he pulled out a .45-caliber handgun.  Sophia tried to flee down a hallway, but was shot in the back of the head and died instantly.  The killer then entered the kitchen and shot Frances, who had just placed the Friendlys’ dinner in a warming oven.  Ed, who was hard of hearing and likely unaware of the carnage taking place just a few feet away, was shot last, in the bedroom where he was watching TV.  Before leaving, the killer grabbed a fedora from the hallway and placed it over Sophia’s face.  None of the neighbors saw or heard a thing.

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At 7:30 the following morning, the pool man showed up at the property and spotted Frances’ corpse through the window.  When police arrived later, they discovered the bodies of Ed and Sophia, as well as spent shell casings in the den, kitchen and hallway.  The warming oven, with the Friendlys’ dinner inside, was still turned on.  The house was in disarray, but nothing appeared to have been stolen.  And while the case led investigators all over the globe, it was eventually dropped due to a shortage of funds, the death of two key witnesses, and a lack of evidence, and remains open and unsolved to this day.  Police do have a theory, though, and, boy, is it tawdry!

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Prior to meeting Ed, Sophia was married for 24 years to Curtis Wood Hutton, who just so happened to be the first cousin of Woolworth heir Barbara Hutton.  Curtis and Sophia had two children, Edward and Sophia (yes, she apparently named her daughter after herself).  At some point during the early years of the marriage, Barbara gifted Curtis, who was said to be one of her favorite relatives, a $1 million trust fund.  When he joined the Navy during World War II, Sophia, nervous that her husband might be killed in the line of duty, leaving her penniless, had the trust amended so that it would be payable to her upon Curtis’ death.  If she happened to precede her husband in death, the two Hutton children would inherit the money.  The amendment turned out to be irrevocable, so even after Curtis and Sophia divorced in 1951, she still stood to inherit the $1 million if he passed away before her.  Then, in 1977, the sh*t hit the proverbial fan.  Not only did Sophia amend her will, disinheriting her son and daughter, but Curtis also became terminally ill.  Edward, who was destitute at the time, realized he had to act fast if he ever wanted to see a dime of his father’s trust fund.  Police speculate that he paid Andreas Christensen, a London-based friend of his who was no stranger to crime, to commit the murders.  Things went according to plan, too, because Curtis died on October 28th, just two weeks after Ed and Sophia, and the Barbara Hutton trust, which then amounted to $1.3 million, was divided between Edward and his sister.  As I said, tawdry stuff!  You can read two fabulous, more in-depth articles about the murders on the DuJour magazine website and on the SFGate website.

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George Nader House (8 of 16)

Actor George Nader and his life partner, Mark Miller, purchased the property in 1991.  They owned the place until George’s death in 2002.  According to Palm Springs Confidential, at the time that they purchased it, the couple had no idea that a triple homicide had taken place on the premises.  Miller said, “We were never told about the murders.  We found out two years later.”  Nice disclosure job from the real estate agent.  Winking smile

George Nader House (10 of 16)

George Nader House (9 of 16)

Sadly, the residence was sold in August 2011 and the new owners have since completely remodeled the place.  You can see what the home used to look like via Google Street View below and in these photographs from the 2011 real estate listing.  I personally prefer the pre-remodel design.  So Old Hollywood!

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On a side-note – I would like to wish a big CONGRATULATIONS to my dear friend Miss Pinky Lovejoy, of the Thinking Pink blog, and her new husband, Keith Coogan.  The two tied the knot this past Saturday in Malibu and a fabulously pink time was had by all.  (Can you tell that I was just a little excited to be partnered up with none other than Jeremy Miller during the ceremony?? Smile)  You can read a great write-up on the festivities, which included the bride and groom driving off in a DeLorean, on the Mike the Fanboy website here.

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

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: George Nader’s former house, where Ed and Sophia Friendly were murdered in 1978, is located at 893 Camino Sur in Palm Springs’ Las Palmas Estates neighborhood.

Larry Edmunds’ Former House

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Just a few doors north of Peg Entwistle’s former residence (which I blogged about on Friday) is the guesthouse where iconic bookseller Larry Edmunds committed suicide in 1941.  I was absolutely shocked to come across the location in Hollywood Death and Scandal Sites, which was written by fellow stalker E.J. of The Movieland Directory, because at the time I was under the impression that Edmunds was still alive.  Ever since moving to SoCal, I had been a regular patron of Larry Edmunds Bookshop, which was founded way back in 1938 (yes, I really should have realized its namesake was most likely no longer living Winking smile).  The bookstore/memorabilia boutique is one of my favorite places in L.A. and is the preeminent spot to procure any tome, memento or trinket at all related to Hollywood and its history – stuff like lobby cards, headshots, movie posters, and fan magazine back issues can all be found there.  Even Barbara Stanwyck’s The Night Walker script was being sold at Larry’s back in 2011.  So I was absolutely gobsmacked to learn that the shop’s founder had not only passed on, but had killed himself over seven decades ago, and I decided right then and there to include his former home in my Haunted Hollywood postings.

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Larry Edmunds was born Lawrence O’Connell Edmunds in North Carolina on March 13th, 1906.  He migrated to Hollywood at some point and landed a job working for bookseller Stanley Rose.  He then branched out on his own in 1938 and opened his namesake bookshop at 1603 North Cahuenga Boulevard.  And while the place did not specialize in movie-related publications at the time, it became a huge hit with the Hollywood set and Larry struck up a friendship with several of his famous patrons, including W.C. Fields, Basil Rathbone, William Faulkner, and John, Ethel and Lionel Barrymore.  Rumor has it that he became more than friends with a few starlets, as well, such as Mary Astor, Marlene Dietrich and Paulette Goddard.  Sadly, mental illness and alcoholism got ahold of Edmunds and in February 1941, while living in a guest house behind the property pictured below, he stuck his head in his gas stove, killing himself.  He was 34.

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Larry Edmunds house (5 of 6)

In Hollywood Death and Scandal Sites, E.J. writes, “His suicide note explained that when he found himself cutting off the heads of the little men that were crawling through the walls to kill him, he realized he was seriously disturbed and had to kill himself.”  Ya think?  Edmunds willed his store to an employee named Milt Luboviski.  It was Milt’s wife, Git, who had the idea to turn the place into the movieland mecca that it is today.  The shop has moved twice since then – first to 6658 Hollywood Boulevard in 1955 and then to its current location at 6644 Hollywood Boulevard in 1990.  When Git decided to retire in 2007, she sold the site to longtime employee Jeffrey Mantor.  He continues to run it today.

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Larry Edmunds house (4 of 6)

According to Zillow, the property where Edmunds last lived consists of two 1925 bungalows on an “over-sized lot.”  The front house features two bedrooms, one bath, a living room, a dining room, a fireplace, hardwood flooring, an updated kitchen, an enclosed sun porch, a separate laundry room, an outdoor patio, and a garden.  The rear house, where Larry resided, is a one-bedroom, one-bath unit with a living room, a den, and an updated kitchen (thank God!).  Sadly, the back dwelling is not visible from the road, but I did manage to dig up the MLS photos pictured below.

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

Big THANK YOU to E.J., of The Movieland Directory, for writing about this location in his book Hollywood Death and Scandal Sites! Smile

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Larry Edmunds’ former house is located at 2470 ½ North Beachwood Drive in Hollywood.  Peg Entwistle’s former home (which I blogged about here) is located just a few doors south at 2428 North Beachwood.  Larry Edmunds Bookshop is located at 6644 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.  You can visit the store’s official website here.

The Home Where Marvin Gaye Was Killed

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Way back in January, while on a stalking adventure with Mike, from MovieShotsLA, he took me by the West Adams-area home where, on April 1st, 1984, singer Marvin Gaye Jr. was shot and killed by his father, Marvin Gay Sr. (and no, gay is not a typo – Marvin Jr. added an e to his surname early on in his career). Mike thought the location would fit in perfectly with my annual Haunted Hollywood theme and, while I adamantly agreed, that unfortunately meant that I had to wait over ten months to blog about the place. So without further ado, here goes . . . finally!

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Marvin Gaye Jr.’s former home, which was originally built in 1905, was designed by Sumner Hunt, who also designed the Thomas W. Phillips residence, aka The People Under the Stairs house, that I blogged about yesterday. Marvin Jr., who had found massive success thanks to such hits as “Let’s Get It On”, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”, “What’s Going On”, and “Sexual Healing”, purchased the large Tudor-style dwelling in 1975 for $30,500, but, due to issues with drugs and a dire financial situation, wound up having to quit-claim the property to his parents just a year and a half later.

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As the story goes, in late 1983, Marvin Jr. moved back into the home following the end of his U.S. tour. The singer was not in good shape. At the time, he was suffering from extreme depression, cocaine addiction, suicidal tendencies, and severe paranoia. Convinced that someone was trying to kill him, he had even taken to wearing a bulletproof vest when not onstage. And, according to this article, at one press conference he announced that he had been poisoned by an unknown individual and then later saved by an antidote potion that had been created by comedian Dick Gregory. Um, OK.

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At about 11 a.m. on April 1st, 1984, Marvin Jr. got into an argument with his father, who was a Pentecostal minister and with whom he had always had a stormy relationship, in an upstairs bedroom of the house. The argument quickly escalated and got physical, resulting in Marvin Sr. grabbing a .38-caliber pistol and shooting his son twice in the chest.

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In a very odd move, Marvin Sr. then walked downstairs, opened the front door, tossed the gun onto the lawn, sat on the porch, and waited for the police to arrive. There is a conflicting report making the rounds online that Marvin Sr.’s wife, Alberta Gay, was the one who actually threw the gun onto the lawn from an upstairs window. I am unsure which version of the story is true, but, either way, when the police did arrive, Marvin Sr. was waiting for them on the porch. He was arrested and later charged with murder. Marvin Jr. was taken to California Hospital Medical Center (located at 1401 South Grand Avenue), where he was pronounced dead at 1:01 p.m. – one day before his 45th birthday.

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House where Marvin Gaye died (8 of 11)

Due to the fact that he had suffered massive bruising from the altercation with his son, Marvin Sr. was allowed to plead no-contest to voluntary manslaughter and received only five years probation for the crime. Alberta moved out of the house during the trial and subsequently sued her husband for divorce. She passed away in 1987. That same year, Marvin Jr.’s sisters deeded the property to the Marvin P. Gaye Jr. Memorial Foundation, which wound up selling it to new owners in 1988. And while Wikipedia states that Marvin Sr. lived at the West Adams residence for a time briefly following his trial, I am not sure if that information is correct.

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Marvin Gaye’s former home boasts 5 bedrooms, 2 baths, 5,352 square feet, and a 0.48-acre plot of land. The front door happened to be open while we were stalking the place, so we got a tiny peek at the interior.

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The property also boasts a huge detached two-car garage with an upstairs guest house that Marvin Jr.’s brother Frankie and his wife, Irene, lived in at the time of the killing.

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House where Marvin Gaye died (2 of 11)

Fellow stalker Scott Michaels, from the FindADeath website, did a fabulous write-up on Marvin’s killing and also posted a photograph of the home taken shortly afterwards in which you can see that it still looks EXACTLY the same today as it did in 1984. Aside from a change in the trim’s paint color and a different style of fence, the residence is pretty much identical to its 1984 self. Absolutely amazing! You can check out another 1984 photograph of the house here. And while a January 1998 Los Angeles Magazine article stated that devoted fans still showed up to the residence annually on Marvin Jr.’s birthday to hold candlelight vigils for the fallen singer, I am unsure if those vigils still take place to this day.

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You can check out a video that Scott Michaels took inside of the home 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.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The home where Marvin Gaye was killed is located at 2101 South Gramercy Place in the West Adams District of Los Angeles.

George Reeves’ Former Home

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Another location that has long been woven into the fabric of Hollywood lore is George Reeves’ former Benedict Canyon bungalow, where in the early morning hours of June 16th, 1958 the Adventures of Superman star was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head.  The events surrounding his death have been the subject of much conjecture ever since.  Did the 45-year-old actor commit suicide (as was the official finding), was his death accidental, or was he murdered by his vengeful ex-lover or her jealous husband?  Conspiracy theories abound and Reeves’ death has remained the stuff of Hollywood legend for over five decades since.  His passing even became the subject of the 2006 biographical docudrama Hollywoodland, in which Ben Affleck plays the Pasadena-bred television star.  For whatever reason, though, in my ten-plus years of living in Los Angeles, I had yet to stalk the former Superman’s home.  So I figured this was the perfect time to do so and dragged the Grim Cheaper right on out there last weekend.

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George Reeve’s former residence is rather small, especially by Hollywood standards.  The brown-shingled bungalow, which was built in 1947, boasts 2 bedrooms, 3 baths, and 1,717 square feet.  It was purchased for the actor at a cost of $12,000 by his longtime lover, MGM Vice-President E.J. Mannix’s wife Toni Lanier, whom the actor had broken up with shorty before his death.  Reeves’ new girlfriend, who had since moved in, was a New York socialite named Leonore Lemmon, with whom he was rumored to be engaged.  On the night of June 15th, 1959, Reeves and Lemmon went out to dinner and the two reportedly drank a great deal.  When they returned home, they continued to kick back the alcohol until around 12:30 p.m., at which point Reeves retired to his bedroom.  Lemmon stayed awake and about thirty minutes later three friends dropped by for a visit.  Shortly after their arrival, Reeves came downstairs to hang out with the group and then once again retired to his room at around 1:20.  A few minutes later a shot was heard and the foursome ran upstairs.  The actor was discovered laying face up on his bed, naked, with a single gunshot wound to his right temple and a .30 caliber Luger on the floor in between his lifeless feet.  Television’s beloved Superman was dead at the tender age of 45.  Reeves was dressed in one of his character’s Clark Kent suits for the funeral, which took place two weeks later, on June 30th, 1959.  His body was later cremated and interred at the Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena, which I blogged about during my Haunted Hollywood theme last year.

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Reeves’ death was quickly ruled a suicide, but some facts of the case appear to be murky at best.  For instance, Lemmon and her friends pulled a Conrad Murray by failing to call the police until about thirty minutes after discovering the body, and each seemed to have a differing account of the evening due to their inebriated states.  Reeves himself was also severely under the influence, with a blood alcohol level of .27 and, because the actor had long enjoyed playing with unloaded weapons, it was thought possible he accidentally shot himself while doing so.  It was also widely believed that Toni, to whom Reeves bequeathed his entire estate, may have shot him in a jealous rage after hearing news of his engagement, or that her husband, E.J. Mannix, who had ties to the mob, had him “whacked” due to the affair.  Whatever the case may be, no charges were ever filed and Reeves’ death remains one of the most talked about Hollywood scandals to this day.

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Amazingly, George Reeves shot part of a Kellogg’s Corn Flakes commercial (the cereal company was the sponsor of Adventures of Superman) inside of his actual Benedict Canyon home.  The areas which appeared in the commercial include the den;

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the master bedroom (where the actor died);

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the kitchen;

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and the backyard.  According to Jim Nolt’s fabulous Superman-themed The Adventures Continue website, the house has remained largely unchanged since the time Reeves lived there over fifty years ago.

George Reeves’ Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Commercial–Filmed in his Home

You can watch George Reeves’ Kellogg’s Corn Flakes commercial by clicking above.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: George Reeves’ former home is located at 1579 Benedict Canyon 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.