October 2014 – IAMNOTASTALKER

October 31, 2014September 29, 2017

The Knickerbocker Hotel

I don’t think there is any property in Los Angeles, perhaps the world, that has seen as much glamour and as much tragedy as the former Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood. Today, the Renaissance Revival/Beau Arts-style structure, which was once dubbed “The Hotel to the Stars,” serves as a retirement home. And oh, if those walls could talk!

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The Knickerbocker was constructed from 1923 to 1925 and was designed by architect E.M. Frasier. The 11-story property was the definition of grandeur, featuring wood-beamed ceilings, arched entryways, marble flooring, stained glass and antique furnishings. You can see what the hotel looked like in its early years here. The Knickerbocker became an instant hit with celebrities of the day, including Gloria Swanson, Mickey Rooney, John Wayne, Gene Autry, Rudolph Valentino, Roy Rogers, Bette Davis, Dick Powell, Errol Flynn, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Stanwyck, Lana Turner, Mae West, Laurel & Hardy, and Cecil B. DeMille. Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio even honeymooned there after their January 1954 wedding in San Francisco.

In 1955, the property changed hands and underwent an extensive renovation, during which the vast majority of its beautiful detailing was, sadly, removed. While still an upscale destination for travelers, the hotel had become a shadow of its former self.

As Hollywood began to get seedy in the 1960s, The Knickerbocker suffered a decline in patronage. In 1963, it changed hands once again and quickly became a haven for the homeless and drug-addled. At some point, the hotel went into bankruptcy receivership and was eventually purchased in 1972 by the real estate development firm of Goldrich, Kest, Hirsch and Stern, who turned the site into housing for senior citizens. It remains retirement housing to this day.

The Knickerbocker has long been reported as being haunted, which is no surprise considering the many macabre events that have taken place there over the years. In January 1943, police famously dragged actress Frances Farmer, kicking and screaming, from the hotel lobby for failing to pay a fine on a recent drunk driving arrest. Thing only got worse the following morning at her hearing. An out-of-sorts Frances knocked down a policeman, threw an inkwell at the judge and wound up being dragged away, kicking and screaming once again – this time to the psychiatric ward of L.A. General Hospital. Shortly thereafter she was transferred to Kimball Sanitarium in La Crescenta to begin what was the first of many asylum stays during the actress’ tragic lifetime.

On July 23rd, 1948, famed director D.W. Griffith, who was a long time resident of the Knickerbocker, collapsed of a cerebral hemorrhage in the hotel lobby. He passed away a few minutes later in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

And yes, there’s more. On November 15th, 1962, MGM costume designer Irene Lutz downed several bottles of alcohol and then jumped to her death from her 11th floor room at the Knickerbocker.

Still more. On March 3rd, 1966, William Frawley, who was best known as I Love Lucy’s Fred Mertz, was walking by the Knickerbocker when he suffered a heart attack. His nurse dragged him into the hotel, where he passed away a few minutes later.

And finally, on the night of Halloween 1936, Harry Houdini’s widow, Bess, conducted a tenth and final séance, in an attempt to make contact with the former magician, on the rooftop of the Knickerbocker.

The Knickerbocker is also a filming location! The building was seen in the background of the 1950 movie 711 Ocean Drive.

In 1954, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were bombarded for a surprise taping of This Is Your Life in Room 205 of the hotel.

You can watch that episode by clicking below.

And while many websites state that The Knickerbocker was where Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) and Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) initially met up to conduct their affair in The Graduate, that information is incorrect. The couple actually met up at The Palm Bar inside of the now defunct Ambassador Hotel.

You can watch a Mysteries & Scandals episode about The Knickerbocker by clicking below.

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

I hope all of my fellow stalkers have a safe and fun Halloween! Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Knickerbocker Hotel is located at 1714 N. Ivar Avenue in Hollywood.

October 30, 2014September 29, 2017

Latest “L.A.” Mag Post – About the “Thriller” House

Be sure to check out today’s Los Angeles magazine post – about the house from Michael Jackson’s Thriller – which is, sadly, my last Haunted Hollywood column for CityThink until next October. My articles typically get published in the late morning/early afternoon hours. And you can also check out my friend Owen’s post about a rather hilarious typo on the Thriller house’s Zillow page here.

October 29, 2014September 29, 2017

The Silent Movie Theatre

I am very excited to announce that I recently started writing for the L.A. Tourism & Convention Board website, Discover Los Angeles. I have done two posts for the site so far – one on iconic horror movie locations and another about area hotels that have been immortalized onscreen. Before I was given my first assignment, my editor emailed me a few articles to use as examples, one of which was written by my buddy Scott Michaels, of the Find a Death website. The 2013 column, titled The 13 Scariest Places in Los Angeles, had me practically foaming at the mouth. The vast majority of locations mentioned I had never even heard of before, let alone stalked, and one in particular had me especially intrigued – the Silent Movie Theatre in Beverly Grove, where owner Lawrence Austin was shot to death in 1997.

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The Silent Movie Theatre was originally constructed in 1942 for silent film buff John Hampton and his wife, Dorothy. John, an Oklahoma native, had collected silent movie reels and showcased them at his home from the time that he was a young boy. In 1940, the couple headed west and settled in Los Angeles. The following year, they purchased a vacant plot of land and commissioned a small, two-story silent movie theatre to be built on the premises. The upstairs floor served as their apartment.

The theatre opened for business in February 1942. By that time, silent movies were a thing of the past and John wanted to pay homage to the almost-forgotten genre. You can check out what the property looked like in its early days here. According to the Dead History Project website, a 1943 Los Angeles Times article described the 250-seat movie house as having “staggered seating,” a “bowl-shaped floor,” and “acoustical sound.” The theatre proved extremely popular and such celebrities as Charlie Chaplin, Clara Bow, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith were even known to stop by from time to time to catch viewings of their early films.

John had long been in the habit of restoring and redeveloping old films in his bathroom. The Dead History Project states, “Mr. Hampton transformed his bathtub into a film lab, dyeing and redeveloping old, nitrate film. His Phantom of the Opera, probably the best version of the original in existence, took acquiring eight separate prints over five years. Then, for over two months, he rebuilt the film – spliced the best parts of each print into a single version and meticulously dyed the frames to make sure they matched.” Sadly, in 1980, the harsh chemicals used in the process caught up with John and he developed cancer. He closed the theatre during his long battle with the disease and eventually passed away in 1990. A friend of John and Dorothy’s named Lawrence Austin purchased the theatre shortly thereafter and and renovated the space. He also changed the wording on the marquee from “Old Time Movies” to “Silent Movie.” The space re-opened for business on January 18th, 1991. You can check out a photo of what the property looked like after Austin took over here.

During the renovation process, Austin had hired a man named James Van Sickle to paint the Silent Movie Theatre. Despite a forty-year age difference (Austin was 67, Van Sickle was 27), the two hit it off romantically. Van Sickle eventually moved into the upstairs apartment with Lawrence and began working as the theatre’s projectionist.

On the evening of January 17th, 1997, the theatre was set to air a showing of Sunrise, proceeded by two short films. During one of the shorts, an audience member left the theatre and headed to the lobby, where Austin was standing behind the candy counter with Mary Giles, a concessions clerk. The man pulled out a .357 and first demanded that Lawrence hand over the money in the cash register. After he complied, the man shot him in the face. Lawrence died immediately. He was 74. The man then shot Mary twice in the chest, before turning back to Austin and shooting him two more times. Thankfully, Giles survived and was able to describe the shooter to the police, which eventually led them to a 19-year-old named Christian Rodriguez. It did not take long for Rodriguez to cave and inform detectives that he had been hired for $30,000 to kill both Austin and Giles and make the scenario look like a robbery. The person behind the scheme? None other than James Van Sickle, whom Austin had just recently named his beneficiary. Van Sickle was set to inherit the Silent Movie Theatre and over a million dollars in cash. Both James and Christian were eventually convicted of murder and are currently serving life sentences.

After the murder, the Silent Movie Theatre was put up for sale. A man named Charlie Lustman happened to pass by the property in 1999 and became intrigued. Though he knew nothing about silent films, he decided to purchase the theatre at a cost of $1.3 million. He remodeled the space and added a new marquee. The cinema re-opened its doors on November 5th, 1999. Besides showcasing films, Lustman also offered the theatre for special events. It proved to be a popular venue. In 2006, after falling ill, Charlie sold the property to Dan and Sammy Harkham. The brothers then formed Cinefamily, a “nonprofit organization of movie lovers devoted to finding and presenting interesting and unusual programs of exceptional, distinctive, weird and wonderful films.” The group currently showcases about 14 films a week at the Silent Movie Theatre. Last year, over 50,000 people attended screenings on the premises, none of whom were scared off by the ghosts of John Hampton and Lawrence Austin, who have been known to regularly haunt the historic venue.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Silent Movie Theatre is located at 611 North Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles’ Beverly Grove neighborhood. You can visit the official Cinefamily website here.

October 28, 2014September 29, 2017

The Joshua Tree Inn & Motel

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

October 27, 2014September 29, 2017

Pete Duel’s Former House

Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. That adage rings true for today’s story, about actor Pete Duel who shot and killed himself at his Hollywood Hills home in the early morning hours of New Year’s Eve 1971. I had Duel’s address written down in the Haunted Hollywood portion of my To-Stalk list, though I cannot for the life of me recall how or where I obtained it. I am unsure if a fellow stalker gave me the information or if I came across it in a book. I really need to start keeping notes on my sources. Regardless of how the address came my way, I was thankful for it and stalked the residence a couple of weeks ago while in L.A.

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Pete Duel was born Peter Ellstrom Deuel in Rochester, New York. He started acting as a child and, in 1959, moved to Manhattan to try his hand at stage productions. Deuel landed a role in a touring production of Take Her, She’s Mine in 1962, which brought him to Hollywood. Once there, he decided to stay. Peter gave himself five years to “make it” in the biz and make it he did. He quickly landed guest roles on several television shows which eventually led to him being cast as John Cooper on the series Gidget. When that show was cancelled after one season, he won a starring role in Love on a Rooftop. That series did not fare well, either, and was also cancelled after its inaugural season. It was at that time that Peter Deuel shorted his name to “Pete Duel.” He moved on to films shortly thereafter and was successful. Then, in 1970, he was cast in a leading role in the western-themed television series Alias Smith and Jones. It was a quick hit. The long hours proved hard on Pete, though, and he fell into a depression. He also developed an alcohol habit. Despite finally achieving the fame he had sought for years, he was not happy. A do-gooder by nature, Pete felt that he should be bettering the world and that his acting in Alias Smith and Jones was too trivial to accomplish that. The man who seemingly had it all wanted more.

In the summer of 1971, Pete and his girlfriend, Diane Rey, moved into a brown-shingled two-bedroom residence in the Hollywood Hills. At the time, the home was a small bungalow set back from the road. It has since been remodeled and a large front portion, which sits perpendicular to the original structure, was added. You can see what the property looked like when Pete lived on the premises here.

The large addition is pictured below. Today, the pad features four bedrooms, four bathrooms and 2,401 square feet of space. I believe that the property may currently be a multi-family home.

December 30th, 1971 began like any other day for Pete. He worked on his series and then, when shooting wrapped, was dropped off at home. Diane and Pete settled in for the evening to watch the latest episode of Alias Smith and Jones. Pete apparently was not pleased with it, which was not unusual. Diane went to bed shortly after, while Duel stayed up to watch a Lakers game. At around 1:30 in the morning, he walked into the master bedroom and grabbed his .38 revolver. A few minutes later, Diane heard a gun shot and ran into the living room where she found the actor lying nude underneath the Christmas tree. At the tender age of 31, Pete Duel was dead by his own hand – though whether it was an accident or on purpose the coroner couldn’t say. Duel’s blood alcohol level at the time of the shooting was 0.31, so it might very well have been accidental. The fact that shortly before his death he had scheduled his answering service to give him a wakeup call for 6:30 the following morning also lends credence to that scenario. There is a third possibility, as well, though, which many online truth-seekers believe – that Diane actually murdered Pete and altered the scene to make it look like he had killed himself. While Rey was questioned by the police, Pete’s death was officially ruled a suicide.

It took less than 12 hours for producers to recast Duel’s role on Alias Smith and Jones with actor Roger Davis. Audiences never warmed to him, though, and the series, which had been so popular prior to Pete’s death, was cancelled the following year. It is said that money does not bring happiness. Apparently, neither does fame.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Pete Duel’s former house is located at 2552 Glen Green Street in the Hollywood Hills.

October 24, 2014September 29, 2017

William Desmond Taylor’s Former House

Last Saturday, my mom, the Grim Cheaper and I attended a book signing for William J. Mann’s latest tome, Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood. My mom had heard about the event on our favorite desert radio show, The Bill Feingold Show Featuring Kevin Holmes, and thought I would be interested in the book as it is about the 1922 murder of silent film director William Desmond Taylor, which remains unsolved. Ironically enough, I had just stalked Taylor’s former home two weeks beforehand, though at the time I knew little about his killing and the ensuing scandal. The signing, which featured a talk by Mann (that’s him in the rather blurry pic above), turned out to be intriguing and I cannot wait to delve into Tinseltown – and hopefully discover some new stalking locations along the way.

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William Desmond Taylor was born William Cunningham Deane-Tanner in County Carlow, Ireland on April 26th, 1872. He began acting in school productions as a youngster and then, in 1890, headed to America, first to Kansas and then to the Big Apple, with dreams of becoming an actor. His marriage to Ethel May Hamilton, the child of a wealthy broker, in 1901, and the birth of their daughter two years later put his acting plans on hold. Things appeared to be going well for the family, though. William opened up an antiques store and he and Ethel became well-known members of New York society. Then, on October 23rd, 1908, Taylor disappeared. While his wife surmised that he might have gotten lost during a bout of amnesia, the truth was that William had simply abandoned his family. Upon leaving New York, he traveled with an acting troupe around Canada and parts of the U.S and decided to try his hand at directing. He arrived in Hollywood in late 1912, armed with a new passion and a new name, William Desmond Taylor. He directed his first movie in 1914 and became wildly successful after that, going on to direct over 60 films.

In 1922, William was living at the Alvarado Court Apartments in Westlake. The upscale complex was comprised of eight, two-unit Spanish-style bungalows situated in a U-shape around a central garden. A 1948 view of Alvarado Court is pictured below.

William’s bungalow is denoted with the orange arrow below. He lived in the eastern side of the structure, in Apartment B.

Sadly, the Alvarado Court Apartments were bulldozed in the 1950s. Today, the site where they once stood is a parking lot for a Ross Dress for Less store.

Taylor’s apartment was located in what is now the northeastern portion of the parking lot . . .

. . . in the area pictured below.

On the morning of February 2nd, 1922, William’s butler, Henry Peavey, arrived at the bungalow and discovered his boss laying dead on the living room floor. Police were called, but before they appeared, Charles Eyton, the General Manager of Paramount Pictures, entered the home, went into Taylor’s bedroom and removed several letters and documents. The papers were never to be seen again and what was contained within them is anyone’s guess. William’s death had occurred during the midst of the Fatty Arbuckle rape trial, the fallout from which had hit Hollywood hard financially. It was a perilous time for the industry and the last thing studio executives wanted was another scandal, so they had come to “clean up.”

The first doctor to arrive on the scene surmised that Taylor had died of natural causes. It was not until the body was later turned over by the coroner that a bullet hole was discovered. It is believed that Desmond was killed at around 8 p.m. the evening prior. He suffered a single gunshot to the back. Though suspects were plentiful, his death remains unsolved to this day. One commonly-held theory is that William was killed by Charlotte Shelby, the mother/manager of actress Mary Miles Minter, with whom the director was romantically involved. Williams was almost thirty years older than the 20-year-old ingénue and if rumors of the illicit affair were to get out, it would have derailed Minter’s career. Being that Mary was Shelby’s very-valuable meal ticket, the momager was against the romance from the start. Some believe she killed William to put an end to it once and for all. (As it turns out, Shelby had been correct in her fears. Word of the affair quickly got out after Taylor’s murder and Mary’s career did not recover from the fallout.) While we may never know for sure who killed Taylor, William J. Mann claims to have solved the case during his research for Tinseltown and I am chomping at the bit to read his theory.

On a side-note – I also had the pleasure of meeting legendary Hollywood photographer Michael Childers at the Tinseltown signing. He and William J. Mann are close friends and when Mann mentioned his name, I recognized it immediately and raced over to get a picture as soon as the reading was over.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: William Desmond Taylor’s former home was located at 404-B South Alvarado Street, in the Alvarado Court Apartments, in Westlake. Today, the site is a parking lot for a Ross Dress for Less store.

October 23, 2014September 29, 2017

New “Los Angeles” Mag Post – About the Fortuneteller’s House from “Phantasm”

Don’t forget to read today’s Los Angeles magazine post – about the Fortuneteller’s house from Phantasm. My posts typically get published in the late morning/early afternoon hours.

October 22, 2014September 29, 2017

Elegant Manor

Because there’s nothing this stalker loves more than history and abandoned locations, my BFF Mike, from MovieShotsLA, once took me by a dilapidated old West Adams house known as Elegant Manor that has quite a backstory. This was years ago, though, and, while I knew the place was a filming location (thanks to this 2004 Los Angeles Times article), I kept putting off blogging about it as I was unsure of which productions it had appeared in. Thankfully, fellow stalker David, from The Location Scout website, gave me a tip last October and, while I did not get around to writing about it then, when I recently found out that the residence was the site of this year’s interactive play/haunted house Delusion: Lies Within, I thought it was high time that I finally did so.

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The two-story Italian Gothic/Queen Anne-style home was built for James T. Fitzgerald, a wealthy piano store owner, and his wife in 1906. The 6,665-square-foot brick and stone residence, which was originally known as the Fitzgerald House, was designed by architect Joseph Cather Newsom and featured 15 rooms, 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, three parcels of land, a cellar, an attic, a carriage house, vaulted ceilings, a sunken den, gothic arches, multiple fireplaces and wood ornamentation throughout.

After the Fitzgeralds moved out around 1910, the dwelling went through a succession of different owners. In 1952, it was purchased by the Regular Associated Troupers, a group of female circus performers, to be used as their headquarters. By the time Louisiana native Arlillian Moody acquired it from the Troopers in 1977, the home had fallen into severe disrepair. With help from friends, family and neighbors, Moody set about restoring the once great estate to its original grandeur. When the project was complete, she dubbed her new residence “Elegant Manor.” The property, which was named a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1982, served as more than just a home, though. Arlillian allowed it to be rented out for events, film shoots, political gatherings, school functions, and Alcoholic Anonymous meetings. The whole thing sounds very Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – a fabulous book which I am currently in the midst of reading.

When Moody fell ill in 1993, her son Ronald Carroll began managing the property. He did not care for it as well as his mother had, though, and soon the events being held at the residence took a wild turn. Raves were a common occurrence, as was gang activity. When Moody passed away in 2001, things only got worse. In January 2004, two teen siblings were shot and killed by gang members during a party on the premises. Shortly thereafter, the city stepped in and removed 33 (!!!) disabled vehicles and over 20 tons (again !!!!) of trash from the property. They also put a halt to the home being used an an events venue. Ronald subsequently put the pad on the market for $2.1 million. I do not believe that he ever found a buyer, though, and, from what I’ve been able to glean online, I think that the estate eventually went into foreclosure before being sold by the bank. Elegant Manor, which was no longer so elegant, was put up for sale again in 2008 for $1.9 million. It appears to still be on the market. You can check out some great photographs of what the interior currently looks like here. It is actually in a lot better shape than I would have guessed, considering its past.

As I mentioned, Elegant Manor is currently being utilized as the site of Delusion: Lies Within, an interactive haunted house that makes use of a different abandoned mansion each year. (Last’s year show was held at the Beckett House, which I blogged about here.) The 2014 story focuses on a popular dark fantasy novelist named Elena Fitzgerald who has not been seen in years and her long missing daughter, Mary. The vast majority of dates for this year have already sold out, but some limited tickets are available here.

David, from The Location Scout, let me know that Elegant Manor appeared in the 2004 horror movie The Hazing (also called Dead Scared).

Elegant Manor was also where Stinger Ray (Hawthorne James) lived in the 1979 flick Disco Godfather. I couldn’t find a copy of the movie anywhere, but was able to make some screen captures from this “concentrated version” of it online. The back of the house, which you can see a photograph of here, was featured in the scene in which Stinger talked to the media.

And the interior of the house appeared in the scene in which Sweetmeat (Jimmy Lynch) threw a party.

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

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Elegant Manor is located at 3115 West Adams Boulevard in the West Adams District of Los Angeles.

October 21, 2014September 29, 2017

Los Angeles County Hall of Records

Today’s location is a serious fail on my part. For a couple of years now, I have had the Los Angeles County Hall of Records on my Haunted Hollywood To-Stalk list, not due to its filming history, but because I mistakenly thought the building was where Marilyn Monroe’s autopsy was performed in 1962. I finally stalked the Hall of Records while in L.A. a couple of weeks ago and added it to my blogging calendar. It was not until I sat down to write this post that I discovered my mistake – Marilyn’s autopsy actually took place at the similarly named Los Angeles County Hall of Justice. Whoops! (And yes, I really am that blonde! In my high school’s Senior newspaper, one of my best friends Scott bequeathed me “a clue.” I left him several years’ worth of memories and inside jokes condensed into a witty paragraph and he left me two words: a clue. I still haven’t gotten over that one, though his bequeath seems pretty fitting today. ;)) Because the Hall of Records has a series of rather spooky tunnels located beneath it, though, I figured the place was still Haunted Hollywood post-worthy, nonetheless.

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The Los Angeles County Hall of Records was designed by prolific architect Richard Neutra and his associate Robert Alexander in 1962. Neutra was also responsible for designing the Lovell Health House from L.A. Confidential, the Ohara House from The Holiday, and the Kaufmann House in Palm Springs.

The 15 story, T-shaped building was constructed out of glass, concrete, granite and terra cotta tiles.

Employing a similar system to one he used at the Kaufmann House, Neutra outfitted the south side of the Hall of Records with solar-activated aluminum louvers that would move throughout the day in order to keep the interior offices shaded. Sadly, those louvers, which are pictured below, have not been operational in years.

Ceramicist Malcolm Leland brought another unique element to the building’s façade. – an eight-story extuded terra cotta screen that covered the structure’s ventilation ducts. That screen is denoted with orange arrows in the photographs below.

The building’s original purpose was to house the department of the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk and its records (for which the property was named). To house those records, Neutra designed a a large windowless wing on the south side of the structure (denoted with orange arrows below). In 1991, the department and its records were moved to Norwalk, so “Hall of Records” is currently a bit of a misnomer. Following the move, the windowless wing was converted into office space for county workers.

Today, the Hall of Records is mainly occupied by the District Attorney’s office.

It is what is beneath the building that fascinates me, though. According to Atlas Obscura, eleven miles of underground tunnels run underneath the Hall of Records and its surrounding properties. The passageways connect the structure to the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, the Hall of Justice and the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. The tunnels are closed to the public, but are apparently fairly accessible. What I wouldn’t give to see them!

The Hall of Records is also a filming location. For 2011’s The Lincoln Lawyer, the building’s hallways masked as the hallways of the courthouse where Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) defended Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe).

You can check out photographs of some of the areas that appeared in the movie here.

The underground tunnels have also appeared onscreen. The scene at the end of the 2008 thriller Eagle Eye that was supposed to have taken place below Washington, D.C.’s Library of Congress was actually lensed in the Hall of Records tunnels.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Los Angeles County Hall of Records is located at 320 West Temple Street in downtown Los Angeles.

October 20, 2014September 29, 2017

Santa Fe Depot from “The Trouble with Angels”

It is no secret that I love abandoned places, especially during this time of year. (What I wouldn’t give to be able to see this in person!) Recently I stalked Monrovia’s former Santa Fe Railroad Depot and it had my heart going pitter-patter. The now defunct train station is also a filming location and, while it appeared in a comedy and not a horror movie, due to its current dilapidated state I figured it would fit in perfectly with my Haunted Hollywood postings.

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The Santa Fe Railroad Depot was originally constructed in 1925 for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.

The Spanish colonial revival-style structure replaced a wooden station constructed on the site in 1886 that serviced the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Railroad. Fun fact – the initial depot also serviced a mule-drawn railway car that shuttled passengers to and from Monrovia’s business district.

Santa Fe Depot fell victim to the decline of railway use in the second half of the 20th century and wound up being shuttered in 1972. The property was left vacant and allowed to dilapidate over the four decades that followed.

In coordination with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Gold Line Foothill Extension, there are plans currently in the works to turn the depot and the land surrounding it into the Monrovia Station Square Transit Village – a 25-acre mixed-use center that would feature retail stores, restaurants, offices and housing. The project is set to be completed by the end of 2015, although I am not sure how feasible that date is considering the current state of the property.

The Santa Fe Railroad Depot was featured twice as the St. Francisville Train Station in the 1966 comedy The Trouble with Angels. While a portion of the movie was shot on location in Pennsylvania (the stunningly gorgeous St. Mary’s Villa for Children and Families in Ambler masked as St. Francis Academy), the vast majority of the flick was lensed in L.A. Interestingly, two different locales were used as the St. Francisville Station. As the St. Francis school bus arrives at the depot to pick up Mary Clancy (Hayley Mills) and the girls in the film’s opening scene, a shot of the Merion, Pennsylvania depot was shown. A matching Google Street View image of that spot is pictured below.

When the girls are actually shown getting off the train, though, the location switches to the Santa Fe Depot in Monrovia.

Santa Fe Depot was also used in The Trouble with Angel’s ending sequence in which the girls leave St. Francis Academy. You can see a great shot of the side of the station that appeared in The Trouble with Angels here and you can read a fascinating blog post about the making of the movie here.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Santa Fe Depot, from The Trouble with Angels, is located at 101 West Duarte Road in Monrovia.