Famous houses – Page 4 – IAMNOTASTALKER

October 2, 2019October 7, 2019

The “Waxwork” House

It’s finally that time again, folks – time for my annual Haunted Hollywood stalkings! I intended to commence this year’s postings with a real doozy of a murder case, but got held up a bit in my research. I am currently awaiting some documents from the County of Riverside that should provide more clarity as to the precise location where the killing took place and will write about it just as soon as they arrive. In the meantime, I thought I would instead kick things off with a locale from a horror classic. Now, as I’ve mentioned many times, a fan of slasher flicks I am not. But this past July, my friend Owen tipped me off to a spot that he thought would figure in nicely to an October post – the Hancock Park home that masked as a waxwork, aka a wax museum, in the 1988 horror film of the same name. As he informed me in his email, the “cool-looking” brick pad boasts “great windows and a turret!” Interest piqued, I added the address to my To-Stalk List and headed right on out there this past weekend.

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Finally watching Waxwork last night did little to turn me into a horror fan. In fact, I have to say the movie was pretty darn terrible (though star Zach Galligan sure is a cutie!). The premise? A morose old man named David Lincoln (David Warner) attempts to set off the “voodoo end of the world” by bringing eighteen of the most evil people who ever lived back to life. How does he do this, you ask? By creating wax effigies of each person and feeding them the souls of the various patrons who visit the waxwork he has built inside of his private home in the middle of suburbia. And he would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for two meddling high schoolers, Mark (Galligan) and Sarah (Deborah Foreman), who thwart his plan. Like I said, Waxwork isn’t good.

But Owen was right – the house is fabulous . . . and fabulously creepy!

Though burned to the ground by Mark and Sarah at the end of Waxwork, in real life the pad still stands proudly at 255 South Rossmore Avenue. (In actuality, a miniature was used in the filming of the fire scene.)

While it looks much the same as it did onscreen in 1988, sadly views of it from the street are largely eclipsed by a massive hedge that now lines the front of the property.

Only the exterior of the residence appeared in Waxwork. The interior of Lincoln’s eerie home was just a set, as evidenced by the double doors that opened from the living room into his onsite wax museum.

Originally built in 1924 for L. Milton Wolf, in real life the dwelling boasts 7 bedrooms (!), 3 baths, 3,878 square feet of living space, a pool, a detached garage with what looks to be an upstairs in-law unit, and a 0.43-acre plot of land.

The house is somewhat historically significant, too! As Owen informed me, its longtime owner Loretta Lindholm was responsible for the installation of the many ornamental lights that now dot the streets of Hancock Park. For her efforts, she received a Los Angeles City Council Commendation!

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

Big THANK YOU to my friend Owen for telling me about this location!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Waxwork house from Waxwork is located at 255 South Rossmore Avenue in Hancock Park.

September 30, 2019September 29, 2019

The House from “The Bradys”

Today we are gifted with another stellar guest post penned by my friend Michael, whom you may remember from the myriad other columns he has written for IAMNOTASTALKER over the years. Like many of those, this one is Brady Bunch-related and, let me tell you, I am here for it! So, without further ado, take it away Michael!

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My guest posts have traditionally focused on previously unknown or unpublicized locations. Well, consider that paradigm thrown out the window of a 1950s split level, as this post is about one location that is certainly not without publicity—the Brady house. Its address has been long known, many an article has been written about it, and heck, there’s even a current television program centered around its iconic status.

When the house went up for sale in 2018, HGTV purchased it with the goal of altering the structure, so that not only would the exterior match 50-year old The Brady Bunch establishing shots, but the interior would also align with the show’s sets that were only ever a reality on the soundstages of Paramount. A Very Brady Renovation, currently airing on HGTV, documents the overhaul, complete with help from a slate of HGTV personalities, the original surviving Brady Bunch cast, and impressively exacting and talented project managers.

In order to properly Brady-ize the house, some architectural elements of the façade needed to be altered. With so much focus on making the old new(ly old) again, I thought it was time for a look back at the house pre-renovation and how it relates to Brady canon—specifically, the 1990 television drama The Bradys.

An hour-long weekly drama, The Bradys premiered in early 1990 following the success of the late-1988 television movie A Very Brady Christmas. Nearly the entire cast reprised their roles, with only Leah Ayres portraying Marcia for this incarnation. Like the preceding series, Mike and Carol’s home was prominently featured, and while the set remained architecturally the same, the interior décor was updated to a more contemporary pastel color story. Going without an update, however, were the exterior establishing shots of the Brady residence. The same shots filmed in the late-60s and 70s for the original series and recycled throughout most of the show’s iterations were dusted off again for the earliest episodes of The Bradys. The Brady kids may have grown, but the palm tree by the front door apparently never gained a frond.

Even though The Bradys was canceled after only six episodes, a wide variety of establishing shots were used—eventually including updated views of the house. In the third episode of the series, “A Moving Experience,” Mike and Carol nearly lose their house to freeway construction. Thanks to last-minute inspiration from Marcia’s son and his Legos, Mike and Carol decide to have the house moved to a new lot.

A live-action scene was optically produced on Paramount’s backlot to depict the move. Greg’s son, played by a young Jonathan Taylor Thomas, was swept from harm’s way as something vaguely resembling the Brady house—balancing like a teeter-totter on a flatbed truck—paraded through the city streets. Now, of course, this seems a little much, but as an 8-year-old when it first aired, I was fascinated by this scene.

The move also allowed for a charmingly vintage CGI shot of the house on its ‘new lot.’

After ‘the move,’ new establishing shots of the house were filmed. Since the real home never budged an inch, more 90s CGI was used to replace the familiar Studio City background with new skyscapes. Mike and Carol must have paid a fortune for all of the mature foliage—I suppose after living with an AstroTurf lawn, and a palm tree that hadn’t grown for 30 years, they didn’t want to take any chances.

Though never addressed on the show, the changes in paint color, windows, roof, and landscaping could have been explained away as post-move touchups.

As was done for the original establishing shots, a window (albeit sized and placed differently than the 60s/70s version) was added to the front gable of the house. Until HGTV’s recent project, the home never had a window on its front peak. It did, however, have a large window near the front door. This window was covered in the original establishing shots, but left alone for the 90s updates. HGTV’s crew recently closed off this ground-floor window to honor the original establishing shots.

The ornate wooden doors, not original to the vintage establishing shots, were also left on the house, even though they also didn’t match those on The Bradys soundstage set. These doors were also recently replaced with new blue doors at the actual home to match the style from the original establishing shots and the color from the first season of The Brady Bunch.

Viewers got an even better look at the now displaced window in the fifth episode of the series, “Bottom’s Up,” when a pixilated Marcia and her kids walked to a car in front of the house. This scene also has the historic privilege of elevating the Brady house from an establishing shot into a full-fledged filming location.

After six episodes, The Bradys halted production and was subsequently canceled. Airing opposite ABC’s TGIF lineup up of Full House and Family Matters, my 8-year old allegiances were tested from the first episode. Although far from the target audience, I faithfully set my VCR each week, while spending my Friday nights with Urkel and the Tanner family.

For me, the fun of filming locations, other than solving the mystery of where they’re located, is comparing what they look like in person to the perception gleaned from their time on the screen. Some places look exactly as you’d expect, and others surprisingly different. Until recently, pulling up to the Brady house meant seeing something familiar yet different—a fence, a warmer paint color, larger trees, missing windows, extra windows—not quite the Brady Bunch house tucked away in your memory, but close enough.

Having grown accustomed to the residence more closely resembling its stint on The Bradys rather than The Brady Bunch, I went by the house in May and was excited to see the exterior work progressing through its very Brady transformation. Imagination is no longer needed to match the house up with your mind’s eye thanks to the tremendous amount of effort HGTV has put into both the interior and exterior of this project, as evidenced each week on A Very Brady Renovation. Now, the question is, what will become of this 70s throwback after the program concludes?

[Editor’s Note – Thank you, Michael, for another fabulous – and fabulously retro – post! I have yet to see an episode of The Bradys or A Very Brady Renovation (I know, I know), but now you have me chomping at the bit to watch both!]

Stalk It: The house from The Bradys is located at 11222 Dilling Street in Studio City . Note: The residence now more closely resembles the 1970s exterior seen on The Brady Bunch and there is currently a temporary privacy fence surrounding the property.

June 24, 2019June 23, 2019

Dottie’s House from “A League of Their Own”

I am pretty sure Penny Marshall had some sort of direct line of sight into my soul. The late director was behind several of my most beloved films. And not just movies I enjoy, but ones I find incredibly poignant, moving and enduring – productions that left a mark on my heart and invariably bring me to tears no matter how many times I watch. Renaissance Man, Big, A League of Their Own, and Jumpin’ Jack Flash all fit that bill. Unfortunately, most of Marshall’s films were lensed outside of the L.A. area, the latter notwithstanding (you can read about a few of JJF’s SoCal locales here, here and here). Consequently, I haven’t put much time into researching spots from them. So I was absolutely shocked to recently come across a mention on The Movie District website that the house where C Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) lived in A League of Their Own is in Studio City! Up until that point, I had been convinced that the 1992 dramady was shot entirely in the Midwest, namely Indiana and Illinois. One look at Google Street View showed me that The Movie District was right, though – Dottie’s home can be found at 4222 Agnes Avenue in Studio City. Armed with the newfound information, I could hardly wait to head out to L.A. to stalk the place, which I did just a few weeks later.

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The property only actually shows up once in A League of Their Own, in the opening scene in which present day Dottie packs for her trip to the grand opening of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.

As you can see, not much of the residence has been changed in the 27 years since filming took place. It’s really quite incredible!

The actual interior of the home also appeared in the film, which I was able to glean thanks to the MLS photos available online from when it was last sold in 2014. Areas used include the master bedroom;

the living room;

and the stairs.

In real life, Dottie’s picturesque 2-story Cape Cod home boasts 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2,764 square feet of living space, multiple fireplaces, a chef’s kitchen with Miele and Viking appliances, a playroom, hardwood flooring and French doors throughout, a master bath with a standalone tub, a detached 2-car garage, a 0.34-acre lot, a large pool, a pebble garden, and a koi pond.

Chock full of curb appeal, the residence possesses an insanely idyllic Anywhere, U.S.A. aesthetic.

It’s like a perfect little slice of Americana.

I mean, throw on some bunting and you’ve got the quintessential spot to celebrate the 4th of July!

Considering that halcyon atmosphere, it is no surprise that location scouts have pegged it for numerous roles besides Dottie’s house in A League of Their Own.

In the 1988 comedy My Stepmother Is an Alien, the property serves as the Mills residence.

In 1992, it popped up as the supposed Moses Lake, Indiana pad where Clara (Marianna Elliott) babysat – and got killed – in the horror film Candyman.

The residence appeared as Debbie Jellinsky’s (Joan Cusack) childhood home – which she burnt down – in a slideshow shown at the end of 1993’s Addams Family Values.

Andy (Justin Kirk) and Silas Botwin (Hunter Parrish) stop by the dwelling to get some fake IDs in the Season 6 episode of Weeds titled “Felling and Swamping,” which aired in 2010.

And it masked as the Moody family residence in the 2011 film Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer. Only the exterior of the house appeared in the movie, though. Per a commenter named Mari, interiors were filmed on a set built at Sunset Bronson Studios and backyard scenes were lensed at a property in Pasadena.

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

Big THANK YOU to The Movie District website for finding this location!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Dottie Hinson’s house from A League of Their Own is located at 4222 Agnes Avenue in Studio City.

June 14, 2019June 13, 2019

Mary’s House from “All About Steve”

If you listened to critics, you probably think All About Steve has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. You’d be wrong, though. While the 2009 comedy (and I use the term “comedy” loosely) is not remotely funny, boasts an odd storyline, and fails to properly showcase the talents of its fabulous cast, which includes Bradley Cooper, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Ken Jeong and DJ Qualls, it does feature some pretty stellar locations. The delightfully retro residence where Mary Horowitz (Bullock) lives with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Horowitz (Howard Hesseman and Beth Grant, respectively), in the flick especially had me drooling. I, of course, set out to track it down shortly after first viewing All About Steve ten years ago, but was unsuccessful. And though I subsequently revisited the hunt several times over the years following, I always came up empty. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I decided to call in the big guns (aka my friend Owen, from the When Write Is Wrong blog), to see if he might be able to provide some assistance and in less than 24 hours he had an address for me. Thanks to a helpful crew member, we learned that the Horowitz home is located at 1704 Wellington Road in Mid-City’s Lafayette Square neighborhood. So I immediately ran out to stalk it.

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In real life, the All About Steve house is known as the J. Phyromn Taylor Residence. The two-story pad was designed in 1953 by prolific architect Paul Revere Williams (you can read a few of my posts on his many famous properties here, here, here, here, here, here and here) for his good friend, wealthy doctor Jackson Phyromn Taylor.

Built in a style known as Los Angeles Contemporary, the home also boasts prairie, international, and midcentury design elements, as well as a lot of geometric detailing. Per The Paul Revere Williams Project website, “The motif was used in a floating staircase flanked by a dramatic two-story sandblasted glass wall, metal work, etched room dividers, light fixtures and other midcentury-style custom furnishings designed for the space.”

Williams also incorporated Lafayette Square’s strict design regulations into the architecture of the residence, which included a second-floor balcony, deep setbacks, clean lines and a horizonal layout, with the long end fronting the street.

Sadly, Dr. Taylor passed away just a few short years after his home was completed, but the extraordinary residence remains in his family today. It is currently owned by Lauren Smith, his granddaughter, who told the Larchmont Ledger, “They [Jackson Phyromn Taylor and his wife, Pearl] surrounded themselves with art, music their entire lives. My uncle Phyromn was an accomplished jazz saxophonist so music was definitely a part of our lives. My mom was a music major in college as well. Very social, Paul Williams designed their house with their desire to entertain in mind. My grandparents were proud to have an African American man, their friend, design their unique house.”

The home features 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, a whopping 5,062 square feet of living space, a 2-car garage, and a 0.27-acre lot.

Unfortunately, the property looks quite a bit different today than it did onscreen in All About Steve. Not only is it now significantly covered over with foliage, but it has undergone a drastic paint change. The result is a residence that is much darker and less aesthetically pleasing, at least in my opinion. In fact, if it had boasted its current color scheme in the movie, I probably wouldn’t have been nearly as enamored of it.

Due to the pad’s rectangular orientation and decidedly midcentury feel, I had been convinced that it was an apartment building, not a single-family home, in real life.

And because of the mansion-like properties situated next door . . .

. . . and across the street, I knew it had to be located in an upscale neighborhood. Accordingly, I spent copious hours searching Hancock Park and West Hollywood for a midcentury apartment complex, so it’s no surprise that I couldn’t find the place. Somehow I had completely forgotten about Lafayette Square, an area I’ve been to a few times and even written about – twice! Thank goodness for the helpful crew member who provided Owen with the address!

The J. Phyromn Taylor Residence popped up several times in All About Steve.

The movie did a fabulous job of showcasing the dwelling . . .

. . . and all of its unique architectural details.

As fabulous as those details are, it was the interior of the Horowitz home that really stole my heart, namely the floating staircase. The openness of the steps, the paned glass panel behind them, and the stone walls on either side practically had me drooling.

I am torn as to whether what was shown onscreen was the real interior of the J. Phyromn Taylor Residence or a set modeled after it, though I’m leaning toward the former. As you can see below, the glass panel pictured behind the stairs in All About Steve is a perfect match to that of the actual home.

And the geometric elements visible in several scenes, like the open metal wall in the foreground below . . .

. . . and the silver sculpture to the left of the pool table, mesh with the interior detailing described on The Paul Revere Williams Project website.

I am fairly certain, though, that Mary’s colorful bedroom . . .

. . . and bathroom were just sets.

Either way, what I wouldn’t give to see the inside of that place!

Big THANK YOU to my friend Owen, from the When Write Is Wrong blog, for finding this location.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The J. Phyromn Taylor Residence, aka the Horowitz home from All About Steve, is located at 1704 Wellington Road in Lafayette Square. The McGinley Residence, where Robert F. Kennedy is reported to have spent his last night, is right around the corner at 1821 South Victoria Avenue. And the incorrectly identified Leave It to Beaver house is two blocks west at 1727 Buckingham Road.

June 5, 2019June 3, 2019

Steve’s House from “Dead to Me”

I have a major thing for modern houses. So it’s no shock that my favorite locale from the new Netflix series Dead to Me is the uber-contemporary abode belonging to Judy Hale’s (Linda Cardellini) ex, Steve Wood (James Marsden). Huge, avant-garde and decidedly unique, I fell in love with the place as soon as it came into view in the pilot episode and set out to find it immediately. Though an address number of “232” was clearly visible on the front of the residence in many scenes, it turned out to be fake – which thankfully did not lead me astray. From the start, I had an inkling that the obviously newly-built home was located in the San Fernando Valley, most likely Encino. So I inputted “large modern house” and “Encino” into Google and the second result kicked back was this Peerspace listing for an “Ultra Modern Huge Mansion with Pool and Tennis.” One look at the photos posted told me it was the right spot! Though no address was given, the copy below the images stated that the pad was in Encino’s Royal Oaks neighborhood and from there it did not take me long to pinpoint its location as 4230 Valley Meadow Road. I ran out to stalk it a few days later and that’s when fate stepped in!

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While the Grim Cheaper and I were out front snapping photos, the owner happened to pull up. As he got out of his car, he noticed us and inquired as to what we were doing. Bracing myself for being told to leave immediately, I explained that I was visiting the house because of its appearance in Dead to Me and, amazingly, without hesitation, he invited us right in!

Yes, you read that right – he invited us inside the residence to take a closer look! I could not believe my luck!

Nor could I believe how impressive the house was in person! Though it obviously looked stellar on Dead to Me . . .

. . . close-up it was even far more remarkable!

The 3-story property, which is currently for sale, boasts 8 bedrooms (all en suite and with walk-in closets), 11 baths, 9-foot ceilings, a grand entry, multiple fireplaces, a theatre, a gym, an elevator, a laundry room, an entertainment area with a built-in bar, a detached in-law unit, and an 8-car garage!

All 10,400 square feet of it is stunning!

Everywhere you turn is like a work of art!

Even the hallways are dramatic.

And the theatre! Oh my gosh, the theatre! Can you imagine having that in your house?

Or the gym?

It is the master bedroom, though, that really had me drooling.

The spacious suite boasts both his-and-her bathrooms AND his-and-her walk-in closets.

While the male bathroom (pictured above and below) is nothing to shake a stick at . . .

– the GC was especially impressed with the fact that there was a urinal (me, not so much) –

‘

. . . and the male closet is nice, as well . . .

. . . the female bathroom is the stuff dreams are made of!

I mean!

When can I move in?

And don’t even get me started on the attached bathed-in-pink female closet!

The 0.92-acre grounds are pretty extraordinary, as well, with a 60-foot lap pool, a spa, a wading pool, a fire pit, a 70-foot waterfall, a built-in BBQ and bar, a tennis court, and a large cabana area situated off the master bedroom.

Yeah, I could hang here.

The home somehow manages to be sleek and modern yet warm and inviting at the same time.

And it can all be yours for a cool $7,495,000, which honestly I think is a bargain, considering.

As it turns out, the super-friendly owner was also the home’s builder. The lavish pad, completed in 2018, replaced the 1952 ranch house pictured below (which you can see more photos of here).

Producers made fabulous use of the property throughout Dead to Me’s ten-episode run.

Said to be in Newport Beach’s Harbor Ridge area, the home’s exterior appeared numerous times on the series.

The interior did, as well.

You can see why I fell in love with the place.

The landing just outside the elevator on the residence’s second floor was the site of one of my favorite scenes from the show in which the recently widowed Jen Harding (Christina Applegate) hosts an open house where she runs into her ex mother-in-law, Lorna (Valerie Mahaffey), and gets pressured into having a birthday party/memorial for her dead husband.

I was just a little thrilled to pose in that same spot, though my photo was taken from the opposite angle from which the scene was shot.

Interestingly, producers did not make use of the home’s master bedroom on the show. Instead, a set was built to portray Steve’s bedroom. Said set was much less plush than that of the actual house, as you can see below.

According to the owner, the pad will be making an appearance on the upcoming season of The Affair, as well.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Steve’s house from Dead to Me is located at 4230 Valley Meadow Road in Encino.

May 31, 2019May 30, 2019

Jen’s House from “Dead to Me”

The Grim Cheaper and I admittedly become obsessed with a lot of shows. But it is a rare occasion (at least as of late) to find ourselves consumed by a series filmed entirely in L.A. (Bosch and Brooklyn Nine-Nine notwithstanding). Darn runaway production! So I was ecstatic to discover the thrilling, hilarious AND locally shot Dead to Me. A few sites from the new Netflix original I recognized immediately, like The Warehouse Restaurant which masked as Dana Point eatery Point Bliss, where Bambi (Olivia Macklin) worked. Other spots I set about tracking down as soon we finished binging it. At the top of my list of to-find places was the supposed Laguna Beach abode where widow Jen Harding (Christina Applegate) lived with her two sons, Charlie (Sam McCarthy) and Henry (Luke Roessler), and new BFF, Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini). Fortunately, it was a snap to pinpoint.

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While plowing through the series’ ten episodes (which the GC and I did in just two days), I noticed an address number of “3847” visible on the curb in front of Jen’s house in several establishing shots. I had an inkling the pad was located somewhere in the Studio City/Sherman Oaks/Encino vicinity and hit pay dirt when I entered “3847,” “house” and “Sherman Oaks” into Google. An address of 3847 Deervale Drive was kicked back and, sure enough, it was the right place!

Aside from the front door which was painted bright yellow for the production, the Cape Cod-style dwelling looks exactly the same in person as it did onscreen . . .

. . . right down to the script on the mailbox.

In real life, the charming property boasts 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, 4,909 square feet of living space, a kitchen featuring Carrara marble and Caesar stone counters, a breakfast nook, French doors throughout, multiple fireplaces (including one outside), a formal dining room, a media room, a butler’s pantry, a pool, a spa, and a covered backyard loggia.

The 1960 pad, which was heavily remodeled in 2010, last sold for a whopping $2.5-million in January 2011.

Only the exterior of the home appeared on Dead to Me. All interiors were filmed on a studio-built set.

Said set was modeled very closely upon the residence’s actual inside, as you can see in the screen captures as compared to the MLS images from the 2011 sale above and below. In fact, the home so closely resembles its TV counterpart that at first I thought filming had taken place on location there. Upon closer inspection, though, I noticed a few differences. In the actual kitchen, for instance, there is no spacing between the windows and the upper cabinets that frame them, but the set windows are surrounded by a perimeter of wall space. And while the actual home’s real life lower cabinets are made up of drawers, the set’s aren’t.

Other than that, though, Jen’s kitchen is a dead ringer for that of the actual house.

As is the breakfast nook area just beyond it.

The living room set also closely matches the actual living room, though I am unsure why production added that odd yellow window-like insert to the otherwise sleek built-ins.

Lacking wallpaper, curtains and a shelving unit, the home’s dining room is much less ornate than its television dupe, though its shape, layout and wainscotting are the same.

Jen’s master bedroom also bears a similar layout and window/French door schematic to that of the actual house . . .

. . . though her bedroom’s side wall has a cut-out, which the real residence does not.

While the interior of 3847 Deervale was not utilized for filming, its backyard was.

The pool got a lot of airtime . . .

. . . and the outdoor fireplace made an appearance in the pilot (although it was closed off with white cabinet doors and a television installed above it for the shoot).

Shockingly, the guest house where Judy lived is not a real element of the residence. Much like the Cohen family’s pool house on fave show The O.C., the structure was a just a façade built for the production in the area adjacent to the pool.

The spot where it was constructed is home to a patch of grass in real life.

As was the case with Jen’s residence, the interior of the guest house was a studio-built set.

Jen’s pad is not the only Dead to Me location to be found on Deervale Drive! The property belonging to her neighbor, Karen (Suzy Nakamura), aka the Mexican Lasagna Lady (who Redditors have some interesting theories about), is right next door at 3869 Deervale.

It, too, looks much the same as it did onscreen.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Jen Harding’s house from Dead to Me is located at 3847 Deervale Drive in Sherman Oaks. Karen’s home from the series is right next door at 3869 Deervale Drive.

May 24, 2019May 24, 2019

Lorraine’s House from “Back to the Future”

Back to the Future fans are undoubtedly looking at the photo above thinking, ‘That’s not Lorraine Baines’ (Lea Thompson) house!’ But the Craftsman I am standing in front of, located at 1705 Bushnell Avenue in South Pasadena, did actually serve as her 1955 pad in the movie. Before the die hards get all up in arms, I am well aware that it’s not the property widely recognized as her teenage home, which is just a few doors down at 1727 Bushnell. As I just discovered, though, the Baines’ residence was actually a mash-up of two different dwellings situated within a few hundred feet of each other. Let me explain. For years now, my friend Owen, from When Write Is Wrong, has been begging me to blog about sites from BTTF, his all-time favorite movie. Because its locations have been copiously chronicled both online and in books for decades, I’ve avoided the subject. As longtime readers know, I don’t like to write about places that have been covered elsewhere (especially feverishly so) unless I have something new to say. Well folks, I finally have something new to say! Owen’s birthday was a couple of weeks back, so I consider this post a belated present to him! HBD, friend!

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Many moons ago, one of my dad’s Los Angeles doctors mentioned during an appointment that he lived in “the Back to the Future house.” My ears immediately perked up (obvs!) and when I pressed for more details, he explained that he owned Lorraine’s 1955 pad and then said, “It’s bizarre to watch the movie and see Michael J. Fox sitting in my dining room.” I had long been aware of 1727 Bushnell’s (that’s it below) cameo as Lorraine’s home in the film and, assuming it had been used for both interiors and exteriors, figured that was the spot he was referring to and did not think much further on the subject (though I was thisclose to inviting myself over for a tour).

Flash forward to a few weeks ago. Shortly before Owen’s birthday, I toyed with the idea of writing about the place. My first move was to check if my dad’s doctor still lived on the premises, in the hopes that he might send me some interior photos. In looking at property records, though, I was shocked to see that not only did he not reside at 1727 Bushnell anymore, but that he never had! His former house, which was sold in 2017, is three doors up the street at 1705 Bushnell (it’s pictured below). Thoroughly confused, I almost brushed the whole thing off as misinformation. But then a lightbulb went off in my head – what if 1705 had been used for interiors? Thankfully, MLS pictures from the 2017 sale are still widely available online so my newfound hunch was easily verifiable. I could hardly hold my fingers steady as I slipped in my Back to the Future DVD and just about hyperventilated when I saw that I was correct! While 1727 Bushnell appeared as the exterior of Lorraine’s house, interior filming took place just up the street at 1705! As far as I can tell, this information has never been reported elsewhere, which has me giddy with excitement – for Owen, for myself, and for the leagues of BTTF fans out there!

But first, let’s get back to 1727 Bushnell. Not much of the 1909 Craftsman’s exterior is actually shown in Back to the Future. We really only catch a glimpse of the second floor windows when George McFly (Crispin Glover) tries to peep on Lorraine in an early scene.

As you can see, thanks to a completely new color scheme, the home looks quite a bit different today.

We do get a full view of the property’s exterior in a different Michael J. Fox movie, though! Interestingly enough, 1727 Bushnell also served as the Howard family residence in the 1985 comedy Teen Wolf.

In a Q&A Fox shot for Back to the Future’s Special Edition DVD, he even mentions encountering the movie’s location scouts while shooting Teen Wolf on the premises.

I am unsure if the actual inside of 1727 Bushnell was used in Teen Wolf, but I think it might have been.

If so, considering the decidedly 60s/70s look of the place, it goes a long way toward explaining why Back to the Future producers headed elsewhere to stage the inside of Lorraine’s 1955 home. And they found exactly what they were looking for right up the street.

As you can see in the screen shot as compared to the MLS image below, the inside of 1705 Bushnell is classic, timeless, and simple in design – perfect for a storyline set in the 1950s. (You can check out another matching shot of the home’s front entry area here.)

As you can also see in the screen captures below as compared to images here and here, not much of the property has changed in the years since Back to the Future was filmed (though it appears that producers did cover over the dining room’s stained glass window for the shoot – either that or the window was a later addition).

Along with the front entry and dining room, areas of 1705 visible in Back to the Future include the living room (you can check out an additional matching image of it here and a close-up view of the fireplace, which has been altered a bit but is still recognizable, here);

and the stairs . . .

. . . which you can see additional imagery of here.

I believe that Lorraine’s bedroom was just a set, though, and not one of 1705’s actual rooms.

In real life, 1705 Bushnell, which was built in 1912, boasts 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2,772 square feet of living space, formal living and dining rooms, hardwood flooring, wainscoting, a fireplace, stained glass windows, an eat-in kitchen, a den, a partially-finished basement, an upstairs laundry room, a 0.18-acre lot, a pool, a built-in BBQ, and a detached garage that has been converted into a family room/pool house. You can check out some more interior photos of the place here and here.

How incredible – and thrilling – it is that new location information can still be unearthed from a decades-old movie, one that has been feverishly studied and documented ad nauseam over the years, no less! Imagine all of the other filming sites just waiting to be discovered! The possibilities are endlessly exciting! The future of stalking is bright, my friends!

A (belated) happy birthday to my friend Owen, of the When Write Is Wrong blog.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The home used for exterior shots of Lorraine Baines’ 1955 residence in Back to the Future is located at 1727 Bushnell Avenue in South Pasadena. Interiors were filmed just up the road at 1705 Bushnell. George McFly’s 1955 pad from the film can be found next door at 1711 Bushnell. And Biff Tannen’s (Thomas F. Wilson) property from Back to the Future Part II is at 1809 Bushnell. Several other famous, but non-BTTF-related houses are on the same street including Hope and Michael Steadman’s residence from thirtysomething at 1710 Bushnell; the Hopper family home as well as Joan’s pad from Ghost Dad at 1621 and 1615, respectively, and the Lambda Epsilon Omega fraternity house from Old School at 1803.

April 19, 2019April 19, 2019

The Cohen Mansion from “The O.C.”

Fire has ravaged far too many landmarks as of late – Paramount Ranch, Casey’s home from Scream 2, and now, Notre Dame Cathedral! The latter, at least, fared better than the Malibu estate that portrayed the Cohen residence on fave show The O.C., which was completely destroyed by the Woolsey Fire last November. I was alerted to the sad loss by a fellow stalker named Steve and was shocked at the news, especially considering I was fortunate enough to visit the home several years back thanks to a very lucky twist of fate – one that I can still hardly believe occurred. While eating lunch with the Grim Cheaper and my friend Erika (you may remember her from this post) at the Malibu Country Mart in September 2011, I happened to bring up my love for the Fox series. The friendly couple at the adjacent table overheard and broke into our conversation to inform us that they owned the Cohen house! Absolutely flabbergasted, I peppered them with questions and then the unimaginable happened – after chatting for a bit, they asked if we wanted to come over to see the pad in person! I don’t even think I answered in the affirmative before making a Lindsay-shaped hole in the door on my way out to the car. Winking smile The rest of our afternoon was like a dream, which made the recent loss of the property all the more heartbreaking. Though I detailed the experience in a 2015 column for Los Angeles magazine, since the locale is no longer, I figured an update was due.

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The Cohen residence is actually a mash-up of two different dwellings, both situated in a small gated community of four properties off the Pacific Coast Highway. Most recognizable is the large two-story home at 6205 Ocean Breeze Drive which appeared in exterior and establishing shots.

Only the front of the 6-bedroom, 7-bath, 6,376-square-foot manse appeared on the series. [I absolutely love that there was a Range Rover just like Sandy’s (Peter Gallagher) parked in the driveway when we visited!]

A one-story home three doors down at 6210 Ocean Breeze Drive was utilized in The O.C.’s pilot for the interior and backyard scenes. Once the show got picked up, a set modeled after that residence was constructed at Manhattan Beach Studios (now MBS Media Campus). Why the two different locales, you ask? Producers loved the look of the inside and backyard of 6210, but ultimately wanted the Cohen family to reside in a two-level home. So they featured the front of 6205 and the interior and rear of 6210. It is the 6210 house that we were invited to tour. That’s it below.

The inaugural episode made significant use of the opulent pad. For me, the most recognizable spot was the kitchen. (That’s Erika pictured with me below. We are just a little bit thrilled to be standing in the famous Cohen kitchen!)

Stepping into it felt like walking right into my TV screen. I half expected Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) to come waltzing out to grab his morning cereal.

Because the set re-creation of the kitchen (which was used in all episodes following the pilot) was such a near replica to that of the actual home, being there was both incredible and surreal. As our new friends pointed out to us, a few portions of the kitchen were changed when the set was built. One of the main alterations was the tilework behind the stove. At the actual residence, there was a large painted piece on the wall behind the range, which was visible in the pilot. (I hate that the past tense is now required when speaking about the house. I still can’t believe it is gone.)

For the set, that painted piece was swapped out with a more simple backsplash.

The color of the island countertop was changed, as well, and the sink situated there moved to the opposite side. The Cohens were also given a stainless steel dishwasher. Other than those elements, though, it was a pretty spot-on re-creation.

The nook off the kitchen, which became the Cohens’ main dining spot in later episodes, also appeared in the pilot. Producers even chose to leave the owners’ real life hutch and decor intact for the shoot!

When the set (top image below) was built, that area was changed fairly significantly – but more on that in a minute.

The family room at the real house was situated off of the kitchen. It was there that Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) played video games with Ryan in the pilot.

For the set, though, the family room was moved adjacent to the kitchen nook, creating one big, long, open space. And the fireplace was also done away with.

Seeing the nook closed off in real life was utterly jarring!

The residence’s formal living room, which was connected to the family room in real life, was also re-created in another spot on set – just off the Cohens’ kitchen.

One of the home’s bedrooms was utilized as Seth’s room in the pilot, as well.

It, too, was then re-created on the studio set.

Even the pad’s main hallway was re-built in exacting detail!

Amazingly (and as most O.C. fans already know), the most famous element of the Cohen home, the pool house, was never an actual part of the property. It was constructed, fully-functional (meaning both the interior and exterior could be used for filming), in the yard of 6210 for the pilot and then was disassembled and subsequently rebuilt as part of the set when the series got picked up. There I am in the photo below standing at the edge of where it was situated in the inaugural episode. “Utterly jarring” is, again, the only way I can describe how odd the backyard looked without it.

The pool and spa of 6210 were also re-created on set . . .

. . . as was the rest of the backyard . . .

. . . including the BBQ island.

The Cohens’ backyard was actually quite a bit smaller than the real one.

And, because the soundstage floor could not be dug into to install the pool on set, it was actually built above ground. Hence the steps leading up to it on the show. In actuality, the home’s backyard was all one level.

Other than those alterations, though, it was such a dutiful re-creation that standing in the backyard of 6210 felt like being in an episode of the show.

I was pinching myself the entire time!

Tragically, all that is left of the house now is the backyard and pool, as you can see in the aerial view below which Steve got from an insurance website that provided real-time imagery of areas ravaged by the Woolsey Fire. (That website is no longer active, so I can’t link to it.)

The home used for front shots of the Cohen pad, fortunately, still stands, as does the property where Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) lived on the series, which is located next door at 6201 Ocean Breeze Drive.

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

Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Steve for letting me know about this home’s sad fate.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The exterior of the Cohen mansion from The O.C. can be found at 6205 Ocean Breeze Drive in Malibu. The home used for interiors and backyard scenes in the pilot was just down the street at 6210 Ocean Breeze, but was, sadly, destroyed in the Woolsey Fire. Marissa Cooper’s house is on the same block at 6201 Ocean Breeze.

April 10, 2019April 10, 2019

JFK and Jackie’s Former Georgetown Homes

Considering how much I love history, I know shockingly little about former President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline. So I was thrilled when the Grim Cheaper gifted me with Jackie, Janet & Lee: The Secret Lives of Janet Auchincloss and Her Daughters Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill last Christmas. The 2018 biography and its depiction of the women’s intensely complicated relationships with each other as well as with their significant others was fascinating all the way through. And it even reminded me of two residences related to the former First Lady that I stalked during my visit to Washington, D.C. in September 2016. I learned about the homes thanks to my friend Owen, of the When Write Is Wrong blog, who just prior to my trip emailed me a list of area attractions he had compiled. Even though I was not well-versed in anything pertaining to Jackie O at the time, I decided to add the addresses to my stalking itinerary which turned out to be quite foresightful.

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Upon returning home from World War II, John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy worked for a brief time as a foreign correspondent for Hearst Newspapers prior to embarking on his political career which brought him to Washington D.C. After landing a seat in the House of Representatives in 1946, he moved around to a couple of different Georgetown properties until ultimately leasing a picturesque pad at 3260 N Street NW in 1951.

He would remain there for the next two years.

It proved an eventful time in young Jack’s life. During his tenure at the 5-bedroom, 2.5-bath, 2,220-square-foot dwelling, not only did he meet his future wife, Jacqueline Bouvier, who was then working at the Washington Times-Herald, but he also won his 1952 Senate seat.

Jack proposed to Jackie in June 1953 (supposedly at neighborhood favorite Martin’s Tavern, which I blogged about here) and vacated the N Street house that same year. After dotting around to different residences, the newlyweds settled into an estate in McLean Virginia known as Hickory Hill. The sprawling property soon proved too large for the fledgling couple, though, and they sold it to Robert F. Kennedy in 1956 before heading back to Georgetown, eventually moving into a mansion at 3307 N Street NW, just one block over from their old house.

Standing at four stories, the handsome Federal-style residence, built in 1811, boasts 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, and over 4,000 square feet of living space. Along with JFK and Jackie lived the couple’s daughter, Caroline, and their nurse, cook, butler, and maid.

The family’s time at 3307 also proved eventful. While there, JFK announced his candidacy for president, ran a successful campaign, was elected to office, and, on November 25th, 1960, celebrated the birth of son John F. Kennedy Jr.

It was also from the stately pad that Jack and Jackie left for the inauguration on the snowy morning of January 20th, 1961, at which time they moved into their most famous home, the White House.

Countless pictures were taken of the Kennedys outside of 3307 N Street during their years there, including this one snapped by JFK’s official campaign photographer Jacques Lowe. Jack was also often documented addressing the press right from the front door. As Thomas Wolfe wrote in a 1960 Washington Post article, “Our next president doesn’t take the old, easy way of making his announcements about new cabinet ministers, the fate of the new frontier, etc., from his office on Capitol Hill — where, if one need edit, the corridors have steam heat. He just steps right out on the old front porch at 3307 N St. NW and starts talking. And disappears back into the manse.” Seeing the brief happy moments captured at the residence is jarring considering the tragedy that will befall the family in such a short time and the eerie realization they bring that the man standing front and center is gone while the house remains virtually untouched.

After the assassination in 1963, Jackie returned to Georgetown, first moving into the home of a friend and then, in February 1964, to a Colonial dwelling just a few blocks east of her previous residence at 3017 N Street NW with her sister, Lee. (I failed to stalk that particular location while in D.C., but an MLS photo featured on Zillow is pictured below.) The 12-room manse was selected by Radziwill and, per Jackie, Janet & Lee, of the choice, designer Billy Baldwin said, “It had been chosen for Jackie with the greatest possible bad decision by her sister. I think the home was designed by someone for purposes of publicity. There was no hope for privacy, it was out in the open, high atop a mountain of steps. When I saw it, it looked like a monument. I thought, ‘Why, Lee, why? Why?’” As predicted, the place did quickly become an attraction for lookie-loos, with tour buses stopping by throughout the day and people camping out on the sidewalk in front hoping for a glimpse of the resplendent Jackie. Needless to say, she didn’t last long there. In July 1964, she took her two children and moved to a spacious apartment at 1040 Fifth Avenue in New York.

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

Big THANK YOU to my friend Owen, from the When Write Is Wrong blog, for telling me about these locations!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: From 1951 to 1953, while serving in Congress, John F. Kennedy lived at 3260 N Street NW in Georgetown. In 1958, JFK and Jackie settled into a pad one block over at 3307 N Street NW where they remained until moving into the White House in January 1961. The property Jackie briefly called home following the president’s assassination is about four blocks east at 3017 N Street NW. Martin’s Tavern, where JFK is said to have proposed to Jackie, is located nearby at 1264 Wisconsin Avenue.

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019

The “George Lopez” House

The Grim Cheaper and I watch a LOT of television – something I’ve mentioned many times on this blog. Somehow we still miss quite a few shows, though, like George Lopez which ran on ABC from 2002 to 2007. Nonetheless, when a fellow stalker named Jonathan emailed me back in 2016 to let me know that he had managed to track down the main house from the series on a quiet road in San Fernando, I was thrilled as I figured many of my fellow stalkers would be interested in the find. One look at Street Views images of the pad had me immediately interested, as well. The picturesque Victorian was easily one of the most charming abodes I had ever laid eyes on. So onto my To-Stalk List it went!

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The George Lopez house was originally built in 1885, making it the second-oldest home in San Fernando. (Ironically, the property that outranks it is known as Lopez Adobe. Located at 1100 Pico Street, the dwelling was constructed in 1882 for Valentin Lopez – no relation to George, at least not that I could find – whose family founded the area’s first post office and English-speaking school.)

Per a 2002 Chicago Tribune article, the idyllic Victorian was commissioned by Senator Charles Maclay, a founder of San Fernando, and his wife, Catherine Paxton Maclay.

The once grand home started to fall into disrepair in the 1960s, sadly, and by the time it hit the market in the late ‘90s, had become severely dilapidated. Gretchen and Abraham Guerrero saw through the rotted wood, shattered windows and cracked paint, though, and purchased the pad in 1997, immediately setting about on a massive restoration project that lasted more than five years. During the renovation, paint layers were stripped away, many original elements restored or re-created, two bathrooms were added (the pad initially only had one), and the attic space turned into a master suite. The result of their efforts is stunning.

Today, the 1,761-square-foot abode boasts 4 bedrooms, 3 baths (one with a footed tub), a 0.39-acre lot, a wraparound front porch, a fireplace, red oak flooring, 12-foot ceilings, and a modern kitchen with marble counters.

Considering George Lopez grew up in San Fernando, it is no surprise that the pad came to be used on the series, which was largely based on his life.

The property looks much the same in person as it did onscreen, though it has since been painted green, which Gretchen and Abraham believe is its original coloring. During their lengthy renovation, the couple happened to come across a stack of laurel-hued wood stashed away in an exterior closet which led to their hunch. They had the color matched and subsequently repainted the house, bringing it back to its initial glory.