Who's On The List?
Lana Turner at Marion Davies’ last epic party.
One of the most frequent daydreams that I dip into is going to a true, old fashioned, Hollywood Party. If you don’t know what that looked like, think of the party scene in ‘The Great Gatsby’ and crank it to 11. I know most movie stars threw/throw parties but there are two (well, maybe 3) locations that were THE party locales.
Marion Davies’ Beach House
Look at this place! OMG! The damn thing couldn’t even fit into the photo! It had over 100 rooms, 37 fireplaces, and 55 bathrooms. The Vanderbilts had Newport, RI but this place really puts all that stuffy old money to shame. Marion Davies was William Randolph Hearst’s girlfriend and he had Julia Morgan, the same architect who designed his “Ranch”, whip this little beach cottage up for Marion. LB Mayer was their next-door neighbor. Hearst had a real carousel moved out for a circus-themed party, most of their parties were themed actually. Odd when you think that movie stars dress up all day for work, then go to parties where they dress up as well. George Hurrell, the photographer of every glamorous publicity photo from MGM and Warners, snapped photos at her parties. An invite was like getting a Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka’s Factory.
How many stars do you see? And look at that wallpaper!! UHHHHH!!!!
Like all great things in Los Angeles, the main house was torn down. The only part of the house that is still standing is the “guest house”, which is on the left of the photo below, and the pool—-but with out the bridge. Where the main house was is now an ugly ass community center that looks like it was designed by Ikea. Ahhh “progress.”
You can see the “guest house” in this photo. It is now a community pool, so you can go swim here for a fee. Unfortunately, you’ll be hanging out with rich kids and their nannies instead of Billy Haines or Joan Crawford.
It looks so peaceful. Everyone must be sleeping off their hangovers.
2. Garden of Allah Hotel
If you were maybe a little more….hedonistic, the Garden of Allah would be for you. Well, hedonistic or just a drunk, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bogart, Orson Welles, and Errol Flynn all stayed here. Compared to Marion Davies’ parties, these were A LOT more low key, but they lasted for days. The mansion belonged to silent film star Alla Nazimova. When her money ran low, she was smart enough to turn her estate into a hotel to get some cash flow. It was located kitty corner from the Chateau Marmot. The liquor might not have been top shelf but the parties were beyond epic. The night before the Garden officially shut down in 1959, there was a party held that went on until dawn…just like the good old days of Tinseltown. (Of course, they tore this beauty down, it’s now a Chase bank/strip mall…WTF?!)
The last hurrah.
3. Hearst Castle/San Simeon/ “The Ranch”
This is the only great party palace that is still left from Old Hollywood. These parties were very similar to the ones at Marion’s Beach House except Hearst was the host and he didn’t let people drink that much, two glasses per person. Womp, Womp. This is why God invented the flask. He also did not allow couples who were NOT married to bunk up…even though he was married and Marion was not the wife. These parties were also days long because the “Ranch” was, like, almost 5 hours from LA (it’s about 3.5 hrs now) so people were invited for a weekend full of horseback riding, tennis, and there was even a zoo on the property. But, the pools are beyond any that could be created today. They are heaven in pool form.
Indoor Roman Pool at Hearst Castle
Outdoor Neptune Pool
Now that you all know the locations, which stars would you like to join the party? Well, I’m launching a podcast to investigate that very question. Each week I’ll be exploring a different figure from Old Hollywood and will decide if we would want to party with them. I’ll keep a Guest List on this site. Let me know if there are any celebrities you would want to learn about. So, come on and join the party! Starts next week!
