L.A. Lady

I'm a Hollywood native who's ready to spread the love for L.A. You'll be reading about my assorted adventures, nutty knitting and crochet projects, wacky and wonderful friends and whatever else I feel like yammering about. Don't forget shoes. Very important.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Murder, Scandal & Gunfire at the Frolic...

Sit back, folks, it's another long one...

OK, so I've had this week off, and yesterday I decided to be a tourist.
I took the Dearly Departed tour which covers sites of scandal, death, and murder, mwah hah hah...

Please enjoy some of our creepy, haunted, and often photographed spots...

The apartment building on Harold Way which was home to Bela Lugosi (and yes, the tour guide played Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi's Dead" while we ambled by):



We cruised by the LaBianca house while the tour guide played a song recorded by Charles Manson, and then later, by the Beach Boys.
Creepy.



And for those of you wondering What Happened To Baby Jane, well, it happened here in Hancock Park:



Here's the Happy Days house.
No, nothing scandalous happened here as far as I know, but we were passing by.
C'mon people, work with me.
Note the dappling sunlight:



Now I know that this one doesn't show much, but this is the bracket on the wall at Ren Mar studios that used to hold the sign which said that this was the stage where I Love Lucy was taped.
All give props to Desi for the three-camera film shooting.
That was his idea, and everyone followed suit.



This is the apartment house on Sweetzer where that nutjob gunned down Rebecca Schaeffer:



And now, folks, we're going to the Hills of Beverly...
This is the Menendez House.
Please note the current owner's wicked sense of humor.



This is the little house that had been the honeymoon cottage for Marilyn Monroe and Joltin' Joe Dimaggio.
It's also the house in front of which a despondent Marilyn had to face the press when their divorce was announced.
Jerry Geisler (famous Hollywood attorney and damage control specialist) was escorting her away at the time.



Here's another house to which Geisler was summoned - when Lana Turner's daughter Cheryl stabbed Lana's abusive boyfriend, Johnny Stamponato (He had it coming, if I get a vote.):



This is the lovely little house - right by Marilyn's - in which Jean Harlow lived until she died at 26 from renal failure, brought on by complications of childhood scarlet fever.
She was not an addict, a deviant, or any other things many said about her - she just didn't like underwear.
She simply had the bad luck to be born long before dialysis was - it's the only thing that could have saved her.
Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles lived here, too...such a pretty house...such sad karma.



And this isn't creepy, but I thought it was so cool that George Burns added his initials when they poured his driveway.



And before we headed back to Hollywood, we stopped to powder our noses - at the restroom where George Michael was busted.
Now you know why I picked THIS tour...




Now here's where the trouble all started.
Who knew that when I walked back to the Frolic from the tour drop-off that I would be met with a torrent of gunfire?!?







And then my gallant friend Glenn tried to save me, but was unsuccessful:



My mother then tried to save us both...



But she then met the same unfortunate fate...





Please note the devil horns on her hoodie...



That's it, folks!
I can't think of a more fitting end to a day spent touring sites of scandal, murder, and mayhem...

Many thanks to Ric for bringing his shot up Caddy (formerly used on a production) so we could all have a little fun.

It's a Biarritz, bitch (Ric's line)!

Bye for now, all...

5 Comments:

Blogger MonkeyGurrrrrl said...

YOU ARE SO CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!

I loved the cyber tour, but then the shot-up pix just got to me. :) How funny that y'all were acting all crazy and probably NO ONE even gave you a second glance.

11:19 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Awesome! I've always wanted to go on the Dearly Departed Tour, and now your pictures make me want to get my ass into gear and see it for real.

And I SO wish I could pose in front of a shot-up Caddy like that. Damn. I would make that my Christmas card photo, I swear.

10:58 PM  
Blogger Ellen Bloom said...

Wow! You really had a faboo L.A. style vacation, Abby! I totally agree with Catherine...use that candy apple shot up caddy for your Holiday card this year!
I've never been on the dearly departed tour. I've always wanted to take it! Thanks for letting us all in on your travels!

6:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This Cadillac is for rent for all your photo needs. Or come to the Frolic, I'm there entirely too much, so the Caddy is on the street.

Poor Glenn. Poor, poor Gita.

2:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is this the Abby Hansen of my lovesick schoolboy youth? It seems like another lifetime, but I'd recognize you anywhere. Perhaps you will write to say hello.
-Matthew Elstein
mattelstein@yahoo.com

6:38 PM  

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