Glamorous ‘old Hollywood' estate for sale in CA has a ‘Prohibition-era speakeasy'
A jaw-dropping estate in the Los Angeles area has landed on the real estate market in California — and it has a secret.
Listed for $7 million, the five-bedroom, five-bathroom house in the Eagle Rock neighborhood was built in 1930 and carries the name 'The Gatsby.' Since it was built during the Prohibition era, a time where there was a nationwide ban on liquor sales, it has a hidden speakeasy, the listing on Zillow says.
'On the lower level, a hidden treasure awaits. Known as The Velvet Room, this authentic Prohibition-era speakeasy seems to echo with stories from another time. With secret rooms, a built-in bar, a fireplace, and private access to the backyard, it's a moody and unforgettable escape, where the spirit of the Jazz Age still lingers in the air,' the listing says.
While that's certainly a major draw, the house has a lot to offer.
'Originally built in the 1930s and reimagined by legendary architect Paul R. Williams, AIA, this storied estate has been lovingly restored by Gary Mkrtichyan of Opus Builders, blending old-world craftsmanship with modern-day refinement in perfect harmony,' the listing describes.
'From the exterior, The Gatsby evokes the romantic grandeur of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, with graceful archways, ornate wrought ironwork, hand-carved wood details, vibrant tilework, terracotta rooflines, and lush, manicured gardens spread across nearly three-quarters of an acre.'
Features across and outside the 6,700-square-foot property, per the listing, include:
Front fountainVaulted ceilingsFormal dining roomChef's kitchenBuilt-in wine fridgeSecret pantryRomantic backyardSports courtSwimming poolFormal studyBalconySundeck
There are even exposed ceiling beams that are 'a breathtaking tribute to Paul R. Williams' signature artistry, an exquisite blend of architectural poetry and Old Hollywood glamour.'
'From sun-drenched interiors to hidden corners of enchantment, The Gatsby is a home built not just to impress, but to inspire.'
The listing is held by Nicole Plaxen and Shauna Walters of The Beverly Hills Estates and Brad Keyes of Keyes Real Estate.
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Miami Herald
8 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Glamorous ‘old Hollywood' estate for sale in CA has a ‘Prohibition-era speakeasy'
A jaw-dropping estate in the Los Angeles area has landed on the real estate market in California — and it has a secret. Listed for $7 million, the five-bedroom, five-bathroom house in the Eagle Rock neighborhood was built in 1930 and carries the name 'The Gatsby.' Since it was built during the Prohibition era, a time where there was a nationwide ban on liquor sales, it has a hidden speakeasy, the listing on Zillow says. 'On the lower level, a hidden treasure awaits. Known as The Velvet Room, this authentic Prohibition-era speakeasy seems to echo with stories from another time. With secret rooms, a built-in bar, a fireplace, and private access to the backyard, it's a moody and unforgettable escape, where the spirit of the Jazz Age still lingers in the air,' the listing says. While that's certainly a major draw, the house has a lot to offer. 'Originally built in the 1930s and reimagined by legendary architect Paul R. Williams, AIA, this storied estate has been lovingly restored by Gary Mkrtichyan of Opus Builders, blending old-world craftsmanship with modern-day refinement in perfect harmony,' the listing describes. 'From the exterior, The Gatsby evokes the romantic grandeur of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, with graceful archways, ornate wrought ironwork, hand-carved wood details, vibrant tilework, terracotta rooflines, and lush, manicured gardens spread across nearly three-quarters of an acre.' Features across and outside the 6,700-square-foot property, per the listing, include: Front fountainVaulted ceilingsFormal dining roomChef's kitchenBuilt-in wine fridgeSecret pantryRomantic backyardSports courtSwimming poolFormal studyBalconySundeck There are even exposed ceiling beams that are 'a breathtaking tribute to Paul R. Williams' signature artistry, an exquisite blend of architectural poetry and Old Hollywood glamour.' 'From sun-drenched interiors to hidden corners of enchantment, The Gatsby is a home built not just to impress, but to inspire.' The listing is held by Nicole Plaxen and Shauna Walters of The Beverly Hills Estates and Brad Keyes of Keyes Real Estate.
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Boston Globe
Arthur Hamilton, who wrote the enduring ‘Cry Me a River,' dies at 98
It was one of the three songs he wrote for the 1955 film 'Pete Kelly's Blues,' which starred Jack Webb as a jazz musician fighting mobsters in Prohibition-era Kansas City, Missouri. At the time, Webb was also playing his most famous role, Sergeant Joe Friday, on the television series 'Dragnet' (1951-59). Advertisement Peggy Lee, who played an alcoholic performer in the film, sang Mr. Hamilton's 'Sing a Rainbow' and 'He Needs Me.' Ella Fitzgerald, who was also in the film, sang 'Cry Me a River,' but her rendition was cut by Webb, who was also the director and producer. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Arthur said to me that the irony was that when Ella recorded it' -- years later, for her 1961 album 'Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!' -- 'he thought she made one of the greatest recordings of it ever,' Michael Feinstein, the singer and pianist, said in an interview. 'But Jack felt she didn't have the emotional bandwidth to do it justice.' Mr. Hamilton quickly made the song available to London, a friend from high school who was also Webb's ex-wife. It became a hit, rising to No. 9 on the Billboard singles chart in 1955. Advertisement The song is a bitter rebuke from a jilted lover: Now you say you're sorry For being so untrue Well, you can cry me a river, cry me a river I cried a river over you. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in 2010, Mr. Hamilton explained why he used the phrase 'cry me a river.' 'Instead of 'eat your heart out,' or 'I'll get even with you,' it sounded like a good, smart retort to somebody who had hurt your feelings or broken your heart,' he said. The song has been covered by Barbra Streisand, Joe Cocker, Ray Charles, Aerosmith and, in 2009, the crooner Michael Bublé, who sang it before Queen Elizabeth II. Bublé told The Wall Street Journal in 2010 that the song stood out for its lack of sentimentality. 'There's almost a darkness that sort of distinguishes it from so many other songs,' he said. 'Even if you listen to Julie London's version, it's very dark.' London's 'Cry Me a River' was added to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress in 2015. 'Delivered in a soft, breathy style, 'Cry' is basically a revenge anthem, but it nevertheless becomes a romantic come-hither,' Cary O'Dell wrote in an essay for the registry. Arthur Hamilton Stern was born on Oct. 22, 1926, in Seattle, and moved to Los Angeles with his parents when he was a baby. His father, Jack Stern, wrote songs for several films, including 'Folies Bergère de Paris' (1935), which starred Maurice Chevalier, and was also a publicist for Irving Berlin. His mother, Grace (Hamilton) Stern, was a singer who occasionally wrote lyrics for her husband's songs. Advertisement Mr. Hamilton learned to play on the pianos in his house and received a further education from watching performances by the cabaret pianist and singer Bobby Short in a club in Beverly Hills. 'I told people many times, 'I didn't go to college. I went to Bobby Short,'' he said in 2020 on 'The Paul Leslie Hour,' a podcast. Mr. Hamilton wrote the score for a stage musical, 'What a Day,' that was telecast live on the Los Angeles television station KTTV, in 1949; worked for a music publishing company; and signed a contract to write songs for Webb -- first for 'Dragnet,' where his tune 'Any Questions?' was sung in an episode by Peggy King, and then for 'Pete Kelly's Blues. Composing music for 'Pete Kelly's Blues' was a big break for Mr. Hamilton. 'Four years ago,' according to a 1955 article in The Oakland Tribune, 'he was delivering drugs for a chain of local pharmacies. He was a frustrated songwriter who spent his spare time scribbling lyrics on the backs of prescription blanks.' Lee's recording of 'He Needs Me' was included in the album 'Songs From 'Pete Kelly's Blues'' (1955), and the song was later covered by Cleo Laine, Nina Simone and others. Both Bobby Darin and Marvin Gaye recorded it as 'She Needs Me.' In 1970, Mr. Hamilton collaborated with Riz Ortolani on 'Till Love Touches Your Life' for the movie 'Madron,' a western filmed in Israel, which starred Richard Boone as a cowboy and Leslie Caron as a nun. It was nominated for an Oscar for best original song but lost to 'For All We Know,' from 'Lovers and Other Strangers.' Advertisement Mr. Hamilton and Pat Williams were nominated for Primetime Emmys for their songs for the TV movies 'Blind Spot' (1993) and 'The Corpse Had a Familiar Face' (1994). Mr. Hamilton's survivors include his wife, Joyce (Maurer) Hamilton, and a daughter, Claudia Hamilton. His marriage to Mildred Winter ended in divorce. Feinstein, an expert on the Great American Songbook who wrote songs with Hamilton about 15 years ago, said that 'Cry Me a River' resonates in part because its emotional intensity builds throughout. 'Songs that are simply not about the clichéd expressions of love,' he said, 'have the potential to endure longer than the garden variety love song, because they express something that is a catharsis for people.' This article originally appeared in
3 days ago
This would make great TV': How Donald Trump got the parade he wanted
In June 2024, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and his aides were at a Virginia military base where the service was putting on one of its live-action shows for kids and families. The event -- a decades-long tradition known as the "Twilight Tattoo" -- was a spectacle. Soldiers from ceremonial units reenact the history of the Army, complete with Revolutionary War garb, music, theatrical vignettes and military pageantry, all meant to serve as a kind of salute to Army soldiers and their families. George and his top communications adviser, Col. Dave Butler, were attending with several media executives, when one of them leaned over. "This would make great television," the executive said, according to Butler. George and his staff had already been talking about how to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday. Maybe, they thought, the National Park Service would let them host one of their live-action shows on the National Mall, the officials thought. After President Donald Trump took office and the June 14 birthday was getting closer, the Army began to toss around more ideas. One idea was to add tanks or other iconic Army equipment to an exhibit parked on the National Mall where tourists could learn about the Army's history of fighting the nation's wars. Butler said he doesn't remember who first broached the idea of turning the Army's show into a parade. But once the idea was floated, no one seemed to push back. By June, the Army had a plan of what they would include: 6,700 soldiers, 150 vehicles, including dozens of tanks, 50 aircraft flying overhead including World War II-era planes and high-tech weaponry like rocket launchers. Trump, a former media executive himself, seemed game to the idea. One official involved in the planning described it like "knocking on an unlocked door." "We wanted to reintroduce this nation's Army to the American people," Butler said. "To do that, we thought we needed to be in their living rooms and on their phones. We needed something that would catch the national eye." Criticism over cost As the Army prepares for its birthday parade in downtown Washington on Saturday, not everyone is on board. About 6 in 10 Americans say that Saturday's parade is "not a good use" of government money, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The White House has not released an estimate of the parade's cost, with only the Army's portion of moving troops and equipment expected to cost up to $45 million. Security is expected to add significantly to the price tag. Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, an Army veteran who deployed with the Illinois National Guard during the Iraq War, said the money would be better spent on helping troops pay for essentials like child care. "Donald Trump's birthday parade has nothing to do with celebrating the Army's 250th birthday -- it's to stroke his own ego and make taxpayers foot the bill," said Duckworth. Duckworth and other Trump critics also note a military parade is often associated with countries like Russia and North Korea, where dictators march its soldiers and equipment through their streets. Advocates are organizing protests in cities other than Washington -- dubbed the "No Kings" protests. Trump, who turns 79 on Saturday, said he wants a military parade to show how great the country is. The president first pushed the idea in 2017 after attending the Bastille Day parade and celebration in France, saying he wanted to "try and top it." That effort was canceled after price estimates topped $90 million. When asked Thursday what he hopes the public will remember about the American parade, Trump said, "How great our country is, very simple, and how strong our military is." "We have the strongest military in the world," he added. According to Army officials involved in the planning effort, including Butler, the White House helped the Army plan the birthday celebration as an event focused on the Army's service to the nation. There are no plans currently, for example, to sing the president happy birthday. The president also is not expected to speak, leaving much of the festivities to the soldiers. According to the schedule, Trump will watch the tanks and soldiers march down Constitution Avenue from a viewing stand near the White House. Toward the end of the event, he will receive a flag from a soldier who will parachute on to the White House Ellipse. After that, the president will give the oath of enlistment to some 250 soldiers. The event concludes with fireworks over the Tidal Basin. Still, there are some of Trump's fingerprints on the event. In the final days leading up to the event, the White House made an unusual request. Trump, they said, wanted the Air Force to bring its fighter jets to the Army's party. If weather allows, the Thunderbirds will now do a flyover. White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly defended the move to let the Air Force participate in the Army's birthday parade. "The President wants the Army Birthday Parade to feature the strength, talent, and creativity of all our military servicemembers," she said in a statement. "The Thunderbirds flyover will inspire patriotism and awe for all who attend!"
