Tony Danza Buys Robert Urich’s House
Tony Danza (who stars in the weekly TV comedy “Who’s the Boss?”) has purchased the sprawling, New England-style farmhouse of Robert Urich (TV’s “Spenser: For Hire”).
The two-acre, Sherman Oaks estate with about 6,000 square feet of living space should be large enough for Danza’s expanding family. His wife, Tracy, is expecting their first child in April, said Jerry Berns, whose Sherman Oaks realty firm had the listing. Danza, who was married during the past year, has a son and daughter from a previous marriage, and his son--a teen-ager--will reside at the Sherman Oaks home. The Danzas are moving from a small house in the Hollywood Hills.
Built about 45 years ago, the Sherman Oaks home is nestled in the hills, behind electric gates. A long, sweeping drive leads to the main house, which has a basement with a wine cellar. The estate also has a swimming pool, two-story guest house, and pool house or second guest house with two bedrooms, wet bar, sauna and gym.
Urich sold the property because he and his wife and two children moved to Massachusetts, where they bought a 120-year-old fixer-upper farmhouse on 17 acres.
Urich spent most of his 20-year acting career in L. A. but moved to the Boston area because that’s where “Spenser: For Hire,” a series based on Robert Parker’s novels about a Boston detective, is filmed.
Howard Graham, vice president and sales manager of Berns’ company, was exclusive agent for the property, which was listed at $1.7 million and sold for $1,556,250.
Joan Collins might be emulating her “Dynasty” TV character’s living quarters by buying a 12,000-square-foot mansion in Beverly Hills, but the latest Malibu word is that John Forsythe, who plays her oil tycoon ex-husband on the program, just bought a 2,000-square-foot beach cottage, built in 1948, from composer Marvin Hamlisch.
The house is on Carbon Beach, between La Costa Beach and Malibu Colony. Merv Adelson, TV executive/chairman of Lorimar Productions, lives next door to the house Forsythe purchased for an estimated $1.5 million.
Forsythe’s beach house may be small (in contrast with Collins’ new house), but he has some other well-known neighbors besides Adelson. Among them: writer Irving Wallace, comedian Rich Little and record mogul David Geffen.
The Beverly Hills Hotel’s redo of its Crystal Room was launched in style the other day when Johnny Carson Productions gave a dinner-dance there to celebrate the 24th anniversary of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”
Ed McMahon, Doc Severinsen and yes, even Johnny Carsonshowed up, along with about 250 other people, mainly members of Johnny’s production team.
The once-posh ballroom previously had red velvet seat cushions, red drapes, red carpet--as a spokeswoman for the designer, Cataffo/Northcutt Design Collaborative, phrased it, “red everything.” Now it’s in shades of peach.
Renovation of the Crystal Room is only part of a $20- to $30-million face lift expected to be finished by the end of the year. The hotel will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 1987.
“A Manhattan condo with a 360-degree view of Central Park? The only building I know of that could fit that description is the Belvedere in the middle of the park, and the last I heard, that was a weather station. 180 degrees maybe?”-- Bob Stanford, North Hollywood.
“Aw, come on! Where is it? In the center of the park?”-- Jim Langsfeld, Downey.
“When did private developers get the chance to do what they’ve undoubtedly salivated over since the park opened?”-- Jerry Cowle, Pacific Palisades.
Ah, yes--as W. C. Fields used to say. So carried away were we with the price ($25 million) for the 10-year-old condo we described in the Oct. 5 column, we couldn’t see the park for the trees. Now the view is clearer.
A flyer on the Christie’s/Douglas Elliman offering says that the condo has “360-degree views of Central Park and the city.” Turns out that the condo is a four-story (54th to 57th floors) penthouse (with 8,000 square feet!) that has views from every side of the building in which it’s housed. And it’s in mid-town Manhattan, not in the middle of Central Park.
