Three degrees of separation
10100 Sunset Boulevard, Holmby Hills
The Pink Palace was once one of the most memorable landmarks on Sunset Boulevard. Taking up more than 1 acre, it easily caught the eyes of passing motorists who, had they gotten inside, would’ve gaped at its 10,000 square feet, the eight bedrooms and nine baths. When Jayne Mansfield purchased the property for $75,000, she installed pink lighting and a heart-shaped swimming pool.
Rudy Vallee
The megaphone crooner built the Palace in 1935 with no fewer than 40 rooms.
Jayne Mansfield
The bombshell is said to have bathed in a pink heart-shaped tub filled with champagne.
Engelbert Humperdinck
The singer sold it for $4 million in 2002; the new owners leveled it.
**
1100 Carolyn Way, Beverly Hills
Built in 1909, Grayhall was the second home to be built in Beverly Hills. The mansion has nine bedrooms and 20 baths in 22,000 square feet. Among its owners was Beverly Hills’ first mayor, Silsby Spalding, who added a ballroom in 1919, and financier Bernie Cornfeld. Imported Italian ceilings, secret passageways, murals with devils chasing maidens and a pipe organ are among the amenities.
Douglas Fairbanks
He leased Grayhall while Pickfair was being built; a passage connected the homes.
George Hamilton
The sun worshipper lived here in the ‘70s. Did we mention the home has a pool?
Mark Hughes
Herbalife’s late founder bulldozed the neighbors’ homes to enlarge his property.
**
1018 Pamela Drive, Beverly Hills
Moviegoers in 1931 caught their first glimpse of this Italian villa in the opening sequence of Buster Keaton’s “Parlor, Bedroom and Bath.” The home has more than 20 rooms, as well as a trout stream and an aviary. Tom Mix and Charlie Chaplin were neighbors. Hard times quickly fell on the property; there was the Depression, Keaton’s divorce from Natalie Talmadge and his own alcoholism.
Buster Keaton
Keaton is said to have edited “The General” in the home’s cutting room.
Cary Grant
Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton and Grant purchased the home in the ‘40s.
James Mason
Ex-wife Pamela Mason continued to restore the home until her death in 1996.
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Sources: Times reporting
