Friday, April 11, 2014

Hollywood Home Tour - Jean Arthur

For this month's Silver Scenes bus tour, Al is going to take us past the home of one of the sweetest actresses in Hollywood. Take it away, Al!

512 N Beverly Dr
"Welcome back to the bus, everybody. I hope you have had a good stretch of the legs, for we're off to the far corners of Beverly Hills to take a gander at a lovely cottage, owned by a most lovely lady - Jean Arthur. 

"Jean Arthur started her career in Hollywood in 1923, debuting in the silent film Cameo Kirby, directed by John Ford. However, she really hit stardom in the 1930s when she became the everyday heroine in Frank Capra's classics You Can't Take it With You, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. During the 1940s, her and her husband, producer Frank Ross, lived in this charming home. 

"Although it looks cozy on the outside, it is deceptively large within, spanning 4,300 square feet. This Spanish stucco house has four bedrooms and three baths. I don't know much more about it, other than that, folks. Ms. Arthur no longer lives here....so please don't bother the current resident. After her final film appearance in Shane she left the limelight of Hollywood and now lives in a beautiful little cottage in Carmel overlooking the Pacific. "


Up-to-Date Note: The Carmel Point cottage Jean Arthur lived at, once known as "Driftwood", was put up on the market in 2012 for $4,295,000. Beautiful photos of the house, outside and inside, can be seen here


3 comments:

  1. OMG! The window seat at Driftwood.

    Both of Jean's homes are like something out of a dream. I'm not really pretentious, but I have given my bungalow a name. I call it "Corner Cottage" because it is on a corner, next to a bus stop, but if you crane your neck when waiting for the bus you can catch a glimpse of Lake Ontario. Not a view, but you can wave your arm and claim a nearness.

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    1. Isn't it lovely? I'm anxious to get my hands on the issue of Architectural digest that features Jean Arthur's cottage. How does the interior design compare to the new owner's? It sounds like we have the same lake view....if I were to build a treehouse, I'd catch a glimpse of the good ol' Erie blue.

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  2. The house you are identifying as Driftwood isn't Driftwood and it isn't Jean Arthur's house! Her house was right on the bend, with an uninterrupted view over Scenic Rd out to the water of Stewart's Cove and Carmel Point. The whole house, the outbuildings and the fencing are all made of rustic wood hence the name Driftwood - and the exterior hasn't been changed like so many other Carmel houses. I know Driftwood well because when Jean Arthur lived there I was a little girl and my father did some work for her at the house. --Carmel Native

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