Hollywood House Hunting: Norma Desmond's Seaside Retreat

Between The OC, The Real Housewives of Orange County, and the countless references from Angelenos about the horrors found behind the "Orange Curtain," Orange County, CA gets a bad rap for being vain, insipid, prejudice, and altogether too tan (I'm making it my ghostly-white mission to defeat that particular stereotype).  Unsure if this does anything to disprove the prevailing notion of Orange County, it must be said that the OC's beach communities were weekend getaways for Hollywood's greatest stars.  Bette Davis occupied multiple homes in Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach, while the "Duke," John Wayne, took up full-time residence in Newport Beach.  One day, as we motored around San Clemente, Orange County's southernmost beach town, we decided to pop in at the seaside retreat of one of Hollywood's earliest and most-enduring celebrities, Ms. Gloria Swanson.

The weekend home of Gloria Swanson (1926) - San Clemente, CA
I guess the stars really are "just like us;" there are few things
I love more than a 1920s, Spanish-style, California bungalow.

As charming as this bungalow may be, it hardly seemed a fitting home, even as a weekend hideaway, for a star the magnitude of Gloria Swanson.  I mean, here was Queen Kelly in a house that was well, apart from everything else, rather small. 

Perhaps Gloria didn't want a big house.
After all, the purpose of beach living is living on the beach.
A seaside retreat means suiting/booting up for hours of basking
in the glow of San Clemente's perpetually sunny shore.
(Source)

Maybe, I thought, the house was built to scale; it is well known that the diminutive star measured barely five-feet-tall.  Still, this house wasn't speaking to me - hearing that, Norma Desmond would have probably slapped me silly before uttering something about not needing to speak.  "We had faces!"  As a matter of fact, I was actually forced to do an about-face when we rounded the corner and I caught my first glimpse of the rest of the house.

Still modest by movie-star standards, this beautiful beach house
was definitely ready for its close-up (after closing up the garage door)!

In more than eight decades, San Clemente has changed dramatically, going from a sleepy, out-of-the-way beach town to a much, much larger, sleepy, out-of-the-way beach town.  Fortunately, precious little has changed about the appearance of old Gloria's getaway.  Set into the hillside and just a stone's throw from the crashing waves, the house looks nearly identical to the day it was built.

A vintage view of Casa Swanson

(Source)

The indoor/outdoor living, the smooth white stucco, the terra cotta roof, the steps lined in Spanish tile -  they're pure California, as indivisible from the coastal character of southern Orange County as Gloria Swanson from her character, Norma Desmond (at least in our minds).  Don't you love how access to the bedrooms is achieved via a covered walkway/gallery?  Don't you long for similar views of the Pacific Ocean and Santa Catalina Island from practically every room in your house?  Don't you desperately wish you lived in Orange County?!?!!  Okay, maybe I went a bit too far with that last one... but for the ability to frolic in the foam of San Clemente's azure surf and return home to Casa Swanson in its heyday, I'd happily acquiesce to wearing shorty-shorts and obeying creepy commands like...

"Turn around, darling.  Let me dry you."
Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard with William Holden

Gloria Swanson's Seaside Retreat
418 Cazador Ln
San Clemente, CA


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

AWARDS SEASON III: Ich Liebster Dich

Oo-de-lolly!!!  Amidst the excitement of our big blog giveaway and the forthcoming holidays, I've barely had time to think about my next post.  Fortunately, the problem has been solved in a very timely fashion by The Pocket Size Wife.  Much to my surprise and honor, she has awarded wacky tacky with the Liebster Blog Award.

Blog awards are always a bit of a challenge because instead of writing about things that I like, I am forced to write about a subject on which I have a tenuous grasp at the best of times - myself.  Answering the eleven questions that are a mandate of the Liebster Award, I had to think a little harder and do a little more self-reflection than I would normally.  So, with my answers here, we can both play a special game that I like to call "Getting to Know You."

"Getting to Know You" - The Lennon Sisters on

The Lawrence Welk Show

1. What is your favorite film from the silver screen era?

This is one of those questions to which it is impossible to reply with a single answer.  I have a very large collection of movies and most are pre-1960.  Movies that I LOVE include: Sunset Boulevard, My Man Godfrey, North by Northwest, Now Voyager, State Fair, and many more.  To be perfectly honest, my favorite movie of all time would probably not be considered the silver screen's finest production but it is my "happy place" movie that I can watch anytime, anywhere - The Parent Trap (the original with Hayley Mills, Brian Keith, Una Merkel, and Maureen "Hubba Hubba" O'Hara).

The Parent Trap
(Source)

2.  What is the number one thing you can't live without from your closet and why?

Hmmmm...I think I am known more for creating clothes than for the clothes I wear.  I wish that I put more effort into my clothing and appearance but I am extremely low maintenance.  I prefer work wear for everyday, so I guess the answer then is denim - jeans AND overalls.

It would make so much more sense if I worked even half as hard as these guys.
(Source)

3. Who is your most influential style icon from the past and from today?

A figure from the past that I would give anything to look like (physically and clothing wise) is Cary Grant.  He had amazing style but it wasn't too precious or overwrought.  Many guys in the vintage community put in more effort, time, and energy into the acquisition, handling, and display of their clothes than any woman I know; I think that it takes all of the fun out of it.  Also, I am not a big, macho, manly man but this activity in men seems so non-masculine/prissy.  Cary Grant could look dapper, dashing, sophisticated, or relaxed without trying too hard and he always looked like a man.  My paternal grandfather had similar style; he always looked very put together without trying hard.  He wore clothing that was always appropriate for the occasion; he dressed as much for my grandma as he did for himself and he took a healthy amount of pride in his appearance.

This is what I want to look like.
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This is what I want to wear.
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4. What is your guilty pleasure?

I hate to say it, but it is TMZ, not so much the website as the TV show.  Even though I don't participate heavily in contemporary popular culture, I can't help but be fascinated by our society's (and my own) perennial obsession with celebrity.  One time I was driving through Beverly Hills and the TMZ tour bus was next to me;  I rolled down my window and kept yelling at the tourists that I was one of the Backstreet Boys.  I am a dork - a dork that thinks he's hilarious.  I'm also hooked on The People's Court but I don't feel guilty about that at all.

TMZ - I don't even know what that means??
(Source)

Harvey & Marilyn
The stars of my two favorite shows
(Source)

5. What is your current obsession?

My blog.  Is that weird?  Most of the things I do in my life are things that I have to do.  My blog is something that I get to do and look very much forward to doing.  I really enjoy every aspect of it - research, creating, adventure, writing, and connecting with awesome people.

Does that make me self-obsessed?

6. What is your most prized possession and how did you come about it?

I was born into it.  I hate to be serious but my family is my most prized possession.  My parents are cool and they, if not indulge, at least tolerate my eccentricities.  My very best friends are my brothers and sisters and their support means more to me than all the collections in the world.  And I'm not sure if I've mentioned him or not, but my nephew is the light of my life!!!  

My family - truly possessed.

I think all collectors go through phases of hunting, hoarding, and purging.  I am far from evolved, but I am definitely in the phase of disenchantment with my "stuff."  I am ready to organize and simplify; I find that experiences and adventures are far more fulfilling than amassing a bunch of things.  Having said all that,  I am quite fond of my sewing machine.  It wasn't cheap and I had to save to get it.  It is a tool that helps me turn my ideas into reality.

7. What famous person from the past or present do you think you look like?

I don't think that anyone in this world has ever gotten famous by looking like me - heaven help them if they do!!!  I never get stopped and told by anyone, "Hey, you look just like...." or "Does anyone ever tell you that you are the spitting image of..."  I have been told multiple times over the phone that I sound like Robert Downey, Jr.  Granted, it was by the same woman each time and she was trying to sell me something; my family has assured me that I sound nothing like Robert Downey, Jr.  I don't know, maybe Chaz Bono or Francis from Pee Wee's Big Adventure???

Francis Bux-TON
(Source)

Chaz Bono
(Source)

What do you think?

8. If you had one more day to live, how would you spend it?  What would you do?

I would spend it with my family - in shifts (we don't do well all crammed together in one room).  I think I would want to be exploring the desert or adventuring in Australia.  Food would definitely be involved.  I might even indulge in dairy products.  Lactose intolerance be damned - tomorrow I die!!!

I need some good, old fashioned nutrition!
(Source)

9.  Are you a pet lover? If so, do you own any pets?

Alas, I am allergic to everything - hair, fur, or feathers practically send me into anaphylactic shock.  We have had the odd fish (they were indeed odd - at least two committed suicide) over the years but I think the allergy gene negated the animal lover gene in me.

That's me...the boy in the bubble.
(Source)

10. If you could go back in time, where would you and why?

Another tough one to answer.  It is probably obvious from my blog that I am particularly enamored with the first two-thirds of the 20th Century, so I would want to pick the perfect time where I could go back and enjoy the best of every decade.  I constantly think about the business opportunities; I could go back and buy up huge quantities of vintage clothes, cars, Christmas decorations, bakelite and bring them all back to the 21st Century and get rich!

I don't think Doc and Marty ever fully explored the money making potential of the DeLorean.
(Source)

11.  Who would you like to go out to lunch with from the blogging world?

Without a doubt, it would be the group of bloggers from Nashville that I follow.  If y'all (see how I included that) aren't familiar with Eartha Kitsch of Ranch Dressing with Eartha Kitsch, Lisa of My Pretty Baby Cried She was a Bird, and Rae of Say It Ain't So, then be sure to check out their blogs.  They are hilarious, they collect awesome stuff, and even though at least two of them are vegetarian, I know we would be eating beautiful layer cakes, Pac-Man cookies, and delicious Southern food.  

Eartha's Beautiful Bunny Cake
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Lisa's Pac-Man Cookies
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Rae's Raspberry Coffee Cake from Heaven
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I must pause and express my gratitude to The Pocket Size Wife for this award.  Thank you for thinking us worthy of the award; I hope we can maintain your interest and support.

If you haven't yet visited her blog, be sure to check it out.  There is something for everyone there - marriage, Morrissey, millinery, and more!!!  Thanks again!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny