The theme for our brief summer vacation was “Hooray for Capitalists.”
William Randolph Hearst and John Paul Getty were titans of business who built empires, gathered stupifying art collections and then built suitable structures in which to display their treasures.
Hearst built the world’s first newspaper media empire. San Simeon, designed by the great Julia Morgan, took over 28 years to build. But the Depression hit and portions of San Simeon remain unfinished. This was Hollywood’s greatest weekend playground where Marion Davies, Hearst’s mistress, invited her movie friends to relax for a few days. It was also the location for some of the most elaborate costume parties ever staged.
In a touching aside, actor David Niven recalls visiting the castle in 1957—the golden days long gone—and by then, he said, the wine, including an 1890 Tokay “tasted like the bottom of the San Pedro Harbor.”
The next stop in our summer vacation was The Getty Museum, just twenty minutes drive—everything is twenty minutes away in LA—from Casa Avrech.
John Paul Getty made his fortune in oil. He was America’s first billionaire. Getty’s art collection is world-class and expansive. Richard Meier designed the Getty Center, a series of off-white buildings that bring to mind Jerusalem. Artist Robert Irwin designed the gardens.
Karen and I wish all our friends and relatives a lovely and peaceful Shabbat.
One more comment about “Hearst castle” – which he called “La Cuesta Encantada” (“The Enchanted Hill”) but usually referred to as simply “The Ranch” (in the massive dining hall which looks a bit medieval) -he always served his many guests gourmet meals with paper napkins and ketchup bottles to remind him of his camping days as a boy on this very hill) –
The Hearst family donated this to the state of California in 1957 and the state, seeing it as a white elephant – a massive estate in the middle of nowhere – didn’t know what to do with it.
In the state parks system this has been their biggest moneymaker by far with people coming from around the world to see this. Shows you what they know!
Driving up the long driveway you can still see the runway where many of his guests would arrive or a plane would arrive bearing dozens of newspapers from his empire around the country
if any of you readers would like to visit I have some recommendations – first – particularly in the summer – get your tickets and reservations on line weeks/months earlier – I have been down there – our car club went to Cambria for last year’s OktoberFest – and the tours were sold out.
Second – in the fall – about now or in a few weeks they have an “evening tour” where volunteers dress up in period costume and want to make you feel you are one of the “invited guests” – which on one such tour I saw the silliness of it with 100 people filing by in a guest house behind a pretty young woman in a bathrobe at the make up mirror “getting ready for dinner” – but still one can get the feeling of what it was like to be a Robert Powell, Gary Cooper, G.B.Shaw, F. LaGuardia (just to name a few) – getting ready for the evening dinner.
it was G.B. Shaw who, upon visiting “The Ranch” quipped “This is what God would build if He had the money”!
You wrote about the Getty Center and the off-white buildings reminding you of Jerusalem — somehow the picture of Karen looking through the wall seems like it could be set in Jerusalem (to me anyway).
Hope you and Karen (and your readers) have a wonderful Shabbat.
All the blue in the Roman bath makes it look like Jodhpur, in India (the town the weird pants are named after). Google image-search it: for some reason, the whole town is painted sky-blue.
The only other place I know of that uses so much sky-blue is the Navajo rez, because the color’s sacred in their religion.
Robert – the subject of Hearst has fascinated me for years. If you went into the “town” of San Simeon, you’d see the warehouse where he used to store all of the antiques he and his reps bought around the world. The pier – where his 100′ yacht the Oneida would stop – still there and as strong as can be.
On the subject of Marion Davies, I have long been her defender. Her detractors point to her later movies and admittedly – she was pretty bad. And they point out that “she had no talent but for a benefactor like Hearst promoting her”. And if I am not mistaken he even bought a movie studio for her.
But in my opinion Hearst’s backing was a dual edged sword. Hearst considered comediennes to be lower than dramatic acting, and Charlie Chaplin said that she was the best comedienne in the world. And Chaplin should certainly be an authority.
Watch the 1928 movie Show People – one of the last of the silent movies. But through 83 years it is just as timely – and funny -today.
The plot is about a poor and naive woman who comes to Hollywood to become an actress. She finds fame, fortune, and ……
The Hearst family is understandably hostile to Marion – she was the mistress who for over 20 years – lived with “Willy” in San Simeon while their mother, a former Ziegfield Girl, lived in NY in her own mansion. She wouldn’t give him a divorce.
Those who think Marion was a “gold digger” probably don’t know that she probably saved the Hearst Corporation in the late 40s – Hearst – as much money as he was making – was spending it even faster and the creditors were closing in.
Marion lent him $1 million dollars and it saved the company.
You mention the memorable scene with David Niven – my memorable scene is the last time Hearst saw San Simeon – his doctors told him that he should leave there (too high? at about $1,000 feet?) – but for whatever reason he was told to leave, he and his chauffeur took one last drive down that driveway in the late 40s and he told the driver to stop.
He got out, turned around on that long and winding driveway, and took one last view of his beloved estate.
He lived his final few years with Marion at her home in Beverly Hills – and when he died – Marion was not even invited to the funeral (he is buried up in San Francisco at the Colma cemetery).
Hearst gave her in his will a seat on the Board and a substantial number of shares of the Hearst Corporation which she sold it back to the family for a symbolic sum – $1?
If any of you are interested in these times read Marion’s book The Times We Had – it was actually written by another author but transcribed from a series of recordings she made in the late 50s – long after Hearst’s death – to document her time with Hearst.
Finally Robert – knowing how you revere classic Hollywood wouldn’t you have loved to have gotten that call from Mr Hearst’s secretary on Wednesday to meet the other guests at the Glendale train station to come up in his private car?
No matter what plans you had you had better accept for 2 reasons. First, if you were a Hollywood star and didn’t show Hearst’s gossip columnist Louella Parsons would be sure to be there to report in his nationwide group of magazines. Second, if you didn’t show – you were never invited again.
Katheryn Hepburn made the mistake of refusing and it was a funny story but that is for another time.
The times they had……
I have been to both places, and they are indeed memorable. The guide at Hearst Castle told us that Hearst had so many warehouses full of artifacts that the family has lost track of them all. The family took what they wanted out of the Castle before turning it into a museum–just imagine! I was amazed at the antique ceilings he brought from Europe, but the pools were the biggest hit. I heard a tourist “accidentally” fell into the Neptune pool once. Don’t blame him!
Dr Carol – when Hearst was having his money problems he had a nationwide sale of many of his antiques. My mother worked at Bullocks in Los Angeles at the time and remembers an entire floor devoted to Hearst’s belongings.
I love these Friday posts. After the long week of depressing posts, depressing news, concern for the future, etc etc, they are like a little vacation without leaving my desk. Thank you!
I like Robert’s posts. He writes so well, he should do it for a living!