LMGI COMPASS
|
Summer 2022
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11
cool Tuscan tones, striking
fountain and prim hedges
were instantly recognizable
from
The Godfather.
Playing on large flat screens
in the soaring 50-foot
entry hall were scenes
from other titles filmed at
the Beverly Estate:
The
Bodyguard, Fletch, Black Is
King, Charlie's Angels
and
The Jerk. Details such as
designed text panels and
guided tours by Silverman
further enhanced the theme.
Attendees enjoyed music,
small bites and cocktails on
the sprawling back terrace
and balconies, with a view
of landscape architect Paul
Thiene's pristine greenery
and a statue-lined cascading
waterfall leading to the
Olympic pool flanked by
Venetian columns, also
captured on film in
The
Godfather.
David Silverman led groups
through the mansion's
illustrious past. Designed
in 1926 by Hoover Dam
architect Gordon Kaufmann,
it's where Davies and Hearst
hosted unrivaled bacchanals
with screen stars like Ava
Gardner, Gregory Peck
and Joan Crawford. John
and Jacqueline Kennedy
honeymooned in the home,
which also reportedly
doubled as JFK's West
Coast presidential campaign
headquarters in 1960.
Guests trooped upstairs,
with cocktails in hand, to
glimpse the pastel bedroom
with plush carpet and thick
tapestries once occupied
by Ms. Davies and where
Hearst took his final breath.
Silverman explained that
although the exterior was
prominently featured in
Coppola's sweeping shots,
The Godfather's infamous
"horse head" scene was
actually filmed elsewhere.
The 19-bedroom H-form
building is a marvel of Italian
and Spanish architecture,
featuring tile and dark hand-
carved wood beams that
balance 22-foot ceilings,
picture windows and open,
light-filled colonnades and
archways. The property has
been expanded over the
years and boasts a massive
JJ Levine/LMGI, Beth Tate/LMGI. Photo by Jill Naumann/LMGI
Paul Kim/Image Locations, John Rakich/LMGI. Photo by Erika Howard/LMGI
L-R: Kendall Ackroyd, Gina Vreeland/LMGI, Jill Naumann/LMGI, Janet Harold/LMGI, Marie Healy/LMGI, Christina Valencia.
Photo courtesy of Jill Naumann/LMGI
ballroom, wine cellar,
projection room and an art
deco-style lounge inspired
by Hugh Hefner's former
supper club, Touch. There
is a stunning two-story
library with a wraparound
walkway and carved
woodwork, a velvet-walled
billiards room with original
herringbone parquet floors,
and a massive stone-
carved fireplace shipped
from Hearst Castle in San
Simeon.
The estate continues to
