Mae West: Neighbors in Lovenests

Marion Davies’s neighbors included MAE WEST, Louis B. Mayer, Samuel Goldwyn, Cary Grant, and J. Paul Getty — — some of whom would walk over for dinner or enjoy a midday swim at her splashy seaside hideaway. A well-paid Paramount Pictures star, Mae had purchased a 22-room beach house in the same enclave, though she was not known for sun-bathing.
• • Actress Marion Davies • •
• • Born (like Mae) in Brooklyn, NY, Marion Davies [3 January 1897 — 22 September 1961] was a motion picture actress who had a long relationship with William Randolph Hearst [1863 — 1951] — — a married newspaper tycoon who tried to destroy Mae's career. Despite his pique over the comedienne's morality, Hearst dallied long in the forbidden zone, unable to curb the longing Mistress Marion aroused.
• • Interestingly, while the Empress of Sex worked hard for everything she acquired and paid her own bills in Hollywood, Marion's sinful 34 years older sugar daddy set her up in jaw-dropping splendor in Southern California.
• • Santa Monica was a celebrity magnet long before Malibu became one, according to an article in The New York Times. Laura M. Holson emphasizes the grandeur Hearst's dewy plaything enjoyed: And Ms. Davies’s mansion was by far the grandest on the beach. In the 1920s, the Santa Monica Land and Water Company sold 30-foot beachfront parcels near the Santa Monica Pier that were acquired mostly by Hollywood’s power brokers as homes and vacation retreats, according to a research study commissioned by the City of Santa Monica.
• • Laura M. Holson adds: Ms. Davies, a talented actress who was ferried by car from Santa Monica to MGM and Warner Brothers, where she worked, never wed the much older Mr. Hearst. He remained married to Millicent Willson Hearst, although his love affair with Ms. Davies lasted three decades. He acquired several adjoining lots for her and consulted Julia Morgan on the project, the architect with whom he collaborated on Hearst Castle.
• • Once completed, the estate was dubbed the Versailles of Hollywood. The pool was 110 -feet long. There were 37 fireplaces and 55 bathrooms. Ms. Davies lived there until 1942 .... — — and you are hereby invited to consult the published piece or imagine this well-feathered lovenest on your own.
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: "A Dip Into Hollywood"
• • BY: LAURA M. HOLSON | Santa Monica based journalist
• • Published in: The New York Times — — www.nytimes.com
• • Published on: 28 August 2009
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• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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