Movie Star Homes: The Famous to the Forgotten [Paperback]

Judy Artunian (Author), Mike Oldham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004

From Gloria Swanson’s 1918 Hollywood bungalow to Brad Pitt’s Beverly Hills estate, this compendium of movie star homes profiles the extravagant, lavish, and eccentric residences of the rich and famous. Each of the nearly 400 entries includes a photo of the star and brief summation of the star’s career, the address of the star’s home, a photo of the home as it looks today, and fascinating facts about the site. In addition to magnificent mansions, the homes where celebrities lived before they became famous are also featured, such as Natalie Wood’s humble 1945 residence and the home of Buster Keaton before he built his famed Italian villa in Beverly Hills.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It’s rare when a travel guide makes itself as meaningful at home as on vacation . . . This is one of them." -- Chicago Tribune

"Pay dirt for the insatiable Hollywood archeologist." -- Los Angeles Times Magazine

"The most comprehensive book on the subject . . . encompassing everything from the silent days to the modern era." -- Palm Beach Post

"The resource to lead you to celebrity-real-estate-heaven." -- SilentEra.com

"Their careful selections, combined with photographs and biographical sketches . . . result in a fascinating mosaic of Hollywood history and style." -- RoadTripAmerica.com

About the Author

Judy Artunian is a regular contributor to the Chicago Tribune. Her work has appeared in Glamour and The Miami Herald. She is a member of the Los Angeles Conservancy, an architectural preservation society. Mike Oldham is the managing partner of a wholesale distributor. They are both members of Hollywood Heritage, an organization dedicated to the historic preservation of Hollywood's landmarks. They both live in Southern California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Santa Monica Press (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891661388
• ISBN-13: 978-1891661389
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #419,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating tour of Hollywood homes, February 28, 2005

By 

W. Oliver (Alabama) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Movie Star Homes: The Famous to the Forgotten (Paperback)

If you love Hollywood, architecture or are just curious about what kind of homes the movie stars live in, you will find this book fascinating. It includes over 350 entries - from silent greats (Garbo, Valentino) to modern day stars (Brad Pitt & Jennifer Anniston) - although the majority of the entries are the classic stars of yester-year. Each entry includes the address, a brief sentence or two about their career and fame followed by a paragraph about the house itself and a black and white photo. The photos are usually good although there are some that are very small and others in which you can only see a fence or a driveway. The captions note that some of the stars only lived in the houses for a few years. You might be surprised at how modest a lot of the homes are! An appendix gives "movie star homes by region" and "theme tours." If you are taking a trip to Hollywood, you will definately want to take this book with you, and it is a fun book to browse even if you are not going there.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, May 21, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Movie Star Homes: The Famous to the Forgotten (Paperback)

This is a very good book. I enjoyed all of the photos and interesting information about many different movie stars throughout different time periods. Overall this is a great book that is very fun to read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Guide That Could Use More Modern Stars and Homes, December 12, 2008

By 

Mediaman "TVviewer" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Movie Star Homes: The Famous to the Forgotten (Paperback)

This is a good guide to over 350 homes of Hollywood stars. The book orders the homes by the last name of the star, then includes the address of the home, a paragraph about the star and a paragraph about when the star lived in the home. There are small pictures of the star and the home.

The book focuses a lot on really old movie stars, including many from the silent era. The few contemporary stars in the book rarely have their current homes listed--it may be an apartment they stayed in 20 years ago or a first home they purchased before they made it big.

A map would also help. For those not familiar with L.A., we have no idea where these houses are in relation to anything else.

Compared to other guides that are out, this is a pretty good book but dated. Don't get it if you are trying to find a bunch of modern houses of stars. For movie historians only.