What they don't tell you is that it's on the side of a MOUNTAIN! We went up several switchback roadsd to get there, and they are very narrow and sharp. I can see why she didn't serve alcohol at her parties. Her house is the second to last on the road, so the view is great. Ginger said in her autobiography that on a clear day you could see Catalina Island.
There's about a 5-foot white picket fence around the property now, so this is really the best view of the front. It was really bright that day (as I assume it is every day in LA), and I forgot to fiddle with the settings on my camera. Being in such a daze as I was, I didn't even think to look at how the came out.
The driveway and side entrance.
Front gate. It's where the top bush is in the first picture.
This may look like the worst photo ever taken, but if you've ever seen a picture of Ginger playing tennis, then you might be more excited:
See the gate right behind her left elbow? That's the gate in the picture! The gate around the tennis court is still up, even though (in my humble opinion) it's about the ugliest thing ever. Pretty much every picture you will see of Ginger playing tennis has this gate in it somewhere:
I peeked through that large crack in the fence on the right of my picture, and I could see everything! The pool is still sparkling with blue tile, the tennis court is no longer clay, but what can you do, and the pool house still has all of its crazy decorations:
Lauren and I almost summoned up the courage to knock on the door. Almost. Maybe next time.
After we slid back down the mountain, we got on the highway, destined for Chatsworth, which is Northeast of LA. Here is what we saw:
What no one ever told me, is that Walter (Lela's dad) is buried just above them. Here is a picture of Walter, Lela, and Ginger on the set of the Major and the Minor (so cute!):
That's all for know. I'll post some pictures of me at the grave tomorrow. Ta Ta!
Whats the thingy on the right side next to Ginger's name? Awesome pics though and very cool that you made it to the house! Ive never seen the "pool pic"!
ReplyDeleteSo neat that you got to see it. Do you know when she first moved there?
ReplyDeleteKatie: It's a DAR logo...sigh.
ReplyDeleteTomL I'm pretty sure she moved there in 37 or early 38.
Great work, Maggie! Glad to hear you teamed up with Lauren - TRUE Gingerologists will get the goods!
ReplyDeleteGlad to know a lot of the original 'details' of the outside area have survived...although yeah, the 'fencing/gate' stuff was a bit unusual...but just the sytle of the day, I suppose...
You know, I would have knocked on the door, and y'all would have just taken off running... whoever opened the door whould have been told, "Please inform Miss Rogers that her Cabana Boy is reporting for duty!"
I would like to know if the ice cream fountain is still there...sure it has been 'retrofitted' for more potent potables, but would be cool to see what had survived.
Thanks for all the great pics and info, Maggie! I am in AWE!
VKMfan
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