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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:27:47 GMT
 TOPANGA CANYON CALIFORNIA Linda lived in Topanga Canyon in 1968 and 1969. When the Manson murders first started, she lived next door to Gary Hinman who was the first murder. I grew up in Topanga and was in high school at the time.
ronstadt.proboards.com/thread/4861/ronstadt-manson-connections
Linda also lived near Nicole Brown Simpson and if I remember correctly occasionally met up when walking their dogs.Just found this video regarding Hinman, in part. It starts at 22:00 and is chilling. Evidently Hinman had allowed several people that ended up as part of the Manson Family stay at his house off and on. This included one Manson Family member that killed him. This should bother people knowing that just next door was Linda Ronstadt who probably had seen many of them coming and going on a daily basis.
Charles Manson - the Helter Skelter Murders and the Murder of Gary Hinman - Part 1Speaking of houses:
A deserted stone house in Topanga Canyon, high in the hills above Malibu, California, was the setting for the photographs of two pioneering albums from the late 1960's: • The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968);
• Linda Ronstadt - Hand Sown... Home Grown (Back Cover)(1969).
much more on the article below:
www.popspotsnyc.com/the_byrds/
The rock house in Topanga Canyon was on the opposite side of the road from Linda's house. On the Byrds cover, the horse with them (Buster) is actually from Topanga Stables where I worked. Bernie Leadon boarded a horse there as well as Michael Clarke at one time.
Val, is that old stone house from the album covers still there? It was abandoned at the time and is so iconic now. Such a beautiful area that has attracted some very unsavory characters. What is it like living there in 2019? Is it still an area that attracts artists and musicians or is that now a bygone era? btw thank you for your insights.Is this the house you lived in? Is this the house you lived in? The original house was destroyed in a flood in the 80's. This was it after the flood. The property has been abandoned since they tore that down. Attempts to rebuild have never happened. The property sits in shambles. This is also the house that Canned Heat guitar player Alan Wilson died behind.
Oddity Odysseys
50.6K subscribers
In the hills of Topanga Canyon resides an unfinished home with a tragic past. |
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:28:17 GMT
It looks like 954 Old Topanga Canyon Rd. is next to the Hinman house. Is this the house Linda lived in? Or was it the other side? This would have been around the time Hand Sown Home Grown was released, her performances at the Bitter End and Woodstock took place. Also the Manson murders. I believe this is just before she and JD Souther moved in together at another house. Linda mentioned "we" when living next to Hinman so I assume she didn't live alone when there.
www.zillow.com/b/954-Old-Topanga-Canyon-Rd-Topanga-CA/34.101987,-118.621113_ll/
Val, were you involved with Canned Heat? They really took off as a band after Woodstock. It is funny that they lived so close to Linda and both were in NY at the same time...one at the Bitter End and the other at Woodstock. www.popspotsnyc.com/the_byrds/
That appears to be the place but it has changed so much. There was a garage with a blue door that is no longer there. As for my involvement with Canned Heat, my adopted Mom was married to Bob Hite. |
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:28:41 GMT
That appears to be the place but it has changed so much. There was a garage with a blue door that is no longer there. As for my involvement with Canned Heat, my adopted Mom was married to Bob Hite.   rockandrollroadmap.com/ |
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:29:16 GMT
So you were a neighborhood kid living amongst the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Bernie Leadon, the Byrds and Charlie Manson and his "family." Was the Topanga Corral a real corral or just a music club venue (and a Canned Heat album)? Is that a place where Manson and his family would sometimes hang out? I know Charlie was a wannabe musician so it would make sense he would be in those venues and places like the Palomino Club where Linda frequented as well. I think you had an interesting childhood with lots of interesting stories to tell. That was quite a neighborhood. Thanks for sharing with those of us who grew up in boring circumstances although that might be a little too much excitement for me. This is the first time we have gotten any insight into what the neighborhood was like when Linda was living there. When you saw Manson I hope he didn't try to lure you into his cult. I was surprised to learn he was only 5'2" which is Linda Ronstadt's height as well yet he wielded such an allure to some. He had an awful childhood that honed some cunning and manipulative skills.rockandrollroadmap.com/
That photo of the Corral was the one that burned down if I remember correctly in 1968. This is the one that hosted so many people in rock n roll. The most iconic night at the Corral is when Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Eagles all played in August 1973. The cover was $4.00. I went to school with Randy California's sister Janet Wolfe. I use to listen to Spirit rehearse all the time when I was at their house on Cuesta Cala. Chris Hillman boarded a horse at the stables where I worked as well. I also went to a party at Billy Preston's house up Entrada when the Stones were in town in 1974. For me, it was just part of canyon life and people we knew.
Charles Manson had a band called the Milky Way. They played the old Corral once that I know of.   The men in the photo with Bob Hite are Fito de la parra the drummer for the Heat. That was in our living room of the house at 701 N. Topanga Cyn Blvd. The other guy I don't remember. |
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:29:41 GMT
Did the stables you worked at rent horses by the hour? There is a photo of Linda with Neil Young both on horseback in the hills. I wonder if they frequented the stables? I was blown away by Spirit's Taurus which has been in a controversy with Led Zeppelin for a while. I imagine you must have heard them practice that tune. It is very hypnotic. Who are the men pictured with Bob? Quite a collection of albums. First I heard of Milky Way. I wonder if that was before or after Manson's affiliation with Dennis Wilson? Oh, what was the occasion that you had to look Manson in the eyes? I hope you write a memoir if not for anything else but family history.
 Topanga Stables was for boarding and rentals of horses and was located at 121 Old Topanga Canyon Rd. Most likely they rented those horses from the stable but I only saw Linda up there once. Neil lived up on the hill above the stable in the Fernwood neighborhood. For a short time I washed dishes for his first wife, Susan Acevedo at her restaurant Canyon Kitchen. Neil would often come in and sit in the corner with a guitar.The men in the photo with Bob Hite are Fito de la parra the drummer for the Heat. That was in our living room of the house at 701 N. Topanga Cyn Blvd. The other guy I don't remember. When I saw Manson, he was at the Center, which was the local shopping center in Topanga. He hung around there a lot always talking to girls. He wanted them to go to his ranch but I had to work and wasn't interested.
It might just be me but Fito looks like he could be Charlies second cousin. Every time you comment you have something new and interesting to say. The cool thing is you lived around these people early in their careers when life was exciting. When you said Charlie hung around the Center that must be where Linda said she had seen the different girls around the area. I wonder if Gary Hinman's murder is what made Linda move? And then to find out the murder was because of the Manson family members would have had me on the next flight because no one knew who all the people in his sphere were. Some wisely left right before the killing spree. Thank goodness you had a job, had to work and had a good head on your shoulders to stay away from him. Val, did you ever get into the music business or were you just content to stay on the sidelines?I'm not sure when Linda left Topanga but I know she was there still there in early 1970.
As for being in the music business, I was a connection for Black Oak Arkansas to get booked at The Corral for the first time in Summer 1970. I had met them at the Beach House on Navy St. in Venice and told the guy who booked the Corral that he should book them. He did and they went on to get signed on Atco. I managed a local Topanga band named Sundog in 1974 and they played around LA and got popular at Gazzarri's on the Strip in 1974. A little band named Van Halen opened for us. The band eventually broke up and I went on to do other things. Magical times for sure in the canyon. |
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:30:10 GMT
This is also the famous rock house for one of the first Mac lineup photo shoots with Stevie and Lindsay, Right?  Topanga Canyon was a place many musical talents hung out. Linda played on a bill with a band called Southwind in 1968 and I believe 1969. She had also went to the Topanga Corral. There are not many photos of the interior of the Corral but I have one. The band is Bones featuring the Faragher brothers.
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:30:37 GMT
I found this song by Southwind. No wonder they shared a bill with Linda with their country rock sound. Interesting to see the sights and hear the sounds at the time Linda lived there."Ready To Ride" - Southwind
theseeker8
Published on Aug 21, 2013
Title track from the album by one of the tragically under-appreciated Country/Rock bands of the early 1970s. Personnel: Fontaine Brown; Eric Dalton; John "Moon" Martin; Jim Pulte.
Would this be the same Moon Martin from the band?
Here is Bones. As soon as I heard the intro I knew it was a song I recall hearing on the radio at the time.Bones Faragher BrothersSo Val, did Linda play at the Corral often? Or was she mostly hanging out? Linda hung out at the Corral but never played there. Moon Martin is the same guy that played with her. He went back to her band after Southwind broke up. Bones played the Corral a lot and I am including a video of "Roberta" which includes photos inside the Corral and them unloading equipment at the back door. Also inside the front door when a famous Beatle came to visit.
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:31:05 GMT
  Val, did Lance make stops along the Old Topanga Canyon Road at people's homes? This photo looks like it might be outside of Linda's house off the road. Amazing how her shawl matches the wagon's decor. Possibly she bought it from Lance.I believe this photo was at the same time as the gypsy wagon photo. The top looks different though. You will notice in the picture with the wagon that it is sand if you zoom in. The creek ran directly behind the Center and that is where Lance stayed at night. In the winter rains water would be up there. My bet is that Linda bought something from him made of leather. Jim Dandy in Black Oak had a belt with a star buckle. It’s on their first album cover. |
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:31:33 GMT
from Val:vimeo.com/ondemand/2352?cjevent=101da586d46711e981fb01d20a1c0e12Directed by Sasha and Anne Christine Von Wetter
Mastered by Planet Group Entertainment
52 Minutes
During the 1970s, Topanga Canyon, nestled in the California mountains just behind Malibu, became a Mecca for many of Hollywood’s top musical performers. These musicians and their artist friends blended in naturally with the latter day hippies and long-time eccentrics that made up this laid-back community...a 'stoners' throw from Los Angeles.
This is the inside story of an iconoclast culture, filled with impromptu and staged musical performances by noted Topanga residents Billy Preston, Lowell George, Fred Tackett, Ramblin Jack Elliott, Spanky McFarlane, Bob Hite, Canned Heat, Gary Farr and others. The late Herta Ware Geer, former wife of actor Will Geer reminisces about the singular Topanga lifestyle, as Billy Preston rides through the canyon in his beloved cowboy garb.
For more details and University and Academic film purchase, please go to:
planetgroupentertainment.squarespace.com/in-hollywoods-back-yard/ Following the LA hippy trailNeil Young, The Doors and Dennis Hopper have all fallen for its laidback bohemian charm. Now Mike Hodgkinson pays a visit to see if the spirit of 68 still lives on in Topanga Canyon
Mike Hodgkinson amp.theguardian.com/travel/2008/mar/26/losangeles.usa
Wed 26 Mar 2008 15.26 GMT
When the free-thinkers of post-war Los Angeles set about changing the world through meditation, rock 'n' roll, mysticism, organic food, ritual dancing and/or hallucinogens, it's safe to assume that – at some time or other – they all passed through Topanga Canyon. Far enough from the suburbs to be considered wild, and sufficiently bedevilled by flood, fire and rattlesnakes to deter the half-hearted, Topanga has traditionally cast itself as LA's preferred utopian outpost: the city's own rustic, occasionally treacherous, Shangri-la.
Topanga Canyon, LA: flowers
Wild flowers in Topanga. Photograph: Grant Fleming
Touted by contemporary Angelenos as the neighbourhood where you're most likely to find "old hippies" in their natural habitat, Topanga Canyon is still championed for its idealistic, free-spirited, all-natural allure. But just how much of that allure is exaggerated, or refracted through the rainbow-tinted, round-rimmed spectacles of nostalgia? We set off on a day trip, to find out.
Topanga Canyon, LA: road
Leaving LA's smog behind. Photograph: Grant Fleming
Instantly, it's easy to understand why people are drawn to Topanga Canyon. Sloping fields are a wildflower riot of yellow and green; red-tailed hawks make effortless arcs in the piercing blue sky; the air smells pleasantly of leaves. Clutches of native Topangans gather for brunch on the tree-shaded wooden patio at Pat's Grill (+1 310 455 0533), the first place serving food if you're heading downhill on the community's lone main road. Among them is Rick Provisor, a canyon resident for 35 years.
The conversation turns to rock 'n' roll history. "The Topanga Corral was a music venue that was real big in the 60s. Jim Morrison wrote Roadhouse Blues on the way up here. Aside from the people that played there – Canned Heat, Little Feat – all the musicians came up to watch each other. Linda Ronstadt was there all the time."
The Corral burned to the ground, for the second and last time, in 1986.
Topanga Canyon, LA: frogs
Entrance to Froggy's. Photograph: Sally Lohan
Even though plans for a Disney-owned golf course were abandoned in the mid-90s, after community protests, development has inevitably made an impact over the years on the canyon's backwoods, barefoot, flowerchild-friendly charm because, in Provisor's words, "it's pretty hard for a free spirit to be able to purchase a $1.75 million home". Grill owner Pat Burke, another long-term Topangan, translates the division of wealth and property into local slang. "The Peakers are the yuppies with the houses on the peaks of the mountains," he says. "And the Creekers are everybody else."
Burke – who runs a sideline in Persian rugs and hangs his paintings on the walls of his café – remembers the good old trippy days: "We used to get zipped on LSD in the 60s, go off in the wilderness, lay down and stare at the sky. At the time we didn't realise that all those flying saucer lights and stuff like that was actually the final approach for LAX [Los Angeles International airport]."
In 2007, Burke's bear-like dog – Chin – was named Grand Marshal at Topanga Days, one of a couple of local springtime festivals (along with Topanga Earth Day). As a showcase for local bands – like psychedelic Western rockers Spindrift – Topanga Days goes some way to backing up Provisor's claims that the heart and spirit of the canyon remain, by and large, unchanged.
Topanga Canyon, LA: Will Geer
The memory of Will Geer lives on. Photograph: Sally Lohan
Theatricum Botanicum
Not all former Topanga characters were as benign and well-meaning as Geer. Aside from the Charles Manson connection, mobster Mickey Cohen used a local Spanish-style mansion – restored in 1989 as the Mountain Mermaid, and currently hired out for photo shoots – as a brothel and gambling den.
Like the Mountain Mermaid, the Inn of the Seventh Ray (+1 310 455 1311)– a waterside organic restaurant among the small cluster of buildings known, tongue-in-cheek, as "downtown" – has no shortage of history. Once a retreat owned by evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, then a church, and later an auto junkyard, the place should be visited for lunch, provided you're not upset by liberal use of the colour purple, or in any way averse to the music of John Barry.
Topanga Canyon, LA: signs
Signs of the times. Photograph: Sally Lohan
Topanga Home Grown
The rest of the journey to canyon's end, and the Pacific's edge, passes another, smaller batch of stores (including an antiques shop, and a natural food market) until the winding road brings the ocean abruptly into view. Suddenly, Topanga has given way to Malibu, the domain of surf, which is an altogether different proposition, practically a different country. With the salt air lining your nostrils, take the natural right-hand turn on the coastal highway for a final fish-and-chips stop at the Reel Inn (+1 310 456 8221). Or, if there's any Topangan in you, indulge the urge to head back up the canyon, back the way you came … the coyotes start singing after dark.
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:32:03 GMT
Yes, Val.. Please share more if you can! Thanks Topanga Corral t-shirt and the last photo is Spirit rehearsing in the garage at Ed Cassidy's home.
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:32:33 GMT
Many new people coming here might not be familiar with Spirit. They have been a topic in regards to a lawsuit from Randy Kalifornia's estate and Led Zeppelin. Topanga Canyon was fertile grounds for music and art though most of the attention has been given to Laurel Canyon. I think there are lots of canyons in and around Los Angeles. It just depends what side of the hill or mountain you live on. Looks like Val was witness to the birth of one of the most iconic songs ever written. Back in the 1970's every wannabe guitarist practiced using that song. The courts ruled for Led Zeppelin but you be the judge.Spirit vs Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven Plagiarism LawsuitPosted by Shawn McNulty on May 20, 2014 Spirit vs Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven Plagiarism Lawsuit2019-02-08T20:04:38+00:00under Similar Songssongsalike.com/similar-songs/spirit-vs-led-zeppelin-stairway-to-heaven-plagarism-lawsuit/One of the most popular songs in music history is being questioned for plagiarism in an upcoming court case. Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin may have ripped off the song Taurus by the band Spirit which was released in 1968. The lawsuit is coming from the estate of the late Randy California who wrote the song for Spirit, and it’s no coincidence that this is happening right before of the release of a remastered version of Led Zeppelin IV. Francis Alexander Malofiy, the attorney for Spirit, will attempt to get a songwriting credit for California on the song. Stairway to Heaven, which is worth an estimated $560 million, can be heard on every classic rock station in the world and even was famously denied by Wayne Campbell at the guitar store in the first Wayne’s World movie.
Jimmy Page supposedly wrote the song (which he refers to as his baby) using the powers of black magic and candles in 1970. Randy California died in 1997 when he saved his son from drowning in Hawaii. Before his death, he told Listener magazine that he believed that Led Zeppelin ripped him off, and was pretty miffed about it. Both bands were on similar bills in the late 60s, so it’s very probable that Jimmy Page heard Taurus during that time. Listen to the audio clip of Taurus via the YouTube video below and you will hear that iconic guitar magic. It would be difficult to nail down who initially came out with this very basic chord progression, probably somebody before 1968, but this could be a giant payday for the Randy California family. Maybe they will sing the got $5000 song like Wayne and Garth did in the movie, but add some zeroes to it.
  
I love connections. What do Jimmy Page and Barbara Bush have in common? Page was a fan of Alistair Crowley and even bought his house and Barbara's mother and Crowley were close...so much so it is rumored that Crowley was Barbara's biological father. Crowley was into some heavy mystical, magical...dark stuff. That might explain the 2000 presidency as it was quite a topic at the time. carwreckdebangs.wordpress.com/2015/06/09/aleister-crowley-jimmy-page-and-the-curse-of-led-zeppelin-when-myth-magick-and-weird-facts-collide/
See what you think:
Here is a new wrinkle to me (Cry Me A River):
There are also questions about Jethro Tull and Eagles but Anderson puts things into perspective, at least for him...
Joe Walsh goes a step further here. I recall Linda Ronstadt saying many times she would steal the "licks" from other musicians when she could and that she "stood" on the shoulders of those before her.
www.thatsongsoundslike.com/?s=spirit&submit=Search
"@val" source=" The case is actually being heard in the 9th Circuit Court the last week of this month. I spoke briefly today with one of Randy's sisters and that is what she told me.
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:33:08 GMT
Yo Boy!!! that's a Heavy Post!!! hahahah YES PEOPLE!!! get on YOU TUBE NOW and "Subscribe" and make sure you hit the notification "BELL" to the right of SUBSCRIBE...and WATCH IT LIVE!!! I'm going to....exciting www.youtube.com/user/9thcircTHE POINT is; the JURY WAS NOT ALLOWED to hear the frickin songs!!! hOW INSANE is that!!! INSTEAD they were assigned "sheet music' well who the F in R n R does "sheet music" ...its usually after the fact by hired guns and of course their are lead sheets...but that ain't the case...it was SHEET MUSIC vs. NOT HEARING!!! the outtake I think they WILL get a reversal for TRYING OF FACT, ie. another Ear 2 Hear I take issue with the above post I'm a TOTAL zep head.....long long long b4 any Linda afficianadoisms!!hahaha and Jay F of Spirit use to record me Randy California's "family" i.e. "Estate' aint getting the moolah people,,,,,to my understanding HE SOLD HIS PUBLISHING!!!!! mistake number 999999999 you NEVER do that!!! BUTTT!!!! Spirit and Randy's family, justice WISE are CERTAINLY hoping for the BEST....legacy wise,,,eh?? Maybe his family/estate will get something...but from what I understand the lawsuit shows someone that BOUGHT Randy's publishing...SAD AS FOR ZEP...i have a totally coool cool connect w/them that i won't go into here...BUT....the thing about pagey doing candles and black majic for that song......uhhh...i don't think so....that's marketing from the 70's but who knows....he certainly is a dabbleer....and I had a bit of interaction of that direction with the guy, I "thinK"hahahah....I have never read any credible account by HIM, anyways of such an act to "create" that song....BUT to me,,,its SO FRICKIN obvious he LIFTED Taurus what is most delicious is that URANUS,,,,,,the PLaNET of "upset" "chaos" is RIGHT NOW recently MOVED INTO TAURUS....!!!ahahah....Life! can't make it up! |
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:33:33 GMT
Lori Mattix said Page was fascinated by the occult and especially with Mr. Crowley but not to the point of being a practitioner. Some of us are just born curious and with the same rising sign as his I can relate.
www.planetaryinfluence.com/charts/jimmy-page-vedic-birth-chart
Maybe Val can answer this. Was there much of an occult presence in and around the Topanga Canyon area when Linda lived there? The Manson family connections seem to indicate that but wondering if there was any other things going on back then?
There was a solid presence of the occult in Topanga Canyon. The biggest known place was Moonfire Temple aka Moonfire Ranch at the top of Fernwood Pacific Dr. down a long dirt road. Lewis Beach Marvin owned it and all sorts of rituals took place up there. Marvin Gaye also lived close by this place. There were many others in the canyon including witches and many self proclaimed Pagans. Crystal carrying, ankh wearing people some with tattoos of occult symbols.
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:33:59 GMT
OH! Woooowwwww...poor Lewis!!! that's his life...protecting all that??? Wow...never heard of this Val,,,thank YOU for posting....reminds me of the old "Tea Gardens" up on East Mountain Road in "cito...without the fantabulous structures...but some of the outdoor seating/marble stuff.....doesn't seem that Lewis the 4th is utilizing the fates too much himself.... |
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Post by the Scribe on May 1, 2020 11:34:30 GMT
From Val:Take a 1967 Visit to Topanga's Green Stamps Hippie RanchBy Adrian Glick Kudler Dec 28, 2012, 10:52am PST
We wouldn't think they'd let the squares from the Wall Street Journal up to the Moon Fire Ranch in Topanga Canyon, but they did, and they return with tales of the infamous hippie spot that hosted the Doors and the Mansons alike (Even if you've never heard of it, it's iconic, you know?). Lewis Beach Marvin III, the heir to the totally uncool S&H Green Stamps fortune (they were those stamps you'd get at the grocery store that you could trade in for prizes), bought the property in 1957 for $15,000 and "Over the next two decades, Mr. Marvin's estate became part-salon, part-muse for his motley crew of artistic friends." Those friends included, naturally, George Harrison, Andy Warhol, Tommy Chong, and Jim Morrison, as well as the Manson Family, supposedly, although the WSJ doesn't mention them.
The property is known especially for its Moon Fire Temple, but Marvin also raised his kids there--living spaces are spread between three buildings: the Round House, "a two-story living room built inside a water tank-like building whose interior includes porous rainforest-wood walls, a giant chandelier and 20-foot tall windows looking out on the Santa Monica Bay far below," and a geodesic dome that connects "to a trailer housing a kitchen next to one of the home's two bedrooms." There's just one bathroom. Power comes from solar panels and a backup generator; water comes from the sky. There are many stories out there of crazy llamas on the property as well.
It's hard to get a consistent accounting of the Moon Fire, but according to Ed Sanders's book The Family, "the place had been constructed for a 1966 movie called Harper, starring Paul Newman and Lauren Bacall ... In the film, the structure on the high hill above the Pacific belonged to a "religious fanatic" to serve as a "Temple in the clouds." Sanders also writes that "occult ceremonies had occurred" at the ranch and says a police source showed him where the Manson Family had painted cultic circles in the temple in 1970.
Anyway, here's Marvin and the ranch (and an adorable monkey) in the super-fun 1967 documentary Mondo Hollywood. Marvin died in 2005.
(go to youtube for Mondo Hollywood and the very cute monkey can be seen around 1:10:00)
Here is another view of the ranch and it appears it can be booked for a reservation
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