In 1933, little Norma Jean was selected by her elementary school to be one of the children who form the event’s “living cross.”

A man’s home is his castle. But for Dr. A.G. Castles, his home was quite literally a castle: The eccentric art collector built a pair of royal residences across the street from each other on Argyle Avenue, his 30-acre kingdom. Glengarry Castle on Argyle Avenue (USC) The first, Glengarry, was completed in 1909 and earned recognition as one of the noteworthy mansions of the Hollywood foothills. Its competition, Holly Chateau (now Magic Castle), was designed by the same architec

Hollywood’s first art director is the architect behind a local masterpiece: Las Orquideas villas on Orchid Avenue, just east of the Magic Castle. Las Orquideas nestled in the Hollywood Hills, 1929 (USC) Wilfred Buckland — who worked extensively with Cecil B. DeMille and Jesse Lasky — built the Spanish Colonial Revival complex, a recreation of his favorite hillside village in Andalusia, in 1928. The nine units feature double-volume living rooms, balcony dining rooms, arched en

On Dec. 29, 1938, Iris Waltrip was crowned Miss Hollywood! The 18-year-old high school senior — who was actually from Glendale — unanimously beat out four other finalists, whittled down from a pool of 1,000 contestants, at the Roosevelt Hotel. Miss Hollywood 1939, Iris Waltrip (USC) Clad in a white satin swimsuit “and a charming smile,” the 5'4" stunner was noted for being 114 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Next-door neighbors are inescapable, especially when you’re both retired. The homes of Eugene O’Brien and Robert Vignola were in such close proximity, the former film star could literally drop in — jumping from his balcony onto the director’s patio. Whitley Terrace in the early 1920s: The home of Robert Vignola is on the far right, with Eugene O'Brien to its left. In 1929, writer Basil Woon visited Vignola on Whitley Terrace for the article “You Can’t Get Away With It in Holl

Doctor to the stars Hans Schiff built a shining example of International Style in Whitley Heights — by architect and interior designer Paul Laszlo. 6624 Whitley Terrace was photographed by Julius Shulman for the February 1940 edition of The Architectural Forum (J. Paul Getty Trust) In 1939, a decade after the neighborhood’s Mediterranean restriction ended, German-born Schiff hired the Hungarian émigré to design his family’s modern home at 6624 Whitley Terrace, characterized b

This L-shaped stunner was the longtime residence of silent film star J. Warren Kerrigan, best remembered for Sampson (1914) and The Covered Wagon (1922). In 1918, he designed the Swiss Chalet bungalow for himself and his mother Sarah at 2307 Cahuenga Boulevard, “right where the hills bob and dip and form pockets for fields of beautiful flowers to nestle in,” described Motion Picture Magazine in 1918.

Carrie Jacobs-Bond’s home, The End of the Road, was the beginning of a new chapter. In 1916, the 54-year-old songwriter settled in Hollywood, buoyed by the success of her hits “I Love You Truly” and “A Perfect Day.” At the end of Pinehurst Road, in the valley below Yamashiro, Jacobs-Bond built a three-level craftsman. Its name symbolized the realization of her dreams: She had amassed an estimated $1 million fortune in royalties ($30 million today, with inflation).

Before Adriana Caselotti voiced Snow White, she had her own fairytale cottage on Cahuenga Boulevard. Adriana Caselotti In 1935, her father, singing teacher Maestro Guido Caselotti, was operating a studio out of a “handsome English type home” — pitched roof, Juliet balconies, and battlement—when he received a call from a Disney casting agent asking if he recommended any of his students who could play a princess.

Although Jean Harlow didn’t live in Whitley Heights (despite rampant rumors to the contrary), her acting/voice coach Samuel Kayzer did, at 6617 Whitley Terrace — and the majestic home is still there . Jean Harlow in front of 6617 Whitley Terrace Here is an incredible video of Jean leaving Kayzer’s home after a lesson and taking off in her Cadillac, in candid footage shot by "Father of the Travelogue" Burton Holmes, who lived around the corner on Grace Avenue, in 1931.

The “It Girl” created the “It” nightspot in Hollywood. It Cafe Clara Bow came out of a three-year retirement in 1937 to open the It Café, located in the lobby of the Hollywood Plaza Hotel, with her husband Rex Bell.

Such a dramatic house may not be the most inconspicuous hiding spot for your mistress — but then again William Randolph Hearst was not a subtle man. 6697 Whitley Terrace, with Robert Vignola at left In 1923, the media tycoon built this Mediterranean villa on Whitley Terrace to stash actress Marion Davies, who he allowed to live here with her favorite director, Robert G. Vignola. The trio had collaborated several times on films for Hearst’s Cosmopolitan Productions, including

Hollywood queens trusted their faces to the makeup king, Max Factor. Max Factor (UCLA) From his Highland Avenue studio, the brilliant beautician transformed starlets into style icons: Lucille Ball’s false eyelashes and red curls, Jean Harlow’s platinum blond, Joan Crawford’s overdrawn “hunter’s bow,” and Clara Bow’s heart-shaped lips.

Esther Ralston Who wouldn’t want to look like a Hollywood star? Esther Ralston — “The American Venus” — cashed in on her famous face in 1931 with an eponymous beauty salon at Cahuenga Boulevard and Yucca Street. “The perfect shop for the particular woman,” Esther’s prided itself on being an expert in “all lines of beauty culture,” offering facials, massages (manual and electric), permanent hair waves, a marble plunge pool, gymnasium for weight reduction, and baths of all vari

One of the few homes rescued from the freeway’s path is a sprawling mansion with a mysterious connection to Harold Lloyd. 2053 Lloyd Lane (left) / UCSC Branson DeCou Archive The silent film star didn’t exactly live in Whitley Heights, although rumor has long had it otherwise. During the neighborhood’s land boom, he snapped up several lots in an area dubbed Lloyd Lane in 1924.

The most famous resident of Whitley Heights, Rudolph Valentino lived at 6776 Wedgewood Place with second wife Natacha Rambova and an imported pack of dogs featuring German Shepards, Italian mastiffs, and Spanish greyhounds. Rudolph Valentino's home The Sheik actor supposedly fell in love with the neighborhood while driving by one day — its Mediterranean architecture reminded Valentino of his native Italy. In 1922, he purchased four plots of land for his marital estate with Ra

At the Screen Stars Shop, you could pick up a gown worn by Vilma Banky, pair of Mary Pickford’s shoes, or a suit right off the back of Douglas Fairbanks. In June 1930, the thrift boutique opened at 1614 Cahuenga Boulevard, stocked with donated items from the closets of Joan Crawford, Clara Bow, Gloria Swanson, Mary Astor, and Gary Cooper — with all proceeds benefitting the Motion Picture Relief Fund.

The “happiest bride in Hollywood,” Carole Lombard made her honeymoon home with William Powell in Whitley Heights. Following their June 1931 wedding, the Paramount stars moved into a romantic four-bedroom Spanish Villa on Iris Circle with panoramic views, vaulted ceilings, tiled courtyards, and a two-car garage tunneling beneath the living room.