MY TRIP TO THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (PART 1)

It was a typical day in Los Angeles -- warm, sunny, and with that indescribable "lightness of being" Angelinos seem to always project. I was in town visiting my sister who lived in Culver City, just a short distance from the former Culver Studios where films like GONE WITH THE WIND and the original A STAR IS BORN was filmed, along with TV shows like LASSIE and BATMAN.

Located at 9336 West Washington Boulevard, Culver Studios was founded in 1918 by producer/director Thomas H. Ince and over the years, was renamed and went through several owner's hands:

• De Mille Studios
• Pathé Studios
• RKO-Pathé Studios
• Selznick International Pictures
• Desilu-Culver Studios
• Culver City Studios
• Laird International Studios

Legendary makeup artist Jack Pierce once worked for Ralph Ince, Thomas' brother, during his early years in Hollywood.

We had earlier embarked on what we came to call one of our "nostalgia tours" and had visited all sorts of interesting locations around Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. This day, one of our stops was the famous Frank Lloyd Wright Ennis House in Los Feliz. Designated as a Los Angeles Cultural Monument in 1967, it remains a private residence and tours are rarely given.

Located at 2607 Glendower Ave. the Ennis House was designed for retailers Charles and Mable Ennis in 1923 and completed in 1924. The house is one of a series of four homes that are known as the textile block designs done in the Mayan Revival style and its location on a hill offers spectacular views of the city. About 27,000 Mayan motif blocks were used to build this incredible structure.

Horror film fans will recognize it for another reason: it was featured prominently in the opening segment of William Castle's HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, originally released in black and white in 1959.

This map shows the route we took (we were novices of GPS at the time!).

We slowly made our way up a steep, winding hill through an extremely narrow road. We finally arrived and luckily found a place to park across the street.

The first thing I noticed were a number of traffic cones placed here at the curb and in front of the driveway. Not surprising, since it appeared there were some renovations going on inside the home. I walked across the street and talked to one of the construction crew and told him I was there to take some pictures. He kindly obliged and even let me take a few steps inside the gate for a better view of the driveway. All bets were off, however, about gaining access inside, which was totally understandable.

These are just some of the photos I took that day. It is a magnificent building and I'm sure glad I finally got to see the "House on Haunted Hill" up close after watching the movie the first time so many years ago, that by the way, about scared me out of my PJ's! Doesn't look so creepy in the sunlight, does it?

The approach to the Ennis House on Glendower Ave.

Notice the "story-book" style house with the witch weather vane. This quasi-European style
was popular at one time in Los Angeles and Hollywood neighborhoods.

The plaque commemorating the house as a cultural landmark.

Come back tomorrow for a look inside the Ennis House!