Tag Archives: Bela Lugosi

Fashion

Just In Time For Halloween- Bela Lugosi Restored Home Now For Sale

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Dracula

Fans of old movies are well familiar with one of Hollywood’s most beloved villains, Bela Lugosi, as the character Dracula, in the 1931 film of the same name. Having had a very successful Broadway run in the part, Lugosi was chosen by Universal Pictures to portray the part in one of the first talkies. Doomed as a type-cast villain for his whole career, Lugosi went on to make the films “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Raven,” “Son of Frankenstein” and “White Zombie.”

Lugosi was Hungarian born and began his acting career in his homeland.

He was forced to flee during the Hungarian Revolution of 1919 due to his activism in the actor’s union. From there he went to Vienna and then to Berlin until deciding to come to America, working his way over on a freighter to the port of New Orleans in 1920. He applied for citizenship in 1928 and became naturalized in 1931 at the age of 49. Throughout his Hollywood career, he had two competitors for parts: Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. In a number of films he was paired with Boris Karloff and since the studio preferred Karloff, and regardless of the size of their roles, Lugosi would always get the second billing. Vampire fans, however, preferred Lugosi, since afterall, he was actually from Transylvania.

Castle La Paloma was Bela Lugosi’s home in his Hollywood days. Located in Beachwood Canyon on approximately a quarter of an acre with marvelous views to Palos Verdes, Long Beach, Beachwood Canyon and the Hollywood Sign, the Tudor-style brick mansion has been fully restored but retains its original classic details. Measuring in at 5,000 square feet, the home has five bedrooms, six baths, ballroom-sized living room, family room, formal dining room with iron windows, large master suite, eat-in chef’s kitchen and service wing. Details include original tile work, inlaid floors, handmade ironwork, and finished beam ceilings, inlaid Italian slate floor entries and foyers, mahogany doors, gated motor entry and slate roof. For more information visit our friends at toptenrealestatedeals.com.

Home of stage and screen actor Bela Lugosi, one of Hollywood’s most important villains, totally restored, priced at $4.197 million usd/ $5.86 million cad (exchange rated at time of posting).

Source: www.sothebyshomes.com

Supplemental-

Vintage

Another Million Dollar Movie Poster Auction

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The stunning three sheet movie poster for the lost 1926 Paramount big budget silent film The American Venus realized $35,850 to lead the day in Heritage Auctions’ July 25-26 Vintage Movie Posters Signature Auction in Beverly Hills. The auction realized, in total, more than $1.45 million. All prices include 19.5% Buyer’s Premium.

Controversy surrounds this 1932 Disney cartoon- in one scene, Mickey Mouse is seen using a cigarette lighter that has a painted swastika on it. In 1932, the world did not fully understand the significance of the swastika as it would relate to the rise of Naziism. image: Heritage Auctions

“Demand was steady and prices were, overall, quite good across the more than 1,300 lots we featured in this auction,” said Grey Smith, Director of Movie Posters at Heritage. “We saw a trifecta of focuses in this auction as collectors went after early Hollywood, Disney animation and Universal Horror. At the end of the day, we were all quite pleased with the solid results.”

The American Venus (Paramount, 1926) three sheet is a film that is now lost to history, minus a few trailers. What is known about it, however, is that the poster spectacularly features Louise Brooks, though this was only her second film appearance. She was relatively unknown at the time and her role in the film was very minor. The producers, however, obviously realized her star potential as they featured her exclusively on the poster. Brooks would go on to become one of the most iconic female stars of the late silent era.

“Brooks crafted a personal style that left an indelible mark on 1920s popular culture that’s still imitated today,” said Smith. “She achieved a cult status rarely garnered by entertainers of that time and is clearly a star that still resonates with collectors at the top of the hobby.”

Vintage posters were emotional, engaging and uniquely hand-crafted before hitting the printing press. image: Heritage Auctions

Rare and early Disney posters always create a stir when they appear at auction and the presence of a 1932 United Artists one sheet for Disney’s The Wayward Canary, depicting Mickey and Minnie Mouse, set collectors buzzing on its way to a $26,920 final price realized. Released in November 1932, the same year that the Academy awarded Disney a special Oscar for his creation of a nationwide phenomenon, Mickey Mouse, this is a key addition to any top Disney collection.

Universal Horror posters are still the gold standard in movie posters and this auction boasted several prime pieces from the top films of the genre, including a beautiful pre-war 1935 Belgian one sheet for Bride of Frankenstein, James Whale’s sequel to his 1931 masterpiece Frankenstein that quickly became a classic in its own right, realizing $20,315 from a determined collector, while a 1943 one sheet for Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man — often cited as one of the best posters in the Universal horror cannon — was the subject of intense collector interest before finding a new home at $15,535.