Lights, Camera, Action by Mariela of LIPRI

When we think of Urban legends we tend to think of scary stories told about our home towns, stories of events that happened years ago. You hear them from your friends at school, maybe a sleepover, at camp and even from our parents to try to keep us away from scary places. Your friends even go as far as saying it really happened to a friend of a friends cousin and so on. There are urban legends in every town in every country all over the world. There are books written about them and even movies that bring these stories to life.

So it is no surprise that there are Ghost stories and Urban legends about legends themselves in the place where they are brought to life…Hollywood. Imagine growing up in Hollywood as a child and hearing the incredible tales of stars that used to reside there. After all when we think of Hollywood the first thing that comes to mind are the movies and of course the celebrities that play in them. But we never think about the stories behind the stories, are they lost scripts, are they Ads meant to make Hollywood more enticing and dramatic or are they true? Most of the hauntings in Hollywood come from stories of scandal, crime, corruption, murder, and lost dreams of Hollywood’s past. I will tell you a few stories of some legends, ones that were, ones that wanted to be and ones that once upon death they became.

One story is that of Peg Entwhistle who started as a young actress living in New York at the age of 17. She started acting in theater and her career quickly raising, she was becoming well known and loved by those she met. Sadly after a failed marriage and the great depression she wasn’t able to get any jobs, and so she decided to move to Hollywood and become a movie star. She moved in with her Uncle and brothers and took small acting roles, she landed a small part in a movie called “ Thirteen women ” the movie flopped and so she wasn’t able to get any more roles. She was last seen on Septembr18th 1932 by her uncle saying that she was going for a walk, her body was found days later by an unidentified woman. Peg had committed suicide, leaving behind her neatly folded coat and purse, inside was her suicide note. Police say she had climbed the latter to the top of the letter “H” and plummeted to her death. Ironically two days after she had died her Uncle found a letter addressed to her, mailed the day before she died offering her a lead role in a movie. The movie was about a young woman who in the end commits suicide.

People who have been in the area of the Hollywood sign claim to have seen a beautiful woman dressed from the 30’s walking around, when they approach her she disappears. Many say that there has been a strong odor of Gardenia which was her favorite scent. A couple claimed to be walking with their dog who started backing away and barking loudly for no reason, they looked around and saw a woman walking around dazed and strangely dressed. They thought she was drunk so they stayed away from her when she suddenly vanished. A park ranger who worked in the area claimed he saw her ghost and smelled gardenia. Alarm systems where later put around the area so that what happened to her would not be repeated. The alarm was motion activated, the ranger said many times it went off on it’s own saying there was someone a few feet away from him when there was no one else around.

Tribune.com

Prairieghosts.com

 

Another Hollywood haunting comes from one of the most famous silent film stars of the early 1900’s, Rudolph Valentino who was considered “ The Latin Lover” of his time. Born May 6, 1895 in Castellaneta, Italy, he emigrated to the US when he was 18. He worked small jobs around town until the allure of stardom drew him in. He began working as a dancer in New York’s Maxim club. He then got his first movie role as an extra in the movie “Alimony”, and from there a small roll in “Eyes of Youth” where ,thanks to this movie, he was offered a larger role in the famous “ The Four horsemen of the Apocalypse”. His career took off making him a star and adored by millions of women, his next role in “ The Sheik” made him a bonified star. Living an exquisite lifestyle, it came as a great shock when his death was announced on August 21st, 1926. He was hospitalized for appendicitis and died of peritonitis caused from his appendicitis. He had just finished his latest film “ The Son of Sheik ” which would be his last role.

There are many claims that his spirit haunts the favorite places he loved when he was alive. One of the places was called “The Falcons Lair,” which was his home in Beverly Hills up until he died. People who have lived at the house and worked for him claimed to see his ghost in corridors, his bedroom and even the stables because he loved his horses so much. One of the stablemen once ran out screaming after he’d seen Valentino petting one of the horses. People who’ve walked by the house claim they saw a figure looking out the window on the second floor. The caretaker of the house claimed she saw doors opening and closing on their own.

Another location that is claimed to be haunted by Rudolph’s spirit is the apartment he lived in before he moved into the mansion. An actress who lived in his apartment claimed that she had been sleeping and felt the edge of the bed weigh down as if someone was sitting there. She closed her eyes because she was scared and felt moving under the thin sheets as if someone was sliding closer to her pressing against her and breathing heavily. When she opened her eyes she saw the face of Rudolph Valentino she was so scared that she fainted but when she woke up he was gone. Her bed looked as if someone had been sleeping next to her.

There is a claim that a figure is seen pacing back and forth at a beach house he had stayed in when he’d been filming “ The Sheik”. And his spirit has also been seen at Paramount Studios and the Hollywood Memorial Park cemetery where he was buried alongside many other screen legends.

Hauntedhollywood.com

Wikipedia.com

quest magazine.com

 

This next story is considered one of Hollywood’s unsolved mysteries. It takes us back to December 1935, where the body of a beautiful blonde was found face down in a convertible. The body was found in the home of then famous movie director Roland West. Everyone was shocked to find that it was the body of actress Thelma Todd. The engine of the car was running while the fumes of the exhaust filled the room. Her death was ruled as a suicide, but many feared she was murdered.

Thelma Todd was born July 29th, 1905 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She had been a great student growing up and when she graduated became a teacher. Not making enough money to support herself she entered beauty contests, in doing so she caught the eye of a movie scout and she moved to California in 1925 at the age of 20. She got her first small role in a movie “Fascinating Youth” and then took on other small roles like “ Rubber Heals” and “Nevada”. Her career began to take off as the era of silent films ended. She was known as the witty, comedic blonde, her career took off appearing in many films for Hal Roach. After a failed marriage and many affairs she began dating director Roland West. Together they opened up “Thelma Todds Road Side Café” where it was open to the public and her many famous friends. Since this was the era of many gangsters and mobs it was alleged that she was approached by Lucky Luciano to open up a casino above the café. Thelma turned him down not wanting to be involved. During the filming of “The Bohemian Girl” she was invited to a party from a new comer, Ida Lupino. It was said that she had been drinking heavily and gotten into an argument with her ex-husband Pat Diciccio. There are many mysteries surrounding her death, if she was murdered then who had killed her? Her attorney felt that she had been murdered by mobster “Lucky” Luciano for turning him down on his offer over the casino and wanted a second inquiry into her death. The district attorney had granted the inquiry but it was then later withdrawn by the request of Hal Roach and agreed the case was closed.

If she had committed suicide then why on the autopsy did it reveal she had a broken nose, ribs and bruising and where did the blood on her face and dress come from? To her friends and family, her death was difficult especially since she had mailed out presents that they received after her death.

Many say that her ghost is restless after all these years, her spirit is seen where the Roadside Café was once located. Her apparition is seen above the steps and down the stairs and outside the courtyard. There are also claims that there is the sound of a car running in garage of the old Roland West house, they even have smelled the fumes of a car when there isn’t one there. To this day her death remains unsolved.

A very famous haunting comes from the infamous Harry Houdini known as the greatest magician/illusionist and escape artist of all time. Many kids have looked up to him wanting to be just like him. And to this day people are still trying to copy him and try to figure out how he was able to perform the things he did. Houdini was born as Erich Weiss March 24th, 1874 in Budapest, Hungry. He grew up in Wisconsin and later moved with his family to Milwaukee where he worked as a locksmith learning how to fix locks, pick locks and take them apart. He became interested in magic and performing in front of people. He changed his name to Houdini and married his wife Bess, he performed the unimaginable earning him a great following of fans. He was very close to his mother and when she died he was devastated, he turned to spirituality and wanted to contact her from the dead. He had séances a his home and when he realized that most mediums were fake he devoted his life to showing their deceptions. He died October 31st of appendicitis after a show, before he died he had made a pact with his wife that he would be able to contact her from the dead. They came up with a word that would prove to her that it was he who was communicating with her. Bess put out rewards to any true medium, many stepped forward but no one was able to fool her until she finally met Arthur Ford. It was he who told her the secret word that she and her husband had chosen, a song that was popular when they had met. Bess moved out of their home on Laurel Canyon, the home had later been burned by fire in 1959 with a number of other homes. The only parts the remain are the stairs, garage and the some of the butlers room.

It is said that the ghost of Harry Houdini walks around his home. There are claims from people that see a figure standing on the stairs or walking around in what was once the garden. The home still stands in ruins and has not been rebuilt since. His wife held a séance every year on the anniversary of his death for 10 years, finally the last séance was held at the Knickerbockers hotel by Bess and their close friends. It is rumored that a thunderstorm erupted, raining heavily on the rooftop. The strange thing is that reports also show that it didn’t rain anywhere else except on the hotel that last Halloween night October 31st, 1936.

Depicted as one the greatest sex symbols of our times, seen as an icon and will always be known as one of the most beautiful women in the world. Best known for her roles in “ Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “Some Like it Hot”. She was born as Norma Jean Baker on June 1st, 1926, she didn’t know who her father was and her mother suffered from mental illness. Norma Jean was placed in an orphanage and then married at age 21. When her husband joined the merchant marines, she began working at a factory until she was seen by a photographer and began her modeling career appearing in many magazines. She divorced in 1947 and began taking small roles in film, she changed her name and died her hair becoming Marilyn Monroe. She married 2 more times and both marriages failed, in 1959 she won a golden globe for best actress in a comedy, and in 1962 she was named female world film favorite. She had made 30 films, her last being “The Misfits” as all great legends it came as a shock to the world when her body was found dead in her Hollywood home. Never getting to finish her last role in “Something’s Gotta Give”.

She led a glamorous life, loved by men and women alike, she was surrounded by many but also sad and depressed. There are claims that her silhouette is seen in a mirror hanging in the lower level of the Roosevelt Hotel that had once hung in her poolside suite.

There are many stories and claims about many more stars that are no longer with us, but these stories keep them alive forever and keep us entertained and mystified. Stories like this is what makes some of us wonder about hauntings whether they are celebrities or not we all have questions we all seek answers to.