The Ghostly Stars of Hollywood

If you are into ghost hunting or a ghost or two doesn’t scare you then the place for you to stay in Hollywood, California is 8221 Sunset Boulevard at the Chateau Marmont. This is considered to be one of the most haunted hotels in the U.S. Most likely the different and upsetting things that have happened here have also stirred up a lot of ghosts.

Hollywood Stars at the Chateau Marmont:

In one of the garden bungalows in 1982 John Belushi died of a drug overdose.

Jim Morrison of “The Doors” was bold enough to risk his life and hurt his back dangling from a drain pipe as he tried to swing from the roof into the window of his hotel room.

James Dean jumped through a window to audition with Natalie Wood for the movie “Rebel Without a Cause”.

One evening as guests cheered the band members of Led Zeppelin rode their motorcycles through the lobby.

After Montgomery Clift was almost killed in an auto accident in 1956 near the home of Elizabeth Taylor, she brought him to the hotel and let him recuperate in the penthouse she leased there.

During the time Greta Garbo wanted to be alone she spent lots of time in her room and wouldn’t leave it for days.

Fashion photographer Helmut Newton died on January 23, 2004, when his car crashed into a wall in the driveway of the hotel.

Judy Garland sang in the lobby at the grand piano with Kay Thompson during a party held by Director George Cukor.

While Vivien Leigh was estranged from her husband Laurence Olivier she covered every free space in her Suite 5D with photos of her husband and kept only one picture of the two of them together by her pillow.

Millionaire Howard Hughes moved into the attic of the hotel and spied on beautiful women in the pool area with his prism binoculars.

Author F. Scott Fitzgerald suffered a heart attack here.

Jean Harlow spent her honeymoon here and was a regular guest.

Now the spirits of the dead are restless and still mingle with the living.

Ghostly Apparitions

Take a stroll over to the Beverly Hills Hotel located at 9441 Sunset Boulevard. It is a most popular hotel and has been mentioned oi many series and in lots of movies. However, did you know that you could also meet some ghostly spirits there? The bungalows are haunted by the spirits of Rachmaninoff and Harpo Marx. In the lobby, you can bump into Peter Finch, who never left the hotel after he suffered a fatal heart attack there.

Three ghosts haunt The El Compadre at 7408 W. Sunset Boulevard. One is an unknown spirit and two are the ghosts of men who were killed there in the 1950s during an armed robbery. Here there are no worries about dining alone most likely you'll be joined by a spirit.

The Comedy Store is located at 8433 W. Sunset Boulevard. It was once the home of the famous “Ciros”, which was a popular hangout for comedians and gangsters in the 1940s and 1950s. It became The Comedy Store in 1972 and went on to be the place where today’s well-known comics became noticed such as Jim Carrey.

It is also the place where you can come in contact with the entity of the late gangster Mickey Cohen and it has been reported that comic Blake Clarke had an experience with a menacing, hulking 7-ft. creature. The Comedy Store is owned by Mitzi Shore, who is the mother of comedian Pauly Shore.

The Viper Room at 8852 Sunset Boulevard isn’t as popular for ghosts as it is for the death that occurred out front. In 1993 on Halloween night actor River Phoenix died on the sidewalk of a drug overdose. The nightclub is a popular place for Hollywood stars to come together and is owned by actor Johnny Depp.

While walking the streets of Hollywood be aware of all that goes on around you. At the corner of Hollywood and Vine, Lon Chaney had been spotted sitting on a bus bench but since the bench was removed, the entity of Lon Chaney is said to haunt the “Phantom of the Opera” set at Universal Studios Sound Stage 28. Lon Chaney played the Phantom of the Opera in the era of silent films and his son Lon Chaney, Jr. went on to play in “The Wolf Man” among other monster films.

Hollywood has lots of old homes from stars of long ago and many of these stars have decided to hang around and stay in their homes:

High up in the hills, one can find the Barrymore Estate at 6 Beverly Grove, Beverly Hills. Here at least in the 1970s visitors reported seeing the ghosts of John, Lionel, and Ethyl Barrymore.

Rudolph Valentino has chosen to remain at his mansion known as Falcon’s Lair. If one takes a look up at the second-story windows passing by 1436 Bella Drive in Beverly Hills they may catch a glimpse of Valentino. A caretaker has also seen Valentino in the stables with the horses and an overnight guest has claimed to have been chased by his spirit. Footsteps have been heard in the hallway and doors have opened and shut for no reason.

If you happen to be a fan of Superman then the place to go is 1579 Benedict Canyon Drive in Beverly Hills. The original actor who played the man of steel on TV in the 1950s called this house his home. He shot himself in the upstairs bedroom and his ghost has been seen clad in the Superman costume. Gunshots have been heard in the house and lights have gone off and on for no reason. Noises have been heard from the bedroom and the room has been ransacked when no one was in the house. Neighbors have seen the spirit of Reeves standing on the front lawn.

The silent film star legend Mary Pickford who was the wife of Douglas Fairbanks is known to haunt the first floor den of her former home known as Pickfair located at 1143 Summit Drive, Beverly Hills.

In Hollywood, at 1822 Camino Palmero Road the ghost of Ozzie Nelson has been seen by family members. This is the same home that was made famous in the TV sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet.

The house that was once leased by the dashing actor Errol Flynn known as The Pines Estate at 2000 Fuller Avenue in Hollywood is now nothing more than a crumbling brick foundation. However, neighbors say that the house itself reappears on summer nights and one can hear the sound and see the lights of the wondrous parties of yesteryear.

The entity of actor Clifton Webb who was an avid nonsmoker and had a distaste for cats makes life difficult for smokers and cat lovers at his former home on Rexford Drive.

Marilyn Monroe has made an appearance in front of her home on Helena Drive and singer Engelbert Humperdinck who bought “Pink Palace” the house of former actress Jayne Mansfield has encountered her ghost there.

John Wayne has been seen aboard his yacht The Wild Goose and psychics who have confirmed the presence of his ghost say that he isn’t trapped in this world he simply prefers to visit his favorite places.

At his former house, Buster Keaton enjoys unplugging phones and turning off lights.

Actress Jean Harlow and her husband Paul Bern a movie director lived in Benedict Canyon. In 1932, after a two-month marriage, Paul committed suicide in the house and five years later Jean died of a sudden kidney failure. Both of their ghosts have been seen in the bedroom. The house itself is thought to be cursed because two people have drowned in the pool and another previous owner was killed.

So if you are like me and enjoy encountering a ghost or two, Los Angeles, California is the place you should put on your list of places to visit. You will never have the chance to meet Old Hollywood stars since they have long passed but you might bump into their ghostly apparitions and I think that is rather thrilling in itself.