HOMES OF THE WESTERN STARS – GARY COOPER #2

HOMES OF WESTERN MOVIE FILM MAKERS

IN FRONT AND BEHIND THE CAMERAS

BY BOB SILER

THE GARY COOPER TOUR – PART TWO

1924 – 1961

THE HOLLYWOOD YEARS

1924

NOVEMBER 27

MANSFIELD AVENUE – HOLLYWOOD

24 year old Frank Cooper arrived in Hollywood. While looking for work, he

stayed in a dollar -a – day room. This was his first Hollywood home.

SUNSET BLVD AND GOWER – HOLLYWOOD

He made his film debut and three dollars as an extra in a crowd scene for a comedy short that was filmed on this corner, outside the Al Christie Studios.

ROMAINE AVENUE – HOLLYWOOD

(near Chauenga Blvd)

Coop moved into a clean room in a boarding house on this street. He paid twelve dollars a week. Borders received two free meals a day and a chicken dinner every Sunday.

75111 FRANKLIN AVENUE – HOLLYWOOD

Judge Charles and Alice Cooper, Coop’s parents, soon followed their son and moved to tinsel town several months later. They rented a two – story house that was shingled with shuttered windows and a brick front porch. The house set high off the street at the corner of Gardner. Coop moved in with them.

1925

ADOHR DAIRY FARM

Coop worked as a milkman from midnight to six in the morning for five months until he over slept and was late for work and was promptly fired.

Frank hired Hollywood agent Nan Collins. She told him that there were two Frank Cooper’s already, one was a stuntman and the other a character actor. On the east coast a man named Frank Cooper was on trial for murdering his wife. She thought it would be best for him to change his first name and suggested the name of her hometown, Gary, Indiana. He liked it and the rest is history.

1927

WITH CLARA BOW

CLARA BOW

512 NORTH BEDFORD DRIVE – BEVERLY HILLS

She was called the “It” Girl, because she had It. She and Cooper met for the first time while filming the movie “It”. This was her first starring role and he had a bit part. They got to know each other better at a New Years Eve party and started spending a lot of time together at her mansion. Since

she was the “It” Girl, the press christianed Copper the “It” Boy. She became his first of many leading mistresses. They appeared in three movies together, all released in 1927. When the films were in the can, so was the romance.

1928 / 1929

529 NORTH CAHUENGO BLVD – HOLLYWOOD

Now that he was making good money, Coop was able to buy his parents a house. It was modes with a tiled roof, pillard entrance and hugh living room window. It had three bedrooms and two baths. He moved into one of the bedrooms. Both bathrooms were elaborately tiled. Coops bathroom adjoined his bedroom. His bedroom had only some indian beadwork that hung around the walls and chairs, a bed and a dresser with a picture of his mother, and nothing else.

1919 NORTH ARGYLE AVENUE – HOLLYWOOD

THE CASTLE ARGYLE ARMS APARTMENTS

He kept a room here where he would bring whoever he was involved with at the time.

LATE 1920s / 30s

7511 FRANKLIN AVENUE, HOLLYWOOD

Lived here with his parents

1929

8293 MARMONT LANE

LISTED AS LIVING HERE

1930s

THE COWBOY AND THE MEXICAN SPITFIRE

COOP AND LUPE VELEZ

Much to his parents dismay, Cooper started an intense affair with actress Lupe Velez while working together on the movie, “Wolf Song”.

1826 LAUREL CANYON BLVD – LOS ANGELES

GARY COOPER AND LUPE VELEZ – EARLY 1930s

Carried on their affair here

565 NORTH CAHUENGA AVENUE – HOLLYWOOD

Lupe Velez later moved into this house, which was near Cooper’s parents. In the 1970s the house became famous as the “Happy Days” House.

1932

7000 HOLLYWOOD BLVD – HOLLYWOOD

THE HOLLYWOOD ROOSEVELT HOTEL

Coop moved out of his apartment at the Argyle Arms and into a room here. He then went house hunting.

1932 – JULY 1933

1027 CHEVY CHASE DRIVE – BEVERLY HILLS

This was Greta Garbo’s first Hollywood home and she lived here from 1929 to 1931 / 1932 before renting it out.

Cooper lived in it for a little under a year. He turned the place into a trophy room with the heads of animals he had killed stuffed and mounted on the walls. One floor was made to look like a jungle. He let his pet monkey run free throughout the mansion tearing and ruining everything it could. When he moved out in July 1933 the house was trashed, with extensive damages. His landlady was not very happy and sued him. He paid her a large settlement.

230 NORTH BARRINGTON AVENUE – BRENTWOOD

He may have lived here.

1933

DECEMBER 15

MARRIED VERONICA  ‘ROCKY’ BALFE AKA SANDRA SHAW

They were married at the New York City home of her mother and stepfather, Wall Street financier, Paul Shields.

JULY 1933 – 1936

4723 WHITE OAK AVENUE – ENCINO

He bought a ten acre ranch in the Van Nuys / Encino area. In 1936 he sold it to Spencer Tracy, who later sold it to Mickey Rooney.

1934 – 1935

301 ROCKINGHAM AVENUE – BRENTWOOD

Cooper and his wife stayed here while their home at 11940 Chaparal, was being built.

After they moved out Clifton Webb moved in in May 1935, for a short stay.

1935 – 1936

809 BEDFORD DRIVE – BEVERLY HILLS

Moved here

1936 – 1953

11940 CHAPARAL – BRENTWOOD

Gary and Rocky bought this land in 1936 and built a large white Bermuda

Georgian house. It sat on a three and half acre estate and included a tennis court, swimming pool, ducks, chickens, dogs and lush landscaping. There was a vegetable garden, citrus grove and avacado orchard. When the split up in May 1951 she remained here and he moved out. They sold the house in 1953 to a Catholic Church that was close by.

ST. MARTIN OF TOURS CATHOLIC CHURCH

11967 SUNSET BLVD – BRENTWOOD

The church was built on a site adjacent to the estate of movie actor GaryCooper. In 1979, the parish purchased Cooper estate. The house was used as a convent, and the grounds were used as a playground for the students at St. Martin of Tours School and for church parking. The house was sold in 1980 after the Sisters of St. Joseph ceased operating the school. The land acquired for the construction of the church was formerly an orchard on the estate of actor GaryCooper.

PALM SPRINGS

In the 1930s Coop and his parents leased two thousand acres of land east of Palm Springs and planned to sink fifty – two oil wells. He later sold the leases and the real estate became the Palm Springs Airport.

1940s

1940s

TRAIL CREEK CABIN – SUN VALLEY, IDAHO

Gary and Rocky had a cabin here

1946

SKY TAVERN – RENO, NEVADA

COOP AND ROCKY

1949

2146 FOX HILLS DRIVE – CENTURY CITY

(near Sepulveda Blvd and 20th Century – Fox Studios)

PATRICIA NEAL

She was living here in an apartment while she was filling “The Fountainhead”

and during her affair with Cooper. He spent many nights here with her.

When the affair ended she moved out and Tarzan star, Lex Barker, moved in.

1951

On May 16 Gary and Rocky seperated. She remained in the Brentwood house

until 1953. He moved to the Bel Air Hotel before renting a house in Brentwood.

SEPTEMBER 1954 – MAY 13, 1961

200 NORTH BARODA DRIVE – HOLMBY HILLS

Gary and Rocky were back together and in July 1953 they began building a lavish, 6,000 square foot mansion on one and a half acres. It was completed

in September 1954. He died here on May 13, 1961.

CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD – BEVERLY HILLS

His funeral services were held here.

1961 – 1974

HOLY CROSS CEMETERY – CULVER CITY, CA.

HIS GRAVE SIDE FUNERAL AT HOLY CROSS

THE GROTTO OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES.

He was originally buried here. next to actress Zasu Pitts.

When he was removed in 1974 so was his original grave marker. It was placed on his new grave site.

1974

SOUTHAMPTON, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK

SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CEMETERY

Rocky and their daughter were living on the east coast,

and decided to have him buried here. His grave is

near a three ton rose colored boulder. When Rocky passed

away in 2000 she was buried with him.

COOPER RELATED LOCATION

Gary and Rocky had a home until both of their deaths

LAKE AGAWAM – SOUTHAMPTON, NY

AUGUST 14, 1943

GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATER

HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD, HOLLYWOOD

PUT HIS HAND AND FOOTPRINTS IN CEMENT

FEBRUARY 8, 1960

6243 HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD – HOLLYWOOD

HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME STAR

Bob Siler grew up in Burbank, not far from Universal Studios and Warner Brothers where they made his favorite monster movies.  A long-time fan of Westerns, he still has a hard time believing that the great John Wayne could die.  Bob has created many lists detailing where the famous and infamous lived, are buried, and the cars they drove.  He has recently completed this list of Western Stars homes after many years.  Burbank Bob now resides in Portland, Oregon.