Nelson Eddy built this house with plans to move in with Jeanette MacDonald in 1938. She had separated from her husband Gene Raymond and resumed an affair with Eddy, pending her supposed divorce. However, MGM studio boss Louis B. Mayer insisted she call off the divorce after she miscarried Eddy’s child during the filming of their 1938 blockbuster film, Sweethearts. For Eddy, all the joy of building his “dream house” was dashed when MacDonald refused to go to Reno for a quickie divorce, despite Mayer’s threats. He would live in the house with his new wife, Ann Franklin, for only a few years.
This house was purchased from Nelson Eddy by actor Fred MacMurray. How much remodeling was done we don’t know. If one of our readers was inside the house while Nelson lived there, please email me and let me know what has been changed!
This is the house that Nelson Eddy had built, based on a Colonial Williamsburg home that he had admired on the East Coast. According to someone who was in the house, there were a few secret passageways built in. Although I’m not certain exactly what date Nelson purchased the land, according to his longtime girlfriend K.T. Ernshaw, he planned to build the house for himself and Jeanette MacDonald in late 1938. According to a posting about this house, Kathleen Tuttle, author of “Sylvanus Marston, Pasadena’s Quintessential Architect,” relates that ‘Marston met with Nelson Eddy in Williamsburg, Virginia during the late 1930s in preparation for the design of Eddy’s home in Brentwood.’ This probably occurred during Nelson Eddy’s spring 1938 tour – when MacDonald was secretly accompanying him. (Not so secret actually – she did sit in the audience on occasion and even sang a number or two with him onstage. Plus, the press noted that she and Nelson ‘returned to Los Angeles together’ from the East Coast.) MacDonald was pregnant with Eddy’s child and he hoped to raise several children in the new home. As we know, Jeanette MacDonald miscarried and never divorced her husband Gene Raymond. On the rebound, Nelson Eddy married Ann Franklin and they moved into separate bedrooms when the home was finished some months after their marriage in January 1939.
Specs on the house:
Bedrooms:
6
Bathrooms:
7
$8,995,000
Living Area:
6513 square feet /AS
Classic Williamsburg Colonial steeped in Hollywood history on approximately 1.4 acres. Comprised of 4 lots affording various usage & development potential. Lush, wooded site offers privacy & vistas in the heart of Brentwood. Great architecture on a secluded cul-de-sac location. Gracious, formal entertaining rooms. Large family room w/beamed ceiling & fireplace, opens to pool & yard. Cozy, paneled library. 5 bedrooms plus maids suite including spacious master w/fireplace. Dark hardwood floors & remarkable detailing.
– Approximately 1.4 acres on 4 lots
– Over 6500 square feet of living space per assessor
– Close proximity to shops & restaurants
– Private, wooded acreage w/walking paths in back
– 3 car garage w/great storage
– Easy access to freeways
Keep your modern homes, your glass, your architectural, and your chatter of mixing indoor-outdoor space. Described as a “classic Williamsburg Colonial steeped in Hollywood history” this Brentwood home has “dark hardwood floors & remarkable detailing.” Eh, Hollywood history? At least one web site boasts that old timey actors Nelson Eddy and Fred MacMurray lived here. A six-bedroom, 6,513 square foot home on 1.4 acres, it’s listed at $8.995 million.
September 11…a patriotic day during a most passionate election season! Whether you are rooting for a blue candidate or a red – there’s no doubt that this year, the newly elected US President/Vice President combo will bring change to our country!
Since I had already planned to listen to Jeanette and Nelson singing some patriotic songs to help cheer my day (my husband worked in the World Trade Center but luckily was home that day) – just thought I would share these links for those who have not downloaded these mp3 songs:
