Christmas Historic Home Tour in Marietta, Georgia

Last Saturday I went on a Christmas (historic) home tour in Marietta, Georgia with a friend.  We had so much fun! The weather was great...not too cold, just cloudy.  I took a lot of exterior pics and was able to capture bunches of pics inside two beautiful homes included in the tour. I'll share the interior shots soon, but for now, here are the sights we saw along the way.

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It's Complicated: A Movie House Tour

Tour the Home in the Movie, It's Complicated

It's been almost two years now, but I still remember how excited I was when I heard another movie written and directed by the talented Nancy Meyers was about to be released.  It's Complicated was released in December 2009 and since I'm a self-confessed movie house junkie, I wondered if another amazing house would be "starring" in this movie, too.  Nancy Meyers has the amazing ability to turn the sets/houses in her movies into full-fledged characters, just as she did with the darling English cottage in The Holiday, the beach house in Something's Gotta Give and the stately Colonial in Father of the Bride.

In an interview with Indiewire, Ms. Meyers described the house in It's Complicated as "an extension of character."  It's so true; often the houses in the movies written and directed by Nancy Meyers deserve top billing along with the stars.  They bring so much to the movie, establishing the mood and atmosphere that permeates the entire movie from start to finish.

Synopsis:
It's Complicated is a movie about a couple who were married 20+ years and have been divorced for 10.  Jane, played by Meryl Streep, owns her own bakery and Jake, played by Alec Baldwin, is a successful attorney.  In the movie, Jake has married a much younger woman, Agness, with whom he had an affair.  Agness is interested in having more children, in addition to the child she already has who was the result of a brief romance she participated in when she and Jake were temporarily split up.  Did ya follow all that? lol  It's a soap opera life.

During the movie, Jane and Jake find themselves back together again at their son, Luke's graduation and before you know it, they are having an affair.  Jane now finds herself in the role of the mistress to her ex-husband.  She is now cheating with her ex-husband on the woman who broke up their marriage.  Yep, it is definitely complicated.

The story is told with  humor and when asked what "genre" the movie falls in, Nancy Meyers called it a "Relationship Comedy."  The three children of Jane and Jake are played by Hunter Parrish as Luke, Zoe Kazan as Gabby and Caitlin Fitzgerald as Lauren.  Lauren's fiancé Harley, is played by John Krasinski who I read had a small role in another Nancy Meyers film, The Holiday.  There's a great article about the movie and how the cast was chosen HERE.

Exterior:
Now, let's get to the good part...the tour!   Seventy percent of the movie takes place in a beautiful Spanish style (Mediterranean) home in Thousand Oaks, California, although, in the movie, the house is supposed to be in Santa Barbara.

As is so often the case with movie houses, only the exterior shown in the movie was that of a real house.  The home is located at 714 West Potrero Road, Thousand Oaks, CA.  All the interior scenes were filmed on set in New York.

Don't be disappointed, though.  You can take heart in knowing that Ms. Meyers did use the interior of this home as inspiration for the layout of the set in It's Complicated.  She wanted the interior scenes to make sense in relation to how the real house appears on the exterior in the movie.  This pic below shows how the exterior of the home looks in the movie.  In this scene, Jane and Jake's youngest daughter, Gabby, is leaving the nest, heading off to college.  A pretty important scene takes place on the tree swing toward the end of the movie.

Another view of the exterior of the home in the movie.  Behind the gated area on the left is an interesting courtyard where another scene takes place.  You'll see that area in just a sec.
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Father of the Bride Movie House Tour

Tour the Home in the Movie, Father of the Bride

Recently, we took a tour of some beautiful neighborhoods and homes in the south. This house, located not far from my home, was included in that tour. Each time I drive by it, I'm always reminded of a famous movie home we all know and love. Do you know the one I'm thinking about?

Yep, it's this one! Recognize it? It's the house from the movie, Father of the Bride. I'm happy to say this much-loved movie house is a real house and not a just a movie set. :) So nice when that happens! I hadn't realized it, but Father of the Bride is actually a remake of a 1950 Spencer Tracey classic by the same name. Did you know that?

What is it about this house that captures our hearts? It just says home, doesn't it? I love the white picket fence, the vines/flowers growing up the front and the cute dormers lined up along the top.

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Many years ago, I read an article in a magazine where they interviewed a young couple who bought this house in real life when it became available a few years after the making of the movie. They had some pretty wild stories to tell about folks walking right up to their door, ringing the bell and asking for a tour. One of the things they said that really stuck with me was that some of what we saw in the movie was constructed just for the movie, like the white picket fence.

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The Marley & Me Movie House is for Sale: Take the Tour!

Tour the Home in the Movie, Marley & Me

Years ago a friend suggested I might enjoy reading the book Marley & Me because we had a "Marley" dog. Jake, our sweet, rambunctious and very badly behaved Golden Retriever, ate our kitchen for the first two years of his life. I am not exaggerating. He really ate the kitchen....the whole kitchen. He ate the chair rail, baseboards, door moldings (both stained and painted), kitchen cabinets, the rungs on the breakfast chairs, the walls, the wallpaper, and the hardwood flooring. Everything. He ate everything...and then some. The repairs and buying new furniture was quite expensive, except for all the molding which I replaced myself with the help of a plastic miter box from The Home Depot.

Jake was unrelenting and no amount of training worked. We read books, talked to the vet and took him to dog obedience training, beginning and advanced classes. We tried everything! I won't even describe what he did when we put him in his huge doggy crate one night to avoid having him loose and unattended while we slept. You know that old rule that says dogs won't "go" where they sleep. Wrong. Whoever wrote that rule had never met Jake.

When crating him didn't work, I left him out of the crate in the laundry room itself overnight. Just imagine the worst thing ever and multiply that a thousand times and you'll be close. A hazmat suit would not have been enough. That definitely goes down in my book as one of the worse days of my life.

My husband and I had grown up with cats so Jake was our families very first experience with owning a dog, and it was a memorable one. When Jake went to doggy heaven at age 13, I cried without stopping for three solid days and nights. I couldn't sleep, eat or even swallow water. It was bad. I am a total wimp when it comes to losing a pet...a total wimp. Y'all may have to have me committed when Max goes to kitty heaven one day. Seriously.

When the book, Marley & Me, was made into a movie (starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) and I found out the ending, I knew there was no way this girl was going to go see it. I later discovered there was a wonderful house in the movie.

Have you seen Marley & Me? Well, if you didn't, or if you did and loved the house...guess what?! We can all take a tour because it is on the market and available for purchase! Apparently, it was listed for sale in April of this year, but a friend e-mailed me last night to let me know it has just gone on the market. All the recent articles I found today state it has just been listed. Ummm, maybe they pulled it off the market and decided to wait a bit and then relisted it. I noticed the price has dropped a fair amount from the quoted price in April.

The Marley and Me house located in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, is listed at $1.25 million. The real estate listing by Holly Gross Group describes it as a "greeting-card perfect stone house."

The home was built in 1830 of native stone and has 5 bedrooms and 3 baths. It definitely has great curb appeal. Ummm, is that a ghost looking out that top left window? ;)

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For Sale: Father of the Bride Movie House and An Historic Home Tour

Well, THE Father of the Bride movie house isn't for sale, but the other one is. Huh? Apparently, there were two houses used for the filming of the first Father of the Bride movie. The one that we all remember below that's located in Pasadena, CA is NOT for sale.

But the home that's located at 500 North Almansor Street in Alhambra, CA and was used for the backyard dining scenes on the deck and for the basketball playing scenes, is available to purchase.

According to the real estate listing, the home is available for $1,350,000. It has just gone on the market and you can take a tour of the inside.
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Rugged Hunting Cabin becomes a Beautiful Victorian Retreat

Have you ever longed for a cozy little place hidden away from the world, a haven where you could relax, read, nap or just dream? Sandy Foster created just such a place, and in doing so, she's given us all a wonderful gift. With the click of a mouse, we can be transported to a beautiful, romantic retreat tucked into a little hill along side a picturesque stream.

This lovely spot isn't accessible by road. No, it requires a little effort to reach it, making the arrival all the more sweeter. Pink boots aren't a requirement, but they are highly recommended.

Sandy is there waiting for us, along with her precious, doggie, Zuzu.

Let's take our boots off here on the porch. Did you hear that soft buzzing sound? That's the sound of hummingbirds sipping nectar from the Foxgloves. Or, it could be faerie wings because this is surely a place where faeries would gather.

Once upon a time, this beautiful studio was just a brown, run-down hunting cabin. The windows were small and strictly utilitarian; the interior was rugged and plain. Today it is a fantasy retreat filled with candles, lace and chandeliers.

There's even a comfy bed tucked into the loft...the perfect spot for reading, napping and dreaming. Sandy did all the work herself, installing columns, gingerbread trim, shelving, windows, insulation, doors and everything needed to create this very special studio.

Zuzu looks right at home here, doesn't she? She is every bit as elegant as her surroundings.

Sandy carefully chose each treasure for her retreat. Isn't the mirror absolutely stunning?! Though the studio is only 9 ft by 14 ft in size, mirrors reflect the light, making it feel open and airy.

In anticipation of our visit today, Sandy created a beautiful table just for us.

The flowers are so pretty and they make the perfect centerpiece for this sweet tablescape.

Here's your place right here. In addition to pink boots, having seconds is highly suggested. ;)

No need to rush. We can stay and play all evening, even long after dark. The candles are lit and their flickering light is a reminder of the moonlight that bathes our cabin on this starlit night.

Sandy, thanks so much for letting us stop by your beautiful studio. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to visit again real soon.

You can visit and read more about Sandy's hideaway studio at her blog, My Shabby Streamside Studio. See you Sunday evening for Metamorphosis Monday.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: Touring Mercer House

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: Touring Mercer House

I've just recently returned from a few days in the port city, Savannah and my trip had me thinking about the movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The movie was based on the book of the same title written by author, John Berendt. I've visited this beautiful Georgia city several times over the years, including back in June 1995, the year after the book was published. In case you aren't familiar, the city of Savannah is a planned city, designed by General James Oglethorpe. He designed the city around squares and ultimately it grew to have 24 picturesque squares, of which 22 still remain today. The squares make Savannah a unique and beautiful place to visit.



On that visit in 1995 I bought an autographed copy of the book in V. & J. Duncan Antique Maps, Prints & Books located on East Taylor Street which is on Monterey Square.



The V. & J. Duncan book store is located in the basement of this beautiful historic home and the owners (the Duncans) live in the home above. They have a "13 marble step commute" to their shop each day as they say in THIS video.



After I purchased a copy of the book in their shop, Virginia Duncan autographed it for me on page 142 where she is mentioned in the book. Now my book had two autographs. :)



I would manage to get it autographed one more time during that 1995 visit by yet, another one of the real live characters of the book, Emma Kelly...you'll meet her later in this post.



It was exciting and wonderfully strange experiencing the actual places and meeting the real people you read about in the book. It's not often you get the opportunity to fall into the rabbit hole, talk to the characters, touch the places and live the story. And, quite the story it is! It's all about art, antiques, parties, drag queens, voo doo, cemeteries, eccentric characters, murder and revenge.

During that long-ago 1995 visit to Savannah, we did the "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Book Tour" which you can still take today. The tour took us to all the places made famous in the book, and later in the movie released in 1997 starring Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, Jude Law and many of the town folk of Savannah. The movie was directed by Clint Eastwood.



During my visit this past week, I was able to tour Mercer House where much of the movie was filmed. Mercer House, previously owned by Jim Williams, a prominent art and antiques dealer, is now "The Mercer Williams House Museum." It is currently owned by Mr. William's sister, Dorothy, and is open for tours each day. Photography wasn't allowed inside the home, but I've snagged a few pics from the movie to share. I asked about the furniture that's in the home today and was told by our guide that much of it is the same as it was in the movie. Of course, some pieces have been reupholstered over the years.

When I visited and took this photograph in 1995, the exterior of this 7,000 sq. ft. Italianate home looked the same as it does in the movie released in 1997. Mercer House was designed by New York architect, John S. Norris for General Hugh W. Mercer who was the great grandfather of Johnny Mercer, the famous songwriter/singer. Construction of the house began in 1860 but it came to a halt during the time of the War Between the States. A gentleman by the name of John Wilder purchased the home and completed it in 1868.



When I visited again last week, I noticed very few things have changed since the movie was filmed here. (See pic below.) Gone is the heavy vine seen growing above the door in the movie. As you might expect, the palm on the right side is much larger, as are the shrubs lining the walkway. Other than that, the exterior of the house today is very much as it was in the movie. This photo below was taken last week.



The book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, is based on a true story about Jim Williams. Of course, John Berendt added and embellished to make it more exciting. Mr. Williams bought Mercer house in 1969 after it had been vacant for over a decade. He restored it, as he did 50+ houses in Savannah during his lifetime.

Here's a brief synopsis of the movie from Wikipedia:

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is atmospheric and Southern Gothic in tone, depicting a wide range of eccentric Savannah personalities.
The action that serves as a catalyst in the book is the killing of Danny Hansford, a local male prostitute (characterized as "a good time not yet had by all") by respected antique dealer Jim Williams. Four murder trials resulted, with the final one ending in acquittal after the judge finally agreed to move the case away from the Savannah jury pool. The book characterizes the killing as the result of a lovers' quarrel, not a pre-meditated murder. The death took place in Williams' home, originally built by an ancestor of songwriter and Savannah native Johnny Mercer.
The novel also highlights many other residents of Savannah, most notably The Lady Chablis, a local drag queen and entertainer. Chablis provides both a Greek chorus of sorts as well as a light-hearted contrast to the more serious action.
The book's plot is based on real-life events that occurred in the 1980s and is classified as non-fiction. Because it reads like a novel, it is sometimes referred to as a "non-fiction novel" or "faction", a sub-genre popularized by Truman Capote and Norman Mailer. (Booksellers generally feature the title in the "true crime" subsection.) It is among the most popular non-fiction releases of all time.
The title alludes to the hoodoo notion of "midnight", the period between the time for good magic and the time for evil magic, and "the garden of good and evil," which refers principally to Bonaventure Cemetery.
The famous Bird Girl statue, originally designed both as art and as a birdseed holder, was originally located at Bonaventure. A Savannah photographer, Jack Leigh, was commissioned to take a photograph for the cover of the book and created his now famous photograph of the statue. The Bird Girl was relocated in 1997 for display in the Telfair Museum in Savannah.


Let's take a tour of this beautiful home as seen during the making of the movie.



Jim Williams was known for his elaborate and over-the-top Christmas parties. Savannahians eagerly checked their mailboxes each Christmas to see if they had made the cut and would receive a much coveted invite.



Last Sunday, I was standing in the same spot as John Cusack in this scene from the movie. I probably had the same gawking look on my face, too. :) The home is filled with amazing art and rare antiques. To be honest, I'm shocked they allow the public in to tour this house. There are many valuable paintings and antiques throughout the home. When our guide pointed out crystal candlesticks given by Martha Washington to her daughter when she married, I was stunned. They were literally 3 feet in front of me, just sitting on a sideboard unprotected and easily within arms reach. Visit the home now before they come to their senses and put everything in a museum behind locked glass and roped off rooms. The tile in this entry is still in beautiful shape. Really, the whole home is just beautiful. The walls are still painted the soft peach color Jim Williams so loved.



The tour guide told us the dining room table was turned in the movie (as shown below) to create more space for the party that takes place in this room. It was turned the other direction during our visit last week. Many of the characters in the movie are actual town folk and play themselves. I think that was the case for the caterers of the party, if I'm remembering correctly.



Emma Kelly, known as the "Lady of 6,000 songs" has a whole chapter of the book devoted to her. She got her nickname from Savannah-born songwriter Johnny Mercer, who challenged her to play numerous songs that he named. He estimated she knew at least 6,000 songs from memory. Emma always played for Jim Williams at his Christmas party each year and she played herself in the movie. She's the other person from the book/movie who autographed my book back in 1995. When I met her, I found her to be a genuinely caring and generous soul. You can just tell by the sweet autograph/comment she wrote in my copy of the book. (Just scroll back up to read it.)



John Cusack plays a reporter by the name of John Kelso. I think John Berendt was channeling through Cusack. In the movie, he has been assigned to write a story about Jim Williams stunning parties, but he uncovers a much more interesting story along the way.



Prior to Jim Williams purchasing the home, the walls of three rooms upstairs were taken down to create one large ball room. In the movie, Jim takes John upstairs to show him a very rare gun that he keeps in the box he is unlatching here in this scene.



In the movie, Jim tells John about his neighbor's (Lee and Emma Adler) dogs that bark and annoy him. To get revenge, he plays this organ in the ball room really loud.



It would rival some organs found in churches. John is stunned when the curtains roll back to reveal these giant pipes. The movie is full of crazy moments like this.



Here's a picture I took of Lee & Emma Adler's House when I was in Savannah in 1995 on the "book tour." Their home is the one on the left and is across the street from Mercer House on Monterey Square.



While we are looking at other houses from the movie, here's one more. In the movie, John Kelso also meets Mandy Nicholls (played by Alison Eastwood) and Joe Odom (played by Paul Hipp) when Mandy comes to borrow ice from the guest house where he is staying out back behind Mercer House. Mandy invites John back to a party in this house known as the Hamilton-Turner House. I took this photo of it on my trip in 1995. Not sure why it was decorated this way back then. I believe it was open for tours, though we didn't go in.



The movie is truly filled with eccentric characters. One scene involving a character named Luther takes place in Clary's Cafe, seen here in this photo I took in 1995. In the movie, Luther has a small bottle of poison that he carries around with him wherever he goes. Apparently, Savannhians are worried he will dump the poison into the river and poison them all one day. ;)



As you can see in the photo I took last week, it still looks pretty much the same as it did at the time of the movie, except there's a huge building behind it now. Clary's Cafe is a popular tourist destination as you might imagine, but we didn't have to wait long to be seated when we ate there in 1995 or last week. The food is quite good, too.



Back downstairs in Mercer House, Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey) and John Kelso (John Cusack) are talking after the Christmas party. We get a few more views of the interior of Mercer House.



Jim is flattering John (buttering him up for the article he will write. John is trying to stay objective in his role as "reporter."

After the party, Jim (Kevin Spacey) and Billy Hanson (played by Jude Law) who is living with Jim, get into an argument. Billy threatens Jim when he refuses to give him money that he's demanding.



The argument escalates and a shooting (some would say murder) takes place that night after the party. Here investigators are questioning Jim Williams after being called to the home. Suddenly the party John Kelso is supposed to be writing about seems rather boring.



Jim Williams sits with his cat as the investigation is taking place. He has shot and killed Billy Hanson, and states it was in self-defense. He will be tried 4 times before ultimately being acquitted.  Have you noticed how the furniture is positioned away from the walls in almost all the rooms.  These beautiful old homes have windows on two, sometimes three sides and it forces you to NOT line up the furniture around the walls.  I love that!  Of course, the rooms are also nice and large so you have room to place furniture toward the center and still walk around behind it.  I just love the way the furniture is positioned in the room...feels so free and open and so conducive to conversation, flow and movement.



Another view of the exterior as the body is being carried away in the movie.



This is the office where the shooting occurs. When we entered the office on the tour last week, the guide told us, "This is the room where Mr. Williams defended his life." What a polite, southern way to say this is where Mr. Williams shot Billy Hanson. (In real life, Jim Williams shot Danny Hansford. The name is changed in the movie.)

They never mentioned on our tour that Mr. Williams dropped dead in this exact room a few months after being released from prison after his last trial. Some say it was Billy (Danny) getting revenge. Ummm...I'll let you decide that.



Mercer William House Museum all lit up at night time. The chandeliers in Mercer House are stunning! If you tour this home, you'll love the view looking up the curving stairway to the gorgeous ceiling several stories up. Apparently, Mr. Williams did the restoration work on the ceiling himself. The home truly is beautiful inside and a must see if you visit Savannah.

The Bird Girl statue (called this because she is actually a bird feeder) was originally pictured on the cover of the book. She stood for many years in Bonaventure Cemetery. Bonaventure is such a lovely, peaceful place. It sits along side the Wilmington River and is filled with Live Oak Trees dripping in Spanish moss. It is also just a few miles away from Wormsloe and beautiful Isle of Hope.  If you have time, check out these two previous post.  Wormsloe and Isle of Hope are absolutely beautiful places.

The Bird Girl eventually had to be moved to the Telfair Museum after the book and movie came out. Folks were vandalizing the sculpture. You can still see her if you visit the museum.



Of course, these days you can buy copies or near copies for your own garden. I've had one for many years tucked in among the daylilies along my front walkway. They are for sale all over Savannah, too.




Hope you enjoyed this tour of Mercer House.

You'll find additional Movie House Tours OR click on any picture link below.