DAHLINGS! Went to the Zsa Zsa Estate Sale! Also met Lisa Vanderpump and Giggy (Jiggy?) from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
DAHLINGS! Anybody remember Zsa Zsa Gabor? She was one of the first “stars”
to be more famous for being famous than her actual acting talent. Even though
she died over 2 years ago at age 99, the estate sale was held recently so I
attended. The best part was the “open house”…for two days prior to the sale,
you were permitted to walk thru her palatial Bel Air home to view all the items
up for auction.
Her home was 1001 Bel Air Road near the top of the hill with
a killer view of L.A. Her 9th
and last husband, Frederic Von Anhalt who claimed he was a Prince, held the auction
and he was there giving interviews to all the media that showed up. As we
entered, there was a long red carpet from the valet parking stand. I overheard him telling a reporter “I wanted
to give Zsa Zsa her last red carpet.” I thought it was fitting because she made
a career of marrying wealthy men and then divorcing them and getting
outrageously generous financial settlements of cash, artwork, real estate and
jewelry that her final husband cashed in and got EVERYthing. He sold her
dresses, her furs, her furniture, her jewelry, her personal items, her address
books, her pill bottles (YES, directly from the medicine chest), her sheets and
towels, paintings, liquor bottles, china, crystal, etc. And then her house of
course, which had once belonged to Howard Hughes also was sold for over
$10million and now the owner is trying to sell it for $23million. The real
estate listing says “good luck!”
So my friend Lisa and I cavorted thru the house snapping
photos everywhere, even in her private bedroom where all the gowns and shoes
and furs had been pulled out of closets and put on display near the canopy bed
where she died after years of health issues. Her jewelry was spread out in
glass display cases like Tiffany’s! Even celebrities were there peeking. We met and took a picture with neighbor Lisa Vanderpump and her husband Ken and little dog Giggy from the REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS.
Zsa Zsa Gabor had been a Miss Hungary and she and her
sisters Eva and Magda all immigrated legally to the United States pre-WWII with
their mother Jolie Gabor. Allegedly they were a troupe of actresses but it soon
became clear that Jolie’s main aim was to marry off her beautiful daughters to
millionaires. Eva found fame in the movies and on the TV show GREEN ACRES and
as a smart business woman with her line of wigs and personal items. Magda led a
quiet life of wealth and leisure but Zsa Zsa was the STAR of the family with
her flashy life and many husbands. It’s interesting that for all the husbands
they had, no one had children except Zsa Zsa. Her only daughter Francesca
Hilton pre-deceased her by several years so literally there was no one to
challenge the Prince as he sold off EVERYTHING.
My favorite Zsa Zsa movie was the camp classic 1958 QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE where the scenery looks cardboard, all the actors are in space suits except Zsa Zsa is waltzing around in Chanel gowns and jewels.
The house was used in the film BEHIND THE CANDELABRA about
the life of Liberace, starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, especially the
pool, where I took a photo. We snapped pics everywhere including a small Louis
Vuitton makeup case which I curiously opened and discovered her makeup,
brushes, etc. were still there! This is a lady that hadn’t used makeup in many
years yet there were the brushes, still caked with foundation and rouge.
Jim Dykes is a private NYC tourguide and does many tours
including his RICH & FAMOUS TOURS. www.JimDykesNYC.com
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