The Smiley Smile Message Board

I need help and figured I would turn to the experts here. Besides the sunset and the marina address, where did Denny live. There has to be other homes he lived in. I need to know for my vacation is coming soon. Any Info will be much appreciated. Thanks Denni.

8012 Sth. Harvard Blvd. (born there 12/4/44)*
3701 W. 119th Hawthorne (1946-1964)**
600 Hyde Park Avenue, Inglewood (1964)
124 Hillsdale, Inglewood (1965)
2600 Benedict Canyon (Dennis & Carol)+
14400 Sunset Blvd (the 'Manson' house)++
Wavecrest Ave., Venice Beach
Beverly Glen
Slip C-1100, Marina Del Ray (berth of  Harmony 1974-80)
3109 Ocean Front Walk
32184 Broad Beach, Trancas (Dennis & Karen)
9747 Yokum Drive, Beverly Hills (Dennis & Karen)
Coldwater canyon (Dennis & Christine 1980 - Christine's house, I believe)
Trancas Beach (11/83)
Santa Monica Bay Inn, Ocean Park Avenue (Dennis & Shawn)

  * - house still stands but almost entirely remodelled
** - demolished mid-80s.
  + - gated community with guards
++ - demolished/extensively remodelled mid-2000s

Thanks AGD.  I was hopeing to see the sunset house the most, besides marina del ray. I will note all.

You'd make a very efficient stalker!

This -

(http://www.freewebs.com/rozzwilliams/dennis%20wilson%2014400%20sunset.JPG)

- is alleged to be a photo of the old Will Rogers house that Dennis bought... but something doesn't sit right with me about it... vegetation looks insufficient.

From what I can tell (by Googling), this was Will Rogers' home in Los Angeles...
(http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/626/images/Will_Rogers_SHP_Western_Ranch_House_photo.jpg)

That's his ranch, in Will Rogers State Park, just a hoot 'n' a holler up the road. Not 14400. Note the sign says it was gift deeded to the state in 1944.

I'd be happier iffn I knew when the photo of the 14400 house was taken.

Whoa...not even close. The Will Rogers hunting lodge that Dennis lived in at 14400 was basically a fancy log cabin...looked nothing like the home above. It has since been completely remodeled, so what sits there now only has a few minor elements of the original...but again, looks nothing like that photo. You can see the current set up in The Real Beach Boy documentary, and also some older footage of the grounds during the remodel phase from 2005 when the cabin was still there.

Entrance from Sunset Blvd. looks like this now...
http://www.inthecanyon.com/realestate/listing.asp?Page=escrow.asp&PageID=610

That was what didn't lie right - I've always remembered 14400 being described as a log cabin style house... plus it looked way too close to the road in that photo.

So, is this a photo of any of Denny's houses?

First off, no, he never lived in that big white house.  The State Park & ranch, with it's giant polo field and stables, is directly across Sunset Blvd. from 14400; (in fact, the best view you can get of 14400 is from the road that leads up to the park gate).  Dennis had told me that Will Rogers lived in 14400 while he built the ranch house & property, but I can't remember if Will had built this house, too.  It certainly had many of his traces, from the log cabin house & guest houses, to the oak tree lined drive up to the house, to the swimming pool in the shape of the United States!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9G42Zs0zk4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9G42Zs0zk4)

Seems like the comments are saying the house in this video was remodeled/rebuilt. Looks like it would have been easier to build new walls entirely, than rebuild what is shown in the video...

That's exactly what they did - about the only original part is the garage. The house itself is new from the foundations on up.

Thank you. I will go to each address and see what I find. It would be nice to go inside sunset, look around the ground even if it looks different, Denny still walked the grounds there. I have many places to visit while I'm there. We are going to see if my moms apartment is still there, that will be memory lane for her and I get to see where it all happened. I better shut up now before i get somebody pissed off and end up in the sandbox :lol

I must admit, this thread has caused me to delve into this subject with great depth, as the actual timeframe is essential to me if I'm ever going to tackle finishing my book...  The clues are always right there for me - heck, there's all kinds of dates on my photos, and on various things in my archive.  But something like this thread leads me to look at things from a different perspective.  And, although this list misses quite a few places, and the sequences are a bit jarring at times, nailing down the specific changes is tantamount to my being able to sort details of the haziest of the years in my memories.  For various reasons, Dennis & I shared homes through the years, sometimes mine, usually his, sometimes briefly, sometimes for months; almost all of these places mentioned are significant to me.  
Once he began his serious nomadic, vagabond existence, (which pretty much started after Sunset -- Blvd., that is, although sunset was when he really woke up!), life truly became a three-ring circus, with our time spent racing from touring, to countless hours at Brother Studio, to daze & nites at sea on The Harmony, to one or another of the crazy houses listed here, as well as a dozen others that aren't mentioned...
However, this address above really puzzles me, especially after googling it, http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=3109+Ocean+Front+Walk%2C+Los+Angeles%2C+CA&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq= and midway down the page seeing this:  "3109 Ocean Front Walk (Dennis) .... Los Angeles, CA 90046. Warren Zevon lived here for a while".  When I looked a little deeper, it turned out the Zevon reference was to somewhere else, but it could have been this place.  This was a period of tons of crazy musicians discovering the bars & haunts of lower Venice, and everybody from Zevon & Waddy to Lindsey to Van Morrison & Rickie Lee Jones were either playing in bars of just hanging out.  From google maps, I think this is an apartment he had behind a restaurant overlooking the Venice pier - an apartment he spent thousands to have fixed up, only to decide he didn't like the 'vibe', and never really move in!  
But this did begin his love affair with that little strip of Venice/Marina Del Rey below Washington, with the nautical/alphabetical street names.  And he lived on a lot of them, all of them opening right out onto the sand, none of them standing any longer: a great one Hurricane St., (where that great shot of he & Fred Vail was taken, and Bobby Dylan lived right down the street - we'd kind of creepy-crawl his place sometimes, to listen to him playing piano!), and on Driftwood , and Catamaran St., where he first moved with Shawn, and where Stan & Rocky found him that fateful night.  That's the event that ended the love affair with Venice, for awhile at least, and sent him back to Malibu.  Ah, memories...

I would enjoy listening to you're memories.  I have been in touch with some that knew Denny and loved what they had to say. I know you were a lot closer to him. I am vacationing in mid april to visit Denny's stomping grounds. Any advice?

Back in the early 1990's I picked up a book all about the sights to see in L.A. from a music fans perspective. I don't know if it's still in print or not.  But if it is maybe you can order it. The title is : The L.A. Musical History Tour by Art Fein. It was put together in 1990, and I found my copy at a used bookstore in Ohio for a quarter. It doesn't have a LOT of Beach Boys addresses in it, but it does have a lot of other places that are important in L.A. I hope that helps out a little on your searching.

Ted

Thank you. I will check into it.

I knew this thread would be of use one day to someone!

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,5541.0.html

http://www.cinetropic.com/blacktop/harmony/index.html


Was this the real Harmony.

Thank you very much. I'm still reading all the threads. Lot's of info there. :happydance

She's the real deal. Awesome boat.

Pay your respects to Dennis at Basin C, 1100 is the slip number I think.  It's off a street called Marquessa.



Can I just walk out there? I know that the actual gate to the pier where the owners walk to get to their boats is locked, but can I at least walk that far so I can take a picture? Am I allowed to throw a rose in the water? Maybe I should skip that part.

Can this be done? Will they allow me in side to view the slip.

she is gorgous. I was almost named Harmony :thumbsup

I mean no disrespect, but I would imagine that you would need some kind of documented proof concerning familial relation.

After all these years, I don't understand why they would need proof of relation. They either let visitors in or they don't. Maybe there's a way around all that. If there's a way, I'll find it.

Friends of mine who are no relation to Denny had no problem, and in any event, Harmony hadn't been moored there since 1980 when it was repossessed. That's on a par with saying you need to prove you're related to Brian to go look at 1448 Laurel Way.

I'll find out once I'm there. I thought of going by Brian's home's also, just for fun. I only want to see the slip where he passed and without getting any negitive post's please, my mom would like to return to that same spot where she stood many years ago. I'm very happy I recived much info here and am delighted most of you are kind and helpful.

At the Marina there's a locked gate that keeps the public off the docks where the boat slips are, you can see through it because its chain link....but outside the gate you are still 60 or 70 feet from Dennis' old slip. However, some friendly boat owners have been good enough to let people (or camera crews :o) through the gate on occasion.

Thanks Jon. I can be charming when I want and say what ever it takes to get what i want :-D  If not, I can get as close as possible.

Yup you're definitely Denny's daughter!!!!

 :lol

Yup. :)

This is a clip of the boat 'Emerald' being hauled out at the marina in August 09. Of course this is the boat Dennis dived from in December 83. I remember reading a post somewhere that the boat should have been burned rather than restored but as a boat owner myself I think Dennis would have been one of those wanting a classic like this to be cared for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaaQwuxYSUg

It may still be in a yard in the area as it was not maintained for many years so it would have been quite a restoration project.


But its had worse!

http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=mi0DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA76&lpg=PA76&dq=popular+science+yawl+emerald&source=bl&ots=_iRtV3HqJF&sig=cousxKec-bp0ZzNFPzoQ1d1e_h4&hl=en&ei=JquLTaFf045xioiR-Ak&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=popular%20science%20yawl%20emerald&f=false

Was this the slip the boat was when Denny died. I heard 2 different stories about where he was found, under the boat in that clip or where his boat used to sit next to it. I been thinking about that a lot lately.

I'm pretty sure that it was in the slip next to where the Harmony had been.

I went to the area last summer. As has been mentioned, you get pretty close at the gate. Nice location and the afternoon I was there a wedding party was being held just yards away with a live band. Seemed fitting.

Thats what my mom said, he was found under the boat he dove off of. That would be the slip in that clip. Wow. I'm amazed, i got to see that. Thank you. I wish you all knew how greatful I am, you guys are the best.

I recall watching that clip for the first time and have extremely mixed emotions.

The second time got to me after thinking about it.

I think when I first watched that clip awhile back it had some pretty depressing music but its now got quite a nautical theme to it so i like it.

On the boat itself I have to ask those who knew Dennis. Would he have lit the match to burn it or would he be in boots and all helping to lift it and restore it with time and money? Knowing his love for his own sailboat I have no doubt it would be the later so that is why I have no problem watching that video.

Understand those who may feel otherwise though.

BTW on the subject of Beach Boys addresses.

A news report here mentioned a certain Dame who died yesterday had a site arranged to be buried in Westwood.  ;)

Absolutely. If he hit his head under that boat like I heard, then i can understand why some may want to burn it down. I watched the clip again and this time was harder for some reason, thinking about what may have happened. We will never know what really happened the day Denny dove in the water for the last time.

 ;)

I wonder how the hell this ended up on ebay.

Dennis Wilson Document For Burial At Sea

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Beach-Boys-Dennis-Wilson-Document-Burial-Sea-/290545468688?pt=UK_Music_Music_Memorabilia_LE&hash=item43a5dc0510 (http://cgi.ebay.ie/Beach-Boys-Dennis-Wilson-Document-Burial-Sea-/290545468688?pt=UK_Music_Music_Memorabilia_LE&hash=item43a5dc0510)

I would buy it but I'd feel weird

Ha, take some names

Says its a repo. Not sure what is stranger. Someone producing this or buyers!

 :lol :lol

If I bid and win i can get the name...right?  I never bought anything on ebay.

What's odd, is it says "reproduction" but NOT a photocopy.  Not sure exactly what that means.

Maybe it's a fake. I would like to know who put it on there.

ask the seller whatever; maybe they'll answer.

I never done ebay so i didn't know what to do. I can ask the seller questions and act like im interested.

If you are interested dennyschild, this is the yard that hauled the Emerald out. Don't know if it was being restored onsite. May still be there. Your call.

http://www.boatyardguide.com/windward_yacht_center_ws.htm

I found the sellers name. He is from united kingdom. I have to sign in to talk with with...hmmmmm

Thanks. I couldn't find the Emerald on there. I may not be looking in the right place. Lot's of boats there. Nobody knows where it's at. Thanks.

Do any of you know what happened to Harmony.

Denny, this may or may not be hard for you to read, so I'm writing this "disclaimer", just in case.  ;)





If Dennis hit his head under the boat in that clip, I would buy it and have the entire boat DNA tested for any blood residue, or hair, etc. For some reason, I feel that if it were proven that it was an accident, it may bring some closure to his family. To many people think that the Dennis of 1983 was just a washed up, drunken bum.  :( After that, I would burn it.
 

An accident as opposed to what?

Ok, let me say it another way. Dying because you hit your head and were knocked unconscious sounds a little bit better than dying because you were drunk and your senses and reflexes were numbed.

I understand completely. 

he was not a washed up drunken bum, we all know that. He had problems he didn't know how to deal with. yes, he had a alcohol addiction, but he was far from being a bum. a lost soul and very lonely from what i gather. He was a blessing  to many and I'm one of them.

I just thought of something, what about the autopsy, what did the medical examiner say. Was there injuries to his head or neck, any part of of body, or did they just go with accidental drowning. They must report their findings.

We tried tracing her many years ago - trail went cold in the north-west, Oregon I think. I'm thinking that with enough time and $$$ you could track her down but it'd be a very tedious process.

Perhaps with the help of Ed Roach and (possibly) Jon Stebbins, a collection could be started? Finding the Harmony and restoring her would be the perfect tribute to Dennis. I'm being totally serious. I'd give a donation.  ;)

 Cool idea... however, she may be in good shape already (she was when she was repossessed, I think - Ed would know). Plus, we'd be talking hundreds of thousands.

Guess I was way over my head.  ;D I know nothing of boats or their prices.

Also Harmony was not the boats original name and due to its history a new owner could have easily changed it again. Hard find but you never know.

No, I don't think I'll do that.

awwwww. Thats thoughtful.

A boat of the Harmony's size and vintage would be worth around 1.5 million dollars or more in restored condition.

Maybe i can get a loan ;D ;D    I'm more interested in where it sit at the marina.