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I thought about resurrecting this thread, but figured it warranted its own.
One of my favorite local-ish places to visit is Malabar Farm in Richland county, Ohio. It was home to Pulizer Prize winning author Louis Bromfield from 1939 - 1956. He was a local Ohio boy who went to Columbia University for Journalism, off to drive an ambulance in France during WWI (like Hemingway, EE Cumings, etc), and then came back to write award winning novels and screenplays; I just saw his Bogart/Sheridan film "It All Came True" (YouTube trailer) on TCM the other night. His proudest achievements though were his accomplishments and advances in sustainable agriculture. Really neat guy.
He became friends with Bogart early on, when Bromfield was a struggling writer in New York and Bogart a struggling actor on Broadway. With his successful Hollywood screenplays -- he was said to be making $2500 a week in the 1930s! -- he also came to be friends with many of the stars of the day. Bogey and Bacall were married at his Ohio farm in 1945, but many other stars came out to visit. On a recent visit, I was particularly struck by a signed photo of Carole Lombard posing by the barn.
The home itself is quite a large, sprawling farmhouse, but very homey. Bromfield only lived there for 15 years before he died and it eventually passed to the state and became a park; it is preserved almost exactly as it was when he lived there.
If you're ever in the area (around Mansfield, OH) it is beautiful country and well worth a visit. The house is wonderful, as are the 30s-50s ephemera inside, including cells from Disney's "Ferdinand the Bull" (by Bromfield), and paintings given to him by Grandma Moses.
For your viewing pleasure, here are some photos of the home as decorated for Christmas, as well as a newsreel covering the wedding:
[YOUTUBE]xCYV5SNWyY0[/YOUTUBE]
The Big House
Front Entrance
Bromfield's Study
The apartment of his friend and manager, George Hawkins
The bridal suite
Note: They're the only beds in the house on rollers, so they can be pushed together!
Newspaper clips about the wedding and a copy of the marriage certificate
One of my favorite local-ish places to visit is Malabar Farm in Richland county, Ohio. It was home to Pulizer Prize winning author Louis Bromfield from 1939 - 1956. He was a local Ohio boy who went to Columbia University for Journalism, off to drive an ambulance in France during WWI (like Hemingway, EE Cumings, etc), and then came back to write award winning novels and screenplays; I just saw his Bogart/Sheridan film "It All Came True" (YouTube trailer) on TCM the other night. His proudest achievements though were his accomplishments and advances in sustainable agriculture. Really neat guy.
He became friends with Bogart early on, when Bromfield was a struggling writer in New York and Bogart a struggling actor on Broadway. With his successful Hollywood screenplays -- he was said to be making $2500 a week in the 1930s! -- he also came to be friends with many of the stars of the day. Bogey and Bacall were married at his Ohio farm in 1945, but many other stars came out to visit. On a recent visit, I was particularly struck by a signed photo of Carole Lombard posing by the barn.
The home itself is quite a large, sprawling farmhouse, but very homey. Bromfield only lived there for 15 years before he died and it eventually passed to the state and became a park; it is preserved almost exactly as it was when he lived there.
If you're ever in the area (around Mansfield, OH) it is beautiful country and well worth a visit. The house is wonderful, as are the 30s-50s ephemera inside, including cells from Disney's "Ferdinand the Bull" (by Bromfield), and paintings given to him by Grandma Moses.
For your viewing pleasure, here are some photos of the home as decorated for Christmas, as well as a newsreel covering the wedding:
[YOUTUBE]xCYV5SNWyY0[/YOUTUBE]
The Big House
Front Entrance
Bromfield's Study
The apartment of his friend and manager, George Hawkins
The bridal suite
Note: They're the only beds in the house on rollers, so they can be pushed together!
Newspaper clips about the wedding and a copy of the marriage certificate
