Star Maps

Since movie stars have moved into the big mansions of Beverly Hills and Bel-Air, vendors have sold maps of their homes with varying accuracy. Although most stars resent unwanted intrusions of fans, many take it with good humor. Sitting in his swimming pool, Oliver Hardy would welcome fans who climbed over his fence. "Hey, How about a dip?" In the earliest days, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks would drive up next to people with star maps and ask them for directions. And more recently, television producer Aaron Spelling would come out and pitch show ideas to tourists. Buying a star's home could bring unexpected baggage. Doris Day's love of homeless animals was well-known to her fans. For several years after buying her house, the new owners posted a sign that said, "Please do not leave your small dogs and cats, Miss Day has moved!"

Many celebrities simply tire of the fan attention. Paul Newman and Joann Woodward put their Beverly Hills house on sale after they found out it was on the star maps. Pop star Prince threw rocks at passing tour buses. Yet the star maps had their uses. Once actor Lee Marvin was so drunk he couldn't find his house, so he pulled over and bought a star map to locate it. Unfortunately, it was a new house so it was not on the map yet!

Stephen Schochet is the author and narrator of the audiobooks "Fascinating Walt Disney" and "Tales Of Hollywood". The Saint Louis Post Dispatch says," these two elaborate productions are exceptionally entertaining." Hear realaudio samples of these great, unique gifts at http://www.hollywoodstories.com." target="_blank">www.hollywoodstories.com.

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