Monday, May 14, 2012

Julie Andrews' Brentwood house isn't going for a song

The home Andrews owned with her late husband, director and screenwriter Blake Edwards, is listed for $2.649 million. It's already in escrow less than a month after going on the market.

 Hot Property | Stacey Sher and Kerry Brown

Singer and actress Julie Andrews has listed the Brentwood house she owned with her late husband, director and screenwriter Blake Edwards, for $2.649 million. Less than a month after coming on the market, the tidy white home with gray shutters is already in escrow.
The traditional-style house features a family room and living room with French doors opening to a fanciful garden that appears to be "practically perfect in every way" to borrow a phrase from "Mary Poppins." The formal dining room has a cathedral ceiling and glass walls. An artist's studio with a bathroom sits above the garage for a total of four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
The less than quarter-acre lot is surrounded by tall hedges and is gated — no doubt discouraging neighbors from nipping over to borrow a spoonful of sugar. There is a swimming pool and spa.
Andrews, 76, starred in musicals including "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot." She won a lead actress Oscar for "Mary Poppins" (1964) and starred in "The Sound of Music" (1965), "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (1967) and the "Princess Diaries" films in 2001 and 2004. More recently she voiced Gru's mom in "Despicable Me" (2010) and the queen in "Shrek Forever After" (2010). Last year she received a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement.
Edwards, who died in 2010 at 88, received an honorary Oscar in 2004 for his work including such films as "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961), "The Great Race" (1965) and the "Pink Panther" films.
Public records show the property was purchased in 1989 for $1.2 million.
Gary Glass of Prudential California Realty in Brentwood is the listing agent, according to the Multiple Listing Service.
Studio has been sound checked
A former home of Andrews' also is up for sale. Film producer Stacey Sher and musician Kerry Brown have listed the house in the Beverly Crest area at $5.795 million.
Originally designed by Wallace Neff, the 1948 house was later remodeled. The 1.61-acre site includes a 7,800-square-foot main house, a 2,480-square-foot guesthouse, a separate building with a bathroom, a tennis court, a basketball court, a swimming pool and waterfalls.
The living space features beamed ceilings, stained-glass windows, brick, stonework, mahogany doors and six fireplaces. There are five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a screening room, a den and a gym in the main house. The four-bedroom, three-bathroom guesthouse contains living and dining rooms, a kitchen, a den, an office and recording studio space.
Among artists who have recorded at the studio are Courtney Love, Ziggy Marley and the Strawberry Alarm Clock. It has also been the site of music recorded for the films "P.S. I Love You" (2007) and "Death to Smoochy" (2002).
Sher, 49, is in New Orleans working on Quentin Tarantino's upcoming movie, "Django Unchained." Her production credits include "Pulp Fiction" (1994), "Erin Brockovich" (2000) — for which she shared an Oscar nomination — and the series "Reno 911!" (2004-09).
Kerry, 48, has played drums with the groups Catherine, the Smashing Pumpkins and Spirits in the Sky. His music editor and production credits include "Along Came Polly" (2004) and the series "Jessica Simpson: The Price of Beauty" (2010).
Rick Chimienti of Prudential's Beverly Hills office is the listing agent.
Another spin for Dorothy's place
Her Kansas home in "The Wizard of Oz" flew through the air. Now a Bel-Air house that was home to a young Judy Garland has flipped, selling for the second time since last year for $6,772,669.
The Wallace Neff-designed house sold in 2011 for $5.2 million and was then updated and renovated.
The two-story traditional, built in 1938, sits on about 2.5 acres. The 5,513-square-foot house features dormer and bay windows, white columns, French doors, five bedrooms and 61/2 bathrooms. Outdoor amenities include a swimming pool and a detached studio.
Garland, who played Dorothy in the 1939 classic, died in 1969 at 47. The actress and singer received an honorary Oscar in 1940 for her performances in "Oz" and "Babes in Arms" and was later nominated for her work in "A Star Is Born" (1955) and "Judgment at Nuremberg" (1961).