November 29th 1981, Thanksgiving weekend 
Cause of death: drowning and other undetermined factors
 
When one of the world’s biggest movies stars mysteriously drowns on a holiday weekend on her yacht with her husband and her co-star aboard the ship, people are going to talk. And When the case is re-opened nearly two decades later because a whiteness changes his story, well… then, as they say in Hollywood, the plot thickens. This is the mysterious death of Natalie Wood.
 
I’m your host Ansley and welcome to Hollywoodland: Unsolved. Listener digression is advised.
 
With big brown eyes and infectious smile, Natalie Wood, was one of the brightest child stars of the 1940’s and gracefully made the transition to sultry superstar as she grew into a leading lady. But on Thanksgiving weekend of 1981, that all came to an untimely end when Natalie’s lifeless body was found floating face down in the Pacific Ocean off of the shore of Catalina Island. She was just 43 years old.
 
So, what happened to Natalie Wood? This case has stumped and infuriated investigators and Wood’s fans alike for years and it wasn’t until, nearly two decades later, the captain of the boat, Dennis Davern, came forward a changed his story... stating that he lied on the night of Wood’s death. So… what happened that night? And what does this change of story mean for the mysterious death of Natalie wood?
 
Let’s start at the beginning
 
Natalie Wood was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zatrarenco on July 20th, 1938 in San Francisco, California to Russian Immigrant parents. Her and her sister, Lana, both showed excitement for the arts and loved performing for anyone who would watch. Their mother took notice and made it her mission to turn the girls into stars.
 
Natalie began acting at the age of four and by the time she was 25 she had received three academy award nominations. She starred in movies such as West Side Story, Rebel Without a Cause and Gypsy, among others.
 
But her first role was a bit part in a 15 second scene in the 1943 film Happy Land. And while her role was belief, she made an impression on the director who remained in contact with the Wood’s family for years. When another role that Natalie was right for came up, he contacted the Wood’s family and asked for Natalie to test. According to reports, her mother was so excited she just packed the whole family up to move to LA
 
Her breakout role was a co-starring role in mega-hit Miracle on 34th Street which she worked on when she was just 8 years old.
 
According to reports, Natalie’s parents had conflicting views on their young daughter’s career, with her mother wanting to make Natalie a star and her father opposing the idea. Ultimately, her mother won and Natalie’s young career continued to blossom.
 
Natalie went on to star in a number of high-profile projects and was nominated for a number of awards from Golden Globes to the Oscars and became one of the most beloved actresses in the world.
 
While working on a film, Natalie crossed paths with Robert J. Wagner – also knows as RJ – and according to reports, she developed a crush on this dashing young star almost immediately.
 
Robert John Wagner, Jr. was born in Detroit Michigan on February 10th 1930. He gained notoriety after starring in a number of hit television shows such as It Takes a Thief, Switch and Hart to Hart. While Wagner did have a number of film roles, he garnered a reputation as more of a television actor.
 
On her 18th birthday, they went on a studio-arranged first date.
 
A little over a year later, on December 28, 1957, a 27-year-old Wagner married 19-year-old Wood.
 
The young duo because the “it” couple in Hollywood. Being photographed regularly at events, red carpets and dinner with other Hollywood big wigs.
 
In 1961, Wood starred opposite Warren Beatty in Splendor in the Grass and then in the mega-hit West Side Story. Both garnered Wood incredible attention and accolades. But her marriage to Wagner was on the rocks. Wood was under immense pressure to perform in both her person and professional life was mounting.
 
 Wood and Wagner’s relationship started to head south. The pair allergy began bickering and according to reports, Wagner was always jealous of Wood’s stardom and would often refer to her as the movie star and himself as just the lowly TV actor. Nowadays, working in TV is just as respected (hello Meryl Streep in Big Little Lies) as working in movies (or better in my opinion) but back then, television was seen as secondary to movies. And in Wagner’s eyes, Natalie’s star was bigger than his.
 
I’m no psychologist, but that to me sounds like an unhealthy relationship.
 
The pair separated in June of 1961 and finalized the divorce in 1962.
 
Shortly after, Natalie met British film producer and writer, Richard Gergson. The pair married on May 30th 1969 and the next year, Natalie gave birth to their daughter, Natasha. They pair split in early 1972.
 
That same year, Natalie rekindled her relationship with the love of her life, Robert Wagner (also known as RJ) and the pair wed for a second time on July 16th 1972. The pair had their first child together, Courtney, in 1974.
 
By all accounts, Wagner and Wood were the real deal. The kind of couple that would fight through anything to get back to each other. The pair stayed together until her death in 1981.
 
But their relationship was anything but perfect. Now, I know only the two people in the relationship really know what’s going on, but from outside accounts, Wagner and Wood fought frequently.
 
In November 1981, Wood, Wagner and Wood’s costar, Christopher Walken took Wood’s yatch, the splendor out for the weekend and docked off of the coast of Catalina Island, about an hour off of the coast of southern California.
 
Natalie had always been afraid of water and didn’t know how to swim. That fear might have been instilled by her mother who shared the same deep-rooted fear.
 
In the early morning hours on November 29th 1981, Natalie Wood’s body was found floating in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Catalina Island where her yacht had been docked for a weekend away with her husband and current film co-star, Christopher Walken.
 
The day before her death, the trio spent the day drinking and partying and having a good time, but that didn’t stop Wood and Wagner from getting into it. It got to be so bad, that Wood as Davern to take her and Walken to shore so they could sleep in a hotel and allegedly give Wagner time to cool off. The next day, Wood and Walken returned to the ship and everyone brushed the scuffle from the night before under the rug. All seemed good until the night dragged on and Wagner (can we talk about how everyone has a W last name in this case) told investigators that a wine bottle was broken because of the motion of the boat.
 
Wagner later changed his story and admitted that he smashed the wine bottle on the table in front of Walken and Wood because he was a jealous man. Wagner allegedly had broken the bottle in a fit of anger over his assumption that Wood was in a relationship with her co-star. He said that they just seemed too close. Wood and Walken tried to defend themselves stating that they weren’t having an affair but allegedly Wagner wasn’t hearing it. According to reports, Walken excused himself to his quarters to let the couple work it out and he never saw Natalie alive again.
 
Now, that is one lie that Wagner told police. If there is one, there is probably others.
 
After the bottle is smashed on the table, allegedly Walkin  goes to his room where he stays until he learns of Natalie’s disappearance. Convenient, right?
 
Devern heard the couple fighting and according to reports, he says that the fight sounded physical and this went on for a bit and then it went silent. Allegedly Devern went up to the deck to see what was going on and he saw Wagner standing there, but Natalie was gone.
 
Now, I recognize that this is all he-said-she-said but in 2011 the case was re-opened. QUOTE “The case was reopened in November 2011 after Davern publicly stated that he had lied to police during the initial investigation and that Wood and Wagner had an argument that evening. He alleged that Wood had been flirting with Walken, that Wagner was jealous and enraged, and that Wagner had prevented Davern from turning on the search lights and notifying authorities after her disappearance. Davern alleged that Wagner was responsible for her death.”
 
The story is that Wagner and Wood had a fight and Wood got mad went out in the Dingy. This is weird for a number of reasons. 1. The night before, when Wood had wanted to go to shore, she had asked Davern to take her. 2. She didn’t know how to operate the dingy 3. All she was wearing when she was found was a thin nightgown on the cold November night.
 
This case should be pretty simple. There were four people on the boat, Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, Christopher Walken and the captain of the ship, Dennis Davern. With one of them dead, that leaves three suspects. So who did it?
 
 
 
An investigative report on her autopsy reveals this
1.Six hours after her death her body was found floating, face down, a mile away from her yacht
2.She had multiple bruises on her face, arms and wrist.
3.Her legs were covered in bruises and they went down her right knee and left ankle.
4.Overall, 28 bruises were counted on the front of her body and 11 were counted on the back.
 
Allegedly one fall caused all 39 of these bruises…. Allegedly.
 
Here’s the kicker…the corner found that Natalie’s bladder was essentially full at the time of her death. Now, according to reports, if she had fallen into the water and didn’t know how to swim, then her “fight or flight” response would have kicked in and her bladder would have released due to the state of shock her body would have endured. BUT if she was knocked unconscious before entering the water, her body would not have had the same response.
 
I am totally speculating here, but it appears that she was rough up a bit and knocked unconscious before being thrown in the water.
 
This case has garnered so much attention over the years because of the high-profile nature of those involved. Countless theories and investigative reports have been done on the case and so why did it take so long for us to start to put the actual story together? Well, my guess, is because everyone lied that night (or at least, didn’t know the full story).
 
So now, that Wagner’s story has been disproven (or at least holes have been poked) we can safely start to question Wagener seriously and hopefully get some answers. With all three of the men who were there at night still alive and the case reopened, it is finally time to get some answers on what really happened to Natalie Wood.
 
So what caused investigators to re-open the case?
 
The investigation was re-opened in 2011 after the captain of the Splendor, Dennis Davern, came forward and stated that his original testimony was untrue. Robert Wagner was named an official suspect in the death of Natalie Wood in 2018. In 1981 Wood’s death was deemed to be caused by drowning, in 2012, the Los Angeles County Corner Chief changed her death certificate from “cause of death: drowning” to “cause of death” drowning and other undetermined factors.”
 
So why would Davern lie in the first place? According to reports… it was because Wagner promised him fame and fortune… literally. Davern admitted to wanting a career in Hollywood and Wagner allergy promised him one if he went along with his story. Now, this is all based on Davern’s statements, and if they are true, it doesn’t look like Wagner held up his end of the bargain. While Davern had a few roles here and there, they don’t amount up to more than a blip on the Hollywood radar.
 
This case is so deep and so fascinating, I wanted to continue the conversation with old Hollywood fil buff and film critic, Kristen Lopez to go deeper into what really happened that night. (Interview available on the podcast episode).
 
So what are your thoughts? Did Natalie really die in a tragic accident? Or is there more to the story? Tweet me at hollywoodlandpc or email me at [email protected] and let me know your thoughts.
 
Next time on Hollywoodland: Unsovled. What makes a father brutally murder his wife in her sleep, attempt to murder his eldest daughter and then commit suicide? Even worse, why has that house sat vacant for over 5 decades after these brutal attacks? This is the Loz Feliz Muder HOuse
 
All elements of Hollywoodland unsolved are produced by me with audio recording and studio location provided by A3 Artist Agency. Graphics and maps by Brian Balzerini.
 
Sources: https://bit.ly/39JrmCi | https://bit.ly/2V0Jm5R | https://bit.ly/3e2CIF4 | https://bit.ly/34973wZ | https://bit.ly/3497abT

February 12th 1977
 
We know that Hollywood is full of secrets and those looking to expose them. So if you brag about keeping a diary of your sex-capades with the city’s rich and famous, don’t be surprised when you turn up dead.
 
I am breaking my “no investigating crimes with living suspects” rule to tell you about the “Black Dahlia of the Disco Era” Christa Helm.
 
Christa Helm was a 27-year-old single mother and aspiring actress who would do anything - or anyone - for fame. But she came to an untimely demise when she was brutally stabbed over 20 times on February 12th 1977 in West Hollywood. What would make someone commit such a senseless act of violence towards a seemingly innocent wanna be starlet?
 
Well, her alleged “love diary” might be an option. She kept detailed notes on all of her sexual encounter and included a ranking system of them written in said diary that she kept with her at all times…
 
…and in this diary? Names dates and details of sex with different member of hollywoods elite. A diary which she bragged about   and the one that disappeared when she the night she was brutally attacked…. Her murder remains unsolved to this day.
 
I’m you’re host Ansley and welcome to Hollywoodland: Unsolved. Listener digression is advised.
 
Christa Helm was born on November 11, 1949 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as Sandra Lynn Wohlfeil. She was the daughter of Harry – the owner of an asphalt company and Delores - a housewife. The two split just before Christa’s 3rd birthday. Her father went on and married another women and had two more children but her mother sunk into alcoholism and depression and dated a string of abusive and violent men.
 
Her mother allegedly stood idly by while these men took advantage of her three daughters, Chrsita (formerly Sandra), Marisa and Candie, and for years her mother denied that the abuse even happened. As the abuse progressed, Christa and her two sisters were moved to live with their father permanently.
 
During this time, Christa learned to push the limits. She developed wild habits and tested the boundaries of her small town Wisconsin life. Christa loved attention and made herself known wherever she went. At 16, Christa fell in love with 26-year-old Gary Clements and within weeks became pregnant with his child. Under the pressure of her parents, Christa and Gary got married in a shotgun wedding. Shortly after Christa’s 17th birthday, she gave birth to a baby girl – Nicole. But it wasn’t long before things went south for the couple. Within weeks of Nicole’s christening, Gary disappeared.
 
Nicole gave an account later that stated QUOTE “I never got to know my father. He kind of disappeared from our lives sometime after my christening. I was told that Mom looked high and low for him and that she couldn’t find him. My father never did come back. A few months later Mom was told by someone that he had died in a motorcycle accident in Florida, but she was never sure if that was true. It seems so strange to say this, but it’s like he just vanished one day into thin air” END QUOTE
 
But Christa wasn’t single for long. Her big personality and beautiful blonde locks attracted many… suitors and she dated a number of men.
 
After Nicole’s birth, Christa got a job as a waitress at a local Italian restaurant where she befriends another waitress, Dianne Mitchell, who was also a mother to a young daughter. Soon after, the pair got a two bedroom apartment together, with their daughters living with their grandmothers. Dianne was wary of Christa’s love of attention and willingness to bring it into their one. In one account Dianne states “She spoke to everyone in the restaurant and would often invite people she barely knew over to our apartment for drinks. I was concerned and told her that it wasn’t safe to invite total strangers over to our place like that but she would just laugh at me. She said it was fine and that I worried too much. Lucky thing, most of the people she befriended were fine. There were a couple of strange guys, but you know, that was Sandy! She didn’t seem to be afraid of very much, if anything
End Quote.
 
The girls were invited by their boss at the restaurant to go to a playboy club with him in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin where Christa met actor and singer, James Darren. She was bitten by the bug and said then and there she was going to be a star. She was hired as a playboy bunny but never actually got to work as one, stating that she didn’t want to do it alone. Just after her daughter’s second birthday, with her sights set on fame, Christa and her friend Dianne left their daughters in the care of a nanny in Vermont and moved to New York.
 
After moving to New York, Christa got a job as a waitress at The Gaslight club where she met Buffalo Bills player, Ray Abbruzzese. A hot and heavy fling ensued but her time was Ray’s live-in lover was short lived. Christa booked a few modeling jobs and was working on a way to to really “get discovered.”
 
Her “big break” came shortly after when she met costume designer Linny Barron. He became a good friend of Christa’s and helped introduce her to New York’s elites.
 
Christa knew that she would need to be seen as a movie star to become a movie star so she adopted a lifestyle of parties, glitz and glamor as quickly as she could.
 
It was through her nightlife in New York that Christ met Broadway producer Stuart Duncan, heir to the Wrostcher sauce fortune, who was making his transition from the stage to the screen.
 
Stewart and Christa had a long-time friendship and he helped her buy property and a corvette and helped her get her career off the ground.
 
Stewart gave Christa her breakout role as the star of his 1974 film “Let’s Go For Broke” where she plays an investigative journalist names “Jackie Broke” and it has a Charlie’s Angles meets James Bond feel. One account by Steve Thompson and John O’Dowd says QUOTE The film’s outlandish, Bond-style plot deals with a wheelchair bound madman who uses a synthetic dog food on his enemies which causes them to turn into (believe it or not) raw meat! Reporter Jackie Broke is interviewing a feminist who is then kidnapped and taken to Haiti. She herself is later kidnapped by the same villains and also taken to the island where voodoo and various tortures come into play until she escapes and tackles the bad guys with her feminine wiles and elaborate skills in martial arts. 
 
Steward was the creator of the well-known musical, Godspell and gave Christa stock in the show, which made her money for years.
 
After filming “Let’s go for broke” wrapped, she made the transition from New York to Hollywood to continue her quest for fame. With connections made and a bit of success under her belt, Christa was ready for the city of Angles.
 
According to reports, Christa submitted photos and stories of herself to gossip columns to try to edge her way into Hollywood’s elite. And it worked. Christa was able to link herself to Mic Jagger, Warren Beaty, and Jack Nicholson, to name a few. She used her charm and good looks to make herself part of the entertainment industry’s inner circle.
 
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Christa met big-time fiancer Bernard Cornfeld (aka Bernie) and shortly after moved into his 39- room mansion located at 1100 Carolinian Drive. The house housed numerous of people from up and comers to Bernie’s lackeys. It was a allegedly a nonstop party destination and Christa fit right in.
 
Christa was later described by her daughter as a “free agent who openly enjoyed sex.”
 
On the topic of sex… Christa allegedly kept a diary of her many escapades and sexual encounters. She apparently kept very detailed accounts down to what she was wearing and her rating of how much she enjoyed the interactions. She wrote down everything. And she took the diary with her everywhere.
 
Years after her death – her high school friend recounts reading Christa’s diary and what it said QUOTE “She said it's kind a like when we are teenage girls in on our rating system then she showed me her diary it was a step above let's put it that way it was meant that she had slept with including some threesomes with women” END QUOTE.
 
She didn’t hide that she kept this habit either – and allegedly several of her friends advised her to stop or at the very least, stop talking about it. But Christa didn’t listen.
 
According to some reports she was keeping these diaries to write a book about her adventures in hollywood but according to others, she was keeping it to blackmail the Hollywood bigwigs she was sleeping with.
 
After a few years in Hollywood, and a few small tv roles under her belt, most notably a role on an episode of “Wonder Woman” Christa started to realize that her years in Hollywood were not amounting to what she’d hoped. She started searching for a new way to break into the spotlight.
 
What did she come up with? Nothing other than a disco album.
 
Yep, Christa went from trying to be the next movie start to trying to be the next disco star.
 
According to reports, Christa was signed on to Casablanca Records and they brought in DJ Frankie Crocker – an up and coming producer, but the pair didn’t get along and their relationship fizzled out. Trying to save face, Christa allegedly told people that it was her idea that she didn’t work with Crocker and that she QUOTE “had him by the balls”
 
From the start this disco album was doomed to an ill fate. Christa started to party harder and got mixed up in a crowd she would later tell a friend that she was afraid of.
 
But on the surface, that seemed far from the truth. Shortly after starting the album, Christa started hooking up with one of her female backup singers, Patty Collins. Patty and Christa became inseparable and Patty couldn’t get enough of it. That was until Debbie Danalow joined the mix. Another backup singer, Debbie joined the record after Patty and said in one account QUOTE “ Christa was flirty, and came on to me immediately but with a sense of timeliness. She let me know she was interested in me (sexually) but wanted me to be comfortable with her first. I more or less ignored her advances, all the time keeping my eye on Patty who was keeping her eye on me! To be quite frank, I have never had an interest in having a relationship with another woman, especially sexual. I have been married five times — but always to men! But I accepted Christa as she was, and I appreciated her interest in me, even though it was not something we would act upon.”
END QUOTE
 
So let’s pause for a moment here – we know that Christa used her sexuality to forward her acting career and wasn’t shy about who she was sleeping with, but that didn’t get her very far. With not much to show for her career she starts a new one as a singer and gets mixed up with not one, but two of her FEMALE backup singers? Okay, great now that we are all on the same page…. What we have here is a fame and adoration seeking young woman who will do whatever it takes to achieve said fame and adoration. Which is a slippery slope…. Black Dalilah anyone?
 
Christa continued to brag about her sex diary and how detailed she kept. She told people that she wrote names, things they liked, dates and even ranked the sex with a scale she created. She openly bragged about her conquests and the details written in her diary that she always kept in her purse.
 
Shortly after, Christa wound up dead.
 
On the night of February 12th, 1977, Christa Helm went to a Hollywood party with her roommate, Stephanie. Christa left the party to go to the home of Sandy Smith, a quote “talent agent” when Christ arrived at Sandy’s house, she was brutally stabbed a number of times on the street in front of the house and left for dead with no eye witnesses.
 
 
So let’s start at the beginning –
 
We know that on the night of February 12th Charisa went to a party with her roommate. Her roommate’s name was Stephanie. The party was in West Hollywood. She and her roommate took her roommates car. We know that she made a call to her agent – Sandy Smith – at some point during the party. Allegedly she was trying to get him to come to the party (they may or may not have been lovers) but Sandy refused. We also know that Christa left the party to go to Smith’s house where she was later found stabbed to death outside of the car, in front of Smith’s house.
 
All around her body. From her breast, to her back to her left, Christa was violently attacked and left for dead, bleeding out, on a West Hollywood neighborhood street.
 
Her hands were covered in stab wounds, indicating that she was trying to defend herself. She definitely didn’t go down without a fight.
 
 
Smith denies hearing or seeing Christa that night and claims to have been sleeping.
 
Christa was stabbed over thirty times and beaten with a blunt force object (authorities assume the handle of the knife or a hammer). Her body was discovered by a young man crossing the street. According to some reports he found her with car keys in her hand, partially under the car.
 
When investigators arrived on scene they took note at the odd way her car had been parked:  She allegedly stopped her car abruptly, with her tires jammed into the curb on the passenger’s side. This lead them to believe that someone had been trailing her that evening in West Hollywood.
 
According to reports, Christa then got out of the car and then neighbors reported hearing people talking loudly and one neighbor said that he heard quote “two women and a man.” Another ear witness said that they heard QUOTE “vicious screams that sounded like a cat being skinned.” End quote.
 
The knife used in Christa’s murder was never found but according to reports the LAPD speculate that it was a buck knife or a more-heavy duty knife that what most people have lying around in their kitchen. It is also speculated that the amount force and passion that went into her stabbing that it was a single person who knew Christa who was acting alone. This is a very personal and violent way to kill someone, so the police (and I) assume that it was someone who knew Christa intimately.
 
No evidence of the murderer was left at the scene. But DNA was taken from under Christa’s nails. According to LAPD, Christa had fought for her life.
 
Shortly after an unidentified person walking in the neighborhood finds Christa covered in blood, on the ground in the street by her car. He claimed that he was standing by her as she breathed her last breath.
 
It is important to note that when Christa’s body was found – her purse was missing. And in the purse? The sex diary. Which to this day has not been accounted for. According to reports, her murder didn’t receive as much media attention as you would think for someone so deeply entrenched in the Hollywood gossip scene but one account thinks that that is the precise reason for her murder: it was personal. QUOTE ““who she knew and what she knew may be the reason her savage killing was barely reported.”
 
 
Investigators has very little to go on at the scene but they matched the keys to the car and to the apartment that she shared with Stephanie Warsaugh. When police went to the apartment – Stephanie told them that her roommate, Christa, had her car last night.
 
And this is where the story gets a little weird – Christa’s roommate Stephanie told investigators that Sandy Smith was Christa’s agent and was a mutual friend of them both. Stephanie stated that Christa had called Sandy from the party earlier that evening to try to get him to join their party.
 
When asked about that night – Sandy Smith told investigators that he was sound asleep and never heard a thing. He claimed that he had no idea that Christa had been stabbed to death mere feet from his house.
 
But according to witnesses, that statement is false – allegedly there were other people coming and going from Sandy’s house all evening. And the person who found Christa’s body was on his way to Sandy’s house. So there we have our first lie. What was Sandy trying to hide by lying to the police?  
 
In the recording from her sessions at the studio working on her disco album, investigators found that they were littered with personal drama and tensions. Allegedly her backup singer, Patty Collins, was having a secret relationship with Christa. But Christa denied being a lesbian and that upset Collins. Upon hearing the recordings, investigators went on the hunt for Patty Collins… but they were never able to find her. Where did she go? And why?
 
Another weird thing – Christa was said to have been carrying a handbag with a “Tommy boy” logo on it and allegedly her sex diary inside. Neither the purse nor the diary has ever been accounted for.
 
After a few months… the case went cold.
 
The police had too many leads, too many loose ends, too much on their hands – they passed things off and moved on to the next until there was nothing left… so let’s look at the suspects:
 
Sandy Smith. He was Christa’s agent and the person whose house Christa was murdered in front of. He was – from what I could find – definitely in the Hollywood party scene, potentially had mob ties, and definitely was a shady character. I couldn’t find too much on him in my research but I did come across a notice that the LAPD is actively looking for him… so Sandy Smith if you’re listening, investigators at the LAPD would like to talk to you.
 
 
The next suspect is Rudy Mozella. Remember the drama that police found on the studio recordings from Christa’s disco album? Well, He was a drug dealer who was roommates with Blair Aaronson – the keyboardist who worked on Christa’s disco album. According to reports, Christa was storing large amounts of cocaine for Mozella and during that she stole some of the drugs from him and he found out and got violent. Another crazy thing? Rudy allegedly bragged that he was the one who committed the murder of Christa Helm . We all know false confessions happen regularly in murder cases, but this is one that I take seriously. He wasn’t looked at deeply at the time of Christa’s murder but when the case was open in the mid 2000’s cold case investigators found that Rudy had been dead for years.
 
According to my research – Rudy is the general favorite for who killed Christa. But with investigators unable to interview him (because he’s dead) and there being no direct evidence linking him to the death of Christa Helms, the case is still unsolved today.
 
What I would like to know is did Sandy Smith see something. Why did he lie to the police? Did Sandy Smith and Rudy know each other? Rudy was a drug dealer and smith was an agent in Hollywood in the ‘70’s so…. It wouldn’t be a far stretch.
        
What is also interesting about this case is investigators found tapes among Christa’s possessions – audio recordings of her sexual encounters.
 
The next suspect is Tony Sirico (Si-ricco). Yep, you heard that right, the actor who played Paulie Walnuts on the Soprano’s is a suspect in this case. According to reports, Christa’s roommate, Stephanie, said that Tony showed up at their apartment shortly after the party to check on Christa’s quote “welfare” but allegedly what he ended up doing was going to their apartment to steal furs and personal documents of Christa’s. According to reports – Stephanie believes that it was Tony who initially stole Christa’s tape recordings from her room after the murder.
 
So does that make him a suspect? My guess is that he was new to Hollywood and was trying to find is way in. Someone offered him something he wanted for going to their apartment and stealing Christa’s things. Tony denies all involvement, and this is just a theory, but something worth thinking about.
 
When interviewed by the police, they said he was cooperative and friendly and stated that he was simply an acquaintance of Christa’s. But when investigators got specific on dates and times, Tony’s demeanor allegedly changed. His lawyer stopped the interview and said that Tony wouldn’t answer any more questions. Suspicious if you ask me.
 
The next suspect is the unnamed Movie star.
 
The main theory is that someone – one of her high-powered sexual partners – found out about her tapes and detailed diary and was not willing to risk that information getting out, remember Christa was not shy about telling people about her detailed diary and ranking system, so that would be enough to spook anyone with something to hide.
 
Would that be enough for a high profile person to murder Christa? I believe so. I am so fascinated by this case because there are so many moving parts and SO many suspects.
 
So what happened to the tapes? I’m my research I came across a report where a cold case investigator stated that on the tapes was a recording of a threesome that was described as quote a “very intense sexual encounter.” This threesome was with Patty Collins (Christa’s backup singer and lesbian lover), Christa and a well-known movie star. The investigator does not disclose who this person is but states that he is a man and is still alive and in the public eye today…. Interesting… when this “celebrity” as he is called in the reports, was interviewed he states that Patty Collins was not happy with Christa at the time of their sexual encounter and that there was a lot of tension between the two. So could Patty be a suspect?
 
Let’s say that she is – I find is very weird that Patty disappeared right after the murder of Christa Helms. To me, that says “I have something to hide” and investigators thought so too. They still to this day have not been able to find her. So – she definitely knows something and willing to stay hidden to not let anyone find out what that is.
 
As for Christa’s other backup singer Debby Danilo? She knows more than she ever let on… According to the band’s keyboardist Blaire Aaronson, he and Debbie were in a relationship – but he and Christa had sexual relations the night before her murder. According to that same report, Debbie caught him cheating on her with Christa by watching them have sex through a window. Aaronson says this is what happened… Debbie denies it.
 
So what about DNA evidence? When cold case investigators hopped on the case in 2006, they began testing the DNA under Christa’s fingernails from the night she was murdered. Remember how she fought for her life? Well, what they turned up was that the DNA evidence showed that it was a woman with whom Christa had had contact that night. That also matched the ear-whiteness reports that stated that they had heard woman’s voices.
 
 Investigators began searching for the woman in Christa’s life and of the suspects listed – Debbie was the only female they could track down and after being tested they learned the DNA was not hers.
 
What breaks my heart about this case is Christa’s daughter Nicole. She is the reason that the case was given to cold case investigators 30 years after her mom’s murder and she is still searching for answers.
 
Ultimately what this case comes down to is the idea that Christa got herself mixed up in something so big she couldn’t get out. Whether it was a high-profile movie star or a killing over drugs, Christa Helm’s murder is a case with as many loose ends as there are interesting characters.
 
So what do you think?
 
Was it one of Christa’s backup singers? The sketchy agent Sandy Smith? Or the drug dealer who bragged that he killed Christa? Or was it someone else? Tweet me at HollywoodlandPC or email me at Hollywoodlandpod.com
 
I’ve included a complete reference list of all of my research in the show notes as well as links to the accounts I quotes in this episode. Please feel free to check them out for more information on Christa Helms.
 
What drives a father to commit sadistic acts in a Los Feliz mansion? And why is the house infamously known as the “Murder House” in Los Angeles? Find out next time on Hollywoodland Unsolved. Until then – happy sleuthing!
 
All elements of Hollywoodland: Unsolved are produced by me, with graphics and maps by Brian Balzerini and music by my amazing father.
 
 
Sources: https://cbsn.ws/2pIC0UT | https://bit.ly/2DTaTf7 | https://oxygen.tv/2szPLtR | https://bit.ly/2G6M4xZ | https://bit.ly/2I0twV8

​Hollywoodland: Unsolved  (S01E10)
Haunted Hollywood Hotels
By Ansley Gordon

Murder, scandal, infidelity, drugs and secrets. If only these walls could talk.
 
Welcome to the Halloween bonus episode of Hollywoodland: Unsolved: ‘Hollywood’s Most Haunted Hotels’. I’m your host Ansley.
 
I must warn you that this episode may be frightening to listeners under the at of 13 so listener digression is advised.
 
Hollywood is a city build on history, glamor and scandal. With so many iconic monuments so accessible, I love learning about the different histories of the places I visit on a daily basis. What I have learned is not only that Los Angeles have some of the most gorgeous hotels, but boy oh boy, do they have quite scandalous histories. So in the spirit of Halloween, I wanted to give you a tour of the some of Hollywood’s most iconic (and haunted) hotels.
 
Let’s start with the Hollywood Roosevelt. With a booming history and gorgeous architecture, the Roosevelt Hotel is one of the most recognizable spots in Hollywood. Located almost directly across from the Chinese theatre on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, this haunted Hollywood hotel was built in 1926 and named after President Roosevelt. It is the oldest continually operating Los Angeles Hotel and just got a major facelift in recent years. Located at the 7000 Block of Hollywood Blvd, the Roosevelt Hotel cost $2.5 million ($34.5 million today) to complete and opened on May 15, 1927.
 
Entering the hotel through large double doors on Hollywood Boulevard across the street from the iconic Chinese Theater, guests are immediately greeted with a rich Spanish-style two story lobby, hand-painted beams, large sitting area and bar. The room is dark and has a moody but upscale feel. It is a stark contrast to the vintage Hollywood glamor the outdoor pool boasts.
 
The hotel had 300 rooms and suites, multiple ball and conference rooms, as well as all of the modern amenities (bars and nightclubs, rooftop deck, wifi and even babysitting services).
 
Some of the hotels famous guests include Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin and Clark Gable. The first Academy awards were held at the Roosevelt in 1929 and the hotel became known for hosting many celeb parties and premiers (I was just there for the Marshall premier earlier this month). Rooms at this iconic Hollywood Hotel start at about $300 and boast a gorgeous “you-should-be-seen-here” pool with Tropicana Pool Side Bar.
 
People claim the ghost of movie star Cliff Montgomery still walk the halls of the Roosevelt and has even been heard practicing his trumpet and walking the 9th floor.  Another ghost that’s said to haunt the Roosevelt is Marilyn Monroe. She frequented the hotel in her modeling days and it’s said that she did her very first modeling shoot at the pool of the hotel. Guests claim to have seen her in a number of mirrors through the hotel, specifically in suite 1200 – her old room. There are also stories of security guards seeing “guests” enjoying themselves in the pool on security cameras – but when the tapes are watched back – no one is there. (http://bit.ly/2zAPrK4)
 
Moving from Hollywood to West Hollywood – let’s look another notable haunted Hollywood Hotel is the Chateau Marmount. Converted into a hotel in the 1930’s (http://bit.ly/2y2cGPi) this gorgeous castle-like structure is still a well-known spot full of Hollywood glamor. Famously know for banning Lindsay Lohan in 2012 (http://dailym.ai/2xUNCKP) this is probably one of the most infamous Hollywood Hotels. Located off of the glamorous Sunset Strip, the Chateau Marmot didn’t originally open as a hotel, but as LA’s first earthquake proof apartment building. It was converted into a hotel in the 30’s and has remained operating as one since. This hotel has a reputation full of misbehavior and scandal with head of Colombia pictures, Harry Cohen, telling two young stars “if you must get in trouble, do it at the chateau marmont.” Rooms at the Chateau start at just over $550.
 
As far as hauntings go - John Belushi of Saturday Night Live who famously overdosed in Bungalow 3 is said to haunt the halls of the Chateau Marmont. According to a report by the Travel Channel QUOTE “The most notorious incident occurred in 1999, when a family temporarily moved into Bungalow 3 while their house was being renovated. The family’s 2-year old son was often found laughing and giggling by himself. When asked what he was laughing at, he would respond, "The funny man." When his mother was leafing through a book of celebrity guests of Chateau Marmont, the boy pointed to John Belushi and exclaimed, "The funny man!"” END QUOTE (http://bit.ly/1KL3I4j) oohhhhhh! Creepy.
 
Head back to Hollywood – just a few blocks away from the  Roosevelt Hotel is Another apartment building turned hotel. The Knickerbocker. Well, apartment turned hotel turned assisted living center, I should say. Located in the heart of Hollywood at 1714 Ivar Avenue, the building opened as apartments in 1925 and then was opened as a hotel in 1929. The knickerbocker was said to have hosted a number of celebrities including Marilyn Monroe and Joe DeMaggio as well as being the backdrop to Frances Farmer’s famous dramatic arrest. Harry Houdini’s widow did her tenth séance to contact the dead magician on the rooftop of the then-hotel on Halloween night in 1936.
 
Another tragedy to strike the Knickerbocker happened in 1962 when MGM costume designer Irene Gibbs checked into a room under a false name and attempted to slit her wrists. When that failed to end her life, she then jumped to her death out of a 14th floor window. Allegedly her body was found on top of a hotel awning later that night. Yikes.
 
 According to a Curbed Los Angeles article QUOTE “It's alleged that Monroe stuck around post-mortem and haunts the the ladies' room; the bar is taken by the ghost of Rudolph Valentino. A maintenance worker told The Hollywood Reporter last year that a woman who threw herself off the roof also continues to haunt the Knickerbocker (since converted to senior apartments). "Many have seen her. When I work in the basement, shadows go by and doors close and open by themselves." He might have been referring to dress-designer-to-the-stars Irene (aka Mrs. Irene Gibbons), who threw herself off the eleventh floor of the building in 1962, according to an Los Angeles Times report from November 16 of that year. Who's not haunting the Knickerbocker? Harry Houdini. His wife tried for a decade to contact him via an annual séance on the roof, but he never made an appearance.” END QUOTE (http://bit.ly/2y2cGPi)
 
 As the ‘60’s rolled on and Hollywood began to detreated, the Knickerbocker followed suit and and soon closed its doors as a hotel. It not stands as an assisted living center about a block away from the Capital Records building in Hollywood.
 
 
 
Located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles stands The Melliniman Biltmore Hotel. The Biltmore Hotel has seen as many celebrities as it has scandals - you might remember it as being the place where Elizabeth Short was last scene. It has held the Oscars, democratic national conventions, premiers, underground nightclubs and is home to a number of mysterious circumstances. Located at 506 S Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, this Los Angeles landmark as 683 guest rooms, a historical pool and spa, full gym and large workspace with multiple meeting rooms and multiple dining options. Built in 1921 the hotel cost over 10 million dollars to construct (http://bit.ly/1AYbDce).
 
The hotel is still in operation today and is designated as a historical-cultural landmark.
 
When researching the hotel, one of the tops hits I got on google was a trip adviser review with the title “haunted” with 5 exclamation marks. I have to read it to you because it is so interesting – QUOTE “I stayed here for 1st time in mid September. I chose it for the charm and knew going in that the building would be old and not updated based on reading reviews. It was not the cleanest but it wasn’t filthy either and was not the run of the mill hotel. Stayed 4 nights. Felt creepy the minute I got there. 3rd night woke with bed shaking and saw blue orb size of a basketball and a dark cloud above my bed which hovered there for 15 minutes. I was alone and scared and so began to pray. I have never seen a ghost or anything of the sort before in my life. Found out later the place has reputation of being haunted. That weekend I also found out that they had a convention of people who seek to locate demons and ghosts so maybe they brought them in. This experience has changed me. I still feel fear as I know these things now exist.The food and the service was excellent. Walls thin and could hear EVERYTHING outside. Not peaceful and quite at all as hear everything downtown as if windows were open.”
 
Thank you Sue B for that insightful review – I will make sure to go for dinner, but not stay the night!
 
 
Now let’s move to West LA – the Beverly hills hotel and the Hotel Bel Air. Both exude luxury and have histories full of Hollywood gossip.
 
According to the website for the Beverly Hills Hotel QUOTE “Like Hollywood itself, the history of The Beverly Hills Hotel is a 20th-century tale of glamour, riches and romance. The celebrity hotel in Los Angeles was built in 1912, before there was even a city called Beverly Hills. Hoping to ignite a land rush, developer Burton Green, President of the Rodeo Land and Water Company, bought land once owned by the Mexican government in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains.” End Quote. (http://bit.ly/2gCoA94) Rooms at the Beverly Hills Hotel start at about $600 bucks (yikes) and the palm-leaf-and-pink style of the hotel has made it as famous as some of its guests.
 
While this hotel isn’t haunted (per se), it has been the backdrop for a number of Hollywood parties, meltdowns and movie shoots. Celebrity citing’s are a norm there and the décor is iconic.
 
As one journalist at the New York Post put it “The Beverly Hills hotel is where you go to be seen, the Hotel Bel Air is where you got to hide out.” (http://nyp.st/1jVWvWB)
 
Another notable Westside Los Angeles hotel is the luxurious Hotel Bel Air. According to the Huffington Post the hotel sits on 18 acres in Bel Air and QUOTE “developer Joseph Drown envisioned a coral-hued oasis, an “elegant pastoral hotel hideaway” complete with pool, Spanish Colonial architecture, lush gardens, a lake to go with them and swans to go with that.” END QUOTE
As with its sister hotel, the Beverly Hills Hotel, there isn’t much on the scandals that have happened at the Hotel Bel Air (they want to keep up their this-is-a-place-where-secrets-stay reputation). Rooms start at about 500 bucks at this secluded star-studded hotel and the hotel features a luxury gym, fancy restaurants and gorgeous foliage around the grounds.
 
Entering this oasis through lush gardens – this hotel is the epitome of luxury with. As far as sandals go – Misha Barton pulled a bit of a Li-Lo when her credit card was denied at the Hotel Bel Air and she was kicked out. Whoops. This is also the spot where the nanny that had an affair with Ben Affleck hid after the scandal broke – not a bad place to be held up, if you ask me.
 
I want to add one bonus haunted Hollywood Hotel that is not quite in Hollywood, but is definitely a hotel and is definitely haunted. The Queen Mary. (I added this one after the map was finished, so it’s not on there – but I wanted to share it with you guys).
 
Built in the 1930’s, the Queen Mary is a massive ship docked in the Long Beach Harbor. I recently stayed there for a film festival (for two night) and everyone who worked on the ship had multiple haunting stories.
 
The massive ship with 3 black and red steam funnels, is about 1.5 times the size of the titanic and was a very active ship until it locked in the Long Beach Harbor in the 60’s. It’s last voyage was from Southampton on Halloween 1967 to Long Beach, CA where it is still docked today. The massive ship features multiple ballrooms, restaurants and bars. The ship is known to be haunted and event does Paranormal Ship Walks and Dining with the Spirit.
 
This place is so haunted there is a whole site dedicated to the “Queen Mary Ghost Cam” (I had to close the browser because the images were freaking me out! But I will put the link in the show notes to you guys can see it - http://bit.ly/2gzBHHT) The ship is massive and so old that there are all kinds of unexplained noises and creaking. While we were there
 
According to a website on the hauntings QUOTE “During her 60-year history, the Queen Mary was the site of 49 reported deaths, so there are plenty of potential spirits to haunt her hallways. Reported hauntings include a young crewman in the engine room, swimmers in the first-class pool, a man in black, and a woman in blue. In the Hotel Queen Mary, Room B340 is said to be one of the most haunted places on the ship.” (http://bit.ly/2le0uX9)
 
While we were there we learned about room B340 – the most haunted room on the ship – and according to Curbed LA’s writeup on the Queen Mary there are a number of haunted spots on the ship. QUOTE “Ghosts have been spotted in the Queen Mary's engine room ("Door 13" has crushed a couple of people to death), in the first class swimming pool (unused for decades, women have been spotted in 1930s bathing suits wandering the decks; people have also seen a young girl with a teddy bear), the second class swimming pool (another little girl who's said to have drowned), the Queen's Salon (a young woman in evening dress), and several of the first-class state rooms (a 1930s man, as well as lights, water running, phones ringing), and the third-class children's playroom (a baby crying).” (http://bit.ly/2zOBYzi)
 
 
If you want more episode like this – based on Hollywood’s history and not as much on scandal – let me know! Tweet me at HollywoodlandPC or email me at [email protected]
 
As per usual, complete list of references is included in the show notes and on the website.
 
All elements of Hollywoodland: Unsolved are produced by me with graphics and maps by Brian Balzerini and music by my amazing father.
 
Sources: http://bit.ly/2zAPrK4 | http://bit.ly/2zDrmlE | http://bit.ly/2y2cGPi | http://dailym.ai/2xUNCKP | http://bit.ly/2y2cGPi | http://bit.ly/1AYbDce | http://bit.ly/2gCoA94 | http://nyp.st/1jVWvWB | http://bit.ly/2zOBYzi | http://bit.ly/1KL3I4j

 9820-9860 Easton Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
September 5, 1932

On September 5, 1932, the body of MGM executive, Paul Bern was found in with a bullet hole in his head lying front of a mirror drenched in his wife’s favorite perfume in the master bedroom of their Beverly hills mansion. His wife? None other than the notorious famewhore Jean Harlow. His body was found with a suicide note that read "Dearest Dear, Unfortunately this is the only way to make good the frightful wrong I have done you and to wipe out my abject humiliation, I Love you. Paul. You understand that last night was only a comedy."
  
I’m your host Ansley and welcome to Hollywoodland: Unsolved.
 
I must warn you that this episode may be frightening to listeners under the age if 13, so listener digression is advised.
 
The death was ruled a suicide all to quickly by authorities – and as was the norm back then, the studio was called upon the discovery of Bern’s death, instead of the police. So what happened that fateful night?
 
Paul Bern was born in Germany in 1889 as Paul Levy. He left school at just 14 but has been described as being one of the most brilliant minds in Hollywood. Some even call him a genius. After leaving school, Bern made his way to New York where he worked as a stage actor before transitioning to work for a film company in Toronto, Canada. In 1926 at the age of 37, he moved to Los Angeles where he stayed until his death 6 years later.
 
Bern worked as a quote “film cutter” and script editor before transitioning to directing. After working on a few pictures, he began his job as a supervisor at MGM.
 
Bern has been described as being… well, less than attractive. With a small frame and quote “only as tall as a girl,” Bern is not the type one would expect to bag a hot Hollywood starlet. But, he did have a sensitive side that was well loved throughout Hollywood – he was nicknamed “Hollywood’s Father Confessor.”
 
He married Jean Harlow in July of 1932.
 
Jean Harlow born Harlean Carpenter to a successful dentist and his wife - was a stunning up and comer from Kansas City, Missouri. She moved to Los Angeles with her then husband Charles McGrew. Harlow struggled to find parts and her marriage to McGrew crumbled. After their split, Harlow won the lead role in the talkie remake of “Hell’s Angels” and became an overnight success. Everyone wanted a piece of this stunning new actress. Her staples were her bleach blonde hair and plunging neckline – and she never left the house without them… so much so that the Los Angeles Times called her “sexquisit.”
 
Gossip columns recounted her every move and she loved it. She was seen with the top producers and directors in Hollywood and wasted no time using her good looks and charm to help her climb the Hollywood ladder.
 
So it should be no surprise that Bern was the one who got Harlow’s contract purchased and transferred from the not-as-notable Howard Hughes to the mega successful MGM studio. That’s the kind of boyfriend any Hollywood ladder climber would want if you ask me.
 
After just months of dating, Bern purposed to Harlow and just two days later the couple wed. So little planning went into the wedding that it’s said that Harlow didn’t even wear a real wedding dress. 150 guests gather at the home of the Harlow’s mother and the couple was married on July 2ed 1932. According to reports, they both took just one day off and then went back to work.
 
Their marriage was short lived though, just over 4 months after the couple got married – Bern was found with a bullet hole to the head in the home he shared with Harlow.
 
After the nuptials, Harlow was reported looking “radiant” and happy… but the same cannot be said about Bern. He is said to have become a paler, haggard version of himself within weeks of the couples wedding. Rumors began to fly, as they usually do in Hollywood.
 
Some speculated that the source of the turmoil was the grand home that Bern had purchased in for Harlow in Benedict Canyon. The home is a two-story Bavarian-style mansion situated on a 5-acre lot in the Beverly Hills neighborhood. The home has since been split up into 3 separate homes, with the carriage houses being converted into full homes.
 
It is reported that Harlow was not a fan of the home and wanted to sell it while Bern wanted to keep it and build a home there together.
 
That seems very interesting to me… that a couple would have THAT level of contempt over a house. It’s possible I guess….
 
QUOTE “On September 5, 1932, just four months after his marriage to Jean Harlow, Paul Bern was found shot to death in the house. Bern’s butler found his body in his wife’s all-white bedroom. He was nude, sprawled in front of a full-length mirror and drenched in Jean’s favorite perfume. He had been shot in the head with a .38 caliber revolver, which was still laying by his side.”
 
And on top of that Bern had left a cryptic note for Harlow on the side table in the bedroom that read read "Dearest Dear, Unfortunately this is the only way to make good the frightful wrong I have done you and to wipe out my abject humiliation, I Love you. Paul. You understand that last night was only a comedy."
 
Wait…. What?!? Bern’s butler is the one who found him and yep – just like in basically every other mysterious death or murder of that time, the butler called the STUDIO where Bern worked instead of the police. The studio heads came rushing over to Bern’s house. Yet, no one had called the police.
 
The first to arrive at Bern’s house was MGM co-founder Louis B Mayer, followed by two other studio execs W.P. Hendry who was MGM’s chief of security and Irving Thalberg – the other co-founder of MGM.
 
What happened next is unknown to anyone than those 3 men because after their arrival on scene they waited a whopping 2 hours to notify the police of Bern’s death.
 
What did they do during those two hours? What were they trying to cover up?
 
What we do know is that Mayer took the note left by Bern. It isn’t clear as to what his intentions were, but at the advice of the studio, he turned the note over to the authorities.
 
What interested me the most about the note is the last section “You understand that last night was only a comedy.” What is he referring to?
 
The cops examined the note and could make nothing of it. They then went to Harlow’s mother’s home to question her. At that time, it was unclear to the authorities why Ms. Harlow had not spent the night in her home with her husband.
 
Apparently they were told by her physician Harlow was QUOTE “too hysterical to undergo questioning at this time.” That seems a bit weird… doesn’t it? But then again, grief is a weird thing. It is said that she later did speak to authorities but QUOTE “was not called as a witness at the inquest, which is unusual to say the least.”
 
According to the Inquest – the night before his death (Saturday), Bern had sent Harlow to spend the evening with her mother who was apparently home alone. Harlow returned on Sunday and was sent away AGAIN by Bern under the guise that he had work to do- specifically scripts to read. When Harlow never heard from Bern, she apparently simply assumed that he had fallen asleep reading the scripts and thought nothing of it. But that is just one account – another states that Jean wanted to be alone that evening because she “had a headache” so she went back to her mother’s house for some space.
 
I’m sorry… what?! If he didn’t spend the evening with his wife the night before his death what does “you understand LAST NIGHT was only a comedy” mean?! This testimony from Harlow raises a lot of questions that the authorities never answered.
 
Either way – Harlow has told TWO different stories as to why she wasn’t at their home that night. That seems strange and worth looking into, right?
 
Apparently not. Instead, they went with the easy route and deemed it a suicide.
 
Yet the continued to investigate and they allegedly learned that Bern was suffering from QUOTE “physical infirmity” … which apparently made sex with Harlow impossible. So was it embarrassment that made him send Harlow to his mother’s house? And the “comedy” her refers to in the note is his impedance?
 
For a studio big wig with a hot Hollywood starlet for a new wife, this would be enough to embarrass anyone. But to the point of death? I think that might be a bit extreme.
 
But the story doesn’t stop there – according to reports, there was another woman in Bern’s life… well, sort of. Her name was Dorothy Millette. She and Bern lived together for many years in both New York and Toronto before Bern made his transition to Los Angeles – some state that she was Bern’s estranged wife, but I have found conflicting reports on this.
 
Millette was an aspiring actress who was just 20 years old when she met Bern and according to reports, she often referred to herself as “Mrs. Paul Bern” (perhaps because she really was married to him?) She was institutionalized for mental illness but there is no specific diagnosis made for her but guess who paid her medical expenses? Yep, none other than Paul Bern himself… even after he married Harlow.
 
But the big kicker is Millette mysteriously died the day after Bern’s mysterious death.
 
Coincidence? I think not. But the story doesn’t stop there….
 
Apparently cured, Milette was released from the hospital and moved into the Algonquin Hotel in New York and Bern made it a point to visit her every time he was in New York. According to reports, she was apparently the sole beneficiary on Bern’s will up until his marriage to Harlow.
 
So it seems like these two had a very serious love connection. If Bern loved Milette so much, why did he give her up? Was it for an easier life?
 
As it turns out, on March 17th 1932, just months before Bern wed Harlow, Bern received a letter from Milette stating that she was moving from New York to San Francisco. Bern apparently offered to pay for her life in New York if she continued to live there. She moved into the Plaza Hotel. So it looks like he didn’t fully give her up after all.
 
Once this news became public, Harlow’s stepfather issued a statement that Harlow knew nothing of Milette and that she was shocked by the news. This was countered by Bern’s brother who allegedly said that Milette was common knowledge and even discussed with Harlow before they wed.
 
The day after Bern’s death, Milette was aboard a steamer on the Sacramento River going from San Francisco to Sacramento. An officer found a woman’s coat on the railing and when the ship docked, no one could account for Milette. According to reports, her body was found in the river by fisherman two weeks later.
 
Was this a planned suicide between star-crossed lovers with a doomed fate? Merely a coincidence? Or is someone behind both the deaths of Bern and Milette?
 
It seems like a strange coincidence, but then again, Milette was stated to be suffering from mental illness and the person she claimed to be closest to in the world did kill himself.
 
The case was widely investigated – as they were at that time – but with so much speculation, tampering of evidence and a contaminated crime scene the case stumped the authorities.
 
Thought it was deemed a suicide. Many of the people close to bern believed it was a murder.
 
One account states the recounts of those who worked for Bern:
 
“Davis (Bern’s Gardener) believed that it was a muder and QUOTE “I thought so from the beginning”, he said. He believed that the butler had lied about what happened. He testified that the butler told the police that Bern and Harlow were always hugging and kissing and that he sometimes overheard Bern talking of suicide. The gardener said that the opposite was actually true. He never thought that the couple got along that well and he had never once heard Mr. Bern talk about killing himself! He also said that he didn’t believe the suicide note was even in his employer’s handwriting.
Irene Harrison, Bern’s secretary, confirmed this and she also added that Jean Harlow, not Bern, had been the pursuer in the relationship. She also added that she didn’t think that Bern looked “particularly happy” at the reception after the wedding ceremony.
The most exciting testimony came from Winifred Carmichael, Bern’s cook. She stated that a strange woman had been seen by the household staff on Sunday evening. The cook stated that a woman’s voice, which was unfamiliar to her, was heard. The woman screamed once. She also said that she later found a wet woman’s bathing suit on the edge of the swimming pool and two empty glasses nearby.
So could that strange woman have been Dorothy Milette? If Harlow can be placed at her mother’s house at that time, who did Bern have over?
 
Apparently there are no records of the police dusting the glasses for prints, no bathing suit was taken into custody - but it was confirmed that the bathing suit WAS wet and WAS NOT Harlow’s size” Also, there are claims of blood by the pool. Different member of the staff at Bern’s house share the accounts of blood by the pool, yet they were never confirmed by authorities .
 
This poses a very interesting situation and puts quite a twist on a mysterious death that looked more black and white when we started.
 
So let’s looks what could have happened.
 
The first theory is that Bern really did kill himself. Feeling the pressures of life with his new wife, his apparent inability to please her, and his looming money problems – Bern felt trapped and that his only way out was suicide. He was apparently known throughout town for being near bankrupt – this was supposedly news to Harlow though – and the couple began fighting over finances. Was the level of financial pressure too much for him?
 
I feel like this theory is a stretch because the couple had only been married for a few months. If Bern really was that unhappy, why wouldn’t he just leave Harlow? Was it because he couldn’t pay her out in a divorce? Or … was someone blackmailing him. With his secret love and his apparent money problems, Bern would have been the perfect target.
 
Another theory is that Harlow killed Bern. Whether it was rage or jealously and his undying love for Milette, his lack of performance in their relationships, and his deception to her on the financial side of things -  Harlow was fed up with his mediocre performance as a husband and killed him. It is speculated that the note found by the studio execs was not actually a suicide note at all but actually an apology note from a fight the couple had previously. They execs decided that a suicide would look better for the studio (and Harlow) rather than letting the public know that a woman had killed one of their most powerful employees. So, they made up the story to protect the reputations of the studio, Bern and Harlow.
 
Harlow claimed that she knew nothing of Milette… she kept this up even when close friends and family of Bern came forward saying that Harlow did in fact know Milette and was awared of her presence in Bern’s life. I don’t think that sat well with the Hollywood starlet.
 
On account states QUOTE “The servants, whose quarters were located outside at the other end of the property, claimed to hear a scream after the gunshot. If Dorothy had killed him, why would she have screamed right after shooting him? Perhaps Jean shot Paul. Dorothy could have been so shaken by it that she screamed and ran for her life out of the house and down to the limo that had been waiting for her as ordered by Paul.

That would make sense as to why she left her bathing suit behind and why she didn’t even stop to pick up the shoe that had fallen off as she was running away. That also explains why she told the limo driver not to stop but to keep driving faster.”
 
Something I’d like to know – was their gun power on Bern’s head. If it were a suicide, there would have to be gun power, if it was a murder, there might not have been any.
 
Continuing on the thought that Harlow did in fact know about Milette and was riddled with jealousy – could Harlow have tried to get Milette out of her life on her own?
 
That same account from earlier states that Harlow had taken a day trip up to see San Francisco (where Milette) lived just months before Bern’s death. It is said that she stayed only an hour before returning to Los Angeles. Did she go up there to confront Milette? Question her on her relationship with Bern? Plot her murder?
 
Something that is also interesting to note is that according to reports, Bern’s will had originally included Milette and a payment of $1,200 per month in perputity. That was changed just weeks after Bern and Harlow were married. The new will left Bern’s entire state to Harlow. Hmmm… that seems suspicious to me….
 
Another theory is that Milette killed Bern and then killed herself. Distraught over being banished to a mental hospital and Bern starting over with a young Hollywood beauty, Milette sought revenge for the life she felt should have been hers. If that is the case, I wonder what would have happened if Harlow HAD been home that evening… would Bern and Harlow both have ended up dead?
 
Then there is the theory that Jean’s mother is behind Bern’s death. Stay with me on this one because it’s a doozy. The theory goes like this:
 
Momma Jean was known to be loud, in your face and had alleged connections to the mob. Apparently she was fed up with her son in law due to the problems in his marriage to her beloved daughter and the scandal of him having a secret first wife.
 
Jean and her mom were now strangers to the mob world and her mother had a reputation for getting what she wanted.  That same account from earlier states this as a fact: QUOTE “Jean had dated a gangster, who was known as The Al Capone of New Jersey, and he had allegedly “taken care of some blackmailers” who had threatened to go public with nude photographs of Jean in 1917.” Wait… what?! So this wouldn’t be the first time that Jean’s mother had allowed to mob to step in and clean up a mess for Harlow
 
And on top of that – Bern was basically broke and needed Harlow to support himself AND Milette.  QUOTE “Paul was secretly broke and it was evident he was spending more than he was taking in. He mortgaged his home on Easton Drive for almost the face value of the home, He then deeded it to his wife, making it look like he gave her a wedding gift even though Jean didn’t like the house.” End quote.
 
So could Harlow’s mother – her husband – or Jean Harlow herself set the whole thing up? Did they know that Milette was coming to see Bern that weekend? Did they quote un quote “take care of Bern” and Milette witnessed the whole thing, got spooked and ran, only to later be tracked down and pushed overboard of the ship?
 
As with most of these cases, there are so many theories with so many outcomes. But my gut tells me that it was a murder. What I think happened was Harlow did in fact know about Dorothy Milette and Bern’s ongoing relations with her (he allegedly had relations with his secretary too). I think that she was tired of playing second fiddle in her own marriage and fed up with Bern’s financials.
 
Let me explain – I do think that she was the one who perused Bern due to his connections at MGM. Bern – knowing if he got her contract purchased by MGM she would owe him – made the transaction happen and then purposed to Harlow to ensure that he would get access to the new cash flow she would have. Harlow agreed and married Bern and after doing so realized his financial situation. After being quote “gifted” the house, having to put up with Bern’s lack of sexual relations to her and the knowledge of his mistress, Harlow had enough. I think that Harlow invited Milette over with the intention of making it look like a murder suicide – playing off of Milette’s reputation of being mentall unstable. Things didn’t go as plan and Harlow was able to kill Bern and Milette got spooked and ran. I think that she was tracked down by someone and killed discreetly in order to finish the job and allow Harlow to keep her reputation.
 
And what about the suicide note? It is alleged that the note came from a personal diary of Bern’s and was not written as a stand-alone note. Apparently, one of the studio execs who arrived before the police took the diary from Bern’s house and searched it looking for ANYTHING he could use to give to the police as a suicide note in order to avoid the scandal of a murder. Another theory is that the note was faked all together by one of the execs as it was turned in later to the police
 
Looks like everyone was playing at their own interested in this case.
 
The lot where the house was has now been split up into several properties – who owns 5 acres in Beverly Hills nowadays?! For the map this episode, I have shown roughly you what the compound would have looked like that the time that is was owned by Bern and Harlow.
 
It is said that the home that Bern and Harlow shared together is haunted – located at 9820 Easton Dr. in the 90210 zip code of Beverly Hills, the home has had a number of deaths happen on the lot, with following Bern’s mysterious death, two people drowned in the swimming pool and later, two former tenants of the house (including Jay Sebring) were a victim of the Manson Murders. The current owners say they haven’t had any issues since bying the home in the’70s.
 
If you want to check it out, as always, maps an addresses are included in the show notes and on the website.
 
So what are your thoughts? Do you think that Paul was murdered? Or was it really suicide? Tweet me @HollywoodlandPC or email me at [email protected] and let me know! I love hearing from you guys!
 
As per usual, complete list of references is included in the show notes and on the website.

SOURCES: http://bit.ly/2kCCx6v |  http://imdb.to/2kWNPWp | http://bit.ly/2ludKFF  | http://bit.ly/2l8rrJI | http://bit.ly/2kVc2u1| http://imdb.to/2lWVWUB

 
The Mysterious Death of Thelma Todd
December 16th, 1935
17531 Posetano Rd, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
 

SOURCES: RESEARCH | http://bit.ly/2dwiLsX | http://trib.in/2eL7ff0 | http://bit.ly/2ephym8 | http://bit.ly/2dXe7nd
| http://bit.ly/2dXdZ7g | http://lat.ms/2eL9RcH | http://bit.ly/2eg5MtO | http://bit.ly/2eg7b3i | http://bit.ly/2eL9eQF | http://imdb.to/2ehBWcW | http://bit.ly/2dwkVZo | http://bit.ly/2e0R3oS | http://bit.ly/2ephym8 | http://bit.ly/2eg8AHb | http://trib.in/2eL7ff0
| http://bit.ly/2djuMn8 | http://bit.ly/2e2X1YU | http://bit.ly/2djtEQs | http://bit.ly/2djuZqu
 || IMAGES | http://bit.ly/2ecG9wU | http://bit.ly/2eg5R0q | http://bit.ly/2eg5Bi2 | http://bit.ly/2djuTix | http://bit.ly/2eeBWGJ