Tom Ogden - Haunted Hollywood: Tinseltown Terrors, Filmdom Phantoms, and Movieland Mayhem

Tom Ogden is one of Americas most celebrated magicians. He has performed professionally for forty years, from the tinsel and sawdust of the circus ring to the glitter and sequins of Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and Lake Tahoe. He has opened for such acts as Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, and the Osmonds.

Ogdens television work has included appearances on NBCs The Worlds Greatest Magic II and FOXs The Great Magic of Las Vegas, and numerous commercials. He has twice been voted Parlour Magician of the Year at the famed Magic Castle in Hollywood and has received an additional dozen nominations in other categories.

Ogdens books include 200 Years of the American Circus (which was named a Best Reference Work by both the American Library Association and the New York Public Library), Wizards and Sorcerers, The Complete Idiots Guide to Magic Tricks, The Complete Idiots Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings, and The Complete Idiots Guide to Street Magic, as well as eight books in Globe Pequots Haunted series. He has also been profiled in Writers Market.

A recognized expert on the spirit world, Ogden lectures at colleges and universities about ghosts and the paranormal.

He resides in Los Angeles.

This book would not have been possible without the help of many friends and colleagues. Since it all starts with the stories, let me first thank Cindy Freeling, Michael Gingras, Milt Larsen, Joan Lawton, Bryan Lee, Betty Jean Morris, Mark Nelson, Marty Rosenstock, Kate Ward, and Jeremy Vargus for sharing their personal tales of ghost encounters.

My gratitude goes out to Greg Lyczkowski, the staff at the William S. Hart Museum, and the rangers and visitor center at Griffith Park; also to Tom Ewing, Manon Rodriquez, and George Schindler for their help tracking down information on the Houdini Mansion. I also want to show my appreciation to Hollywood historian Marc Wanamaker, coauthor with Laurie Jacobson of the indispensable book Hollywood Haunted, for his insights. George Siegel and Tanja Barnes provided important new insights regarding the schoolhouse that supposedly stood on the site of the Vogue Theatre, and Richard Carradine (president and co-founder of Ghost Hunters of Urban Los Angeles, or Ghoula.org) and David Markland (CreepyLA.com and ScareLA.com) also made many helpful contributions to the book.

Also special thanks to Michael Kurland, Bill Harris, Max Maven, Joan Lawton, Mark Willoughby, and David Shine for their advice, feedback, and assistance.

Finally, thanks to my agent, Jack Scovil, and my original team at Globe Pequoteditor Mary Norris, project manager Jennifer Taber, copy editor Antoinette Smith, and group publisher Gary Krebsas well as my editors for this second edition, Erin Turner and Lauren Brancato.

No ghost researcher does it on his or her own. Its simply impossible to personally check out every purported haunted location for oneself. Fortunately, theres a great deal of paranormal literature available for all levels of followers of the supernatural.

This bibliography includes information about the works that were consulted during the writing of Haunted Hollywood. It also lists related books and Web sites that would be of general interest to ghost enthusiasts and fans of Hollywood folklore.

BOOKS

Bartlett, James T. Gourmet GhostsLos Angeles. City Ghost Guides, 2012. Described as a guide to the citys haunted bars and restaurants. Ten Hollywood sites and another eight in West Hollywood and Bevrly Hills are profiled.

Brooks, Marla. Ghosts of Hollywood: The Show Still Goes On. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2008. Haunted sites described include the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the Magic Castle, and Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

. Ghosts of Hollywood II: Talking to Spirits. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2008. All the tales in this collection concern spirits that were contacted through sances held at various Hollywood locations or by psychics and paranormal investigators.

Dwyer, Jeff. Ghost Hunters Guide to Los Angeles. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company, 2007. After giving suggestions on how to look for ghosts, Dwyer describes dozens of sites worth investigating throughout Los Angeles and Southern California.

Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits. New York: Facts on File, 1992. Facts on File became known for publishing one-volume encyclopedias of record, and Guileys book is no exception. In print (and occasionally updated) for more than twenty years, this book includes entries on ghost phenomena and important figures in the history of paranormal research and Spiritualism, concentrating primarily on the United Kingdom and the United States.

Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places: The National Directory. New York: Penguin, 1996.

. The International Directory of Haunted Places. New York: Penguin, 2000. The National Directory and its companion International Directory are perhaps the most popular books in print that list haunted locations throughout the world. Together, more than three thousand sites are contained in the two volumes. Must-own books for amateur and serious ghost hunters alike.

Holzer, Hans W. Haunted Hollywood. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1974. This is probably the first work dedicated exclusively to investigations of hauntings in the stars homes. Holzer, a world-renowned author on the paranormal, relies heavily on the impressions of psychics during his research, but he also conducts firsthand interviews with many who personally experienced the phenomena.

Jacobson, Laurie, and Marc Wanamaker. Hollywood Haunted: A Ghostly Tour of Filmland. Santa Monica, CA: Angel City Press, 1994. After more than a decade in print, this fascinating work can now rightly be considered a classic.

May, Antoinette. Haunted Houses of California. San Carlos, CA: Wide World Publishing, 2006. As the title suggests, the haunted residences described in these pages are all found in the Golden State, from the far north down to San Diego. Among the stories are tales about Thelma Todds garage and the Elke SommerJoe Hyams home.

Ogden, Tom. The Complete Idiots Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2004. In this second edition, the hauntings are separated according to the types of venues the spirits haunt. An entire chapter is dedicated to Hollywood ghost stories.

. Haunted Highways. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2008. A collection of campfire-style tales based on popular ghost legends about haunted highways, lanes, and trails. Some of the stories involve Hollywood stars, including the cursed car in which James Dean died and the phantom automobile ridden by Telly Savalas.

. Haunted Theaters. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2009. Many movie stars began their careers in the theater or performed on the stage after they became famous. Some of their stories are told in this collection of tales about haunted playhouses in the United States and the U.K.

Schessler, Ken. This Is Hollywood. La Verne, CA: Ken Schessler Productions, 1984. This short paperback lists, describes, and maps historical landmarks in Hollywood and surrounding communities. It includes stars homes and graves, purported haunted sites, and the locations of celebrity murders and suicides.

Smith, Barbara. Ghost Stories of Hollywood. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Lone Pine Publishing, 2000. In this volume, Smith, who has written a series of books dedicated to different types of haunted venues, turns her sights on Tinseltown.