Clete Keith - Ghosts of Greystone--Beverly Hills: Dramatic Eyewitness Accounts

EPILOGUE

Answered prayers. Thats how I view the book youve just read and hopefully embraced. And now that Ive come full circle with the process, I realize what a long strange trip its been (apologies to the Grateful Dead). Initially, I was thinking how labor intensive could it be to research and write a book? I thought I would conduct some interviews, write down some personal stories, hand them over to Chris (my brother and partner in everything creative) and hed take it from there. Well, I was clueless. Yet here we arethree years later and Im writing this epilogue. And truth be told, I wouldnt trade the experience for anything. Its been an absolute joy.

As I got into the process of laying out the book, it became quite apparent that it couldnt just be about the paranormal. I wanted you to experience the history of this familys prominence during the growth years of Beverly Hills and surrounding Los Angeles. I also wanted us to envision what it felt like to be a family member or friend and step inside the impressive Grand Entry and gaze at the stunning architecture what it was like to walk the grounds and see the lush landscapes that once surrounded this celebrated property. The Greystone Historical Report and considerable hours of research contributed tremendously to that effort.

During this journey, I also learned to appreciate the Doheny familythe good times as well as their trials, tribulations, and tragedies. I also wanted you to be as fortunate as I have been to meet some wonderful people from all walks of life that happened to be in the right place at the right time to interact with spirits in a realm we can only imagine.

I realize you may still be questioning whether spirits, ghosts, or entities are real. Thats how I felt when I began working at Greystone. Now, nearly two hundred forty stories later, its hard for me not to believe that some of them have merit. But my ongoing mantra through all of this, Dont believe it until you see it, still rings true with me today. Im guessing there are those of you who might have felt this way until you experienced your own personal paranormal event. For others, maybe this has opened your mind to the possibility of life on the other side.

What Ive also discovered from this deep dive into the Ghosts of GreystoneBeverly Hills, and all the scary, funny, horrifying, playful, bizarre, and sad stories that evolved, is that throughout the many years, the spirits here remain ever vigilant to make themselves known to us mere mortals.

It is my hope and desire that youve enjoyed these true stories about the ghosts that haunt this bygone, yet extraordinary estate. But, please note, as the gate closes behind you to end this adventure, their journey continues on. Possibly with the hope that we can all visit them again.

EDITORS NOTE

It all started three years ago in Peets Coffee on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills.

Early every Friday morning, six oclock early, Id be trading friendly barbs with Those Keith BrothersClete and Chris I love these guys. Writers, filmmakers, theatrical impresarios, and truly the salt of the Earth. We would bullshit about everything and anything. Loud laughter continuously rang forth from our little side table.

One Friday morning, they started telling me about their new book projecta chronicle tracing the haunted history and so-called current ghost reality of Greystone Mansion, the venerable old house that was first built, owned, and occupied by oil magnate, Edward Laurence Doheny, the patriarch of an infamous and royal Los Angeles family and then later by the American Film Institute. Currently, the mansion with its bucolic surrounding gardens is a city park tucked away in a Beverly Hills neighborhood just north of Sunset Boulevarda neighborhood populated by the one percent.

What struck me the most when Those Keith Brothers told me about their almost-completed book about ghosts roaming the halls of Greystoneterrorizing employees and visitors alikewas how damn serious they were about their research, their on-site recordings, and the umpteen hours of interviews they conducted with a cross-section of eyewitnesses. Once I stopped laughing, out loud, I realized they werent laughing with me. It was like Ray Liottas reaction to Joe Pesci in Goodfellas when Liotta realizes Pesci is just busting his chopsLiotta: Get the fuck out of here. Except Those Keith Brothers werent busting my chops. They were dead serious about these ghosts and ghouls and shit that goes bump in the night.

What happened next, over the course of numerous early Friday mornings at Peets, was an ongoing conversation between me and Those Keith Brothers about the Ghosts of Greystone Beverly Hills. As every Friday came and went, I was laughing less and less. And just so you know, Im a born skepticcritical of government, religion, corporations, as well as shit that goes bump in the night. But I got the gig editing their book anyway and after getting to know the interviewees intimately through their words and stories (concluding that these folks were not crazy, just honestly expressing their disturbing experiences) and then seeing Cletes exhaustive firsthand research and feeling his startling narrative, I found myself open to the possibilities. Im still a skeptic, but I will tell you this much: something really strange and dark is going on inside this old blood-stained mansion. As famed author Ray Bradbury once offered, Something Wicked This Way Comes.

So that new book project Those Keith Brothers told me about one Friday morning at Peets, is the book you now hold in your handsbe it paper or pixels. And Im telling you straight up about old man Dohenys mansion, Im not going inside that joint any time soon.

Stephen Vittoria
Los Angeles, Fall 2020

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To those brave enough to go on record and share their experiences.

Dorothy and Byron

For always stoking the creative fire. Every project has your spirit attached. You are missed.

Chris Keith

Without you there is no book. I create and you bring it to fruition. Your tireless work on every aspect of the publishing process continues to astound me. I ask how something can be accomplished, and you take it on, research it, and its completed. What a gift you are to me. You are my partner in all things creative. You have always been my best friend. What a journey weve had together. I love you my brother.

Stephen Vittoria

Thank you for joining us and providing your knowledge and guidance. Your insight, editing, and thirst of history was essential for this book.

Christie Mossman

After reading several pages of my first draft, you said you were bored. I came up with every excuse as to why you were wrong. After listening to your reasoning, and starting my next draft, I was fully convinced you were right. What a blessing. Without your thoughts and feelings, this book would be dare I say boring! Thank you.

Kacey and Jon Daly

Thank you for your encouragement when we first discussed writing this book. Jon, your enthusiasm helped spark the forward movement of my idea. Kacey, I love you. Thank you for listening to all the stories, and allowing me to hide behind you in the basement!

Special Thanks

Angie Alaya, Danielle Baccaro, Taylor Bakken, Max Beers, Betsy and Craig Berenson, Steve Clark and Christopher Worland, Chip Coffey, Lissa Coffey, Jared Cowan, Tom Danheiser, Claire Danna, Victor DiMichina, Chris Fleming, Clark Fogg, Carrie Gamblin, Hortensia Gomez-Tirella, Kaleo Griffith, Jennifer Grubba, Rob Guillory, Dan Hernandez, Bryan Houser and Erica Santoyo, Sam Houser, Patty Jenkins, Aneta Karapetyan, Raeha Keller, Linda Kyriazi, Steven Lloyd, Martha Mayakis, Karen Fitch McLean, Brad Moylan, Aleksey Murakami, Brooke Putich, Ben Reder, Denise Retallack, Jennifer Riemenschneider, Susan Rosen, Bill Rotella, Linda and Jim Salvati, Ray Scalice, Jasmit Sethi, Sam Sheridan, The Ariadna Thau, and Ellen Vittoria.