The Larry Manetti Thread

[Sam]

Hey Pahonu....I don't think Westlake Village or Thousand Oaks are considered to be San Fernando Valley.. I could be wrong.

[Pahonu]

Hey Pahonu....I don't think Westlake Village or Thousand Oaks are considered to be San Fernando Valley.. I could be wrong.

Hey Sam,

Manetti’s house is listed in Woodland Hills which is definitely in the San Fernando Valley. Technically you are probably right about the other two places. Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks are geographically in the Conejo Valley either side of the LA/Ventura County line. However, both are physically part of the same natural valley as San Fernando, before the slope down to the coastal plain at Camarillo. I’ve driven through there hundreds of times on the way to Santa Barbara where my wife went to college and on vacations since.

My wife’s roommate in college grew up in and still lives in Westlake Village. She now teaches elementary school for LAUSD and describes herself as growing up in the valley. They used to head south through the Santa Monica Mountains via Kanan Dume Road to Malibu to go to the beach at Zuma. Either way, it’s pretty much the hottest part of the LA area with summer temperatures routinely past 100 and often near 110. The San Gabriel Valley is only slightly cooler and part of the reason I moved to the coast in Long Beach after living in Santa Barbara with my then-girlfriend before we got married!

Selleck grew up in Sherman Oaks in “the Valley”. Are you local?

[Sam]

Hi Pahonu.....I know you caught it but I forgot to mention that the Westlake..Thousand Oaks post was about Sellecks ranch...

I was local until...wait for it..1962..Born not far from you..Seaside Hospital in Long Beach,..Lived in Long Beach for a few years..Huntington Beach and then LA Mirada before moving to Minnesota..

I do get out there every couple of years to visit my brother..but that's coming to an end in 2 years.

[Pahonu]

Hi Pahonu.....I know you caught it but I forgot to mention that the Westlake..Thousand Oaks post was about Sellecks ranch...

I was local until...wait for it..1962..Born not far from you..Seaside Hospital in Long Beach,..Lived in Long Beach for a few years..Huntington Beach and then LA Mirada before moving to Minnesota..

I do get out there every couple of years to visit my brother..but that's coming to an end in 2 years.

Nice! Seaside has been LB Memorial Hospital since the 60’s, I believe. I’m in LB right next to Seal Beach. Funny you mention La Miranda. I work in south Whittier, not far from there. Small world! Cool you still get out here. It’s a bit different than Minnesota.

[Sam]

Yeah Seaside where I was born is now a park..
Seal Beach..Huntington..Venice..POP..are all good childhood memories. Although they were dumps when I lived there,I was young so didn't notice..It was all made right in the 70's and 80's..

Yeah Pahonu..California is a bit different than Minnesota...but then California is different than the California I remember from the last 30 years..

[Gorilla Mask]

Hey Pahonu,

Well, that kind of interior is quite uncommon in southwest of France , so...

By elaborate, i meant 'complicated', even a little 'overloaded' with diplomatic language... In France we would say "flashy" but I wouldn't allow it because I don't know the Californian customs.

In any case it's not unpleasant to look at.

I didn’t mean to be critical. It’s certainly well maintained and decorated for what it is. I was just commenting that it’s not an architect designed home or anything. The video of Selleck, Wagner, and Connors all there is great. Selleck’s ranch is also in the Valley.

No harm here friend.

Here is for a better shot. Quite a nice little estate however..

https://ibb.co/rdBzdVk

By "élaborate", I was writing about the interior layout and furnishings and this word was chosen in a quite tactfully way . Of course, this house is not an architectural reference, as for instance, one of Rita Hayworth's former Homes, also currently for sale:

https://www.sacbee.com/news/business/re ... 24237.html

But i know you are an expert, especially concerning LA mansions.

[Pahonu]

Hey Pahonu,

Well, that kind of interior is quite uncommon in southwest of France , so...

By elaborate, i meant 'complicated', even a little 'overloaded' with diplomatic language... In France we would say "flashy" but I wouldn't allow it because I don't know the Californian customs.

In any case it's not unpleasant to look at.

I didn’t mean to be critical. It’s certainly well maintained and decorated for what it is. I was just commenting that it’s not an architect designed home or anything. The video of Selleck, Wagner, and Connors all there is great. Selleck’s ranch is also in the Valley.

No harm here friend.

Here is for a better shot. Quite a nice little estate however..

https://ibb.co/rdBzdVk

By "élaborate", I was writing about the interior layout and furnishings and this word was chosen in a quite tactfully way . Of course, this house is not an architectural reference, as for instance, one of Rita Hayworth's former Homes, also currently for sale:

https://www.sacbee.com/news/business/re ... 24237.html

But i know you are an expert, especially concerning LA mansions.

Interesting that you picked the old Rita Hayworth estate. The listing wrongly says it’s Tudor in style. It’s a style fairly unusual in SoCal, but popular on our east coast, called French Eclectic or sometimes Norman. It grew in popularity in the US in the 20’s and 30’s with American soldiers returning from France after WWI. Here on the west coast, the Spanish Colonial Revival, like Pahonu, peaked in popularity during a similar period. The Tudor revival started about two decades earlier but remained popular for longer.

It’s funny how often real estate agents mislabel architectural styles. They seem to use the very basic terms: colonial, Spanish, Tudor, craftsman, or the catch-all contemporary/modern. LOL! Manetti’s home looks VERY much like my sister’s in the San Gabriel Valley and is from the 70’s as well. You may not be aware of this, but the detailing you see on the front with the brick, columns over the garage, the clapboards, and sizable rafters over the porch and balcony, would not be present on the other façades. I would wager the sides and rear of the home are simple stucco.

I always enjoy talking about architecture with people from other places!

The landmark of the French Eclectic style is a Long Island mansion called Falaise. What is your take on its detailing?

http://www.oldlongisland.com/2008/07/falaise.html?m=1

[Gorilla Mask]

As always, my friend, you pose me a challenge here!

I have friends who own a small manor in Normandy, and the similarities with Rita's (especially inside) are very strong, except for the 'American ranch' 'oddities' which has nothing to do with the matter, from my point of view...

Normandy is at the crossroads of several cultures (that of Brittany, that of the Loire, that of Northern France and that of ... Yes, I have to say it ! ...England ! (Devon ?)... Yes, Jonathan !!!

In short, Let's judge. I chose a small panel of some manors (there are many others...) that we can meet in Normandy...

https://ibb.co/G0ZkL1j
https://ibb.co/w4rX1JF
https://ibb.co/VgtpGwT
https://ibb.co/D4k0Rpv
https://ibb.co/nCR7n8G
https://ibb.co/jMx2tDv

As you can see, some buildings have 'half-timbering'(colombages ??... i had to search through my old Oxford dictionnary to find the english word... hum...), others are made of stone and others are made of bricks.

I already knew 'Falaise' ('Cliffs' in French) in Long Island. Unfortunately i do not have the opportunity to visit. Such a visit it should have been !

If you ask me, this mansion is just unique and is not, actually, Normandy style.

It's more of a 'fairy tale' style with French inspirations (for sure), but it has a heavier, more imposing side... A bit Germanic.'Westaphalian', I would say...

So here is my conclusion (will you like it?):

What you call "French Eclectic" is a genuine US and synthetic translation of several architectural styles that evokes, from an American point of view, La France.

Here are my 'deux francs' about it.

Friendly regards.

[Pahonu]

As always, my friend, you pose me a challenge here!

I have friends who own a small manor in Normandy, and the similarities with Rita's (especially inside) are very strong, except for the 'American ranch' 'oddities' which has nothing to do with the matter, from my point of view...

Normandy is at the crossroads of several cultures (that of Brittany, that of the Loire, that of Northern France and that of ... Yes, I have to say it ! ...England ! (Devon ?)... Yes, Jonathan !!!

In short, Let's judge. I chose a small panel of some manors (there are many others...) that we can meet in Normandy...

https://ibb.co/G0ZkL1j
https://ibb.co/w4rX1JF
https://ibb.co/VgtpGwT
https://ibb.co/D4k0Rpv
https://ibb.co/nCR7n8G
https://ibb.co/jMx2tDv

As you can see, some buildings have 'half-timbering'(colombages ??... i had to search through my old Oxford dictionnary to find the english word... hum...), others are made of stone and others are made of bricks.

I already knew 'Falaise' ('Cliffs' in French) in Long Island. Unfortunately i do not have the opportunity to visit. Such a visit it should have been !

If you ask me, this mansion is just unique and is not, actually, Normandy style.

It's more of a 'fairy tale' style with French inspirations (for sure), but it has a heavier, more imposing side... A bit Germanic.'Westaphalian', I would say...

So here is my conclusion (will you like it?):

What you call "French Eclectic" is a genuine US and synthetic translation of several architectural styles that evokes, from an American point of view, La France.

Here are my 'deux francs' about it.

Friendly regards.

Hey GM,

Thanks for the thorough response! …and the photos.

You are spot on about the French Eclectic style here in the US. It was a residential style that incorporated many different French regional elements. It was also meant to evoke the French farmhouse more than the formal styles in the cities and among the grand chateaux. I suppose that’s why the term eclectic is included in the name of the style. There were other styles with French antecedents, such as Chateauesque and Beaux Arts, that were popular in the late 18th and early 19th century. They were very formal and highly detailed, and also much more common on the east coast.

The most important feature that made me identify the Rita Hayworth estate as French Eclectic, rather than Tudor, was the roof. The quite high pitched hip roof is what distinguishes it from the more common multi-gabled Tudor style. Other details like half-timbering and stone and brickwork are shared by the styles. Almost every one of the photos you included had hipped roofs for the main mass. The other common feature is the round tower with conical roof. These are almost never seen in Tudor homes.

[Pahonu]

I added some pictures. There are two of drawings dating to the 20’s and 30’s that were in popular magazines of the time, and two actual homes from the era. The different roof styles feature prominently.

https://ibb.co/X3Vzcf5
https://ibb.co/DWfnCqc
https://ibb.co/Hqp4J4Z
https://ibb.co/6cMzNP7

The first one even describes the “French atmosphere” of the design rather than using any scholarly architectural term. As I said, your analysis of French Eclectic style is very accurate!

On a side note, the Tudor style became very associated with the old money tradition and conservative business in the US, and they were often called “Banker’s Tudors”. In an ironic twist, a Tudor mansion in the Holmby Hills area of LA, built for the son of the areas developer, Arthur Letts Sr., was eventually sold to a “non-banker” to say the least. The original owner Arthur Letts Jr. was a businessman and merchant. It’s later owner was Hugh Hefner and it became the Playboy Mansion!

https://la.curbed.com/2016/1/26/1084304 ... os-angeles

https://ibb.co/MVN8P8s

[Gorilla Mask]

Really a very interesting subject my friend, thank you for your analysis. It made me wonder about some things I see here in the Perigord.

According to your expertise where does this house come from?

https://ibb.co/v37dVpN

And yes, you guessed it, it comes from the Isle Valley (Vallée de L'isle), maybe 10 miles from my home! A very american 'French eclectic' you just decribed !

What is striking is that this type of recent house was not found in Périgord a few decades ago. Thais is to say, you know that the Anglo-Saxons have bought and built a lot here. So there was evidence for a mix of genres!

The 'périgourdine' (house of the Périgord), looks rather like what one usually finds near Sarlat in the southwest of the Dordogne:

https://ibb.co/nsZ6g3h
https://ibb.co/YNR9CBm
https://ibb.co/PYypvdt
https://ibb.co/3Wycz7s

There are all the elements you mentioned: the steeply, hipped, pitched roofs ('toits en croupe'), the wings in form of towers (called in our country 'pigeon houses'), and even some medieval elements like the watchtowers ("échauguettes").I would also add the always visible stone, the pronounced pediments and archways; the trimmed roofs 'à la Mansard', the windows, placed ahead on the rooftops, in "chiens couchés" (sorry, I did not find the equivalent in my old Oxford's ...).

Sorry, I don't know if I explained this correctly with my limited English, even with the help of a worn out dictionnary

Thanks for reading anyway !

[Pahonu]

Really a very interesting subject my friend, thank you for your analysis. It made me wonder about some things I see here in the Perigord.

According to your expertise where does this house come from?

https://ibb.co/v37dVpN

And yes, you guessed it, it comes from the Isle Valley (Vallée de L'isle), maybe 10 miles from my home! A very american 'French eclectic' you just decribed !

What is striking is that this type of recent house was not found in Périgord a few decades ago. Thais is to say, you know that the Anglo-Saxons have bought and built a lot here. So there was evidence for a mix of genres!

The 'périgourdine' (house of the Périgord), looks rather like what one usually finds near Sarlat in the southwest of the Dordogne:

https://ibb.co/nsZ6g3h
https://ibb.co/YNR9CBm
https://ibb.co/PYypvdt
https://ibb.co/3Wycz7s

There are all the elements you mentioned: the steeply, hipped, pitched roofs ('toits en croupe'), the wings in form of towers (called in our country 'pigeon houses'), and even some medieval elements like the watchtowers ("échauguettes").I would also add the always visible stone, the pronounced pediments and archways; the trimmed roofs 'à la Mansard', the windows, placed ahead on the rooftops, in "chiens couchés" (sorry, I did not find the equivalent in my old Oxford's ...).

Sorry, I don't know if I explained this correctly with my limited English, even with the help of a worn out dictionnary

Thanks for reading anyway !

Hey GM,

Thanks for all the great pics… again!

My knowledge is largely in the area of domestic American architecture through the last few centuries. I confess to know very little about more recent styles in other countries. Most of what I know of the architecture of Europe is how it impacted American styles historically. For example, the French Eclectic style here in the US drew largely on more rural, less formal structures from the French countryside PRIOR to the 1920’s. Those vernacular buildings influenced American homes for a couple of decades, but more recent trends, not at all.

Prior to the 20th century many American styles were VERY loosely based on European styles. Gothic Revival, Italianate, and Greek Revival are examples. There after, more accurate detailing was used in a period of eclecticism from 1900 until WWII. There was Italian Renaissance Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, the very popular English Colonial Revival, and French Eclectic. After the war, the rapid need for housing led to very simplified styles that have persisted somewhat to today, including postmodernism. A style called New Classical Architecture has led to more scholarly interpretations of historic styles in recent years, but largely in high end homes.

This is a fantastic resource:

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Amer ... /ref=nodl_

[Sam]

New Manetti interview posted 2 months ago...Not much new except Manetti claiming that he is or was scheduled to be part of season 5..

Also the brown and orange Jimmy is seen in the Simon and Simon clip..

https://youtu.be/7OkD6bMWnow

[terryfromkerry]

Just reading Larry Manetti to appear in an up coming Blue Bloods episode with Tom Selleck. It's a shame about the passing of our other classic MPI heroes. It would have been nice to have seen a full reunion.

[My Little Voice]

Just reading Larry Manetti to appear in an up coming Blue Bloods episode with Tom Selleck. It's a shame about the passing of our other classic MPI heroes. It would have been nice to have seen a full reunion.

I came here to share the same news! Agree that it is bittersweet with only two of the four.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/a ... loods.html