The New Movie Magazine (Jan-Sep 1935)

Sitting on TOP of the World A NEW YORKER, BORN AND BRED, GEORGE BRINGS A BIT OF THE BIG TOWN WITH HIM— THE ONLY PENTHOUSE IN HOLLYWOOD A panorama of the whole city of Los Angeles spreads out below the patio roof-garden. In the daytime the view extends to the blue blur that is the Pacific. The room of Mack Gray, George's secretary, is done in brown and olive-green, with bright chintz window drapes. T kr— '-* £3 ...... tr -• ,^ -■> ^-■M ■ . | » r K * | The living-room has walls of soft gray and is carpeted in dull green. The davenport and easy-chairs are upholstered alike in green brocade and broadcloth. Bright chintz curtains are at the windows adding an attractive •contrast to the rest of the furnishings. Left: George may not do his own cooking, but he believes in cheerful kitchens even for bachelors. Featuring glazed tile, the kitchen is in yellow and black. A tiny, modernistic bar opens off the dining-room. By MAUDE CHEATHAM G 40 EORGE RAFT is the only movie star in all Hollywood living in a sky-high residence. He has just leased a swanky penthouse on the top floor of the beautiful El Royal, facing the Wilshire Country Club. It's the first real home George has had since he was a child but it is a far cry from the humble abode on Forty-first Street, near Tenth Avenue, in New York City, where he was born. During the intervening years he has parked in a variety of hotels. He's sampled the entire route from the cheapest dumps on side streets to the world's most palatial. Perhaps that's why he is so enthusiastic over his luxurious penthouse. We had just come over from the Paramount Studio where he finished a tense scene in his latest film. We stepped through his reception hall, then into the living-room flooded with the bright warm afternoon sun. "Home!" said George, simply, all unconscious he was unleashing emotions long dormant. "I'm getting a great kick out of it," he continued. "I thought quiet would get on my nerves. You see, I've been used to the bright lights, crowds, something doing. But this is changing me. Maybe," he grinned, "I'll yet learn to sit around in carpet slippers, listen to the radio and go to bed at nine. It's funny what environment can do to you. But I still hate being alone so Mack lives here with me." No story on George Raft would be complete without Mack — Mack Gray, who managed George's boxing exhibitions and ever since has been his best pal, as well as trainer and "bodyguard." Where you see George, you see Mack, at the studio or socially. Now, Mack is appearing in George's film so perhaps he's off on a successful movie career of his own. George's living-room is furnished in soft greens and mulberry and he has given it a masculine touch that is very charming. Off the living-room is a large patio, something like twenty-eight by forty feet. It's a spacious sky-top garden with a Spanish fountain flashing its spray in the afternoon sun, and palms, flowering plants, canopied swings and winged tables make it the most alluring spot in which to read or loaf. "I used to like to go to the night clubs and sit there until closing time watching the crowds and enjoying the show. But now I stay at home for I have my own show— the best in town," and George nodded toward the sweeping panoramic view of Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the hazy blue mountains forming a curtain along the north. It almost seemed as if we could see the ocean in the distance. "At night," he continued, "it is a wonderful sight. Makes one think of a huge carnival lighted up for the evening performance. "I'm scheduled to make four pictures in a row which means I won't have much time for play so I'll enjoy the amusements I can gather together here at home. Social affairs, especially if they are formal, don't attract me (Please turn to page 59) The New Movie Magazine, February, 1935