Franchot at 420 Layton Drive

Mystery solved! In May, I wrote about Franchot's World War II draft card (here)and pondered the address that was included as his residence: 420 Layton Drive, Los Angeles, California. At that time, I wrote:

When I Google his address, all that gets returned is the alternate address of 470 Layton Way in Los Angeles, a plantation-style mansion designed by architect John Byers for wealthy Phillip Ilsley, who lived in it beginning in 1937. Actor Wayne Morris and his wife Leonora "Bubbles" Hornblow lived there after their marriage in 1939, but divorced soon after in 1940. I don't know how Franchot could've lived in this house at the time, logistically, but with its immaculate landscaping (it included a waterfall, tennis court, and pool) it certainly seems like the type of house Franchot might occupy, short or long term. It is probably that Google is leading me in the wrong direction since a lot of streets change over time. When he registered to vote the same year, Franchot listed his address as 10333 Wilshire Boulevard. 1940 was an interesting year for Franchot. He was fresh from his recent return to the stage and only made one film that year, the western comedy Trail of the Vigilantes. He was single and seen around town with many gorgeous and talented Hollywood ladies (including Carole Landis and Olivia deHavilland) during that time. My point is that he was playing the field in romance and his career at the time, so it is very likely that he was also not settled in one residence or another.

Well, Google was not leading me in the wrong direction. Franchot did live at 420 Layton Drive (or Way) in 1940! I found an article about the romance between Paulette Goddard and Franchot's buddy Burgess Meredith and it mentions the house:

Source: "Paulette's in Love". Photoplay.
Jan-Jun 1943. www.archive.org

The writer refers to the house as the "Pandemonium", ha! This confirms that Franchot did indeed live in the house and used it as a bachelor pad with his friend Burgess Meredith. If you'd like to virtually explore the house, please visit Paradise Leased (here) which has a full detailed post on it with photographs, but no mention of Franchot. Sadly, the house was demolished in 2000.