...from a trusted informant we call Charlie Chitchatter that retired film and television producer Burt Sugarman and his entertainment news reporter wife Mary Hart are quietly shopping their Beverly Hills, CA mansion off-market with an elephantine asking price between 37 and 39 million smackers.
The house—which may or may not have been originally designed by Cliff May—is situated on a pancake flat promontory on a particularly plummy cul-de-sac high in the trendy Trousdale Estates 'hood and was purchased by Mister Sugarman way back in 1975 for—are you sitting down for this?—$750,000.
Although we can't vouch for the accuracy, the L.A. County Tax Man's records show the single story residence sits on 2.2 acres—one of the largest single lots in Trousdale—and spans 11,536 square feet with six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, three fireplace and a roomy motor court with covered parking for up to five cars.
Our Mister Chitchatter snitched to Your Mama that the day-core is dated but well maintained and that the views out the back stretch all the way to downtown Long Beach and over to the Pacific Ocean.
Keeping in mind that television and music tycoon Simon Cowell coughed up $15.5 million for a much smaller but architecturally significant house a few doors down last years and that Oakley eyewear founder Jim Jannard shelled out $19.9 million three years ago for the house next door—that he's since razed—what do the children think of the off-market asking price?
Your Mama's wholly unscientific research on the internets shows Miz Hart and Mister Sugarman, married since 1989 with one child own a number of other residences including a two bedroom and three bathroom luxury condo at the ritzy Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. Live that they picked up in July 2011 for $1,864,500.
They also own a large spread in Whitefish, MT, according to property records and at least three properties in California's Coachella Valley: a modest 1,347 square foot condo at the Monterey Country Club in the upscale community of Palm Desert; a vacant residential lot formerly owned by Sylvester Stallone at the Madison Club in La Quinta purchased in December 2010 for $1,750,000 and a 7,723 square foot mini-mansion that backs up to the golf course at the super swank Bighorn Golf Club in Palm Desert.
Until 2011, the vivacious Miz Hart was the reigning high priestess of entertainment news journalism having hosted the celebrity new show Entertainment Tonight for 29 years. Mister Sugarman is best known for producing game shows and variety programs (Celebrity Sweepstakes, The Richard Pryor Show, the 1980s reprise of The Newlywed Game) and a small handful of films (Children of a Lesser God, Extremities, Kiss Me Goodbye).
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
