Smoke House Restaurant: Established 1946

Smoke House Restaurant, 4420 Lakeside Drive, Burbank, CA

The Smoke House Restaurant, founded in 1946 at the corner of Pass Avenue and Riverside Drive, is one of the oldest restaurants in Burbank with a long going connection to the Hollywood crowd. When the original restaurant opened you could see such stars as Bob Hope, who was a Burbank resident, as well as Bing Crosby. Because of the restaurants proximity to both Warner Bros. and the Disney Studios you could see any number of stars.

Smoke House Restaurant

In 1948, the Smoke House Restaurant moved up the street to it's present day location, taking over what was then the Red Coach Inn. Originally built in 1947 by Danny Kaye, the Red Coach Inn never opened as a restaurant because Kaye couldn't build a large enough dance floor in the space.

Across from the Smoke House is Warner Bros. Studios

Because of the restaurant's proximity to the Warner Bros. Studios, you could see any number of stars dining and imbibing at the Smoke House. It wasn't unusual to see stars like Errol Flynn, Milton Berle or Judy Garland. During the filming of East of Eden, Burl Ives would pick up his young costar James Dean and they would sometimes head to the Smoke House for lunch or dinner.

Many Disney animators and stars have also come to the Smoke House because of being close to work. One tragic Disney connection involves the legendary animator Wolfgang "Woolie" Reitherman, the man responsible for animating such characters as Goofy, Timothy (from Dumbo), Captain Hook, amongst many others. In 1985, Reitherman stopped for lunch at the Smoke House, then afterwards, he went to the bank. On his way home on the other side of Burbank, Reitherman crashed into a stop sign and a tree just two blocks from his place. Reitherman's body was thrown into the steering wheel of his Lincoln Continental. Almost 2 hours later, at St. Joseph's hospital, Reitherman was pronounced dead.

Valet at the Smoke House Restaurant, Burbank, CA

Even today the Smoke House Restaurant attracts stars. Andy Garcia and George Clooney are frequent visitors. Clooney in fact enjoys the restaurant so much that he named his production company after the business: Smokehouse Productions.

The restaurant has appeared to change very little over the years. The inside feels like you are stepping back in time, with the red booths and old-fashioned telephone jacks at the table (in case you got an important call). My favorite time to go is for Sunday brunch. It's a champagne brunch and includes many excellent choices beyond the usual brunch fair. No matter when you go you should try the Smoke House's famous cheese bread. It's delicious!

For more information on the Smoke House check out their official site here.

Ed Wynn's last house.

Actor, Ed Wynn

The vaudevillian, radio personality, television actor and film star Ed Wynn spent the majority of his Hollywood years living in a home in Beverly Hills. In fact, Ed's son and fellow actor Keenan also raised his family in Beverly Hills, which is hilariously chronicled in the book, "We Will Always Live in Beverly Hills: Growing Up Crazy in Hollywood," written by Ed's grandson Ned. However, Ed's last home was a house in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, another affluent neighborhood on the West side of town.

441 N. Rockingham Road, Brentwood, Los Angeles, CA

The home, located at 441 N. Rockingham Road, is in a quiet residential area. All the homes in this area are very beautiful, with well kept lawns and gardens, and cost a fortune. There are many other celebrity homes in Brentwood. One of the most notable of old Hollywood interest would be Joan Crawford's located at 426 N. Bristol Avenue.

Keep in mind if you do swing past this house that it is a private home, so don't disturb the residents.

The Fine Art of Marc Davis: a new exhibit at Forest Lawn Museum

If you're not familiar with the name Marc Davis you certainly must be familiar with his work. Davis was a legendary animator, one of Walt Disney's "Nine Old Men," best known for his skill at drawing female characters. Some of his most notable characters include Tinker Bell, Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and Cruella DeVil. In addition to his work in animation Davis created concept art for attractions at the Disneyland theme park. If you've ever been on the Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean rides you've seen the outcome of Davis's work.

From now until July 26, 2009 the Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale, California is exhibiting some of Davis's non-Disney work. The collection includes paintings of ships, Greek mythology, harlequins and experiments with space and color. There are some pieces that are connected to Disney, but almost all the works are very non-Disney.

Legendary Disney Animator: Marc Davis

The museum is open every day except for Mondays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m. To get there you have to drive through the winding roads of Forest Lawn Cemetery all the way to the top of the hill. Once you get there you will have a beautiful view of both downtown Glendale and downtown Los Angeles.

To round out your visit with another Disney connection you can visit Walt Disney's grave site (No, Disney is not frozen). Disney is located just outside and to the left of the Freedom mausoleum. Inside the Freedom Mausoleum you will find George Burns and Gracie Allen.

The exhibit is free and definitely worth checking out.