Storyboard panels by Jake Bauming

Like
millions of other kids, we grew up watching Hanna Barbera cartoons, so
it was sad to hear of Mr. Barbera’s passing on Monday.

One
of the good things about working in-house at Warner Bros Animation on
¡Mucha Lucha!, was the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Mr. B (he
maintained an office there) and attend his annual birthday party at the studio. 

He was perpetually wheelchair-bound during our time there, with his assistant Carlton, always by his side.

Funniest
Mr. B story comes from one of our ML team, the droll, affable Garth
House (yep, that is a compliment, Garth).  Garth tells of how he
entered an elevator with Mr. B and Carlton.  No-one speaks.  As
Garth is leaving, Carlton says “Mr. B likes your shirt”.  Guess Carlton
and Joe had a kind of telepathy going

You wonder what kind of person could create thiskind of environment. Gary claims he’s not artistic. “I’m okay on thecreative side as far as thinking of things,” he says. “You think aboutthe space you’re in. It just came out of me.”

First, it is astory about space. You have to understand that the home currentlyconsists of three originally separate buildings that were made up of 2- 4 units. Most walls came down to open up the interior and others wereconstructed to continue the flow. The set up is more unusual becausethere is a fourth structure, not owned by Gary, in between.

Then,it’s about what goes in the space. “As I got a little money I startedfixing things up here and there,” says Gary. “People would look at whatI was doing and say ‘that’s really weird’.” Weird or not, there isplenty to marvel at.

Even the exterior gives a sense that you’rein for some surprises. It appears that there are four units becausethere are four doors. You wouldn’t know which door to enter. It’s agood thing that there is an intercom for entry and you are let in. But,guess what? Only one door works! The others are there to fool us.

Youreally know you’re in for an unusual experience when you enter intowhat would normally be the foyer or entryway. Here, you are greeted byseveral of Gary’s collections. Your eye is drawn to the three cars …such as you would see in a car showroom. There is a 1962 Goggomobile, a1958 Dual Ghia (a prototype made for auto shows … only 100manufactured) and an Edsel (front) Ranchero (back) that was neverbuilt. There are three beautiful guitars displayed on the wall. “Theysignify something,” says Gary. “I like music a lot.” There is a watchcollection in a case that was purchased from a pharmacy in New Yorkthat had been in business for 90 years. The building was being torndown. “I recycle,” says Gary. Most are retirement watches withinscriptions on the back. Others have something on the base like a Dr.Pepper or NCAA basketball tournament logo. “I collect weird watches,”he adds. In a weirder vein is the “Fish Market” … an aquarium withlive fish that will soon have plastic fish on ice with prices on themlike you would see in a fish market.

There is a map of SouthernCalifornia and an “Entering California” greeting on the cement floor asyou enter the next room. It could be the “entertainment” room in morethan one way. There are two ATM machines. If you press buttons on one,different artwork will appear in the frames on the wall. If you pressbuttons on the other, you currently have a choice of 70,000 songs (andbuilding) from the mp3 jukebox. “New technology is fun,” says Gary.There is an eight-foot long coffee table/fire pit with sand that lightsup. “The fire dances on the sand,” says Gary. “It has a great effect atnight.” Now get this. “Mickey” is etched on the “mantle” and “toupee”is woven in the area “rug”. Both of these brought forth “aha” moments.Here’s something else. What would you do if you were visiting a friend,asked to use the bathroom and was shown a bathroom with a window? Wouldyou freak out? “I call it my ‘David Lynch’ bathroom,” Gary says. Thephotosensitive glass becomes opaque when the light switch is hit.Surprise!

I love “Barney’s Venice”. This is Gary’s clothescloset … actually a room that looks like you’re shopping in a store.Shirts, sweaters, jackets and shoes are displayed against the wall.There is a display case with ties. The fixtures were purchased from amen’s store that closed. There is also a built-in laundry hamper. “I’mbasically a slob,” says Gary. “The closet forces me to be neat becausethere’s a big window and I walk by it all the time.”

The kitchenis located in the space that was the one bedroom cottage that Garyfirst rented. You think you’re in a coffee shop. There is a displaycase with cakes and pies (fake), a vinyl booth and a jukebox that Garybought when he was 18. There is also a glass door refrigerator that waspurchased over 20 years ago. “I’ve had it rebuilt four times,” Garysays. Any chef in the world would be envious of this kitchen! There isa regular oven, wood burning oven, tandori oven, smoker (for meat orfish), confection oven, wok, salamander (to char meat or melt cheese)and hot air cooker (for French fries). “I like to eat and I like tocook,” Gary says. “An industrial kitchen makes it easier to cook. Youare dealing with better degrees of heat.”

I asked Gary which onewas his favorite room. He replied, “what ever I just did”. That wouldbe his home office. It is a second story open space that has a circularatrium library. This is no ordinary library. There are secret panelsleading to a bathroom, storage room and balcony. One panel will soonopen up to a Murphy bed. His desk and table are custom made to looklike huge books. The onyx panels on either side of the stairway wereinspired by lit onyx designed by Frank Gehry. Gary tried to match it upon a panel surrounding the atrium but discovered that onyx couldn’t becut that way. He took a picture of the original and transferred it bycomputer to film that back lights. “It looks like marble at night,” hesays. “I’m now trying to figure out how to build a clock for the upperpart … like an electric train running around.” The revolving windowsare amazing. “I really lucked out,” says Gary. “I wanted to put thewindows on a pivot. They weren’t measured to turn at a 360 degree anglebut it worked.” The windows revolve when there’s a breeze.

Oops!!I’m reaching my self-imposed two-page limit for the feature article.There’s a lot more to tell you about … the roof top camping area, theinterior gas station, the bathroom with at least 50 bottles of shampoo,the 30-foot bar from Chicago, the “butt” end tables. But, oh, I can’thelp myself. Just one more. On the way out, you encounter a warning …”Enter At Your Own Risk” … before going outside into the “realworld”.

Hopefully Gary will be gracious again next year andopen his home to the public to benefit Venice’s social services so youcan experience his unique environment for yourself. It may not be thesame … as his home is a work in progress. “I’ll probably die beforeit’s ever finished,” he says.

Photo of Link by Brian

Hope to see you there!