Monday, April 15, 2013

In Swinging Acapulco, the Star was Merle Oberon


I'm a little confused about today's post. Last week, I featured a photo of Merle Oberon, which had been taken by Slim Aarons in 1966.  In Aaron's book, A Wonderful Time, the photographer wrote that Oberon's Acapulco house, La Consentida, was considered to be the most beautiful vacation home in the world.  And yet, when I did some sleuthing around the internet, it seems that around this same time, Oberon and her Italian industrialist husband, Bruno Pagliai, also resided in an Acapulco estate called El Ghalal. So, what's the deal?

According to a January 27, 1967 Life magazine article titled "In a Swinging Resort the Star is Merle Oberon" (a title which I borrowed for this blog post), Oberon and her husband built a real showplace of a home in Acapulco called El Ghalal, which is a Mexican-Indian phrase meaning "to love".  The article also mentioned that Oberon, a real social butterfly, liked to end her evenings at a disco called Tequila á Go-Go. I think that is beyond fabulous, but it's also a story for another day.  The Life article makes no mention of a home called La Consentida.

Fast forward to the 1977 book, Architectural Digest Celebrity Homes, which devotes a chapter to Oberon and Pagliai's home, this time referred to simply as Ghalál. The book refers to the home mostly in the past tense, noting that Oberon once shared the home with her former husband. So, I am assuming that when AD first ran photos of the home, the Oberon-Pagliai marriage was intact, but by the time the compilation book was published, the marriage was no more.

Perhaps La Consentida was the home in which the two lived before building El Ghalal. I can't be sure, but what I do know is that the photos featured here do in fact show El Ghalal.  And if some of you are wondering why we should care about a home of an old film star, you just might be interested to know that Merle Oberon and her early life, whose details are murky at best, were the inspiration for Michael Korda's book Queenie, which in turn inspired the mini-series of the same name. (A mini-series, I might add, that is actually pretty good. And Korda, just in case you don't know, is Oberon's nephew.)






According to the AD book, Juan Sordo Madaleno, the home's architect, considered this project to be "the most beautiful house of my career." What was unique about this house was that it was situated so that it received the heat of the afternoon sun, something usually avoided by most when building a home in Acapulco. Oberon wanted the house to have a view of the beautiful Acapulco sunsets, which meant a western-facing direction. The home's outdoor gallery, which ran the length of the house, was designed to be deep so that part of it was always in the shade.





The home was decorated in a British Colonial style, at least according to Ms. Oberon. The actress was a collector of porcelains, some of which can be seen here.




Mr. Pagliai's bedroom, which featured a red lacquered k'ang sofa beneath an Ethiopian painting, looks a little spare.




Ms. Oberon's bedroom, on the other hand, was far more decorated, which was fitting for a movie star. Ms. Oberon's Chinese teak opium bed had a removable center section which allowed for the low table to be used within the bed during the day, while at night, the bed was made up for sleeping.  The actress, by the way, designed the rug.




It looks like there was plenty of space for entertaining and sunset viewing.


All photos from Architectural Digest Celebrity Homes, Max Eckert photographer.

23 comments:

  1. I love Acapulco - it's such a shame that it's not like it used to be in its hey day.

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    1. I've never been! Wish I had been old enough to travle there in its hey day.

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  2. So beautiful- I wonder what it's like now and who owns it?

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    1. Michael, Not sure, but I wonder as well. It would be interesting to know.

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    2. Thomas12:03 PM

      It's gone - It was torn down years ago- sad

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    3. Thomas, Well, that's a sad bit of news, but I'm glad you told us. The architecture seemed quite clever considering the challenges posed by situating the house facing the hot western sun.

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    4. Anonymous10:27 AM

      I want to know who owns that incredible sheet on Ms. Oberon's bed. It must be Porthault.

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    5. Anonymous8:13 AM

      When they were divorced it was rented out fully staffed. The new owners renamed it CASA SOLAMAR I was fortunate enough to live there while my parents divorced. It wasn't like the photos inside. It had all these colours of carpet mimicking water on various level. It always felt like you were outside too. A very open house. Unfortunately it was torn down quite a while ago. However, if toy like that sort of architecture, you may like the estate right next door ARABESQUE.

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  3. What part of the world would be most comparable today?

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    1. Kippie, good question. I'm really not sure. I don't think it would be St. Barths. Hmm, I wonder....

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    2. Anonymous5:39 PM

      Probably Dubai would be the closest to Acapulco in it's Heyday.

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  4. She was incomparably beautiful as Lady Blakeney in 1934's "The Scarlet Pimpernel", with Leslie Howard.

    A story, perhaps apocryphal, about her: Ms. Oberon, while in Hollywood, would have her mother, of Indian lineage, circulate at her parties as a "servant" so that lady could eavesdrop on what the guests were saying about her daughter and report back later. Seems to have been effective for a short time but once the word got out, many were highly offended at this type of social skullduggery; sounds like a trick more suited to J. Edgar Hoover...

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    1. Quatorze, this is just the type of story that I love!

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  5. Love reading about the mystery of MO's houses + She was so beautiful! You are a real sleuth-love that!+ adore Quatorze story also. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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    1. Peggy, You know how it is- inquiring minds want to know! :)

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  6. Thomas12:17 PM

    We had a villa in Acapulco for years starting in the late 70's-the tag end of the "Jet Set" days - Delores Del Rio was stil alive but according to rumor spent her life in a darkened very cold room and only came out for her New Years party- The late Baron and Baroness Di Portanova (Ricky and Sandy) were the social lions of Acapulco in the 80's with their fabulous house that was used in a James Bond movie- I loved it but sadly we watched it decline with every visit and finally sold it when a rumor of nationlization of foreign assets was floated- Miss it terribly- Merle Oberon's villa was available to rent and was rented by friends of ours on occasion- I think it became a club/ restaurant before it was torn down to make way for another house-

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    1. At least you have the memories of the Jet Set days, even if they were the tail end. Sounds like it was a wonderful place before it lost its lustre.

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  7. Anonymous12:51 PM

    The carpet with a monkey in "le salon" is really fun and nice, I wonder who did it ?
    It takes "guts" to create such a unusual design ? isn't it ? and that main color too: yellow.
    Thank you for that interesting article.

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  8. There is so much mystery and I will have to now read the book "Queenie". I have always been fascinated by Miss Oberon.
    Thanks to you all for this wonderful information,

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  9. Au contrare, Thomas. Villa Arabesque was not sold but rather is owned by the late Baroness' (Sandy) sister-in-law, Jana. I have stayed there several times as a friend of the family and it is truly fabulous, beyond Arabian Nights! While everything original remains intact, Jana has redecorated in colors away from the 'all white' theme, to colors that truly work for it, including wonderful murals in the Harem Room. It is one of a kind in all the world, and what a life the Baron & Baroness lived, albeit all too short.
    Best,
    Kevin

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  10. Anonymous3:57 PM

    If you find Acapulco society stories fascinating, check out the story of Sofía Bassi, the Mexican artist who killed her daughter's aristocratic cad of a husband, or any way, claimed she did. Escándalo muy fuerte.

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  11. Acapulco it’s not (GONE) like Thomas mentioned before, this are different times with out the jet set. That’s how it Works, Jet set build new tourist destination and then they run away to quit places. I’m 28 and there’s a lot of Young blood full with new ideas and with culture. Culture like you show in this nice article. And all that makes Acapulco unique!
    Come visit any time!

    Arturo Tamayo

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  12. Anonymous12:32 AM

    Yes I recall the house. When I was a teen my Mother rented it . As I recall it came with a full staff and had a Jaguar Sedan in the carport area. There were so many levels of steps in the rooms and the blue wall to wall carpet went from light blue to dark blue so it looked like you were standing in the water. The furniture wasn't like the magazine either. As I recall it was very modern and the room I had came with a big round bed that sat facing a wall of windows and a free standing head board. The house didn't have a real dining room wither, we ate outside at this Jordan Brown set surrounded by tropical landscape. I will always love Acapulco and Gringo Gulch! LOL!

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