Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown
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Kail: Good day, magnificent misfits.
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Kate:Ooh, I like that.
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Kail: I'm Kail.
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Kate: And I'm Kate.
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Kail: Welcome to Horrorwood.
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(creepy music begins playing)
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(creepy music begins to fade)
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Kate: (laughing) I love that you're just, like, silently
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praising yourself and giving a thumbs up.
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Kail: I know, I literally gave a thumbs up to be like,
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"Look, I've been practicing." It's getting so much better and I've gotten all the "r"s in the correct spot.
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Kate: Yes, it was great. I liked it.
Kail: I was praising myself.
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Kate: Hi everybody!
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So... happy holiday weekend.
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This is our Labor Day episode,
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which is the unofficial start of Fall which means it's the unofficial start of
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SPOOKY SEASON!!!
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I'm so excited, I'm already watching horror movies.
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Before we started recording, Kaili, I was watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre,
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because I've actually never seen it.
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Kail: Well, I haven't either and I just can't imagine doing that at, like,
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I don't know... what time did you watch it? In the afternoon?
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Kate: Well, I didn't finish it because I was, like, "Oh, it's time to
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log on," but -
Kail: Oh, okay.
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Kate: But no, I'm -
Kail: It's waiting for you.
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Kate: It is.
Kail: Chainsaw is waiting.
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Kate: It is, and I cannot wait. This is my favorite time of year.
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Kail: This is a fabulous time of year, and you know what I think is great?
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For all you laborious people which,
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let's be honest, everybody works pretty much even if -
Kate: I mean, if you're lucky enough to have - to be employed right now, yes.
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Kail: True, true. But even... even
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if you're out there seeking something
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you are still working.
Kate: Yep.
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Kail: I just feel like Labor Day kind of is a day for everyone.
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And as Katie/Kate said
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Katie Kate? Oh, that’s a cute little nickname.
Kate: Katie Kate.
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Kail: It starts this special
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season of spook.
Kate: It's the best.
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Kail: Listen, I don't drink carm - no, car car -spicy,
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Kate: The pumpkin spice?
Kail: Pumpkin spice!
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Kail: I don't drink those because it's just too sweet.
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Kate: Okay, but hold on, because
Kail: Okay.
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Kate: - and maybe things have changed over time.
Kail: Oh you're gonna bring up - I know what you're gonna bring up.
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Kate: That caramel apple spiced cider whatever, which -
Kail: I had a phase.
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Kate: I couldn't even drink it
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and I can handle a little more sweeter than you.
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Oh my god, I took one sip and I was like,
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"I just got five cavities."
Kail: Because it reminded me of a caramel apple and I really used to love those,
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Kail: but I was in a phase for about, I don't know, I think that lasted, like, two years.
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Kate: It was long enough.
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Kail: It was long enough to make me never want a sweet drink after.
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So to this day I cannot - no sweet, like, anything, any drinks.
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A Coca-Cola Classic every once in a while
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because I love a Coca-Cola Classic with a slice of pizza.
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Kate: Coca-Cola Classic needs to sponsor us because you have given them a shout out
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in pretty much every episode.
Kail: There's something really special about it, what can I say?
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Kate: (sotto voce) Do you hear that, Coca-Cola Classic?
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Kail: I just wanted to talk about the spook factor that Katie has already mentioned
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and the fact that there is something about
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all months, I love something about all months, but October especially.
Kate: Oh, October is the best.
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Kail: I feel like Labor Day is the kickoff even though technically it's still summer.
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Kate: But in my opinion, it's Fall
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and September is just Pre-October, so basically
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it's, it's October, guys!
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Kail: Like Pre-tober!
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Kate: Do you get trick-or-treaters at your place?
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Kail: Yes, do you guys get trick-or-treaters?
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Kate: Oh yeah, we are a full-size bar household here.
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We don't fuck around.
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Kail: Oh, I'm coming to Chicago to trick-or-treat.
Kate: We'll be here, dressed in our skeleton onesies that we wear every single year. (laughs)
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Kail: Darling.
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Kate: Um, hi everybody! So,
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as always, you can find a transcript of this episode
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just under our show description in the show notes.
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And if you're feeling so inclined and you've been listening and you're into it,
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please give us a rating and a review.
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Um, the reviews, like,
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that you actually write out and you say, like,
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"Hey, I really like blah blah blah."
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Um, those are super helpful and we would really appreciate it
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if you're, if you're feeling up for it.
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Also, guess what?
Kail: What?
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Kate: We have listeners in the U.K.
Kail: (Gasps) What?!
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Kate: Like, quite a few. After the U.S. that's our highest listener location.
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That's so exciting, and I can't even say that was, like, me listening to something when I was traveling because I didn't go to the U.K. so...
Kate: Yeah.
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Kate: I was like, "Oh, these are people that aren't us!" (They laugh)
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I was so excited.
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Hello, United Kingdom. We love you. You're gorgeous.
Kail: Oh my gosh.
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Kate: So because it's spooky season and it's Fall and it's just the best time of year and we're so excited,
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ah, we're keeping this one a little bit light today and just a fun one. So today we are talking about
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The Magic Castle in Hollywood, California.
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So to start, the main sources I used for this are the Magic Castle's website, obvs,
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and an article called "Hollywoodland: a Site about Hollywood and Its History,"
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as well as a book called Gourmet Ghosts: Los Angeles by James Bartlett.
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So I'll link all those in the show notes.
Kail: Perfect.
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So The Magic Castle is an exclusive private club
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located at 7001 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood.
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It features a grand staircase,
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elegant, ornate features such as a Tiffany chandelier.
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It has hidden doors and private rooms,
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and it serves as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts.
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And you can only enter
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if you're a member of the Academy or the guest of a member.
Kail: Ahh.
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Kate: But before it became known as the Magic Castle,
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it was the private home of
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Rollin and Katherine Lane.
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And every time I hear Rollin I just think of Schitt's Creek.
Kail: I was just gonna say!
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Kate: So the whole time I was doing these notes all I could think was Roland Schitt.
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Kail: That's amazing, I love... I love that there's Rolands out there.
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Kate: Yeah, I don't know any, but -
Kail: Hopefully, maybe they'll listen to our podcast and then they can comment and be like, "I'm a Roland!"
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Kate: Rolands, this is your calling.
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Kail: It's your moment.
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Shoutouts to all the Role - Rollins.
Kate: Yes.
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Kail: There I go with my "R"s.
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Kate: Built in 1909, the mansion is designed in the French Chateau, or Gothic Renaissance, style,
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and sits at the foot of the Hollywood Hills
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atop a small hill tucked away from the busy street. So it's like a little bit off
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you know, up on its own little
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private area.
Kail: As it should be.
Kate: Yeah.
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Kate: The original home had 17 rooms, including
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a rooftop garden,
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a sun parlor, fruit and storage rooms, a library, a parlor and a billiard room,
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to name a few.
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Kail: I'm moving in.
Kate: I know, I want to.
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Kate: The Lanes named their home the Holly Chateau.
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Do you name your places that you live?
Kail: I name my cars.
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Kate: Yeah, I feel like that's a common one, I mean, Matt and I did kind of name our place
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but I can't say it because it it has the street name in it and I don't wanna say that.
Kail: Oh.
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Kail: You can... you can tell me later.
Kate: Yeah.
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Kail: I name my cars. I name some other things too but we don't have to go that route.
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Also please edit out when I say dumb shit.
Kate: Will do.
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Kate: The Lanes were quite the couple back in the day.
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You could even say they were Hollywood's first power couple.
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Rollin was a very successful lawyer as well as a banker,
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and he invested heavily in real estate,
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particularly in the San Fernando and San Joaquin Valleys.
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He played a huge role in their development.
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Kail: So that's obviously how he was able to get this place.
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Kate: Yeah, he had some cash.
Kail: Okay, okay.
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Kate: Between his property development and his participat - participation on the Hollywood Board of Trade,
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he essentially helped build Hollywood.
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The Board of Trade was instrumental, like, as the studio systems were
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created and beginning to grow,
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and it also served as a means of connecting citizens with local businesses.
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Later it became the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce which is still around today.
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Kail: Oh.
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Kate: And they're the ones responsible for the Walk of Fame.
Kail: Okay.
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Kate: Just a little, just a little history.
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Kail: Does he have a star or anything?
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Kate: You know what? That's a great question. I'm gonna pause this and look it up.
Kail: Great.
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Kate: Actually I'm just gonna keep it going 'cause, uh,
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It's too hard to move all the screens right now.
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Um, I don't think that,
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I don't think the Lanes do.
Kail: Does he not meet the criteria maybe?
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Kate: I - I don't even have to look it up 'cause i just reali - so the Chamber of Commerce is the one that was responsible
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for the Walk of Fame. He was on the Board of Trade,
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before it became the Chamber of Commerce.
Kail: Okay, before it became the Chamber -okay.
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Kate: Ah, Rollin's wife Katherine was no slouch herself.
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She was a college graduate which was a huge deal.
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Kail: Yes!
Kate: Because during this time higher education was reserved
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primarily for men.
Kail: For men, yeah.
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Kate: And she was born in 1864, so she would have
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graduated like in the late 1800s.
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So that was a big accomplishment in and of itself. Yeah.
Kail: That's awesome!
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Kate: In fact, when I was looking her up
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that was the first thing that
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was listed as her description. It was like,
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"She was a college graduate!"
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She was a teacher and a published author.
Kail: Shout out!
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Kate: Get it, Katherine.
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And worked with a variety of community service organizations.
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She even served a term as president of the Woman's Club of Hollywood, which still exists today.
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And she was known as "The Tree Lady"
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because of her interest in community parks.
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So she's like a little Leslie Knope.
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Kail: Okay, I, I love this woman already.
Kate: I know.
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Kail: Teacher, wrote a book,
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Kate: Plants trees.
Kail: Loves trees.
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Kate: Ah, she is credited with procuring 360 cherry trees from Japan
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for planting in and around Griffith Park,
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as well as planting the palm trees that lined Wilshire Boulevard.
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So, these palm trees were kind of iconic.
Kail: Right.
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Kate: Sadly, the palm trees were
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removed just a few years ago to make room for a Metro line expansion, so that sucks.
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I read that they were able to re -
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to relocate -
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a lot of them but not all.
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Rollin and Katherine were very philanthropic
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and supported the arts and local artists,
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as well as civic improvement projects,
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and they also donated a ton of money to schools and charities. So they were just like,
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"Take some cash! Take some cash!"
Kail: I love them. Can they... are they still...?
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Kate: Oh no, they're, they're real dead.
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Well, you know, maybe they are ghosts.
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Kate: Well, we'll get to it.
Kail: Okay.
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Kate: The Holly Chateau became one of the most recognized addresses in Hollywood.
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The couple hosted a ton of elaborate parties.
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Guests included orphans (because they had an adopted son)
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and so they were all about, like,
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children and children's projects and orphanages and all of that.
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As well as orphans, they had artists, community leaders, world travelers - you name it.
Kail: Very inclusive.
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Kate: Yes.
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They even hosted the Wisconsin delegates of the 1932 Olympics.
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Rollin was from Wisconsin so that is why it was the Wisconsin delegates.
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And - so this is just a side note - so he was from Oshkosh,
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and Katherine's book that she published is called The Girl From Oshkosh,
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but she was not from Oshkosh.
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So that's just, like, a little fun fact. (chuckles)
Kail: Okay.
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Kate: One thing in my research that I found a little odd
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was that they wanted nothing to do with the movie industry or film stars.
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Despite their love of the arts and artists, they seemed to avoid that industry as much as possible.
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I just thought that was interesting. And weird.
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Kail: I do think that's interesting, but I also think that
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sometimes that's what makes, like, the best, um,
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supporter of those types of anything really,
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is, is when they're not heavily involved.
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They appreciate it for what it is.
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Kate: Yeah, I don't know, I couldn't really find
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any more about that, so I just thought it was weird that they
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like did not care to, you know, hobnob with
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the Hollywood elite, if you will.
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Ah, Rollin and Katherine did hit a rough patch, unfortunately.
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In 1923 Katherine filed for divorce, citing cruelty and naming another woman.
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So it sounds like Rollin
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had a little side piece.
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Kail: Ohh. Ro - not cool, not cool.
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Kate: Not cool.
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But the two did reconcile.
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And apparently, I didn't write this down but
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ah, he was basically paying for his, um,
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what's the word - indiscretions? Is that,
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is that the word?
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Kail: Infidelities?
Kate: Yes, that's it. Infidelities.
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Because he ended up having to take Katherine and their son
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on, ah, some cruises and world tours, and just -
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basically Katherine was like, "Alright, if I'm gonna stay,
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you're gonna pay."
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Oh, I didn't even try to rhyme that.
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Kail: That was great.
Kate: Thank you.
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Kate: On August 23, 1940, at 9:25 pm,
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Rollin had a stroke and died in a small corner bedroom of the house.
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Kail: I was not ready for that.
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Kate: I don't think he was either. (Kail laughs) We'll talk
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later about how that room is now used because it is definitely used.
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Kail: This is so good that I, I forgot that we're actually talking about
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the Magic Castle, and I, I forgot that it, like, still exists as something today.
Kate: Yeah.
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Kail: Wow, okay.
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Kate: Katherine died five years later in 1945
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of congestive heart failure. She did not die in the house, she died at Glendale Sanitarium.
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After the couple passed away the mansion underwent several changes throughout the years.
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First it was converted into a multi-family home,
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then became a home for senior citizens,
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and after that, that's - which is interesting because that's a callback to Knickerbocker.
Kail: Knickerbocker, yep.
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Kate: After that it was divided into several small apartments.
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Harry Sta - you know I think I just swallowed really loud. (laughs)
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Kail: It sounded like you said Harry Styles and I was like, "How did Harry get into this?" (they both laugh)
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Kate: Harry Stafford, an actor of both stage and screen,
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was living in one of the apartments when he died in one of the rooms in 1950.
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Kail: Okay...
Kate: Alright, so now two people have died in there so far.
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Kate: The building went on the market
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and the Lane's adopted son (I think he was
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taking care of it at the time)
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Rollin Lane Jr. -
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he had his mother-in-law, Hazel, stay in the building to meet prospective buyers,
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and one day Bela Lugosi stopped by to look at the property.
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So, just in case you're not aware, Bela Lugosi is most famous for portraying Count Dracula, but he was in a ton of other horror movies.
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And Hazel said that even though he was a gentleman,
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he scared the shit out of her. (laughs).
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Kail: You know, I think just that, just that demeanor and look...
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Kate: Mm hmm, exactly.
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Bela did not end up buying the place, but in 1955
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a man by the name of Thomas Glover did.
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The building was getting pretty rundown and its fate was up in the air, so
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they weren't really sure what was gonna happen with it, he wasn't sure what he was gonna do with it.
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Meanwhile, a man by the name of Milt Larsen
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was sitting in his office on the ninth floor of an office building
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on the corner of Hollywood and Highland.
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Milt was a writer for the game show Truth or Consequences on NBC.
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His office happened to overlook the Lane mansion,
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and as he watched it change over the years he noted that nothing was really being done with it by the end of the 1950s.
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It was just kind of sitting there.
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Kail: He started creating a vision, didn't he?
Kate: That's when he got an idea.
Kail: Mm hmm.
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Kate: Milt's father, William Larsen Sr.
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was a renowned magician
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and also an attorney, side note.
286
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And before William Larsen Sr. passed away,
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he had always dreamed of building an elegant, private clubhouse for fellow magicians.
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So Milt, who was his youngest son,
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contacted Thomas Glover, the owner at the time,
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and convinced him to let him turn the building into a magician's clubhouse.
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Milt and his brother Bill,
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an accomplished magician and big-shot producer for CBS - he produced a ton of shows -
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they obtained the house and in September of 1961
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the brothers, along with a crew of friends and volunteers,
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began renovating it to restore it back to its original elegance.
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Kail: How did they, did they have, you know,
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pictures?
Kate: There are pictures of when the house was being built and all of that kind of thing,
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Kate: but they actually, ah, used
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pieces from all over the place. I don't go too much into it but, like,
Kail: Oh, okay.
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Kate: The chandelier came from one place, the lights that lead up to the path came from a bridge in Pasadena, I believe.
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Kail: I just want to bring up the little chandelier because if you recall, in the Knickerbocker,
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there was a chandelier that is still there today.
Kate: (whispers) It's all related.
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But what to call their new clubhouse?
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A few months before they opened they had a brainstorming session to come up with names.
305
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A few of the ideas they threw out were
306
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Cabaret Maison
307
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Skeleton Key Club,
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Cabaret Cadaver, which is just funny to me,
Kail: Okay.
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and Maison d'Mysterie and Castle Cabaret.
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Kail: Ooh, I really like that Maison d'Mysterie.
Kate: Yeah, I do like that.
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Kate: At five o'clock pm on January 2nd, 1963,
312
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the Magic Castle opened its doors for the first time.
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It has become world-famous and is known as the "Mecca for magicians."
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The Academy of Magical Arts was started by the Larsens as well, with a mission of promoting the art of magic
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and encouraging fellowship.
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Fun fact: Neil Patrick Harris served two terms as Academy president.
Kail: Wow.
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Kate: Other famous faces that were members of the Academy at one time or another
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include Johnny Carson, Liberace, Mae West, Drew Barrymore
319
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and Steve Martin.
Kail: Some big names!
Kate: Oh yeah.
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Kate: Just to name a few.
321
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Cary Grant was even on the Board of Directors at one time.
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As you can guess, an evening at the Magic Castle involves
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a number of magic shows. They happen all throughout the building
324
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including at the bars, of which there are five,
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in a small close-up gallery, as well as larger theaters within the clubhouse. So magic is everywhere.
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But besides the designated magic shows, guests have been known to experience some
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unintentional thrills as well.
Kail: Oh.
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Kate: Several - and I'm saying several -
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deaths have occurred in the building.
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Kail: Since it became the Magic Castle?
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Kate: Since the original owner died.
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Kail: Yeah, there's been two that we know of, that you've spoken of so far. Okay.
Kate: So far, yep.
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Kate: And when you've got a bunch of deaths
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and a building that's over 100 years old,
335
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you know that place is haunted as fuuuuck!
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I mentioned earlier that the home's original owner, Rollin Lane, died in one of the rooms there.
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That room is now known as the Houdini Seance room.
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This - yep, yeah, I was like,
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"Oh, she's - just wait, 'cause I'm gonna bring Knickerbocker back again."
Kail: Oh my gosh.
340
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Kail: I had a heart palpitation just then.
341
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Kate: If you remember, Kail told us about how Houdini's widow, Bess, conducted a seance every year for ten years to try to
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bring her husband back,
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or make contact with her husband, I should say.
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Well, as it turns out,
345
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William Larsen Sr., Milt and Bill's dad,
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worked for Bess,
347
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and he collected a bunch of Houdini memorabilia over the years,
348
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so Milt and Bill created the Houdini Seance room
349
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as an homage to their father, as well as Bess and Houdini,
350
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and the room is filled with that memorabilia.
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Kail: Shut the front door of that room because that just gave me chills.
352
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Kate: Yeah, I have not been in that room and I have to go.
353
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I have to go.
Kail: Oh we're - we have - I am going now. I'm, I'm -
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Kail: - put me in your purse or whatever. It's happening.
Kate: Let's book it, let's book it.
355
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Kate: Uh, but the room is reported to be haunted by at least
356
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three different spirits.
357
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There is, of course, Rollin Lane, the original owner who died in that room.
358
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A young girl and a man have also been spotted.
359
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I mean, who knows? The man could be that actor Harry Stafford that I mentioned.
360
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He died in one of the rooms there but I don't know which one.
Kail: Okay.
361
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Kate: I couldn't find it anywhere.
362
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The club's first resident medium, E. Raymond Carlyle,
363
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is said to have materialized his own daughter who had died just a few days prior,
364
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so she could be the little girl that people see.
365
00:20:43,133 --> 00:20:46,300
And more recently, a medium by the name of Misty Lee
366
00:20:46,300 --> 00:20:48,433
said that while she was conducting a seance
367
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she noticed a dark figure standing behind one of the guests,
368
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and so she thought it was just a staff member playing a prank.
369
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So after they do the whole seance and everything and the group is getting up,
370
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she goes up to that guest and mentions it, and she's probably like,
371
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"Hey, hope they didn't freak you out too much. You know, I think
372
00:21:05,899 --> 00:21:08,933
one of the employees here was just having a little fun."
373
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And the guest said,
374
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"Oh, I've had a dark figure following me my entire life. Um, okay. (laughs)
375
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Kail: That's spooktastic, and also I just wanna, like, maybe put this out there -
376
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perhaps all the Knickerbocker seances worked,
377
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only Houdini was showing up at the Magic Castle.
378
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Kate: I mean, maybe yeah, maybe things... maybe the wires just got crossed. We don't know.
Kail: We don't know.
379
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Guests in the Houdini room have also reported
380
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candles and chairs moving on their own,
381
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as well as the table lifting off the floor.
382
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:45,966
So just some casual things happening there.
383
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Kail: Just cas, yeah. Just your everyday Tuesday.
384
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Kate: And then listen to this - so in the afternoon of Halloween 2011,
385
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a crew was working on the roof of the Castle and a roofer's blow torch
386
00:21:58,899 --> 00:22:01,699
fell over and started a fire.
387
00:22:01,699 --> 00:22:05,200
There was extensive damage to the attic and the third floor,
388
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mostly water damage from trying to put the fire out.
Kail: Okay.
389
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Kate: The room directly underneath where the fire started was the Dante room,
390
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named for Dante the Magician.
391
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It was destroyed.
392
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The Houdini room, on the other hand,
393
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was completely unscathed.
394
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And interestingly enough, Houdini did not like Dante.
Kail: Houdini workin' that magic!
395
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Kate: And Milt Larsen pointed out something he found interesting.
396
00:22:31,366 --> 00:22:34,933
He said - so, if we remember, Houdini died on Halloween, -
Kail: Mm hmm.
397
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as Kail mentioned in the last episode.
398
00:22:37,233 --> 00:22:39,666
And the fire occurred on Halloween.
399
00:22:39,666 --> 00:22:42,633
And when the fire department gave the time of the fire,
400
00:22:42,633 --> 00:22:45,400
it was exactly - almost to the minute -
401
00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:48,400
when Houdini had died 85 years earlier.
402
00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:52,100
Kail: That. Is. Freaking. Amazing.
403
00:22:52,100 --> 00:22:55,733
Kate: Other figures have been spotted in the Palace of Prestidigitation,
404
00:22:55,733 --> 00:22:58,466
which is one of the venues inside the clubhouse.
405
00:22:58,466 --> 00:23:02,733
It's believed one of these figures is a man by the name of Dai Vernon.
406
00:23:02,733 --> 00:23:07,600
He was a beloved magician-in-residence there and performed pretty much every night
407
00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:10,000
for almost thirty years.
408
00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:16,600
He did not die inside the Magic Castle, but his ashes are kept there on a shelf outside the theater.
409
00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:19,833
Kail: Did you see them? Not the ashes, but where they were kept?
410
00:23:19,833 --> 00:23:23,800
Kate: The thing is, I don't think I knew that story then, so I wasn't
411
00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:25,300
looking for that.
Kail: Okay.
412
00:23:25,300 --> 00:23:29,933
Kate: Now, that's the thing, after I researched all this I'm like, "Okay, now I have to go back and, like,
413
00:23:29,933 --> 00:23:33,666
find all this stuff ."
Kail: Again, just slide me in your purse.
414
00:23:33,666 --> 00:23:36,933
Kate: In 1986, a magician named Chris Michaels
415
00:23:36,933 --> 00:23:39,866
was getting ready to go on stage to perform
416
00:23:39,866 --> 00:23:43,466
when he died backstage just sitting in a chair.
417
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Someone went up to him to give him his cue -Kail: Hey, it's time.
418
00:23:47,333 --> 00:23:50,133
Kate: Yeah. And that's when they realized he was dead.
419
00:23:50,133 --> 00:23:54,600
So now when anything goes wrong, especially if it happens backstage,
420
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everyone blames Chris. They're just like, "Oh, spotlight's out, Chris's fault,"
421
00:23:58,500 --> 00:24:02,033
which is just rude. I mean,
422
00:24:02,033 --> 00:24:07,566
I just hope that when I die people don't blame my spirit for things going wrong.
423
00:24:07,566 --> 00:24:16,600
I mean, I feel like if somebody were to be like, "Oh, you know, the door opened. Kaili's just..whatever... Kail, you know, I don't know. Anyway.
424
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Kate: I would rather they credit me
425
00:24:18,500 --> 00:24:20,366
if something, like,
426
00:24:20,366 --> 00:24:22,899
if they had a really nice glass of champagne,
427
00:24:22,899 --> 00:24:27,266
or if they see a cute dog, then they could be like, "Aww, Kate must have sent that."
428
00:24:27,266 --> 00:24:31,366
I'm just telling everyone now - when you have a really nice glass of champs, you can thank me.
429
00:24:31,366 --> 00:24:34,300
Kail: I will thank you for that, but if, if
430
00:24:34,300 --> 00:24:37,133
for some reason you, you know, your
431
00:24:37,133 --> 00:24:41,633
door opens and it's a bewildered moment, you can just say,
432
00:24:41,633 --> 00:24:45,233
"That must be Kail."
Kate: I will. (laughs)
433
00:24:45,233 --> 00:24:51,133
Kate: Um, it's believed Chris is another one of the figures that has been spotted in the Palace of Prestidigitation.
434
00:24:51,133 --> 00:24:57,466
Guests have also reported having lovely conversations with a really nice bartender at the Hat and the Hare Pub,
435
00:24:57,466 --> 00:25:00,166
located in the basement of the clubhouse.
436
00:25:00,166 --> 00:25:04,933
These conversations have supposedly taken place on a weekday,
437
00:25:04,933 --> 00:25:08,933
but that bar is only open on Friday and Saturday nights.
Kail: Ohh.
438
00:25:08,933 --> 00:25:11,400
Kate: So this friendly bartender
439
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:14,100
is believed to be the ghost of Loren Tate,
440
00:25:14,100 --> 00:25:17,233
who was a bartender there before he passed away.
441
00:25:17,233 --> 00:25:20,800
And fairly recently, in just 2017,
442
00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:23,633
another beloved magician - Daryl Easton -
443
00:25:23,633 --> 00:25:27,333
died by suicide at the Magic Castle.
444
00:25:27,333 --> 00:25:29,266
He had been performing there that week
445
00:25:29,266 --> 00:25:31,966
and his body was found in a closet.
446
00:25:31,966 --> 00:25:35,699
Kail: He didn't go missing? Or, I mean, how, how did that happen?
447
00:25:35,699 --> 00:25:41,833
Kate: I don't - they just said that they found him in a closet. But he did die by suicide at the Castle.
448
00:25:41,833 --> 00:25:43,633
Kail: Wow, that's traigc.
Kate: Yeah.
449
00:25:43,633 --> 00:25:45,133
Kate: He was an award-winning
450
00:25:45,133 --> 00:25:48,800
close-up magician with over forty years experience.
451
00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,466
And I didn't find anything related to, like,
452
00:25:51,466 --> 00:25:56,633
hauntings by him, but I include him because it's another death that's occurred there.
Kail: Relevant, right.
453
00:25:56,633 --> 00:26:00,733
Kate: Another ghostly sighting comes in the form of a little girl in the basement
454
00:26:00,733 --> 00:26:04,600
running up and down the hallway of what is known as the Haunted Cellar.
455
00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:06,566
Kail: That's very Poltergeist-like.
456
00:26:06,566 --> 00:26:10,233
Kate: But perhaps the most famous ghost of the Castle
457
00:26:10,233 --> 00:26:12,966
is that of Irma, the resident piano player.
458
00:26:12,966 --> 00:26:13,800
Kail: (warmly) Irma.
459
00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:18,566
Kate: Now, I read two different accounts of Irma and I'm gonna relay them both to you,
460
00:26:18,566 --> 00:26:21,866
and you can decide which one you -
Kail: I get to decide? Okay, this is great.
461
00:26:21,866 --> 00:26:25,633
Kate: So the first one comes from an article I read on Ranker.
462
00:26:25,633 --> 00:26:32,100
It states that Irma was a frequent guest at the home of Rollin and Katherine Lane in the early 1900s.
463
00:26:32,100 --> 00:26:37,433
The Lanes owned a baby grand piano, and whenever irma came over she loved to sit and play.
464
00:26:37,433 --> 00:26:41,466
Rollin, however, was not a fan of piano music.
465
00:26:41,466 --> 00:26:45,066
Which is weird, since he's supposed to be a huge supporter of the arts.
466
00:26:45,066 --> 00:26:51,300
So he moved the piano up to the, to the third floor so Irma and other guests wouldn't see it and get the urge to play.
467
00:26:51,300 --> 00:26:54,966
Irma took this as a personal insult.
468
00:26:54,966 --> 00:26:57,600
She was like, "If you're gonna prevent me from playing piano in life
469
00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:01,133
then you can bet I'm gonna play nonstop in death."
470
00:27:01,133 --> 00:27:03,100
And she vowed that when she died
471
00:27:03,100 --> 00:27:06,066
she would come back and haunt the mansion.
Kail: Just play her heart out.
472
00:27:06,066 --> 00:27:08,200
Kate: She died in 1932,
473
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:11,400
and when the Magic Castle opened in 1963
474
00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:13,733
the piano was moved back downstairs,
475
00:27:13,733 --> 00:27:17,233
and Irma has been entertaining guests nightly ever since.
476
00:27:17,233 --> 00:27:18,899
Kail: You go, Irma.
477
00:27:18,899 --> 00:27:22,133
Kate: The second Irma tale comes from Milt Larz -
478
00:27:22,133 --> 00:27:24,899
Milt Larsen himself.
479
00:27:24,899 --> 00:27:26,300
According to Milt,
480
00:27:26,300 --> 00:27:29,000
Irma was born in Chicago (woot woot!)
481
00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:33,066
in 1857, the oldest of seven kids.
482
00:27:33,066 --> 00:27:36,699
She fell in love with music at a young age and began playing the piano,
483
00:27:36,699 --> 00:27:39,633
and when her family moved from Chicago to Hollywood,
484
00:27:39,633 --> 00:27:43,966
they lived on Franklin Avenue near the Lanes and they became family friends.
485
00:27:43,966 --> 00:27:47,533
Rollin and Katherine discovered what a talented musician she was,
486
00:27:47,533 --> 00:27:51,133
and would often ask her to perform recitals at their home.
487
00:27:51,133 --> 00:27:54,366
Irma fell in love with the house and the baby grand piano,
488
00:27:54,366 --> 00:27:58,066
and vowed to return after her death just so she could keep playing.
489
00:27:58,066 --> 00:28:04,133
Kail: I have already - as soon as you told me the Chicago - I have already come up with my, um,
490
00:28:04,133 --> 00:28:09,666
decision on which story to believe, and it would have to be Number 2. And I say that because I feel that
491
00:28:09,666 --> 00:28:15,400
she is playing "Sweet Home Chicago," and she's just having the little time of her life.
492
00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:17,899
Kate: Yeah, this is the one I believe, too, because I don't think
493
00:28:17,899 --> 00:28:21,300
Irma is a vengeful ghost, I think she's a happy ghost.
Kail: I think she's a happy ghost.
494
00:28:21,300 --> 00:28:22,300
Yeah, for sure.
495
00:28:22,300 --> 00:28:24,466
Kate: She just wants to entertain people.
Kail: Yeah.
496
00:28:24,466 --> 00:28:29,100
Kate: Guests of the Magic Castle can witness Invisible Irma's musical talents nightly,
497
00:28:29,100 --> 00:28:33,000
as she has a room dedicated just to her and her music.
Kail: Aw, I love that.
498
00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:36,866
Kate: You can litera - literally request any song -
499
00:28:36,866 --> 00:28:39,400
ANY song -
500
00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:43,866
and she will start playing it immediately.
Kail: Yeah, she will. She just loves it.
501
00:28:43,866 --> 00:28:45,100
Kate: Yeah.
Kail: Little pianist.
502
00:28:45,100 --> 00:28:49,233
Kate: Now, Milt admits that Irma might have a little,
503
00:28:49,233 --> 00:28:52,200
shall we say, technical help.
504
00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:54,066
However, he swears
505
00:28:54,066 --> 00:28:57,100
that one night shortly after the Magic Castle opened,
506
00:28:57,100 --> 00:29:01,633
it was storming really bad out and he didn't want to risk driving home through the storm,
507
00:29:01,633 --> 00:29:04,933
so he decided to sleep on the sofa in his office.
Kail: Oh boy.
508
00:29:04,933 --> 00:29:06,733
Kate: And in the middle of the night,
509
00:29:06,733 --> 00:29:11,033
he woke up to a loud clap of thunder and all the power went out.
510
00:29:11,033 --> 00:29:18,266
And he looked out the window, he said that the power throughout the whole neighborhood was out. It was, you know, it was just like a blackout.
511
00:29:18,266 --> 00:29:21,633
And then the piano started to play.
512
00:29:21,633 --> 00:29:25,266
And he was like, "This is impossible.
513
00:29:25,266 --> 00:29:28,699
The piano requires electricity to operate."
514
00:29:28,699 --> 00:29:30,533
But it was definitely playing.
515
00:29:30,533 --> 00:29:33,266
He grabs a flashlight, he goes downstairs,
516
00:29:33,266 --> 00:29:36,333
as soon as he reaches the bottom of the grand staircase
517
00:29:36,333 --> 00:29:37,500
the music stops.
518
00:29:37,500 --> 00:29:40,899
Kail: Because he had a flashlight.
Kate: So that's just an interesting... yeah.
519
00:29:40,899 --> 00:29:45,200
Kate: Staff members swear that they've also heard the piano playing when no guests are in the building,
520
00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:47,133
like when they're closing up,
521
00:29:47,133 --> 00:29:52,000
and I like to think Irma just wants to entertain them while they're finishing their workday.
522
00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:53,566
Yeah, I think she's a happy ghost.
523
00:29:53,566 --> 00:29:56,166
She wants to calm you during a storm,
524
00:29:56,166 --> 00:29:59,100
she wants to make your work day go a little faster,
525
00:29:59,100 --> 00:30:02,166
that's all.
Kail: She wants to end out your day with music and sound.
526
00:30:02,166 --> 00:30:03,433
Kate: Yeah.
527
00:30:03,433 --> 00:30:10,266
Employees of the Castle have also reported hearing footsteps and lots of talking when no one else is in the building.
528
00:30:10,266 --> 00:30:12,966
That's probably the most common one that I've heard,
529
00:30:12,966 --> 00:30:13,933
or that I read about.
530
00:30:13,933 --> 00:30:18,733
Kail: I was gonna say, "Is it me?" because I talk to myself when I'm walking all the time.
531
00:30:18,733 --> 00:30:22,033
Kate: But it's like, it's like not one person, it’s like
532
00:30:22,033 --> 00:30:25,400
noise, like a group of people.
Kail: Okay, okay.
533
00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:29,200
Kate: And it always seems to be coming from the flir - from the third -
534
00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:31,500
(laughing) why is, why is that hard to say?
535
00:30:31,500 --> 00:30:34,800
From the third floor,
536
00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:43,133
which used to be the bedrooms of the original family, and now it's where the dining room, the Dante room and the Houdini Seance room are.
537
00:30:43,133 --> 00:30:45,066
That's where they hear all the noise.
538
00:30:45,066 --> 00:30:50,766
Guests and employees have also reported the feeling that someone is following them up the staircase,
539
00:30:50,766 --> 00:30:53,300
only to turn around and there's no one there.
Kail: Oh.
540
00:30:53,300 --> 00:30:57,033
Or they feel something brush up against them
541
00:30:57,033 --> 00:31:00,666
as they're walking up the stairs, but again, no one is there.
542
00:31:00,666 --> 00:31:03,500
And if you want to experience the Magic Castle for yourself,
543
00:31:03,500 --> 00:31:06,933
you either need to be a member of the Academy of Magical Arts
544
00:31:06,933 --> 00:31:08,633
or know someone who is.
545
00:31:08,633 --> 00:31:12,666
And rumor has it that if you book a room at the Magic Castle Hotel
546
00:31:12,666 --> 00:31:14,333
directly through the hotel's website
547
00:31:14,333 --> 00:31:17,566
you can gain entry to the Castle.
548
00:31:17,566 --> 00:31:19,766
I haven't stayed in the hotel,
549
00:31:19,766 --> 00:31:21,533
I have been to the Castle,
550
00:31:21,533 --> 00:31:24,699
but after reading about it I have got to stay at this hotel.
551
00:31:24,699 --> 00:31:27,433
Kail: Okay, that's it. You're doing a field trip. Field trip!
552
00:31:27,433 --> 00:31:30,366
Kate: They have a Popsicle Hotline.
553
00:31:30,366 --> 00:31:32,566
Have you ever heard of such a thing?
554
00:31:32,566 --> 00:31:36,300
Kail: Where... wait...how do you? Like a popsicle hotline?
555
00:31:36,300 --> 00:31:38,233
They talk about popsicles? Or
556
00:31:38,233 --> 00:31:39,933
they give you a popsicle? (Kate laughs)
557
00:31:39,933 --> 00:31:43,000
Kate: So out by the pool there's a red phone,
558
00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:44,433
and you just pick it up,
559
00:31:44,433 --> 00:31:47,699
and someone on the other end says, "Popsicle Hotline,"
560
00:31:47,699 --> 00:31:49,766
Kail: You a get a popsicle?
Kate: you say, "Yeah, I want a popsicle,"
561
00:31:49,766 --> 00:31:52,733
and then someone brings you a popsicle!
562
00:31:52,733 --> 00:31:55,566
Kail: We are 1000% taking a field trip there.
563
00:31:55,566 --> 00:31:56,933
Kate: Yes, we are.
564
00:31:56,933 --> 00:32:00,933
And if you do plan an evening at the Magic Castle, take note that it is
565
00:32:00,933 --> 00:32:04,433
unfortunately not wheelchair accessible.
566
00:32:04,433 --> 00:32:06,366
There is no elevator.
567
00:32:06,366 --> 00:32:11,666
And the same goes for the hotel. So that's something I really hope they upgrade because that seems like a real miss.
568
00:32:11,666 --> 00:32:13,300
Kail: Right, absolutely.
569
00:32:13,300 --> 00:32:18,033
Kate: No photos are allowed inside and they have a very strict dress code.
570
00:32:18,033 --> 00:32:21,266
You can't be schlubbin' it at the Castle, you gotta fancy it up.
571
00:32:21,266 --> 00:32:23,600
Kail: I mean, they have a Tiffany chandelier, right?
572
00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:26,033
Kate: Yeah, you gotta get, you gotta classy.
573
00:32:26,033 --> 00:32:32,333
Kail: I like a good fance, so I am, I am here for it, and I am ready to book this today.
Kate: Same, same.
574
00:32:32,333 --> 00:32:35,466
Kate: Ah, but first make sure you know the magic words
575
00:32:35,466 --> 00:32:40,100
so the secret door located in the entryway will open to let you in.
576
00:32:40,100 --> 00:32:42,000
I'm gonna tell you the secret words.
577
00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:43,266
Kail: I think you should whisper it.
578
00:32:43,266 --> 00:32:49,133
Kate: I will. But even if I didn't tell you, you can just look it up because - (whispers) - it's all over the internet.
Kail: Okay.
579
00:32:49,133 --> 00:32:52,966
Kate: So you lean into the owl on the shelf and you say,
580
00:32:52,966 --> 00:32:56,066
(whispers) "Open sesame."
581
00:32:56,066 --> 00:32:57,300
You're welcome.
582
00:32:57,300 --> 00:33:00,033
Kail: I literally just put my ear up to the mic.
583
00:33:00,033 --> 00:33:04,866
Did you see what I did?
Kate: I certainly did. I was like, "What's she doing?" (laughs)
584
00:33:04,866 --> 00:33:10,266
Kail: I got confused that I was actually wearing headphones, and then I put, ah, okay.
585
00:33:10,266 --> 00:33:13,966
Well that was, that's precious but... open sesame.
586
00:33:13,966 --> 00:33:16,733
Kate: Yup. Open sesame.
587
00:33:16,733 --> 00:33:20,400
I have been a couple of times, actually, and
588
00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:25,766
it never disappoints. If you are entertained by magic in the slightest,
589
00:33:25,766 --> 00:33:27,733
and even if you're not,
590
00:33:27,733 --> 00:33:32,033
put it on your bucket list. It is an exceptional experience. And they're just, like,
591
00:33:32,033 --> 00:33:35,000
cool stories, like, you just talk to these magicians who just
592
00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:37,566
hang out there and just tell you stories.
593
00:33:37,566 --> 00:33:39,066
Kail: I'm so entertained by this,
594
00:33:39,066 --> 00:33:43,233
by this episode and, and this story, that I feel like I kind of want to
595
00:33:43,233 --> 00:33:45,533
look into becoming a magician.
596
00:33:45,533 --> 00:33:46,866
I love learning.
597
00:33:46,866 --> 00:33:50,966
Kate: I'm not gonna lie, after I went I was like, "Okay, I'm obviously gonna become a magician,
598
00:33:50,966 --> 00:33:53,233
I'm obviously gonna join this Academy."
599
00:33:53,233 --> 00:33:56,699
Um... I am not a magician,
600
00:33:56,699 --> 00:33:59,433
and it's a lot of money to join.
601
00:33:59,433 --> 00:34:03,600
So I, so I crossed that off of my to-do list, but
602
00:34:03,600 --> 00:34:07,633
you do need to go visit if you have the means and you're able, 'cause it's amazing.
603
00:34:07,633 --> 00:34:10,966
Kail: I mean, would they accept, like, magician
604
00:34:10,966 --> 00:34:14,433
by working with kids? Because
605
00:34:14,433 --> 00:34:18,833
as a teacher, I think we automatically get to wear the hat of magician.
606
00:34:18,833 --> 00:34:21,899
Kate: You're working magic every day.
Kail: I really am.
607
00:34:21,899 --> 00:34:23,366
Kate: But no, they don't.
608
00:34:23,366 --> 00:34:28,800
And, ah, you can be an associate. That's the thing, if you've got the cash
609
00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:31,166
then there is a way.
Kail: Right.
610
00:34:31,166 --> 00:34:32,366
Kate: But I will say
611
00:34:32,366 --> 00:34:35,066
pretty much everyone in L.A.
612
00:34:35,066 --> 00:34:38,100
knows someone who can get them into the Castle.
613
00:34:38,100 --> 00:34:39,366
So if you just, like,
614
00:34:39,366 --> 00:34:41,733
befriend someone in L.A.,
615
00:34:41,733 --> 00:34:43,733
just be like, "Hey, how do I get into the Castle?"
616
00:34:43,733 --> 00:34:45,699
'Cause it can happen. Or stay at that hotel.
617
00:34:45,699 --> 00:34:48,666
I tell you what, after the last couple episodes,
618
00:34:48,666 --> 00:34:51,533
I'm just gonna update my dating app to say, like,
619
00:34:51,533 --> 00:34:55,533
"Believes in magic, believes in ghosts. Hit me up. HMU.
620
00:34:55,533 --> 00:34:59,300
Kate: You will definitely get some responses.
Kail: Great!
621
00:34:59,300 --> 00:35:02,466
Kate: And I, I would like to see them.
Kail: Oh, absolutely.
622
00:35:02,466 --> 00:35:05,333
Kail: My dating life is your dating life.
623
00:35:05,333 --> 00:35:07,766
Kate: (laughing) I hope not. God.
624
00:35:07,766 --> 00:35:10,500
Kail: I have some really great stories.
625
00:35:10,500 --> 00:35:12,833
Kate: I know too many of your stories.
626
00:35:12,833 --> 00:35:17,066
Um, but that's the Magic Castle! Did you like it, people?
627
00:35:17,066 --> 00:35:18,200
Tell us!
628
00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:19,800
Write us a review
629
00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:21,800
wherever you get your podcasts.
630
00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:25,899
Or follow us on Instagram and Facebook, or Tiktok,
631
00:35:25,899 --> 00:35:28,100
@horrorwoodpodcast
632
00:35:28,100 --> 00:35:29,766
or Twitter @horrorwoodpod.
633
00:35:29,766 --> 00:35:33,133
Or send us an email at horrorwoodpodcast@gmail.com.
634
00:35:33,133 --> 00:35:34,833
Thanks for listening, everybody.
635
00:35:34,833 --> 00:35:38,699
(creepy music plays underneath) We love you.
Kail: We love you and you're magnificent and, um,
636
00:35:38,699 --> 00:35:41,466
also stay magical, misfits.
637
00:35:41,466 --> 00:35:46,233
Kate: Open sesame! (Kail laughs)
638
00:35:46,233 --> 00:36:01,333
(creepy music continues to play)
639
00:36:01,330 --> 00:36:14,197
(creepy music fades)