Benedict Canyon - Walking up Cielo Drive August 8, 2024

 

MansonBlog Tour 2019: Dearly Departed Tours

Scott Michaels of Dearly Departed Tours deserves a big shout out from MansonBlog. He is the owner/operator of the "black bus" that carried us about for a day through Laurel Canyon, The Whiskey a Go Go and Horn Ave.

This day was planned since last year's tour. The idea was to have a day of knowledge exchange. We got an education on many of the LA landmarks and Scott got more TLB arrows in his quiver. We even had a writer affiliated with 60 Minutes Australia along for the ride.

Scott Michaels is a gentleman and his tours and museum dedicated to LA macabre are a must for anyone reading this blog. If you get to LA, get on board one of his Hollywood Celebrity Tours and don't be shy about admitting you read MansonBlog.

MansonBlog Tour 2018: Scott Michaels and his Dearly Departed Tours and Artifact Museum

We stopped in at Dearly Departed Tours & Museum. There wasn't time to take the TLB tour, but owner Scott Michaels was gracious enough to spend a little time with us discussing his business, MansonBlog and possible motives for the crimes. We did spend some time in his museum. It has some artifacts like Jane Mansfield's car, the comforter that Rock Hudson died on and John Dillinger's death mask.

Scott was the one who raised the funds to put a marker on Donald Shea's grave, without which it would be difficult to find. He is also responsible for raising the funds and paying for grave stones for other forgotten celebrities. According to Michaels:

"These people spent their lives yearning to be recognized, and to end up in an unmarked hole in North Hollywood is a shame."

It was bogusly suggested here in the comments section recently that the grave markers are an effort by Michaels "put in a marker so you could have another stop on your F***ing tour". Fact: Dearly Departed Tours makes ZERO stops at cemeteries, so the markers have no effect on DDT's bottom line.

Michaels was complimentary of our efforts on the blog. Next year we will be sure to allot time to take the tour.

The Netflix Companion: Six Degrees of Helter Skelter

Your host for this edition of the Netflix companion is Mr. Scott Michaels. He is the fascinating founder of FindADeath.com and DearlyDepartedTours.com and has been a serious Mansonologist since 1994. Some of  the places Scott will show you along the way (in addition to the crime scenes at Cielo, Waverly and Old Topanga Canyon Road) include:

Jay Sebring's home which was built by Jean Harlow's husband Paul Bern in 1930. It is also where Mr. Bern died under "mysterious circumstances" in 1932. The current owners, Dr. Ron Hall and his wife Maggie, bought the home in 1970 and have been there, ever since. They do not report any paranormal oo-EE-oo, despite Sharon's supposed "premonition" there in 1967.

Dennis Wilson's home which is also where Will Rodgers once lived. It is still standing, though it was being renovated at the time of filming. Michaels mentions that Clem wrecked Dennis' uninsured Mercedes, but Patty remembers it being a red sportscar, no?

Voytek and Gibby's home which is not directly across the street from Mama Cass', as is stated in Helter Skelter. Rather, the properties back up to one another. The Falcon's Lair, where Rudolph Valentino lived, and which has a birdseye view of Cielo Drive from across the canyon. Michaels explains which houses were there in 1969, including the one Winnie Chapman ran to for help. Places where Lotsapoppa, Saladin Nader, Rudy Weber, Steven Weiss, and Susan LaBerge lived.

Jack Jones' home which was creepy crawled. Jack was a singer most widely known for the theme from "The Love Boat." Things were moved around in the house, and Jack's cowboy hat went missing. Michael asserts that Jack later found out that the crawlers stuck around in the bushes to watch him come home and only left after police arrived to take a report.

The LA County Coroner where Chief Craig Harvey deciphers publicly available coroner's reports on all the known victims, and finally, Barker Ranch before and after the fire. Patty really enjoyed Michaels' take on everything and thanks to Ken, she recognized a lot of the places she's never been.