Beverly Hills Historical Society

06/29/2026

HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY, MEL BROOKS! Melvin James Kaminsky was born June 28, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York, NY.

Here’s a great story our very missed president of The Beverly Hills Historical Society, Phil Savenick, loved to recount especially in honor of our amazing and beloved neighbor.

“Growing up in Beverly HIlls, stars lived on almost every block. We would see them at restaurants, the supermarket, and school events for their kids. Occasionally, they were stopped for autographs. Some were gracious, some not so much. The sweetest was Mel. He would have lunch every Friday at Porta Via on Canon with his buddies and would stop by the "Mel Brooks Garbage Can" to sign items for every fan who wanted one. A few years ago I was helping Karen Caesar (the infamous Sid Caesar’s daughter) clear out her dad's film collection. She gave me some of Sid's shirts just back from the cleaners. I knew Mel and his pal Carl Reiner were writers on Sid's "Show of Shows". I dropped one off at Carl Reiner's house on his birthday and gave another to Mel as he was dining on Canon. Mel teared up, "I gotta give this to Carl". I said, "I gave him one already, this one is yours. "How do I know it's real?" he demanded. "You know it's real because who else would embroider SID on the tit?".... then like the Lone Ranger, I snuck off before he could say "thank you masked man"... It was an autograph "in reverse". I gave HIM something. Happy Birthday to the funniest guy in town.”
Max Brooks
Mel Brooks films FANS Love Beverly Hills

06/21/2026

79 years ago, June 20, 1947, our neighbors heard gunshots and screams from 810 North Linden Drive.
On that quiet evening, a shooter (or shooters) positioned just outside the windows fired multiple times, instantly killing mobster Bugsy (Benjamin) Siegel. His associate, Allen Smiley was in the living room as well, who sustained a slight injury.
The Beverly Hills mansion was leased for his girlfriend Virginia Hill who was out of town. Also present in the residence were Hill's brother, his girlfriend, and the residence's cook.
The crime remains one of organized crime's most infamous unsolved mysteries.

06/21/2026

We want to say Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there. And, here's to some of our favorite dads who were our neighbors just being ... dads.

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06/19/2026

Time to get those short shorts out!

"Short Shorts Become Permanent in US Scene" - LIFE Magazine, September 10, 1956.

Ladies strutting on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills.

06/13/2026

😎The Beverly Hills Historical Society salutes the arrival of summer with a look back at some of our former neighbors lounging in the sun at their homes and at The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Hotel Bel-Air & The Beverly Hilton. Happy Summer! 🌻
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06/03/2026

"We should all start to live before we get too old." ~ Marilyn Monroe
And, that she did.
We wish a Happy Heavenly Birthday to a frequent resident of our hometown, MARILYN MONROE. Norma Jeane Mortenson was born on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles. She's known for playing comedic "blonde bombshells" and became one of the most popular s*x symbols of the 1950's and 1960's as well as an emblem of the era's s*xual revolution. Her films grossed $200 million ($2 billion in today's standards) in her lifetime. Long after her death at 36 years old, Monroe remains a pop culture icon.

Marilyn founded her own film production company in 1954 and began studying "method acting" under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio just down the road in Hollywood. Some of her most iconic roles were in Bus Stop, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Prince and the Showgirl and The Seven Year Itch. She won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her role in Some Like it Hot in 1959. Her last completed film was in The Misfits in 1961.

Her marriage to retired baseball star Joe DiMaggio was highly publicized; they divorced only 9 months later. She died of an overdose of barbiturates at her Los Angeles home. Joe directed her funeral services and had roses placed on Marilyn's crypt twice a week for over twenty years. His last words before he died were, "I'll finally get to see Marilyn".

We all benefit from her films and get to see Marilyn any time. And, some of us were very lucky to see her walking and driving out and about in Beverly Hills when our city was a little village of movie stars, composers, and other entertainers gracing us with a little bit of magic.
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Golden Globes Avalon Hotel, Beverly Hills 90212

06/01/2026

💐Happy Heavenly 100th Birthday to one of our most iconic residents, Marilyn Monroe ! 🎂

05/28/2026

Last night, the Beverly Hills Cultural Heritage Commission hosted the very first annual Historic Preservation Awards at Greystone Mansion. At the ceremony, our past president, Phil Savenick, posthumously received the Historic Awareness and Education Award for his work promoting and sharing the history of Beverly Hills. The award was accepted on Phil’s behalf by our Executive Director, Kevin Miller, and board member, Suzanne Hertfelder. If you would like to see the award renamed the Phillip Savenick Historical Awareness and Education Award — and if you believe the next recipient should be long-time Historical Society angel, Robbie Anderson, please drop us a note in the comments section. Thank you!

05/25/2026

🇺🇸On this Memorial Day we honor all of our hometown heroes that joined the armed forces in WW2! Whether in the trenches and planes, entertaining our troops or helping out at home ~ they truly were “the greatest generation”.
Enjoy this video as ONLY our beloved and very missed president, Phil Savenick, could tell it. 🇺🇸

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