Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders

by Greg King

  “Hey,” she says, “think we can have our little talk now?” The film ends as Helm and Carlson finally prepare to consummate their relationship.

  For her role as Freya Carlson, Sharon had to learn the rudiments of kung fu, and Columbia hired a young actor, Bruce Lee, to give her lessons. Sharon took an immediate liking to him, and brought him back with her to the Summit Ridge Drive house to meet Roman. Roman, in turn, was so captivated that he arranged for Lee to come over after work and teach him kung fu along with Sharon in the driveway of the house.26

  Sharon found her work on The Wrecking Crew an enjoyable change from her previous film roles. Her scenes were undemanding, and allowed her a chance to showcase her comedic talents. The film was scarcely memorable, but, in retrospect, one scene stands out: as Helm and Carlson pass a dead Elke Sommer, he points at her corpse and says pointedly: “That could have been you.”

  Chapter 15

  Cielo Drive

  At the beginning of 1969, Patty Duke informed Sharon and Roman that she would need her Summit Ridge Drive house back soon, and the Polanskis wanted to find something a bit more permanent. Sharon spent the last of January with real estate agent Elaine Young, driving all over Los Angeles, from Malibu to the hills above Hollywood, in search of a house. Then, in the first week of February, she learned that the Benedict Canyon estate where Candice Bergen and Terry Melcher had lived was going on the market. The property was owned by Rudolph Altobelli, an agent for several important Hollywood personalities. Sharon and Roman had previously attended several parties at the house, and she had fallen in love with its rustic charm, seclusion and sweeping views of Los Angeles.1

  One day, while Roman was in Europe, Sharon and Young drove up to Cielo to look at the empty house. Sharon wandered from room to room, finally turning to Young and saying, “Elaine, this is my dream house.” As they spoke, Sharon unwittingly revealed the troubled state of her marriage. “I was fascinated,” says Young, “by the fact that she seemed frightened of Roman. She was smoking cigarettes then, and she said, ‘Whatever you do, when Roman sees us, don’t tell him I was smoking. He doesn’t want me to smoke.’ She was petrified.”2

  Roman arranged a meeting with Altobelli to discuss the lease. The $1,200 a month rent on the estate was enormous for an essentially two-bedroom house with three car garage, but, along with this came a live-in caretaker and full service by landscapers and gardeners. There was space above the garage for an office for Roman, though, and, at least according to several sources, Polanski got Paramount Studios to help pick up some of the rent for this reason. It was also very secluded, a rarity in Hollywood, and enjoyed one of the best views in Los Angeles. On February 12, 1969, Sharon and Roman signed a one year extended lease on the estate at 10050 Cielo Drive.3

  There was a special ambiance about the canyons above Hollywood in the late 1960s, a peculiar bohemian atmosphere tempered by the more stabilizing influences of fame and fortune. In Laurel and Benedict Canyons, the hustle of city life seemed strangely remote, sheltered by the high hills and tall trees which lent a slightly rustic, woodsy feel to the areas. Narrow roads curved through the canyons, branching off now and then to smaller roads, which in turn led to cul-de-sacs and driveways lost deep in the trees. Houses had been built everywhere: on small plots facing the roadways, on steeply sloped hills, on perilously perched mountain-top platforms. The young, wealthy and beautiful quickly bought up the cottages, bungalows and mansions, attracting a newer crowd of actors, actresses and rock stars. The Polanskis’ friends John and Michelle Phillips had an English Tudor mansion high above Los Angeles, and John immortalized the hills above Hollywood in The Mamas and the Papas song, “Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyons.”4

  Benedict Canyon lies to the east of Hollywood, just above Beverly Hills and Bel Air. Slicing through the middle of the canyon is Benedict Canyon Road, winding its way from Bel Air into the hills at the top of the low mountain range, where it joins Mulholland Drive and sweeps down into the San Fernando Valley on the other side. It had always attracted Hollywood celebrities: Pickfair, the legendary home of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., was located in Benedict Canyon, on Summit Drive; Harold Lloyd’s fabled estate Green Acres perched along the top of a hillside just down the Canyon; and, overlooking the Polanskis’ new house, at 1436 Bella Drive, stood Falcon Lair, Rudolph Valentino’s Spanish-style mansion. A mile or so from the beginning curve of Benedict Canyon Road, on the left hand side, Cielo Drive wound up into the steep hillside, past houses lining the roadway, and smaller drives and streets leading off to hidden mansions. Near the end, just before the road climbed back along the top of the mountain, two smaller streets opened up off to either side. On the right, Bella Drive curved steeply up the side of the hill and around into the northern depths of the canyon. On the right, just opposite the entrance to Bella Drive, an unmarked cul-de-sac twisted sharply back up the rugged mountain. It was a narrow road, wide enough for only one car. To the right, the steep, wooded mountain rose higher; on the left, there were several houses perched on concrete supports at the side of the hillside. A few wide spaces, to allow motorists to pass each other, opened out to provide a spectacular view of the canyon below, before the narrow road finally came to an abrupt end at a chain-link gate centered in a similar batten-board fence stretching from the cliff to the slope of the mountain. This was the gate of 10050 Cielo Drive, the Polanskis’ new home.

  “It is perhaps the most difficult house in the Beverly Hills area to locate without being escorted there by someone who already knows the way,” wrote one neighbor in 1969. “This is why: 10048 Cielo Drive, which has its own long, winding driveway … was built at the same time as the house Sharon Tate … later rented. But despite the fact that the number 10050 should be the next house up the road, it is not. When the builder constructed these two almost identical houses with lengthy private driveways many, many years ago, property was abundant, and he placed one house way above the other, with Cielo Drive curving quite a distance between them. Each house is on a huge ledge of its own, so that the owners of both homes would have a marvelous view of the twinkling lights of the whole city below, stretching to the distant Pacific. It isn’t until you get past 10070 that you see a sign for 10050; the original owner of 10050 sold off bits of the hillside for smaller houses and plots along Cielo so that in the space between a dozen houses cropped up.”5

  The house at Cielo Drive had been built in 1944 by French actress Michele Morgan.6 Previous tenants had included actors Henry Fonda and Cary Grant, who lived in the house before Rudolph Altobelli purchased the three-and-a-half acre estate in 1963 and put the 3,200 square foot main residence on the rental market. Candice Bergen, who lived there for several years prior to the Polanskis, later recalled the special magic of the property: “At Terry’s house on Cielo Drive, I felt at home. Surrounded by tall, thick pine trees and cherry blossoms, with rose covered rail fences and a cool mountain pool grown over with flowers, it snuggled up against the hillside—a gingerbread hideout that hung high above the city. There were stone fireplaces, beamed ceilings, paned windows, a hayloft, an attic, and four-poster beds. Built in the Forties by a French film star to resemble a farmhouse in … Normandy, it looked more Twentieth Century Fox than French.… It was a fairy-tale place, that house on the hill, a never-never land far away from the real world, where nothing could go wrong.”7

  From the gate of 10050 Cielo Drive, the concrete driveway curved slightly downhill and to the right before widening out in a paved parking area next to the main house. On the right, the hillside rose steeply; on the left, from the link and batten fence, a split-rail fence edged along the downslope of the plateau on which the estate rested, marking the boundary of the property. On the other side of the split-rail fence, the hillside fell sharply away, ending several hundred feet below at the rear yards of several houses further down the canyon.

  At the end of the paved parking area, just before the main residence, was a two-storied, three car garage, with barn red batten sidi
ng to match the main house and a cedar shake roof pierced by two dormer windows. A staircase at the side left to the loft space above the garage, which had been roughed in as an apartment, with a small kitchenette and bathroom. Roman decided to do some minor remodeling and make this his new office space. Behind the garage, a white picket fence and gate separated the rear yard from the parking area to its side. The driveway, from the gate to the end of the parking area, was lined with several old trees and flowering shrubs, which, along with the angle at which it was built, obscured the house from the other side of the gate at the end of Cielo Drive.

  The rustic split-rail fence separated the front lawn of the main residence from the parking area, and continued along the eastern side of the property to the tip of the downslope of the hill. At the easternmost corner of the parking area, where the two split-rail fences from the drive and the side of the front lawn met, a dirt path skirted the tip of the hillside in front of the main residence, buffered by shrubbery, leading to the guest house at the southern end of the property. The path had been designed so that visitors to the guest house would not have to walk across the front lawn of the main residence. In the center of the northern split-rail fence separating the paved parking area from the front lawn, steps beneath a tall, peaked-roof wooden gate, descended to a flagstone walkway which curved across the stretch of grass to the front door of the main house.

  Two tall pine trees rose on either side of the flagstone walk on the other side of the gate. Beneath the one to the right stood a rustic wishing well, with stone doves perched on its rim. The front lawn of the main residence was long and narrow, approximately one hundred by thirty feet. The entire length of the hillside to the east was separated from the dirt path to the guest house by the split-rail fence. A deep flower bed along the inner side of the fence bordered the lawn, dotted here and there with shrubbery, rose bushes and the occasional evergreen and pine tree, shading the front lawn from the nearly incessant Southern California heat. Beyond the split-rail fence, the view opened up: down the length of Benedict Canyon, Bel Air, Beverly Hills, the sprawling city, and, on clear days, to the sparkling blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, some ten miles away. The view was a prime asset. At night, the city lights sparkled below, the glow of traffic along Sunset Boulevard creating a long strip of flickering jewels. Candice Bergen had strung the split-rail fence across the front lawn with Christmas lights one year, and left them up thereafter. The lights could be seen several miles down the canyon, blinking their bright colors in the night. Sharon thought they added a festive touch to the estate, and left them up, a beacon to guide her friends to their new house.8

  Across the other side of the front lawn stretched the main residence itself, a long, low, one story house in wood and stone. The batten siding had been painted barn red, with the dark cedar shake roof, the fieldstone along the front porch and dining room, and the white trim of the numerous windows adding contrast. Near the center of the house was a thirty-foot-long fieldstone front porch, shielded by a wide overhang in the roof, supported by thick wooden beams and posts.

  Just before it reached the main residence, the flagstone walk across the front lawn did a sharp turn to the right and hooked itself onto the front porch. On either side were exquisitely manicured hedges and shrubs stretching off in the distance, those to the right back along the dining room and service wing of the house, those to the left across the front of the porch and on around to the side of the house. Several iron lanterns hung from the open beams on the front porch, and twin brass carriage lamps flanked either side of the massive Dutch door, painted white, its top which separated from its bottom containing a large, nine-paned window.

  The entrance hall of the main house was small. Directly ahead of the front door, two smaller doors opened into a walk-in closet and a powder room. On either side of the hall, wide fieldstone arches gave views of the living and dining rooms. The latter stood in its own wing; facing the front lawn were massive paned windows, looking out over the view of Los Angeles beyond. Beyond the dining room, in a smaller wing, was the kitchen, whose front windows also overlooked the lawns; a small rear hallway with a service entrance to the rear porch next to the garage, and containing the laundry area; and a maid’s bedroom, set at the farthest corner of the house, a window in each of the exterior walls, looking out to both the front lawn and the paved parking area. A small bathroom was located just off the bedroom.

  On the opposite side of the hallway was the living room, rising to the sloped roof of the house. Three large paned windows spanned the length across the front porch, and two dormer windows set into the sloped ceiling flooded the room with light. Large, structural beams, arches and supports, all painted white to match the room’s walls, ran the width of the space, reaching up to the second story loft stretching across the entire length of the western side of the room, and reached by a redwood ladder.

  The thick cream colored carpet laid out across the polished hardwood floor added to the lightness and airiness of the space. A plant ledge ran round half of the room, and Sharon soon filled it with ferns, ivy and ficus. At the northwestern corner of the room, a wet bar nestled behind a set of white louvered and shuttered doors, and a French door, equipped with similar louvers and shutters, opened to the rear lawn.

  Otherwise, the entire length of the west wall was taken up with a massive, floor-to-ceiling fieldstone fireplace, with built-in seats to either side, and a raised hearth across the front.

  Before the fireplace hearth stood a low trestle table, loaded with scripts, books, plants and candles; directly opposite it, facing the fireplace, was a large, three-cushioned beige sofa, with two cream and yellow armchairs set at angles to the sides, also facing the fireplace and enclosing the sitting area. An end table stood next to the sofa on the right, and a floor lamp and rattan magazine basket were next to the armchair to the left, along with a wrought-iron standing ashtray. A side table and French-style side chair stood against the southern wall, beneath a canvas calendar and a poster. Sharon and Roman kept no television set in the living room; the elaborate and expensive stereo—one of Roman’s favorite toys—stood on a shelf in the front hall closet, but its large wooden speaker cabinets were set at angles against the east wall of the room. In the southeast corner of the room stood a black baby grand piano, facing out at an angle. Sharon hung a charcoal portrait of Roman on the wall next to the piano. Pushed against the center of the east wall was a large desk for Roman, littered with a lamp, telephone, framed photographs and a white pushbutton telephone. Before the hearth and in front of the couch was a large zebra-skin rug, surrounded by piles of pillows.

  A door in the center of the living room’s south wall opened into a small hallway. On the left side were a set of shuttered doors opening into a linen closet, and a door to a second or guest bedroom, set at the southeastern corner of the house. Tall, paned windows looked out over the side and front lawns, shaded by a pine tree growing just beyond the corner of the house. A walk-in closet and bathroom were located just off the second bedroom, which was furnished with antique Victorian pieces.

  At the end of the hallway was the master bedroom. To the north, a door opened to a small hall, which in turn led to a large walk-in closet, a bathroom with a large sunken tub, and a dressing room, with French doors leading to the swimming pool and rear lawn, which had been built onto the back of the house. Because the bedroom extended a few feet beyond the main body of the house, it had large shuttered windows on two walls, looking out over the front and side lawns. In the far corner stood a stone fireplace. Sharon and Roman brought their own queen-sized bed with them, and placed it against the west wall, balanced on either side by low tables covered with books, magazines, a princess telephone and photographs, including one of the Polanskis on their wedding day. On the opposite wall a large television set and Sony videocassette machine stood between an armoire and a tall chest of drawers.

  A louvered French door led from the master bedroom to the pool area at the side of the house. The kidney-shape
d swimming pool nestled up against the steep hillside, surrounded by a small flagstone terrace. A neatly manicured hedge, several tall pine trees, shrubs and a roofed gateway set amidst raised flower beds led to the guest house at the far end of the property. Here, at the end of the hillside, the split-rail fence came to an abrupt halt before the cliff fell away toward the canyon below.9

  The lease the Polanskis signed for 10050 Cielo Drive gave them the garage, the main house and the grounds. Rudi Altobelli would continue to reside in the guesthouse at the southern end of the property. In the winter of 1969, Altobelli arranged to fly to Europe on an extended business trip; prior to his leaving, he happened to pick up a young hitchhiker in downtown Los Angeles, William Garretson, a native of Lancaster, Ohio. After a short conversation, Altobelli offered Garretson the job of caretaker to the estate at 10050 Cielo Drive. For thirty-five dollars a week, the eighteen-year old was given room and board in the guesthouse itself, for the duration of Altobelli’s business trip; in return, he was required to water the lawns, arrange for the landscapers and gardeners to make regular visits, and take care of the numerous animals on the property. In addition to Altobelli’s fierce Weimaraner Christopher, this included some twenty-six cats left with Altobelli by Candice Bergen and Terry Melcher temporarily; later, he was also to have charge of Sharon’s Yorkshire terrier Dr. Saperstein and eventually Abigail Folger’s friendly Dalmatian puppy.10

  Although, from the front gate at 10050 Cielo Drive, neither the main residence nor the guest house was visible, Roman Polanski thought that the estate lacked a certain amount of privacy. True, it was secluded enough, just over the lip of the hill from the nearest neighbors, and the crescent shape of the property meant that one end of the estate was virtually secluded from the other. But he disliked the presence of Garretson in the guest house, feeling as if there was a live-in spy permanently on duty. Roman told Sharon that he was going to speak to Altobelli about it, but Sharon stopped him, saying, “No, he doesn’t bother me. He’s a very nice young man, very discreet.”11