San Diego Reader

While growing up in Valley Center, I knew I had many notable neighbors. Irene Ryan was the coolest one. She played "Granny" on The Beverly Hillbillies. But it wasn't until October 25, when the Valley Center Historical Society hosted its Annual Home Tour that I realized so many movie stars of days gone by had lived there. John Wayne, Jack Haley, and Fred Astaire are among those who sought refuge from the hassles of Hollywood in the small rural town.

In 1945, June Allyson and Dick Powell commissioned architect Cliff May, the father of the ranch-style house, to design and build an adobe "rancheria" on an 80-acre cattle ranch. This year, more than 200 guests paid $25 per ticket to tour the premises located off Cole Grade Road. Proceeds will benefit an endowment fund for the History Museum.

That Sunday was a perfect day for a party. It was warm and sunny, allowing for a stunning view of the valley. Air is fresh in Valley Center; fewer cars means less exhaust. I was an hour early because a new battery had been installed in my car, which threw the clock off by a couple of hours.

A board member gave me a folding chair and a cold bottle of water. As we watched small pumpkins float in the pool, people scrambled around us to get the place ready for the guests.

He said that a unique feature of the 3,500 square foot hacienda, was the enormous meat locker located between the kitchen and the maid's quarters. Many celebrities owned cattle in the 1940s, because it was the only way to "put meat on the table." When I was finally allowed to go inside at 1:00 p.m., the freezer was one of the first things I checked out.

Four large meat hooks hung from steel bars attached to the ceiling. They looked like medieval torture devices. Images of bloody sides of beef hanging from them, made me sick. I'm a vegetarian.

Guests seemed most impressed with the huge walk-in closets that were in each of the four bedrooms. They featured built-in cabinets and drawers, luxuries not seen in houses today. One lady was so impressed, she took several photos from inside the closet in the master bedroom.

"Would you like a glass of wine?" an older woman asked me from behind a built-in bar. She mentioned several kinds, the names of which were lost on me. Until two years ago, I was a Mormon and followed the Word of Wisdom, which excludes the use of alcohol or anything else that's fun. I asked her to pick a wine for me. She chose a nice Rose; and, I must say, I liked the "rosey" feeling it gave me.

Pamela Allyson Powell and Richard K. Powell, the couple's children, had come down from Los Angeles to mingle with the crowd. Pamela looked very much like her famous mother. She had the same blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and heart-shaped lips.

"The Reformer And the Redhead," a film featuring the movie star couple, played continuously on a flat screen monitor throughout the afternoon. A sign posted nearby said that several scenes from the movie were shot at the house and the San Diego Zoo, but were later cut from the film.

In 1999, Glen W. Bell, the founder of Taco Bell, purchased the house and 7.5 acres of the property to complement his adjoining Bell Gardens Farm. Bell's health is failing, and the historic property remains under family stewardship.

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