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FEATURESaturday 13 January 2018

California’s Montecito has drawn celebrities since Chaplin

By ANDREW DALTON fast food outlets. Its down-
Associated Press
Montecito, the California town is a small collection
coastal enclave dev-
astated by this week’s of bistros and boutiques.
deadly mudslides, is
known as Oprah’s home- In 1942, Chaplin, age 53,
town. But it was Char-
lie Chaplin, the biggest married 18-year-old Oona
star of another era, who
helped make it a haven O’Neill in a Montecito
for celebrities.
At the height of his fame wedding that both daz-
in 1928, Chaplin led a
small group of investors zled and scandalized the
who built the Montecito
Inn, which he called “the country.
cream of the coast,”
Since then, Kim Kardashi-

an West, Melissa Ether-

idge and Jessica Simp-

son are among the many

who have had Montecito

weddings.

The town has resisted an-

nexation by Santa Bar-

bara, instead remaining

unincorporated. Its popu-

lation is mostly older and

overwhelmingly white.

And it’s wealthy — the

In this Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018, file photo, debris and mud cover median home price

the entrance of the Montecito Inn after heavy rain brought flash among current listings is
flooding and mudslides to the area in Montecito, Calif. more than $4 million.
While most homeowners
Associated Press have fire insurance, very
few typically have flood
In this 1917 photo Charlie Chaplin holds a puppet doll of the es generated international native Chumash Indians, insurance, Santa Barbara
Tramp in Hollywood, Calif. Montecito, the California coastal attention and sympathy Spanish settlers, and start- County Supervisor Das Wil-
enclave devastated by this week’s deadly mudslides, is known to the community of 9,000 ing in 1855, a handful of liams said. Officials urged
as Oprah’s hometown. people that in normal times wealthy Americans who them to get it as the storm
values its privacy. thought they had healing bore down, though only a
Associated Press Tennis legend Jimmy Con- power. handful did.
nors was among those who To the south is the Pacific Jeff Bridges, among the
a posh getaway two many residents from their were stranded and had to Ocean and to the west is town’s famous residents,
blocks from the Pacific homes and blackened the be airlifted from the area Santa Barbara and its city said his house took a hit.
Ocean that became a nearby mountains. With no by the Coast Guard. amenities. “Our home has been se-
local landmark. In its lob- vegetation left to absorb “Montecito — fires burn — About 90 miles (145 kilome- verely damaged, but we
by is a life-sized statue of the rain, the slides came rain comes — mudslides ters) southeast is Los Ange- are safe, and so thank-
Chaplin. quickly amid a torrential and devastation — evacu- les, where Chaplin, his fel- ful for that and for the
Since early Tuesday, like downpour. ated today by helicopter low Montecito Inn investor first responders who are
much of the rest of Mon- At least 17 people died — thoughts and prayers for Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle working tirelessly to save
tecito, the statue has and about 500 homes all!!!” Connors tweeted. and other silent-film stars people,” Bridges tweeted
been knee-deep in mud. were damaged or de- Oprah Winfrey, fresh off worked. Thursday.
The deadly mudslides stroyed. The stark images of a Golden Globes speech These are the same fea- “We are heartbroken
that ravaged the town streets filled with boulders, that inspired calls for her to tures that make the area so over the loss of lives in our
came a month after a downed trees, wrecked run for president, posted In- appealing for modern ce- community. Your prayers
massive wildfire drove cars and obliterated hous- stagram photos of the shin- lebrities. While it has grown, and best wishes are most
deep mud in her yard and it also has resisted growth appreciated.”q
video of rescue helicopters — shunning excessive de-
flying overhead. velopment, billboards and
She is a star among stars

in the town that is teem-

ing with them. Ellen DeGe-

neres, Al Gore, Drew Barry-

more, Patrick Stewart and

Rob Lowe either live or own

part-time homes there.

“I have a very pleasant ex-

istence in Montecito,” Dick

Wolf, creator of the “Law

& Order” television empire,

told The Associated Press in

2014.

Nearly a century ago,

Chaplin made his first visit

and fell in love with the

area and its Mediterra-

nean climate, ocean views

This Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015 file photo shows tennis legend and canyon serenity. This Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, photo provided by Oprah Winfrey
Jimmy Connors talks to the media during a press conference
in Boca Raton, Fla. Just to the north are hot shows Winfrey standing in debris and mud flow as she looks at

Associated Press springs that had been trea- her neighbors property in Montecito, Calif. Associated Press
sured for centuries by the