Issue #19: 1990s House Crashing with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn
Revisiting the classic 1992 film Housesitter, four Bay Area homes from the same era, and my girlfriend's book, tv show, and bakery recommendations.
The Silvert Lining is a place where I talk about real estate, cool homes for sale, things I’m looking forward to, and how I’ve been spending my time. In addition to this newsletter, I also post regularly on Instagram. You can follow me at Dan Silvert Homes. If you would like to meet with me to discuss your home search, you can schedule time here.
In January, I had tickets to see Steve Martin and Martin Short in South Florida on their The Dukes of Funnytown! tour. The timing of their show felt serendipitous as I was already going to be in the area on a short vacation. But then the devastating fires in Southern California broke out and the show was rescheduled for October.
Since then, I’ve been indulging my love for Steve Martin by watching STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces on Apple TV+ and exploring his filmography. My girlfriend mentioned that she loves the 1992 romantic comedy Housesitter, but I had never heard of the movie (much less watched it). While romantic comedies are not my preferred genre, I like Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn enough to give the movie a try. My girlfriend was right (her four favorite words), Housesitter is a fun movie about an architect, a con artist, and a very cool house.
Housesitter opens with Steve Martin’s architect character (Newton Davis) proposing to his hometown girlfriend Becky (Dana Delany) in front of the dream house he designed and built for her. Becky is not impressed with the ring or enormous red bow wrapped around the house and rejects Davis’s proposal. We then see Davis a few months later in a state of malaise working at his corporate architecture job. At an office party in which he embarrasses himself in front of his boss, Davis meets Gwen (Goldie Hawn). In a bit of foreshadowing, Davis initially thinks that Gwen’s Hungarian accent is authentic, but she is only playing the part of a server at a Hungarian restaurant.
One thing leads to another, and Davis and Gwen go from walking around Boston to sharing a night of passion. When Gwen wakes up the next morning, Davis is gone but has left behind a drawing of his currently empty dream house on a napkin. Gwen then heads to the fictional town of Dobbs Mill to see the house for herself. In no time she has introduced herself to everyone in town as Davis’s wife, ingratiated herself with Davis’s somewhat estranged parents, and furnished the empty home. Eventually Davis discovers the duplicitous life Gwen created. I realize this movie was released over thirty years ago, but I will refrain from any spoilers.
It is a testament to Goldie Hawn’s charisma that her character is not a repulsive sociopath. I, like Steve Martin’s character, found her adorable and charming as a lowkey con artist whose motivations are never completely clear. Meg Ryan was originally cast in the role, but left due to creative differences around Gwen’s character’s story arc. Another thing that struck me is that, while the ages of the characters in Housesitter are ambiguous, Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin were both 47-years-old when the film was released.
The third star of Housesitter is the titular house. The house in the movie is based on a real house designed by Jonathan Lanman and Debra Wassman of New York-based Trumbull Architects. The real house was built in upstate New York and named the “Best Small House of 1990” by House Beautiful. Housesitter Production Designer Ida Random saw the original house and decided it was interesting and photogenic enough to be the home an architect designs for his girlfriend.
The movie was not filmed at the real house; rather, a temporary house with interior and exterior modifications was built on a pond in Concord, Massachusetts and then torn down after filming concluded. Trumbull Architects sold the architecture plans, and between 1990 and the film’s release approximately 60 homes were built across the United States. I believe you can still buy the architecture plans, in case anyone is looking to build an 1,800-square-foot three-bedroom home.
This week I thought it would be fun to find homes currently for sale in the Bay Area from the same era. A couple of the homes even have a similar aesthetic to the Housesitter home.
Let me know if you are looking for a new home and I can create a customized search based on your wants and needs that will email you homes that meet your search criteria. You can schedule time with me to discuss your search for a new home or selling your current home by emailing me at DanSilvertHomes@gmail.com. DRE #01963734
In last week’s newsletter, my girlfriend shared her guide to selling on Facebook Marketplace. Since I was in for a penny, in for a pound last week, I agreed that she would also share her book, TV show, and bakery recommendations, including a TV show I do not enjoy. Then the newsletter was on the cusp of exceeding Substack’s (our newsletter platform) length for email and her recommendations were cut. To honor my promise, Jessica is back this week with her recommendations.
Jessica’s Book, TV Show, and Bakery Recommendations
Hello Silvert Lining readers, I’m back! Since this newsletter is all about the majesty of Steve Martin, my first recommendation is Steve Martin’s 2007 memoir Born Standing Up. I listened to the audiobook as Steve Martin narrates his memoir and it made a long drive down the coast of California fly by. Born Standing Up is Steve Martin’s love letter to showbiz. The focus of the book is his comedy career; he details his childhood in Orange County working at Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm and his early years performing professionally. The book concludes when Steve Martin is arguably the most famous standup comedian touring with sold-out stadium shows and beginning his film career. With a library card, you can use the Libby app to listen to almost any audiobook for free.
Along with seemingly everyone, I am watching the third season of White Lotus. Dan is intrigued by the show and now we’re going to start from the beginning of the season so he can catch up before the finale. But I’m not here today to promote a HBO prestige drama. My TV recommendation is the third season of The Traitors. This reality competition show hooked me from the beginning and kept me engaged until the final round table. Alan Cumming hosts a motley crew of competitors - including reality competition show winners (Survivor, Big Brother, etc.), random reality “stars” (Selling Sunset, Real Housewives, Vanderpump Rules, etc.), a British royal, and Zac Efron’s younger brother - at a manor house in Scotland as they compete for up to $250,000 in prize money while playing a modified version of the game Mafia. The tension is palpable in each episode as the competitors gather around a literal round table to vote one person out each week. To be successful on the show you need to be a very smart and talented actor who controls the round tables or so dumb and oblivious that no one suspects you of malice.
Each week I take a walk or hike with a close friend. On a recent Saturday we met at Equator Coffees before walking around Lake Merritt. A number of years ago I saw the founders of Equator speak at a women in business event, and they seemed like very cool and ethical entrepreneurs. After grabbing coffee, we walked over to the newish brick and mortar location of Tarts de Feybesse. Everything looked delicious, especially the trompe-l’oeil fruit pastries. I settled on the pistachio eclair, salmon tartine, and Bostock and loved everything. I will definitely be back!
In celebrity real estate news, Christine McVie’s London penthouse is for sale for $8.9 million. The Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter lived at the stunning property until her death in 2022.
Jeez. You two are a super team!
I'm liking the Jessica guest spot. I'm happy to say that I took her advice in the last article, and listed something on FB Marketplace instead on CL. Sold the same day! Thanks Jessica!