Jack & Marie at Home

Jack and Marie Lord: The Most Lovely Couple

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NihIiPo0sPQ

"There is something Jack can do -- on his free days -- in fact, it's a trait

he has which annoys me," Marie confessed. "I'll never figure out how a

man who leads the orderly, disciplined life Jack does six days a week,

can completely revert to a state of timelessness when he's not on call.

For instance, when we do make a date to go out with people, I have to

keep following him around or he'll never be ready. If I don't keep remind-

ing him, it will be 6 p.m., and he'll be sitting at his easel still mixing

paints. After 23 years, I still can't understand him. He completely loses

track of time. There's another thing he does which gets to me, too. He

has a marvelous facility for entering a room just when I'm in the middle of

telling a joke and, like a kid, he always jumps in and gives the punch line."

Jack smiled. "Guilty as charged -- on both counts."

~ Marie and Jack Lord

Source: Borie, Marcia. "The Jack Lord Nobody Knows" in Good Housekeeping. October 1975.

Jack married Marie DeNarde on January 17, 1949. From then until 1957, they lived in Marie's long-time apartment at 212 East 48th Street, Manhattan, New York City. To see a picture of the building, Google the street address.

California

In 1957, they moved to California. They lived at "The Voltaire" at 1424 N. Crescent Heights Boulevard. Built by architect Leland Bryant in 1930, the French Normandy building comprised 40 apartments on 7 floors. Hardwood floors and French mouldings were featured in each room, while the bathroom featured claw-foot tubs and black-and-white ceramic tile octagons. In the 1980s, the building was converted into a hotel and renamed The Granville. Today, it is once again an apartment building. It is still upscale and still attractive to celebrities. Current residents are remodeling the units; some retain the classic details, while others replace them with contemporary ones. See a picture.

It seems there was a bad fire in 1935, at The Voltaire apartments. Read about it here: http://www.lafire.com/stations/archive/articles/fs027_1939000c_VoltaireFire.htm

Hawai'i

In 1968, they moved to Honolulu. After initially living in a penthouse apartment at the Ilikai Hotel, they purchased a large and luxurious condominium at 4999 Kahala Avenue, Apartment #372. It was located in the Kahala Beach Apartments.

Kahala Beach is a stretch of coastline that runs from Black Point, at the southeastern foot of Diamond Head, eastward to the Kahala Hotel. It overlooks Maunalua Bay, which stretches from Diamond Head to Koko Head. The name "Maunalua" means "two mountains."

Jack and Marie purchased their 3,500-square-foot home in 1970, when they were sure that Hawaii Five-0 was going to be a success. The apartment featured a massive living room, a dining room, a sizable kitchen, two master suites, two more bedrooms, three bathrooms, and two lanais. Walls in the living areas were painted white; carpeting was avocado green, which was the color in that day and age; and accent pieces were yellow. In most cases, the furnishings were mid-century modern. The living room contained a white sectional sofa that curved to form a ninety-degree angle, a marble-top coffee table, and slender, low-back occasional chairs with Danish modern legs. The walls were adorned with many works of art, some of which had been created by Jack, but some of which had been painted by such artists as Paul Gauguin and Jean Charlot. The kitchen featured pumpkin-colored cabinets, for Jack and Marie loved warm colors, and as Marie said, she did not like a kitchen that appeared cold and sterile.

Jack and Marie owned other units within the Kahala Beach Apartments. Some, they rented out, while one provided office space for managing Lord & Lady Enterprises, Inc. It was there that Marie spent most of her time, for she was Jack's manager and publicist.

After Marie's death, the condo was put on the market. It remained on the market for about two years before it sold. One report said it originally listed for $2 million; another source said $2.8 million. When it sold in March 2008, it went for $800,000.

Several factors contributed to the sharp decline in the value of the property. First, the real estate market in general was declining at the time. Second, the owner of the land raised the land lease what one source called "astronomically." This had the effect of making ownership difficult, if not impossible, for most people. Third, the land lease would expire only twenty years after the date of sale. Because most lending institutions will not finance property for longer than the time remaining on a land lease, the number of qualified buyers was further reduced. Read more about it:

http://archives.starbulletin.com/2006/05/16/business/story02.html.

The Kahala Beach Apartments figured in three episodes of Hawaii Five-0:

-- "Full Fathom Five" (Season 1). Joyce's (Patricia Smith) hotel room was actually an apartment at the Kahala Beach Apartments.

-- "Along Came Joey" (Season 1). The scene where Phil Kalama (Frank DeKova) interviewed Lois Walker (Jean Hale) was filmed on the peninsula behind Jack's condo. We don't actually see the Kahala Beach Apartments, but as Kalama turns and walks away, we do see a portion of the Kahala Hilton in the background.

-- "How to Steal a Masterpiece" (Season 7). Steve walks down several steps at the Kahala Beach Apartments and out to his car just before his and Danno's Sunday sail is spoiled by a call to come out to the Ogden home.

See Where Jack and Marie Lived

This video tracks a flight from Maui to HNL as it passes the southern shoreline of O'ahu. At 0:25, you will see the Kahala Hotel with the Kahala Beach Apartments before it. Jack and Marie lived in the building closest to the hotel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp6Xq-mjOhg

To help you orient yourself, the flight passes Koko Head, Maunalua Bay, Kahala Hilton, Kahala Beach Apartments, Kahala neighborhood, Black Point (the peninsula just before Diamond Head), Diamond Head crater, Kapi'olani Park, the Gold Coast (hotels and condos at the foot of Diamond Head and Kapi'olani Park), the Natatorium/War Memorial, San Souci Park and the Aquarium, Waikiki with a close-up of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel (the Sheraton Waikiki is the tall building to its left), Fort DeRussy, Rainbow Tower, Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon, Ilikai Hotel, Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, Ala Wai Canal, Magic Island/Ala Moana Beach Park with the Ala Moana Shopping Center behind it, a close-up of the new skyscrapers that are filling in between Waikiki and downtown Honolulu, Kewalo Basin, more shopping, offices, and apartments with Punchbowl crater behind them, Honolulu Harbor with downtown Honolulu in the background (the Aloha Tower is dwarfed by the new high rises behind it), Sand Island, intermodal yard in Honolulu Harbor, light industrial area, airport perimeter road, and HNL with its beloved "Aloha - Honolulu International Airport" sign. The aircraft lands from northeast to southwest.

Jack and Marie's Ilikai Condo for Sale in 2016

In May 2016, one of the Ilikai penthouse apartments came up for sale. The asking price was $3,550,000!!!

This apartment is where Jack and Marie lived before they bought their condo in Kahala. The lanai is where Jack stood in the opening scenes of Hawaii Five-0. According to the webmaster of Honolulu Then and Now, on Facebook, A Saudi gentleman lived in the next apartment and had guards in the hallway. This scenario made its way onto Hawaii Five-0 in "Tour de Force - Killer Aboard" (Season 9).

I sit on a lone bench on a small peninsula and am surrounded by lush, green

foliage that only grows in tropical islands. The palm trees blow in the trade

winds, providing welcome relief from the intense sunlight that reminds me

that I am only twenty degrees above the equator. Close to shore, the shallow

water is the palest shade of aqua that intensifies as the ocean deepens until

it is a dark navy blue. An outrigger canoe makes its way through the water

and along the shoreline en route to a destination unknown to me. It passes

a kite surfer, who cuts through the water as cleanly as a knife through warm

butter.

~ Webmaster, Remembering Jack Lord

Jack's Sedan DeVille

Jack's 1969 Cadillac Sedan DeVille was virtually identical to this one. Many thanks to California Cars of Thousand Oaks

for letting us use this photograph.

Ever since he sold Cadillacs in Manhattan, while he studied acting and began his acting career, Jack drove the luxury model, eight in all, he once said. He drove the last one, a Cotillion White Cadillac Sedan DeVille, for nearly 30 years, from the time he purchased it new until his death. He bought the car in Honolulu -- from Gilbert "Zulu" Kauhi (Kono), one source says -- when he made the move to star in Hawaii Five-0. There, it remained until two years after his death (Sigall, Bob. "New Owner of Lord's Caddy Turns Up a Hidden Treasure" in Honolulu Star-Advertiser. May 3, 2013).

It is unclear whether Jack's white Sedan DeVille was a 1969 or 1970 model. Two left-side pictures of the car show too little to make the distinction. Only grille and tail light differences existed between them, and even those differences were minor ones.

Maintaining a car in salt and sand, the harsh sunlight, the strong storms, and the ever-present trade winds is no easy matter. Jack learned as much while he tried to make it last. You may ask why he would he want to make it last. No doubt, he was driving very few miles on the Island of O‘ahu, which measures only some 65 miles by 45 miles at its longest points. One can drive all the way around the island in three hours, and that allows for the 35 mile-per-hour speed limit that is posted on the two-lane coastal roads. Then, too, as one grows older, one begins to see a certain futility in spending large sums of money. The old Caddy was still basically a good car, after all. Why trade it in?

But there is yet another possible reason why Jack drove his Sedan DeVille for nearly thirty years. Price! A 2017 Cadillac CT-6 (as close to the Sedan DeVille as Cadillac makes today) costs $63,500 on the mainland, yet $88,500 in Honolulu. We know shipping adds to the cost of everything, but this is ridiculous! If one of us were to ship our car to Honolulu, we would pay in the neighborhood of $1,000, not $25,000. So, yes, Jack probably decided he could make a lot of repairs to the old Caddy before he came close to paying what shipping, alone, would cost on a new car.

Still, both time and wear-and-tear age a car. When the Caddy broke down, Jack took it to the Kahala Shell Auto Center on Waialae Avenue for repairs (Sigall, ibid). He was no mechanic, himself, and had little patience when his car stopped running, insisting “It’s never done anything like this before!” Word is he could be rather intimidating when it came to such matters (Sigall, ibid); after all, Jack liked his car to operate as smoothly as he liked business on the set of Five-0 to operate.

Kahala Shell Auto Center on Waialae Avenue, across from the Kahala Mall,

where Jack had his car serviced. Known for excellent service and a good car wash,

it also charged high gasoline prices, perhaps why it closed not long ago. The station has been demolished and a new building is being erected as of March 2023.

We saw it in "And a Time to Die" on Hawaii Five-0. (Google)

Jack had personalized license plates on his car long before they became fashionable. His read “Five-0” and attracted interested glances as he made his way along the Lunalilo Freeway wearing one of his beloved aloha shirts and lauhala hats (Jack Lord on the Lycos website, publication data unknown). He drove his car well and often. RJL member EricW recalls the day Jack pulled up before his art gallery, raised the deck of the car’s long trunk, and began lifting out paintings for Eric to display for him (E-mail message from Eric Westerlund to Webmaster, 2012).

Two years after Jack's death, a fan of Jack's and Five-0 purchased the car from Marie and had it shipped home to California for restoration to like-new condition (Sigall, ibid). At that time, the white Cadillac Sedan DeVille was 30+ years old, yet with minimal servicing, it still ran (Sigall, ibid). While the car was being detailed in California, the detailer made a startling discovery. Hidden under the seat was a simple gold wedding ring. He presented it to the car's new owner, who called Marie. It seemed that she had lost her wedding ring more than ten years before. The new owner of Jack's car returned the ring to Marie (Sigall, ibid).

It is good to know that someone now owns the car who appreciates it and its long-time owner.

1969 Cadillac Sedan DeVille Specifications

Introduction Date: September 26, 1968 (Does this date look familiar? Read on.)

Units Built: 7,890

Base Price: $5,954

Engine: 472 cu. in. / 375 hp V-8

From 0 to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds; quarter-mile in 15.9 seconds

Transmission: Turbo Hydra-matic Automatic

Brakes: Power Front Disc/Rear Finned Drum (Dual system)

Tires: 9.00 x 15 4-Ply BSW

Length: 225 in.

Width: Not specified

Wheelbase: 129.5 in.

Weight: 4,640 lbs.

Source: http://automotivemileposts.com/cadillac/prod1969cadi.html

Jack's First New Car

In an article (Denis, Paul. Was It Wrong To Marry Her? Jack Lord’s Bitter-Sweet Love Story in TV Radio Mirror. June 1963), Jack said he bought his first new car in 1957 and that it was beige. He purchased it within months of moving to California. We don't know whether he purchased a 1957 model or a 1958 model. Even so, the two models share a strong resemblance. Google it, and you can see for yourself.

Is This Jack's Car?

A white 1969 Cadillac Sedan DeVille was listed for sale on Cadillac Forums that seems like it might have been Jack's car. The listing says it was “originally purchased in Honolulu” (1969 Cadillac Sedan DeVille (hard-top, 4 door). That ties in with Jack buying a car when Hawaii Five-0 first aired. New models come out in the fall of the previous year; thus, a 1969 model would have come out in the fall of 1968.

The listing says the current seller is the car’s second owner (Cadillac Forums, ibid). That ties in with Jack being the first and long-time owner of the car, with Marie selling the car following Jack’s passing, and with the current seller being the only other owner of the car.

The listing also says the car was repainted in 1999 (Cadillac Forums, ibid). This ties in with a report from Eddie Sherman that the car was starting to rust (Sherman, Eddie. Frank, Sammy, Marlon & Me: Adventures in Paradise with the Celebrity Set. Honolulu: Watermark Publishing, 2006, p. 206) and with a report that the buyer had the car detailed “to look like new” upon shipping it to California (Sigall, Bob, ibid).

The listing also reports that the car has needed only minor repairs since the second owner purchased it and that it runs well even today, 48 years after it first entered service with Jack and Marie (Cadillac Forums, ibid).

The only unclear point is whether the car mentioned in Bob Sigall’s article is this car or, as he stated, a 1967 model. Because the mechanic at the Kahala Shell station mentioned only one car, and because the car beside which Jack is shown standing clearly is a 1969 or 1970 model, I believe it is safe to assume the mechanic simply misstated the model year. In making this assumption, I draw from the legal principle of “preponderance of the evidence,” which is used when a point cannot be proved beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Except where indicated, all photographs on this page were taken by the webmaster.