Fame Slept Here: Friday Five Hundred Has Breakfast at Tiffanys and Terms of Endearment

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You may have heard of the late, great film producer Martin Jurow. He was a longtime studio exec and agent through Hollywood’s golden years. He died at the age of 92 in 2004, but lived in Dallas for years with his lovely wife, Erin-Jo, where he was, among other things, an assistant Dallas County DA. Besides putting Audrey Hepburn on the map (and producing) “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” he produced  ”The Pink Panther,” ”The Great Race,” with Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and ; ”Soldier in the Rain,” with Steve McQueen and Jackie Gleason; ”The Hanging Tree,” with Gary Cooper; and ”The Fugitive Kind,” with Marlon Brando and Joanne Woodward. Like I said, Hollywood glitterai at it’s best.

Which is why I cannot believe that Martin and Erin-Jo’s home is still on the market at 5833 Berkshire, just off Northwest Highway. Listed with precious Susan Thomas at Allie Beth Allman. Major stars came here to see the Jurows! (If only walls could talk, which I sometimes think they do but in another language, these would torture TMZ.) First of all, this is mid century modern at it’s finest: the house, which is on a whopping half acre in Devonshire, was built in 1958.  It’s a California ranch that was meticulously maintained by his widow, Erin-Jo. I recall interviewing her for a story I wrote for D eons ago right in that family room — remember the brick floor and the paneling. That is original birch paneling & millwork combined with brick flooring, hardwoods & terrazzo tile though out the house. For a 1950’s ranch, the ceilings are high, quite high. Some are beamed with many built-ins. The home has perfect classic ranch flow and, while it obviously needs cosmetics — I am pretending not to see that kitchen — could become a Hollywood showplace rich with Dallas and film history. No pool, but plenty of room for one, plus 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, more than 3100 square feet, and all that ambiance! Extremely well-priced at $599,000, and a very motivated estate seller. One drawback may be that it backs up to Northwest Highway. One, autos in Devonshire and Preston Hollow are simply an urban waterfall and two, you can get a break on your property taxes.

Let me put it to you this way: backing up to Northwest Highway certainly didn’t make Martin Jurow less productive now, did it. Who knows: some of that good house karma may rub off on the next homeowner!

Candy Evans, founder and publisher of CandysDirt.com, is one of the nation’s leading real estate reporters.

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