Stan's impressive career extends much past Disney, including work in various capacities such as director, production designer, and art director. In fact, Stan said when he first became an art director he was the youngest art director in Hollywood!

His large list of movie credits include Caddyshack, Witness and Superman and television credits include Mr. Ed, MacGyver and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. As the art director for the pilot episode of Get Smart, Stan designed the classic title sequence with the doors and phone booth, as well as iconic props such as the "cone of silence." 

With no clue as to the wonders I was about to see, I took a day to travel to the Palm Desert to see the 22,000 square foot estate that Stan calls home. It is part home, part museum. Beyond every corner was not only a part of both Hollywood or Disney history, but with remarkable views in every room. In fact most rooms had at least one mirror in it so that you'd be able to see the gorgeous surrounding scenery no matter what direction you are facing.

The 7.7 million dollar estate was built and designed in the early '70s by Modernist Howard Lapham for socialite-sportswoman Maxine Cook. An admirer of Frank Lloyd Wright, Lapham focused on blending ancient Maya and modern design.

With his background in architecture and his directorial experience, it's easy to see why Stan was attracted to this place.

This pathway which leads to the front door features beautifully aligned stonework columns. From this angle, it seemed like a perfect residence for the man who was the art director of Donald in Mathmagic Land. Just look at all the geometric shapes that can be recognized from this one angle!

At the left, on the other side of the greenery is a tennis court nestled into the surrounding mountain scenery.

That red artwork prominently displayed here in the dining room has a unique story.

One day, while Stan was talking to his daughter on the phone, he was doodling on paper. Being an artist, the doodle was a very interesting design.

Another day, while Stan was talking to his other daughter, he had also been doodling.

He decided to blow up each of the two doodles created while in conversation with his daughters. So this red design has a "sister" doodle displayed elsewhere in the home.

Next on our tour, Stan brought me to a wall of artwork by Disney Legend Herb Ryman. (Closer views below.) All of these pieces of art were developed for the creation of Disneyland.

Herbie and I first made a connection at Warner Bros. when I got out of World War II. His sister, Lucille Ryman, was the head casting director for MGM and she was a good friend of my sister, and her husband was John Carroll. Anyway, Herbie was working on some pictures and when Walt called him up to do the original sketches for Disneyland, Herb called me up at Fox and he said, “Stan, you ought to come over and meet Walt Disney. You’d be a perfect fit with your architectural background and your motion picture background, etc.” I said, “I can’t. I’m under contract at Fox.” He said, “Well, you can get a loan out. You’d only be here about nine months.” Eight or nine months turned into two and a half years to design it and find out where we were going to build it and so forth.

This is all Herbie’s art. He was such a genius and he could do any media… and so fast. I don’t care whether it was oil, pencil... look at this pencil sketch (below), and it’s pretty close to how it ended up.

Tomorrowland


"Restaurant between Main Street & True Life Adventure Land"

Each area had an art director in charge of that area as far as conceptualizing it and so forth. My first assignment was Frontierland and then Tomorrowland. Everybody would pitch in their thoughts and Walt would kick in. It was a collaborative thing right from the very beginning.

The "World's Longest Little Bar" was originally imagined next to the Golden Horseshoe,
but eventually became the Mile Long Bar in Bear Country.

In those day nobody knew that these sketches would mean anything. We didn’t realize that we were creating an icon of icons. When something was finished it would go in a closet or a drawer and sometimes it went in a wastebasket. I fished many a thing out of a wastebasket.

"South Western Street in Frontier Land"

Our tour continued, and while this was not the end of the Disney treasures, around the next corner was some original artwork for MGM's An American in Paris.

Just beyond this artwork was a bedroom with a most spectacular view.


(left) Imagine waking up in the morning to a gorgeous view overlooking the entire Palm Desert.
(right) The view from the bed. With no privacy worries in this secluded estate,
two of the walls are glass to awaken amongst luxury and nature.

Stepping outside is the arrowhead-shaped pool with an equally spectacular view. I’ve actually lowered the temperature up here by about 13 degrees because right now we have the blue decks, and the white. Before when I bought the place it was absolutely 100% monochromatic. It was all the same light walls, the decks were the same color and the sun would hit, reflect and it was like a tinder box. By stopping the rays inside with the light blue walls and so forth it actually reduced the temperature.

This estate is completely surrounded by the mountains in a horseshoe. Nobody can see in, nobody can build behind me and nobody can see up. It’s the most exclusive, highest estate in all of Coachella Valley. People say, “Aren’t you lonely up here?” How can you be lonely when you’re with God? It’s God’s country.

Everywhere you go within the house, outside the house, all day long as the sun changes, morning, noon and night, the angles, the architecture, the ambience of each area changes as a living mural all day long. It’s so inspiring.

Many of the beautiful nights, like last night, I just took the cushions off here (pictured above), put a sheet on it, looked up at the stars and sleep here… I do it all the time. It’s just beautiful. 

As we walked outside and downstairs, every wall of the next room was filled with artwork and images of films that Stan was involved with, including many of Stan on the movie sets. One wall was dedicated to photos from the film Witness, for which Stan was nominated for an Academy Award, however my eye was immediately drawn to some of the Disney artwork.

An assortment of images, all personalized to Donald Duck were scattered around the room and they were created for the Disneyland TV series. When Walt told Stan they were going to do an episode for Donald Duck's 40th Anniversary (which would be entitled A Day in the Life of Donald Duck) and would include Donald's office, Walt suggested that there be pinups in the office.

I tracked down the different guys that worked on Donald, and had them create these pinups.

I had 13 of these pinups, and I had a note on each one. I studied them after I got into my office and I couldn’t resist, being a writer... and a character, I titled each one like here, “Oh Donald, we could make such beautiful music together,” and he’d crack up laughing and I’d show him the next one. By the time we got finished, he said “Stan, they’re great but it’s a kid’s show and they’re kind of suggestive… like the Mae West one.”

I’m a packrat, so at the end of the day’s shooting the next day when we shot it, I said to Walt, “Do you mind if I keep those originals that I had the guys do?” He said, “No, take them.” So what you’re seeing there are the originals.

Here are a few of the photos that Stan is in.


This piece of original concept art for Elfego Baca was created under the guidance of Stan, who was the art director.

The Western Street on the backlot at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California was constructed in 1958, and first used for The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca television show.  Over time, the structures were modified for other productions such as Darby O'Gill and the Little People, The Love Bug and The Apple Dumpling Gang, to name just a few. Construction on the $125,000 permanent Western Street took over three months to complete, and was the combined plans of three of Disney's art directors, Stan Jolley, Marvin Davis, and Carroll Clark (pictured, right). This photo which hangs on Stan's wall depicts the three designers on the day that they showed Walt the newly completed street.

As Stan's caption reads for the above photo, this was the "first shot of filming the new Western Street built for Elfego Baca." Since Stan was the art director for the show, he was there on the set, seen at the bottom left of the photo.
Later, when he was the art director of the feature film Toby Tyler, he was the first one to modify the street.



Our tour continued through more bedrooms, one filled with vintage historical newspapers,
and another guest house with a personally signed letter from President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Alas, we had seen all the rooms throughout the estate and Stan brought me back to the front
of the house where his garages had been converted into art galleries! 


This garage featured props and artwork with a western theme, and images of Stan's father, I. Stanford Jolley, who was a character actor, primarily in westerns, for over 43 years. In 1948, the Milwaukee Journal wrote that "I. Stanford Jolley, veteran villain, has died 77 times in 109 movies by 40 different and ingenious methods."  He went on to appear in nearly 400 different films and television shows. Below are some of the many faces of I. Stanford Jolley.



When I walked in the last gallery, I think my jaw dropped.
To conclude this photographic tour of Stan Jolley's home, please enjoy the following page of Stan's Disney gallery.

Continue to Stan's Disney gallery --->