Gull Cottage from “The Ghost & Mrs. Muir” TV Show For Sale
by HOOKEDONHOUSES on AUGUST 29, 2011
Who remembers Gull Cottage, the charming house from the late-’60s sitcomThe Ghost & Mrs. Muir? I’m afraid I only remember the classic 1947 movie, but based on the number of you who have mentioned it to me, I might be the only one who never saw that show!
Although it was set in Maine and had an ocean view, the real house is located in Santa Barbara, California, nowhere near the water. It’s on the market for $3.75 million, and it’s gorgeous. Here’s how it looked on the TV show:
You can see that distinctive railing over the porch on the house today:
The interiors for the TV show were sets on a soundstage, so they looked very different (and not as nice). One review of the series that I read said the sets suffered from “low-budget-itis.”
The Neal House, as it’s known, was built in the early 1900s by the John Prentiss Neal’s family.
“The Neal House blends the styles of Queen Anne, Craftsman and American Colonial Revival,” according to what appears to be a former listing for it. “This eclectic blend was common in the early twentieth century as architects began to incorporate modern elements into popular styles of the late nineteenth century.”
There are 5 bedrooms and 4 baths.
Gotta love all the fireplaces, the woodwork, the curved walls and the built-ins that this house has.
The sitcom was inspired by the 1947 classic by the same name (the only thing that was changed in the title was the “and” to an ampersand). The original starred Gene Tierney as Lucy Muir and Rex Harrison as Captain Daniel Gregg. It had a great house in it, too, that I’ll be posting photos of soon. Stay tuned!
In the sitcom, Hope Lange played Carolyn Muir, a young widow with two children and a dog named Scruffy. Irish actor Edward Mulhare played the dashing (but dead) Captain Gregg who is haunting the house. He wants her to get out at first but decides he likes her. She packs her bags and tries to leave, but he convinces her to stay and live with his ghostly self.
The house was supposedly in Schooner Bay, Maine, a seaside town that doesn’t really exist. A little clever editing made it look like this house had a dramatic ocean view. In this scene from the pilot, Carolyn Muir and her family pull up to the house for the first time, and you can see the water behind them:
Were you a fan of the show? They still haven’t released the show on DVD, butYouTube has some of the episodes (or parts of them) that fans uploaded.
Many thanks to Stephen for letting me know the house was on the market.
For more photos and information, check the listing by Maureen McDermut of Sotheby’s or watch this video about the house:
P.S. I get emails every day from readers asking, “Have you written about this movie house? Have you posted photos of that TV house?” If you’re looking for something, all you have to do is check out my TV & Movie Houses page, where I list all of the ones I’ve featured so far in alphabetical order. That’s also the place to request something you’d like to see. Check it out!
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