By Lookout Staff
January 8, 2026 -- Santa Monicans have a chance this month to join a long list of legendary guests -- including Charlie Chaplin and Winston Churchill -- who once flocked to Marion Davies beachfront home.
On Sunday, January 25, the Santa Monica Conservancy will once again throw a birthday bash for the silent film actress at what is left of the 101-room estate built for her by publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst.
The party celebrating what would have been Davies' 129th birthday on January 3 will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Annenberg Community Beach House, which served as the guesthouse for what was once known as the biggest mansion on the beach between San Diego and Vancouver.
While the house is long gone and the party won't be as lavish as the ones Davies' hosted, the Conservancy hopes to recreate "the shimmer of Old Hollywood" when Louis B. Mayer, Samuel Goldwyn, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Cary Grant and Gloria Swanson were among the guests.
The longstanding annual event features period music with Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys, a chance to learn quick 'n easy 1920s dance steps and a Makers Group fashion show from the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles.
There will also be a chat with Lara Gabrielle, author of the Marion Davies biography, "Captain of Her Soul: The Life of Marion Davies," who will "take guests back in time to the 1930s when Marion entertained nearly all of Hollywood at her spacious beachfront mansion."
After making her first film backed by Hearst in 1918, Davies stared in a score of silent films that revealed a comedienne of uncommon wit and beauty before transitioning smoothly to talking films in the 30s.
When Hearst's Cosmopolitan Pictures folded, Davies retired from the film business and moved to San Simeon, where she devoted herself to being Hearst's "companion."
The annual event is free, and guests are welcome to come in vintage attire or a costume reminiscent of the 1920s and 1930s.
Parking is available for $4 per hour or $10 per day and can be paid at the machine upon arrival. Exact change, cash, and credit cards are accepted. Ample bike parking is available and bringing a lock is advised.
The Annenberg Community Beach House is wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant. Two beach wheelchairs will be available for this activity.
To reserve, call Guest Services at (310) 458-4904 or email beach.house@santamonica.gov. For disability related accommodations, contact Guest Services at (310) 458-4904.