Weimar Under the Palms

The story of the German exilesand cultural titanswho settled in Pacific Palisades and influenced American culture. In the early twentieth century, Pacific Palisades was home to Americas most modern film studio of the time as well as the proposed site of the worlds largest Christian center. But by the end of the 1920s, the Los Angeles neighborhood had become the refuge of the rich and beautiful as German and Austrian filmmakers, among them Salka and Berthold Viertel, settled there. They were soon followed by cultural and intellectual giants of the Weimar Republic who were fleeing Europe, such as Max Reinhardt, Hanns Eisler, or Max Horkheimer. These great minds turned Pacific Palisades into a Weimar under the palm trees. Though many were successful in exileincluding Vicki Baum, Thomas Mann, and Lion Feuchtwangerothers felt as if they were in a sun prison far from home. Recounting a story of glamor and great minds, Thomas Blubacher tells of the history of German-speaking exiles that is still alive there today, going on a foray through the film industry, taking us on a journey to this special place that was so recently devastated by fire. Many of the homes in this book have now gone, but Marta Feuchtwangers Villa Aurora and the Thomas Mann house still stand as a testament to luck, resilience, and history.