Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Faye Dunaway Gets All Mommie Dearest on NYC Landlord

Legendary Oscar winning actress Faye Dunaway (Network, Chinatown, Bonnie and Clyde) earned a vaunted spot in the Pantheon of high camp goddesses for her frightening (but funny) portrayal of wire hanger hating actress Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest. Based on an ugly and ongoing dust up with her New York City landlord, it seems the 70 and still stunning actress can be as volatile and verbally lacerating in her real life as in the land of Tinseltown make-believe.

Since 1994 Miz Dunaway has held the lease on a rent-stabilized apartment in a dingy walk-up tenement building with green linoleum-floored hallways on East 78th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. The current rent on the one bedroom apartment is reported to be $1,048.72, less than half the $2,300+ average market rate price for a one-bedroom apartment in the Upper East Side 'hood.

Here's the thing, kitty cats: Rent stabilization laws require the tenant of record occupy the premises as a primary residence. The landlord for Miz Dunaways' digs in The Big Apple, citing voter and car registrations, claims the actress actually lives in California where property records reveal she owns a small two-house compound in West Hollywood bought in April 1998 for $315,000. Back in September 2007, some of the children whose brains aren't burnt out on the dope or booze may recall, the sometimes still working actress posted an ad on Craigs List to lease a 2-bedroom Spanish style cottage within her walled and hedged compound with an asking price of $4,250 per month.

Fearsome Miz Dunaway isn't taking the eviction efforts or ensuing publicity lying down. Oh no, hunnies, she's gone on a voice mail leaving verbal rampage. According to the guys at Gothamist, Miz Dunaway has left three voice mails for the New York Times–who originally reported the story on Tuesday–in which she said the landlord can't evict her because she's already vacated the premises. She claims that she, "offered to hand back the apartment keys, told the landlord that she had moved out in May and informed Mr. Moses that she was arranging for a moving company to pick up some papers." The landlord claims he's yet to receive anything in writing and, technically, legal possession remains with Miz Dunaway.

She went on to say in her voice messages to the New York Times that she herself had decided to move out because "of the state of the apartment," which she claims had "bugs everywhere." She went on to say about the landlord, "He is a slum landlord. He has no class." Oh dear.

Not surprisingly, Miz Dunaway left some additional choice words on the landlord's message machine too, telling him, "I hope you need that money like crazy and you’ll give it to poor people. I hope you have a terrible life."

Your Mama has no love for New York City landlords–we waged battles of our own with more than one of them–but rent stabilization rules is rules and it sounds to Your Mama like Miz Dunaway is just 29-kinds of pissed that she won't be able to keep a New York City pied a terre on the cheap any more.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Why can't you give me the RESPECT that I deserve?"

"Because I'm not one of your fans mother!"

Anonymous said...

It is tragic to think that Ms. Dunaway lives in such circumstances and Ms. Cyrus will be living like the "cash cow" you reported, if Cyrus reaches Ms. D's age.

Anonymous said...

and no more wire hangers, either.

Anonymous said...

Ha, I sort of love how the NYT rubbed it in that at the height of her fame she lived in splendour at the Eldorado. Now this! I don't think she's broke, just cheap, probably doesn't spend much time in NYC anyway, and it seems like her son was living there..

Famously difficult lady, but I kind of love that..
:)

StPaulSnowman said...

One more facelift and she will have a goatee. ... Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. Go ahead and let me have it with the wooden spoon.

Anonymous said...

Helga, I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at the dirt.

Anonymous said...

What they're really doing is denying one of their tenants the opportunity to live a wonderful and advantaged life. How sad that is. Good afternoon.

lil' gay boy said...

Ms. Dunaway always struck me that she was one woman who would not take any shit from anybody; perhaps the belief she's a she devil is based on that.

I did meet her once briefly when I was an extra in The Eyes of Laura Mars; 4 AM, stoned on a downtown Manhattan sidewalk, I was inadvertently leaning against the door to her trailer when she tried to open it from the inside. After a couple of shoves I realized someone was there & stepped back, and out Ms. Dunaway came ––– imposing, startlingly beautiful, and short. I'd never had to actually look down to make eye contact with anyone before.

Realizing I was the obstacle to her exit, she nonetheless was very gracious, and without a tinge of sarcasm said, "Hello! Would you excuse me please?"

To which I replied in my best Bill The Cat eloquence, "...bbrrppttphh..." or something equally pithy.

Rosco Mare said...

About 10 years ago, at the former, great Tower Video on Sunset in West Hollywood, I once overheard her unleash her mis-aligned temper on a sales clerk, shreiking over the phone, "you know what I want!"

Maybe so, I thought, but acting gigs are not offered at Tower!

candi speling said...

Don't f$#k with her fellas, this ain't her first time at the rodeo.

Pollylanda said...

If you ever had the pleasure to see her in the morning at workout warehouse, well, I could not train for weeks after that.....but come on.... bonnie and clyde? NETWORK?? my favorite...three days of the condor with robert redford.. her work has been amazing, its just sad to think that kim katrashian now has more $$ than this great actress, but maybe Ms dunaway does not care, just strange, cause she was top of the game and now have little respect, does not seem right, what did she do wrong? no causes like liz taylor, who was also broke before she hitchedher wagon to aids and her perfume? its a PR thing and faye usually acts bonkers, so guess she could give a crap. she is her own woman?