John Barrymore's Once-Glam Beverly Crest Estate Hasn't Been Totally Ruined

Well, this listing in Beverly Crest is a real bait and switch—just when you're settling in to enjoy the arches and beams (and a little stained glass!) of the pubilc rooms, it hits you with claustrophobic white ceilings and soooo many can lights. Beneath the weird paint colors and the terrible staging, though, you can kind of see where this was a truly awesome once. The listing calls it "once owned by legendary Lionel Barrymore," but most other sources associate it with John Barrymore, Lionel's brilliant mess of a brother (and Drew's grandfather). Today the house sits on two lots and has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a wetbar, and pool with cabana sprawling down along several terraces on .41 acres. One last misstep by the listing: it does not mention there's a funicular. The property first hit the market last summer asking $7.095 million; after a seven-month breather, it's returned asking $5.75 million.

· 1301 Summitridge Drive, Beverly Hills, CA [Redfin]