By ANN BRENOFF

Los Angeles Times



LOS ANGELES - Remember that classic diner scene in "When Harry Met Sally" where Meg Ryan fakes an orgasm and a nearby customer tells the waitress, "I'll have what she's having"? Well, what we'd like to have is actress Ryan's Bel-Air house, which she just listed for sale at $19.5 million.

It was a pocket listing - never in the Multiple Listing Service but known to be for sale for the right price - for the past few years, having been shown to Galaxy soccer star David Beckham and wife Victoria-the-Posh (left) and, more recently, to Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Garner, who apparently fall in and out of escrow with the frequency that Paris Hilton falls in and out of love.

The house, built in 1931, has six bedrooms and seven bathrooms in 6,877 square feet. The compound was restored to much of its original glamour and features a stenciled beamed living room, a 1930s-era bar, a formal dining room and complete cook's kitchen. All the main rooms open to and overlook views of the city. There is a screening room with a separate entrance and a private knoll setting for the pool, spa and guesthouse. The master suite is away from the rest of the bedrooms for greater privacy.

Ryan, 47, made her screen debut in 1981 playing Candice Bergen's daughter in "Rich and Famous." Her breakaway hit performance came with "When Harry Met Sally" in 1989, followed by "Sleepless in Seattle" in 1993 and "You've Got Mail" in 1998. She also was in "Kate & Leopold" (2001) and "Against the Ropes" (2004).

THIS APARTMENT'S ALLURE NO MYSTERY

In a region known for its natural beauty, the appeal of living in a soul-less apartment tower along the Wilshire Corridor in Los Angeles always has been an enigma to some. But to each his own, and all that.

There is one unit, however, that stands out amid the uniformity of the Wilshire Corridor: It once was the Wilshire Terrace's dining room and was converted into a living space by Lucy Doheny Battson, widow of oil heir Edward "Ned" Doheny Jr. Yes, those Dohenys, former wife of the oil tycoon family.

Rosemarie Stack, widow of "Unsolved Mysteries" narrator Robert Stack (right), just listed the 5,000-square-foot unit at $6.65 million. She has lived in it for about four years and is moving to her villa in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where she plans to pursue painting.

The unit has about 2,000 square feet of limestone patio and gardens, designed by David Jones, that include mature trees, vines and waterfalls. There are two bedrooms, the master suite and a den, with a wet bar, that serves as a guest room. Steven Spielberg has slept in the den, and a plaque proclaims it. There is also a maid's room in the basement. The co-op apartment has five bathrooms, including the "hers" that is decorated with 40-year-old hand-painted wallpaper.

The kitchen has Viking and Sub-Zero appliances. A butler's pantry leads to the dining room, which seats 12 at a table once belonging to Edgar G. Robinson.

The unit, on the first floor, has a private gate to the building's immaculate Olympic-size pool and spa.

Photos throughout the home document the Stacks' life in Hollywood. There are images of Clark Gable and Carol Lombard, one of Robert Stack playing polo with Spencer Tracy, prints of the Stacks with President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan, and a Life magazine cover of Rosemarie Stack.

"I have such wonderful memories of entertaining here," Stack said.

The building is staffed 24/7. There is a beauty salon, concierge, valet and underground parking. The complex is a co-op, which means the buyer will need to be approved by the board. Britney Spears should probably look elsewhere; this is an old-money building, and celebrities who draw attention are unlikely to be welcome.

The buyer will need to pay cash, and the unit may not be leased out.

Robert Stack was the host and narrator of "Unsolved Mysteries" from 1987 to 2002. He made his big-screen debut as Deanna Durbin's lover in "First Love" (1939). He teamed with Durbin again, in "Nice Girl?" (1941).

Stack received an Academy Award nomination for "Written on the Wind" (1956). He delivered breakout performances in his signature role as Eliot Ness in the wildly popular TV series "The Untouchables" (1959), which ran for four seasons (118 episodes). And there was also the TV movie "The Scarface Mob" (1959). He successfully crossed over into comedy and appeared in "Airplane!" (1980) and "Caddyshack II" (1988).