Dearly Departed Tours

Driver was late because of a flat and was very apologetic. This tour was informative. We saw more than just what was expected. Guide was knowledgable about many different areas and answered all our questions.

This tour is so much fun - not only do you go to many places where folks met their untimely deaths - other stars homes are also pointed out along the way. The tour guide was VERY well versed on not only the untimely deaths but also a wealth of info on other stars homes and the areas history. I recommend this tour to anyone who is looking for a Hollywood tour - as it is a great deal of fun and not your standard "canned tour" offered by other operators.

I absolutely loved every single minute of the tour. Every bit of information made he city just come alive.

My husband and I along with our daughter and her husband really enjoyed the Dearly Departed Tour. Scott was very knowledgeable and he made the tour very interesting. He went out of his way to make us comfortable on an extremely hot day. We highly recommend this tour and hope in the future to take his others. This tour was one of the highlights of our trip to LA.

Great tour, very personal (even though we were only two on our tour)...tour guide was amazing and very informative. The tour itself was entertaining, and a good mix of old and more recent events. Recommended for anyone with a nostalgia love for hollywood and celebrities!

What an informative and fun trip! Richard knows the secrets of Hollywood and isn't afraid to tell them. My only complaint is that 3.5 hours isn't enough. I would take the tour again in the future and you should, too.

The tour was well worth it. So much information was provided and we loved seeing areas that you normally wouldn't drive yourself. Scott was very thorough and personable. We are definately planning another tour in a few months.

We covered alot of information within the time of the tour, strongly recommend it.

I had a fun time and thought Scott gave everyone a lot of attention and made the tour fun. I would definitely recommend this to friends who have visitors in town. I enjoyed learning about my own neighborhood! Downside - The parking at the Grove ends up adding to the cost.

I loved the tour and only wish I had more time left in L.A. to take Scott's Hollywood Movie Tour. The only reason I didn't give five stars is that the A/C wasn't hardly putting out near the rear where my seat was. But for over three hours of goodness, I'll put up with it.

Our driver Richard, was very good, knowledgeable and kind. The biggest drawback was the vehicle. If you were on the left, you couldn't see to the right. Many of the homes have lots of foliage, so one's vantage point is limited even in if out in the open. The 15 passenger closed- in van was confining and limited the sight-seeing. bathroom stops were adequate. Good information, fun recordings. All in all a good time, glad we went....but it really could be better in a open top or glass dome top vehicle.

It was great to not only see where a movie was filmed ,but to actually see the scene of the movie and actually see the building or street scene in the movie being shown on the television in the van. It is one thing to have a tour guide say the house you are looking at was in whatever happened to baby jane, but then have a scene played on the van's television and actually see betty davis walking up the very steps of the house that you are looking at was very interesting.

I've taken this tour 3 times now and it was just as fantastic this time as the first 2. After having been escorted around various infamous places by Scott Michaels himself, I was pleasantly surprised that a man named Richard was just as knowledgable and funny as Scott. I knew that Scott wouldn't disappoint in choosing another guide to take through the tragical history of Los Angeles while he embarked on his newly added Helter Skelter tour. Congrats, Scott, on your success!!

I read the book "Helter Skelter" when I was a teenager (30 years ago). I was interested in the bizarreness of the case. Plus, it was compellingly well-written by Vincent Bugliosi, who prosecuted Manson and his followers, and Curt Gentry. Scott Michaels does a tremendous job retracing the route the killers took the nights of the murders, Friday, August 8, and Saturday, August 9, 1969. You visit the Tate residence (since torn down and replaced with a gaudy Mediterranean monstrosity) and the LaBianca home, slightly changed since 1969. Leaving the Tate residence, Scott takes you to Rudolf Weber's home, where the killers hosed themselves off after they fled the Tate residence. Then you drive past where the killers tossed out their bloody clothing before they dispatched the 9 shot revolver that landed in Bernard Weiss' backyard, where it was later found by his son (Scott drives by the Weiss home, which is apparently little changed in the 40 years since the murders). Along the way to the Weiss home, Scott drives by Jack Jones' old home (Jack sang the "Love Boat" theme song) that the Manson Family had "creepy crawled" and from which they stole a cowboy hat. Then it's on to the LaBianca residence, stopping along the way to see where Rosemary LaBianca's daughter, Susan, lived at the time of Rosemary's murder (it was later used in the exterior shots of Melrose Place in the 1990s). You also pass by John Marshall High School, which Rosemary's son Frank was attending at the time of the murders. Across the street from the LaBiance home is the apartment building where Rosemary's son, daughter and her boyfriend ran to call for help when they discovered that Leno and Rosemary LaBianca had been murdered. On the way back to Johnny Rocket's at the Farmers' Market on Fairfax, where the tour commenced, Scott passes by the El Coyote restaurant where Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger and Voytek Frykowski had their "last supper". Scott says the food is average and the margaritas are good. The only way the tour would be better would be for Scott to take you downtown to the Hall of Justice where the Tate-LaBianca murders were tried. But that would add at least another hour to the tour. Also, it would be terrific to take a tour of the old Spahn Ranch, but that's in Simi Valley and, again, that would add at least another hour to the tour. My advice: Buy Scott's terrific DVD, "Six Degrees of Helter Skelter", to see the Hall of Justice and Spahn Ranch, as well as Jay Sebring's house (which Scott can't get to because of the narrow street leading to it). Then go on the tour to see the locations and remember the departed: Steven Parent (murdered first); Sharon Tate; Jay Sebring; Abigail Folger; Voytek Frykowski; Leno LaBianca; and Rosemary LaBianca. Scott donates a portion of each tour to the Doris Tate Crime Victim's Foundation. You also get a chip of a brick from the fireplace at the Tate residence before it was torn down.

Very informative with small details that are interesting to know that I would have never found out unless I booked this tour. This topic is of interest to many all over the world. So of course it was worth every cent. Thank you, thank you! Mark De Prima