Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan
The Barbie Dream House was a pink playhouse for kids. But I lived in the real one. Unlike the pink plastic fantasy every girl wanted, Jack Ryan’s real Dream House was a 5 acre Bel Air Castle, hosting 300 parties a year for Hollywood’s A-list. Jack's creative mind worked 24/7 delighting people who knew him. But there’s a darker side to the Dream House. Salacious headlines, lawsuits and a standoff with LAPD SWAT Team, the REAL story of Jack Ryan has not been told until now, by me, his daughter, Ann Ryan. ©2022 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
Episodes
In this special episode of Dream House: The Real Story of Jack Ryan, I’m sharing a live conversation recorded at Bradley Justice Yarbrough’s 2025 Swell World event. We talked about what it was like growing up in my father’s incredible Bel Air Castle, receiving the first Barbie doll, the family behind the story, and the legacy of Barbie’s true origins.
It was one of the most personal and meaningful interviews I’ve done, and I’m excit...
In this captivating episode, Ann Ryan sits down with fashion historian and Barbie expert Bradley Justice Yarbrough to delve into the intricate world of Barbie's design and cultural impact. Bradley shares his unique insights into the fashion elements that have defined Barbie over the decades and discusses the influence of Jack Ryan's visionary designs. Together, they explore the intersection of fashion, toy design, and the l...
Ann Ryan interviews longtime friend Maura Dhu Studi, two time Emmy Award winning actor, writer, director, producer (and occasional partner in crime) about life at the Castle and their unsupervised romps through Hollywood during the wild 1970’s!
Ann Ryan interviews longtime friend Maura Dhu Studi, two time Emmy Award winning actor, writer, director, producer (and occasional partner in crime) about life at the Castle and their ...
Jack Ryan’s grandson, Eric Levine, and Ann Ryan discuss her recent trip to Los Angeles to film a 90 minute documentary film about Jack Ryan’s creation of Barbie. Produced by Two Rivers Media in Glasgow, Scotland, the film is set for release in January 2024. Time to set the record straight. Check out these links to recent articles for more info.
Jack’s grandson, Eric Levine, and Ann Ryan discuss the hoopla surrounding the recently released Barbie movie. Jack Ryan invented Barbie. Time to set the record straight. Check out these links to recent articles for more info.
Marc Emrich and his family resided at 688 Nimes Rd (aka the Castle) before the Ryan family purchased it. He "...never spent a full night in that house without a nightmare," and both he and his sister saw an apparition. He also shares a bizarre encounter featuring Jack Ryan.
©2023 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
https://www.dreamhouse-thejackryanstory.com/
Welcome to Season Two! Jack Ryan invented toys as well as a custom-tailored lifestyle for himself. Some of that did not sit so well with his family. Dr. Lisa F. Wood looks into some of the reasons why. Ann Ryan shares some not-so-wonderful encounters with her father.
©2023 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
Season 1 included a cornucopia of stories - good, bad and sometimes horrifying, from those who worked and played alongside Jack Ryan at his castle playground as he rose from missile designer to Mattel's secret weapon and Host of Hollywood. Season 2 will feature more inside looks at the parties, the lifestyle, the lawsuit, the wild ride and tragic ending of one of the 20th Century's most remarkable men.
©2023 Ann Ryan - ...
Dr. Lisa F. Wood shares her fascinating insights about family, class, inventing and women's roles as reflected in some of the other episodes.©2022 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
Bestselling author Jerry Oppenheimer holds back nothing as he shares his experience of writing Toy Monster - The Big Bad World of Mattel. Jack’s David and Goliath battle against Mattel (and Ruth Handler) continues to this day!
©2022 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
Amazon Link to Toy Monster: https://tinyurl.com/434b3bmh
This episode is a behind the scenes look at how in 1967 Jack recruited Tim Wyndham through MENSA and made him the Estate Manager for his Dream House. Tim shares his remembrances of running the parties, managing Jack’s female friends and employees, and the challenges of a 24/7 live in position catering to the whims of a highly creative and mercurial boss.
©2022 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights ...
David Dreyfuss, a friend from UCLA Film School, shares his recollections from 1974 of coming to the castle for the first time, making a movie with Jack, and visiting Jack’s wife Zsa Zsa Gabor.
©2022 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
Derek Gable, a former Mattel executive, who worked alongside my father in what was known as Preliminary Design, shares his stories of the culture in Mattel’s Think Tank in the late 60s and 70s, and his memories of working with Jack Ryan.
©2022 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
Psychologist, Dr. Lisa F. Wood, shares her remembrances of life at the castle when she visited as a teenaged friend of Jack’s daughter Ann. She also discusses with Ann some of the unusual family dynamics that existed, and how the family coped in this extraordinary world.
©2022 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
Russ Levine, Ann’s former husband (and Jack Ryan’s son-in-law) shares stories of his relationship with Jack, crazy stuff when Jack lived with actress Robyn Hilton (of Blazing Saddles fame) and a terrifying standoff with the LAPD SWAT Team.
©2022 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
Susan Jeter, who worked at Jack's post castle home in Beverly Hills (previously occupied by Boris Karloff and Katherine Hepburn), shares stories of Jack's adjustment to his new digs.
©2022 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
Alan J. Adler is an American writer, producer, and pop culture historian, known for his work in exploitation 3-D films and the founding of the Archives at 20th Century Fox. Also a toy expert and pop culture historian, Alan, who knew Jack Ryan, shares his take on Jack's contributions.
©2022 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
Susan reflects on her time at the Castle - first as a calligrapher while in high school, then later hijinks while living there as part of the student program, and her relationship with Jack.
©2022 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
Annie shares stories of a special Castle wedding, Jack's lawsuit against Mattel, and his tragic suicide.
©2022 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
Annie shares meeting Jack for the first time in Paris, party life at the castle, Jack's marriage to Zsa Zsa Gabor, and the woman who abetted Jack's drug use.
©2022 Ann Ryan - Dream House - The Real Story of Jack Ryan. All rights reserved.
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