[glamorous instrumental music]
The images come right out of Broadway.
Whimsical, colorful and dramatic.
Much like the owners of this property.
- Randy: They were theater royalty.
- Angela: They were America's first couple of theater.
Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
- Randy: And the reason why they're remembered by so many people,
'cause they went to every little small town.
They didn't just do Broadway, they acted everywhere.
- Angela: When the Lunts weren't on the road,
or doing Broadway shows,
this is the place they called home,
an estate called Ten Chimneys.
In this country setting, just outside Genesee Depot.
- Good morning, Janice. - Good morning, Randy.
- How's life?
- Angela: Randy Bryant is the president and CEO
of the Ten Chimneys Foundation.
- Randy: It's a true love.
I enjoy every day coming into work.
Oh, Janice, make sure you water the plants.
I'm a preservationist and architectural historian,
and a theater lover.
So, it really feeds all of my passions.
Alrighty, take care. Bye.
- Angela: Randy's mission is to help restore, preserve,
and share this world class museum
as a national resource for theater education.
- Randy: Many actors make a pilgrimage here
'cause it's ground zero for American theater.
Just as when the Lunts were here,
you had Helen Hayes, Sir Laurence Olivier,
Katharine Hepburn.
All would come out here
and they would spend their summers here at Ten Chimneys.
- Angela: Come along on a tour with Randy
and you'll hear his commitment
to preserving the Lunts' lifestyle.
- After Lynn died, Alfred Lunt's brother-in-law,
George Bugbee,
he understood treasure that was there
and really wanted to protect it.
He basically locked the house up
with all their possessions into it.
All the way down to their underwear,
to their mouthwash, toothbrush.
- Angela: Everything you see is exactly how the Lunts left it.
- Randy: Alfred was a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef.
He loved to cook there.
To this day that kitchen remains
as just a beautiful kitchen with stainless steel top.
- Angela: And if the way to a man's heart is through his stomach
the dining room was the heart of this home.
- Randy: Dinner is served.
The main room of the house really was the dining room,
because that's where they would entertain their guests.
They felt that the perfect setting was six to eight, no more.
- Angela: Today, the number of guests has grown.
After extensive renovations in 2003,
Ten Chimneys opened to the public.
- Randy: What inspires me is when
I see others become really excited
about what we do here.
It is a place that was intentionally created to be this way.
Everything about it was created by Alfred and Lynn.
- Angela: A favorite story for Randy
is how Lynn was meticulous with detail
and each room is created like a Broadway stage set.
- Randy: Being theater people,
they gave a lot of thought to each piece.
Where it should go. What should be there.
And that's where it was placed.
Just as a stage set,
only what you can see was painted.
As you go behind the sofa...
nothing, it stops,
so all the painting's over.
- Angela: Paintings are a major focal point
for this Swedish-inspired manor home.
- Enter the drawing room.
When I think the main house,
I can't help but to love the work of Claggett Wilson.
He did all the murals in the house.
This is the original
and we just have to clean it.
But, we left a patch. That patch is right here.
We call it the nicotine patch,
because this shows how much soot was here from smoking
and the fireplace burning and all that.
- Angela: One of Randy's special gathering spots is the piano,
which became another treasured piece of art.
- Randy: Claggett Wilson also painted the Steinway piano.
Let's see what I can remember from my days.
[piano music]
I don't know if my piano teacher's going to like that.
Let's try this.
[piano music]
Well enough of that. [laughs]
Prior to being called Ten Chimneys,
it was called The Farm.
- Angela: And that farm life continues to this day.
- I like it to be authentic
and organic.
When I first came to Ten Chimneys,
I decided, let's bring this around to farms.
I went out and got the 18 chicks and they were one day old.
People went crazy over it. [clucking]
Alfred had the White Rock chickens.
He started with 18, so we started with 18.
He grew to 200.
We're at 140 right now.
- Angela: After a hard day of farm work,
the Lunts could take a dip in the pool.
- Ah, the swimming pool,
has seen a lot of action.
- Angela: And... it's not just any pool.
- The first "L" shaped, in-ground pool,
in the state of Wisconsin, was installed 1932.
- Angela: Life on the farm wasn't all work.
There was a lot of play,
as in rehearsing their plays,
in a building called The Studio.
- So this the Lunts' studio and this is
where they would love to come and practice their lines,
and dance.
With all the windows open and the wind blowing,
the chandelier just chimes.
- Angela: The stage is also set outside,
across the landscape of Ten Chimneys.
- Oh, it's nice and warm in here.
I come out here and I love being here every day.
There's no other place like it.
I love the grounds, in terms of beauty,
the aesthetics of the buildings.
They were so dedicated to making sure
that it was a perfect environment.
It's a way in which I love living life.
[piano music fades]