Gift from Fontaine's daughter will fund refurbishments of

FontaineContinuedfromPage 1Joan Fontaine, whoseolder sister is the equally legendaryHolllvood actress OIiviade Havilland, asked Montalvonot to disclose the exactsum. She declined to be inteiviewed,as she "wants thisto be about her mother, notabout her," said Susan Pfeiffer,an assistant to Fontaine,in an e-mail. "Joan wantedto preserve her mother'slove for theater by helpingto maintain this wonderfulDIace." -Born in England in 1886,Lilian Ruse lived for a time inTokyo with her first husband,British patent attorney Wal-.ter de Haviiland, and theirtwo daughters. (She latermarried George F ontaine.)In 1923, the family settledin Saratoga, where Lilianjoined the social circle ofJames D. Phelan, a formerU.S. senator who in 1912 hadestablished the l75-estate,known for most of its historyas Villa Montalvo.Lilian Fontaine had herown career in film, alongsidethe likes of Laraine Dav, JaneW;'rnan and daughter Joan,and she was Montalvo's flrstartistic director, fuom 1942to 1962. She coached dramastudents in Saratosa andshowcased their efforts in thesarden theater. "And she'scredited with having loroughtShakespearean plays to Montalvo,"said McConnell. "Andthat is absolutely a dream fbrus. to have Shakespeare inour theater again." -. o ' ;The e'ift lrom Joan Fontaine-- who jumped fromLos Gatos High to Holiyrvood,starring in Alfred Hitchcock's"Rebecia" and "Suspicion,"for which she won an Oscar- will be used to reframe thelandscape around the theater,which was renovated in 1987.Olivia de Havilland attendedthe dedication ceremony.Delmar McComb, Montaivo'sgarden curator, saidhe would like to planL a sixtoeight-foot hedge behindand alonq the sides of thetheater. This will "framethe amphitheater and unifyit," he said, "creating moreintimacy and a little moreseDaration" from lhe surroundinglandscape.The effect would be "almostlike that of a Shakespeareantheater, with archescirt into the hedserow. ... Aurdthese arches would directyour eye out into the woodlandsbehind the theater"as well as into surroundinglawns, garden areas andpathways.those would bePATRICK TEHAN / IVERCURY NEDan Manou of San Jose walks Friday on the Poet'sWalkway at Saratoga's Villa Montalvo. As part of theimprovements at the theater, Montalvo's garden curatorwants to give the landscaping a Shakespearean feel.I Lqi,vrvsHev andscaned zreas 2s well as sipnase hearins Fontaine sname. will be included in the theater's restoration,planted with "really bold architecturalpiants from theCanary Islands," he said,"kind of like a yucca, butsofter and with flowers." Healso envisions a trellised rosestrewnpathway leading intothe theater from the south.And the Montalvo directoralready is imagining a secondphase to the refurbishment:"I'm sending a proposal toOlivia de Havilland, who livesin Paris" - and has been famouslyestranged from sisterJoan for years. "I'11 ask for"Ifyou everwonder about me," LilianFontaine is said to have told a friendbefore her de'ath, "r:{;r-ne to this garden,and I'11tre here ... some\\rhere around.""t think il t';rn be an experiencr.:in and of itself, just togo inro that theater," he said."That's the intention. Let'smake it fun and beautiful andrestful."McConnell hopes ,IoanFontaine will visit Montalvoearly in the fall as the projectbeeins.her suppott for somethingthat was so beloved by herfamily. It would be incredibiyrewarding to play a part,"McConnell said, in having thesisters "share some kind ofjoy at this connection."Contact Richard Scheinin at408-920-s069.