A Revised View of Kimball Sanitarium – Part 3

I’ve been writing about the details of one of La Crescenta’s most storied mental institutions, Kimball Sanitarium, located where our Ralphs on Foothill Boulevard is today. I gained a whole new view of the place based on interviews and emails with David Kimball, who grew up there in the ’40s and ’50s. The sanitarium was run by Dave’s father Merritt Kimball. In this installment I’ll talk about the patients.

As I’ve said before, the sanitarium’s capacity was 45, but they rarely had that many patients. It was usually in the 30s. It was a high-end private pay facility with a few court-ordered referrals.

Dave Kimball remembers: “While I think my father’s focus was on mental patients, he also accepted alcoholics and some drug [addicted] patients. Compared to today, there weren’t that many of them. During my formative years (in the ’40s and ’50s), most or all of the patients were referred by two well-known psychiatrists of the time, Drs. Gerty and Doyle. Each came to the sanitarium twice weekly (different days) to consult with their patients and with Merritt Kimball. Merritt, of course, did not participate in the medical decisions. His role was to run the sanitarium and make certain each patient was treated well and in accordance with his or her doctor’s instructions. All medications were controlled by the head nurse in a little secure pharmacy that was located in the patient building.”

There have been rumors over the years about famous actors who were committed to Kimball’s, although few have been verified. We can confirm that famous actress Francis Farmer was an unwilling patient at Kimball Sanitarium. In 1942, after a violent interaction with police and the courts in 1942, she was referred to Kimball Sanitarium where she spent nine months receiving insulin shock therapy. This period was portrayed in the 1982 movie “Francis” starring Jessica Lange.

Another actor who allegedly spent time at Kimball was Bela Lugosi and, again, the stay was portrayed in a 1994 movie “Ed Wood.” Actor Martin Landau portrayed Lugosi, who was battling morphine addiction.

Dave Kimball doesn’t remember Francis Farmer or Bela Lugosi and comments: “I heard the stories regarding Bela Lugosi so I assume they are true. I don’t recall other ‘Hollywood’ types being patients, although it is certainly possible. The fact that La Crescenta in those days was a small community that many people didn’t know existed and Merritt Kimball’s policy of ‘Privacy is Paramount’ suggests that we could have housed more famous folks – from Hollywood or not. As a kid, I met and conversed with patients all the time and usually they were quite nice to me –the exception being when I was asked to help a patient in restraints.

“Regarding patient files, they were at all times confidential, just as they usually are today. When the sanitarium closed in 1962, all patient files were put into secure storage somewhere, in accordance with the legal requirements at the time. Then, shortly after Merritt Kimball passed away in 1992, they were retrieved from the storage area and destroyed.”

As far as food goes, the patients at Kimball were treated to the best as Merritt was fastidious about food. He had a trusted Filipino cook who worked for him for 40 years and was a phenomenal chef. In fact, one of the attending psychiatrists always timed his patient visits according to what was on the menu, especially when fresh baked pies were available. The produce markets in Downtown LA were visited at daybreak daily to buy the freshest fruits and vegetables. They had a deal with the butcher at Spike Jones Market to provide them with the best cuts of meat. Dave said he spent a lot of time working in the kitchen.

The Kimball family attracted good employees who stayed for decades. The Kimballs were also good community members; Merritt was a reserve deputy sheriff and member of the Masons and Rotary, and his wife with the Woman’s Club and Children’s Home Society. They were good people, doing a very hard, but necessary, job.

Next week, I’ll wrap up with the demise of Kimball Sanitarium in 1962.