March 24, 2026
Quote of the Day
If we would have new knowledge, we must get a whole world of new questions.
~ Susanne K. Langer
This Day in History
March 24, 1972: “The Godfather” opens in theaters. On this day in 1972, The Godfather – a three-hour epic chronicling the lives of the Corleones, an Italian-American crime family led by the powerful Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) – is released in theaters nationwide. The Godfather was adapted from the best-selling book of the same name by Mario Puzo, a novelist who grew up in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen and got his start writing pulp stories for men’s magazines. Controversy surrounded the film from the beginning: Soon after Paramount Pictures announced its production, the Italian-American Civil Rights League held a rally in Madison Square Garden, claiming the film would amount to a slur against Italian Americans. The uproar only increased publicity for the movie, which Paramount was counting on to become a big-money hit after the success of Puzo’s novel.
The studio’s production chief, Robert Evans, approached several directors – including Sergio Leone and Costa Gavras – about The Godfather before hiring the relatively unknown Francis Ford Coppola, who was only 31 years old at the time. As an Italian American himself, Coppola strove to make the film an authentic representation of the time period and the culture, and to do justice to the complex relationships within the Corleone family, instead of focusing primarily on the violent crime aspect of the story. He worked with Puzo on the screenplay and persuaded Paramount to increase the budget of the film, which the studio had envisioned as a relatively meager $2.5 million.
Perhaps most importantly, Coppola and Puzo fought to cast Marlon Brando in the coveted role of Vito Corleone. At the time, Brando’s career had been in decline for a decade, and he had become notorious for his moody on-set behavior, most notably during the filming of 1962’s Mutiny on the Bounty. When Paramount insisted that Brando do a screen test, the legendary actor complied because he wanted the role so badly. Reading his lines from hidden cue cards, Brando turned in a phenomenal, intuitive performance as the Godfather, winning an Academy Award for Best Actor (which he declined to accept). Combined with Coppola’s meticulous direction and memorable performances by the rest of the film’s cast, including Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton, Brando’s star turn propelled the film to record-breaking box-office success, as well as three Academy Awards, for Best Actor, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
The Godfather has remained a perennial choice on critics’ lists of the all-time best films in history. In 2007, it ranked second on the American Film Institute (AFI)’s list of the greatest movies of all time, behind Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941). Its sequel, The Godfather: Part II, was released in 1974 and won six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. A third installment, The Godfather: Part III (1990), received some positive reviews but was generally considered to be the weakest of the three films.
Ojai Weather
Partly sunny – High 80 / 49
Total rainfall for the season – 26.67
Lake Casitas water capacity – 99.8%
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
12:15 p.m.
Eight new or “coming soon” listings have come to the market since Friday:
10995 Alto Court – $2,995,000
211 N. Signal Street – $2,250,000
1400 Maricopa Highway – $1,500,000
325 Bryant Street – $3,000,000
113 S. Blanche Street – $350,000
401 S. Fulton Street – $4,500,000
1213 San Ramon Way – $2,150,000
1417 Foothill Road – $3,695,000
(Coming soon – 4/1/26. This was recently on the market on 12/31/25.)
Pic of the Day
Friday, March 20, 2026
9:20 a.m.
There are five new listings on the market:
143 N. Poli Street – $925,000
210 N. Lomita Avenue – $869,000
1104 Foothill Road – $5,600,000
1114 Mercer Avenue – $1,595,000
1273 S. Rice Road #45 – $249,000
Here’s a check-in on mortgage rates (it’s not pretty, considering we hit a low of 5.99% about a month ago):
30-yr fixed: 6.53%
15-yr fixed: 6.07%
30-yr Jumbo: 6.63%
30-yr FHA: 6.00%
30-yr VA: 6.01%
Have a great weekend!
Pic of the Day
Thursday, March 19, 2026
11:50 a.m.
There are three new listings on the market:
4440 Grand Avenue – $3,600,000
1015 W. El Roblar Drive – $2,295,000
203 N. Fulton Street – $969,000
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
11:45 a.m.
There are two new listings on the market:
290 Encino Drive – $1,050,000
1273 S. Rice Road #100 – $320,000
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as “new:”
- 216 N. Fulton Street – $980,000 (this had recently expired on 12/31/25)
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
12:05 p.m.
Three new listings have come to the market since Friday:
507 Gridley Road – $2,350,000
310 E. Matilija Street – $3,550,000
265 Encino Drive – $499,000
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as “new:”
- 0 Sulphur Mountain Road – $800,000 (this recently expired on 12/31, but was listed as “10331 Sulphur Mountain Road”).
- 240 N. Padre Juan Avenue – $1,025,000 (this is coming soon on 4/3, but it had recently expired on 1/28).
Pic of the Day
Friday, March 13, 2026
11:45 a.m.
There are six new listings on the market:
33 Monterey Drive – $1,477,000
1176 N. Ventura Avenue – $695,000
108 E. Matilija Street – $3,550,000
205 N. Signal Street – $2,250,000
119 S. Alvarado Street – $659,000
1202 Loma Drive #67 – $285,000
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as new:”
- 950 Woodland Avenue #26 – $399,990 (this had recently been cancelled on 2/5).
Pic of the Day
Thursday, March 12, 2026
12:00 p.m.
There are four new or “coming soon” listings on the market:
10505 Dale Avenue – $775,000
701 W. Lomita Avenue – $975,000
7343 Rose Valley Road – $950,000
3935 Thacher Road – $3,695,000 (coming soon, 3/18)
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
10:20 a.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
561 Saddle Lane – $9,850,000
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
12:30 p.m.
Three new or “coming soon” listings have come to the market since Friday:
95 Taormina Lane – $1,150,000
1202 Loma Drive #7 – $418,500
12838 MacDonald Drive – $2,560,000 (coming soon, 3/18)
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as “new:”
- 182 Mountain View Street (land) – $525,000 (this had recently expired on 3/7).
- Hendrickson Road (land) – $795,000 (this had recently expired on 2/28).
Pic of the Day
Friday, March 6, 2026
10:35 a.m.
There is a new listing on the market:
12471 Sisar Road – $1,395,000
A couple of unique events are scheduled this weekend in Ojai:
- The Ojai School of Rock showcase is being held at the Ojai Valley Women’s Club on Sunday at 12:00 noon. I have nephews in this program (in the Chicago area). It’s a great way to get kids interested in music and provides a place to connect or jam with other budding musicians.
- “Songs of the Vagabond Cello” – featuring Ian Maksin, who will be performing at the Ojai Art Center on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Have a great weekend!
Pic of the Day
Thursday, March 5, 2026
1:50 p.m.
There are four new or “coming soon” listings on the market:
642 Tico Road – $4,200,000
11400 Topa Vista Road – $4,500,000
1350 Cuyama Road – $1,695,000
127 Fairway Lane – $2,395,000 (coming soon, 3/9)
Pic of the Day
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
9:25 a.m.
Six new or “coming soon” listings have come to the market since Friday:
124 S. Padre Juan Avenue – $899,000
1273 S. Rice Road #4 – $279,000
128 Don Felipe Way – $380,000
1273 S. Rice Road #12 – $399,000
546 S. La Luna Avenue – $925,000 (coming soon, 3/7)
130 Olive Street – $995,000 (coming soon, 3/6)
Recently cancelled, withdrawn, or expired listings – back on the market as “new:”
- 1125 Spring Street – $2,495,000 (this was recently withdrawn from the market on 1/5).
Pic of the Day
Click here for archived February, 2026 posts
