A Temptation in Woodland Hills

Otis Williams, the last living member of the original Motown group the Temptations and one of the singers in the current quintet, has purchased a home in Woodland Hills.

One of the most popular R&B; groups in pop history, the Temptations of the ‘60s helped to establish the Motown sound with such hits as “My Girl,” “Pappa Was a Rolling Stone” and “The Way You Do the Things You Do.”

Williams, 58, gave the original group its name and created many of its well-known vocal arrangements and its synchronized choreography, which also became synonymous with the Motown style.

The Temptations, or Temps, of today not only carry on the original group’s name but also its tradition of soul vocal harmony.

Williams regularly performs with the quintet on the road, so he bought a low-maintenance home he could lock up and leave, sources said. He was formerly leasing in Encino. The so-called soul survivor of the original Detroit-based group has lived in California since the 1970s.

The Spanish-style home, which he purchased for $485,000, has four bedrooms and five baths in about 3,800 square feet. Built in 1989, the house also has a pool. It is near the Woodland Hills Country Club.

Alexandra de Graeve of Re/Max on the Boulevard in Sherman Oaks represented Williams in his purchase.

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The 18,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style villa that was built on the site of the Benedict Canyon home where actress Sharon Tate and four others were murdered by Charles Manson’s gang in 1968 has been sold in the $6-million range.

The buyer was Jeff Franklin, executive producer of the movies “Stuart Little” and “Love Stinks,” which he also wrote and directed. He worked in TV for two decades and created the series “Full House” and “Hanging With Mr. Cooper.” He is also executive producer of the series “Malcolm & Eddie.”

Known as “Villa Bella,” the house, on 3.3 acres, was originally listed in 1994, when construction had just begun, at $12.5 million. The owner-builder was Al Weintraub, who bought the property in 1991.

Weintraub razed the house in which the murders occurred after it failed to sell in 1992, when it was listed at $4.95 million.

For about a year before he tore down the house, however, he rented it to Trent Reznor of the synthesized-rock group Nine Inch Nails. Reznor set up a recording studio in the house and recorded an album there.

After Weintraub razed the house, he extensively graded the property, creating a larger building pad.

The newly built home has nine bedrooms, including two master suites, a wine cellar, screening room, elevator, tennis court, infinity pool, spa and city-to-ocean views. It also has 18-foot entry gates and a motor court with parking for dozens of cars.

The house was listed with Jeff Hyland of Hilton & Hyland, Beverly Hills.

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Veteran producer Martin Ransohoff and his wife, Joan, have put their longtime Holmby Hills home on the market at just under $4.3 million.

Through his Filmways company, Ransohoff, now in his early 70s, produced such popular TV series as “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Green Acres” and “The Addams Family.”

He also has produced more than 30 movies, including “The Americanization of Emily” (1964), “The Cincinnati Kid” (1965), “Catch-22” (1970), “Save the Tiger” (1973) and “Jagged Edge” (1985).

The Ransohoffs’ home of more than 25 years was built in 1939 and has six bedrooms in about 5,000 square feet. The home, on an acre, also has a breakfast room, den, artist’s studio, projection theater, pool, spa and tennis court.

June Scott has the listing at June Scott Estates, a Coldwell Banker Previews company, Beverly Hills North office.

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A house in Malibu Colony that was owned by actress Merle Oberon in the mid-’70s has been listed at $5.5 million.

The English country-style home has 46 feet of sandy beach. Built in the ‘30s but remodeled several times over the years, the home also has three bedrooms in the main 4,500-square-foot house plus three bedrooms in a two-story 1,500-square-foot guest house.

The oceanfront home also has an office, sauna, sun deck, pool and spa.

Jack Pritchett of Pritchett-Rapf, Malibu, has the listing.