San Francisco eccentric Bob Pritikin isn't just an art collector, former ad executive and hotelier, and "friend of the stars" (his words.) Now he's a documentarian and his subject, as it always has been, is Bob Pritikin.
In 53 minutes you can learn all about Pritikin's "9 Lives" (only 9?) including one in which he opened the 1977 "Mansion Hotel", a bed and breakfast in Pacific Heights full of magic shows and musical performances. Of the hotel, he remembers onetime guest Robin Williams: "Now here's a guy who reminded me that cocaine is god's way of telling you you're making too much money."
Pritikin's premise, his claim to have coined Google's name, isn't going to make him money anytime soon, and good, because he doesn't seem to need any. In 1981, Pritikin built himself a Glen Park mansion, "Chenery House", which remains the largest private property in the city and features a swimming pool inside a second story living room. He has converted the space into a museum. By the way, check out that museum link because it's got another bonkers video in which Pritikin estimates his art collection to be worth $40 million. The mansion, he notes, has also got a waterfall and a fire-spewing bronze tree. No kidding.
I recommend jumping around the full Pritikin documentary because every segment is a hoot and the chronology doesn't matter a great deal. And of course, Googol, of which Google's name is a supposed misspelling, is actually a word said to have been invented in 1938 by a 9-year-old boy to mean a number with a lot of zeros. Kind of like how much Pritikin is worth, in cash and laughs.