Mr. Hutton picked last fall's wind-driven fires, which he watched scorch the Malibu hills from a promontory at the juncture of Wilshire Boulevard and Ocean Avenue.

So I went to the suite of rooms I was using as my private quarters in the building up atop the Malibu hills.

The contours of the Dan House, for instance, echo the lines of the Malibu hills, the sea's blue horizon.

The town borders the Malibu hills, and is nine miles (14 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean.

IT WAS DUSK when The Three Investigators reached the spot where the narrow gravel road to Bainbridge's ranch crossed the paved mountain road that wound up through the Malibu hills.

A real estate developer (Eric Roberts) sells out his partner/buddy in order to clear the path for the construction of a hotel in the Malibu hills.

Filming continued at a mansion in the Malibu hills.

They do things differently in Malibu, and they definitely do things differently at Connemara Ranch, a four-acre spread in the Malibu hills that is part riding stable, part equine therapy center, and where L.T., Comet and the rest of the 20-horse herd owned by Talley Hutcherson are stabled.

Weekends, some of the agents and producers and studio execs, they're up in the Malibu hills playing war games with these CO2 guns.

At Connemara Ranch, 5900 Bonsall Drive, Malibu, (310) 457-5838, Talley Hutcherson keeps a stable of 20 spirited but otherwise benign steeds for guided trail rides over the Malibu hills, fragrant with wild fennel and revealing stunning views of the Pacific.