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Image / Harold Lloyd mansion Christmas tree

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Title
Harold Lloyd mansion Christmas tree
Alternative Title
Los Angeles Herald Examiner Photo Collection
Creator
Ortiz, Sergio
Date Created and/or Issued
Circa 1973
Contributing Institution
Los Angeles Public Library
Collection
Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
Rights Information
Images available for reproduction and use. Please see the Ordering & Use page at http://tessa.lapl.org/OrderingUse.html for additional information.
Description
Title supplied by cataloger.; Original photograph has several small white spots.; "The address is sometimes given as 1225 Benedict Canyon Drive, but the official address of the mansion today is 1740 Greenacres Drive."
Harold Lloyd was born on April 20, 1893 in Burchard, Nebraska. He was an American actor, comedian, film director, producer, screenwriter, and stunt performer who is best known for his silent comedy films. He was also a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was one of the most popular actors of the silent film era along with Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Lloyd's performance hanging from the hands of a clock high above the street in Safety Last! (1923) is one of the most iconic images in all of cinema. Lloyd began acting at the age of 20 and became friends with filmmaker Hal Roach. In 1919 he was seriously injured while holding what he thought was a prop bomb. It exploded, causing him to lose the thumb and forefinger of his right hand. By 1921 Lloyd and Roach moved from short films to feature length comedies. The films were popular and highly profitable, making him one of the wealthiest and most influential figures in early Hollywood. Lloyd married actress Mildred Davis on Saturday, February 10, 1923 in Los Angeles. The couple had three children (one adopted). After the silent film era, his popularity waned and he basically retired from film. In 1944 he became director and host of a radio anthology series that lasted only one season. He became involved in civic and charity work and experimented with photography. He died on March 8, 1971.; The Harold Lloyd Estate, also known as Greenacres, was designed by Sumner Spaulding and built in the late1920s. It is located in the Benedict Canyon section of Beverly Hills.The property originally included a 44-room mansion, which was Lloyd's residence until his death in 1971, a golf course, and outbuildings. The property was later subdivided into multiple lots, but the mansion, remaining intact, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In addition, the home is also a California Historical Landmark and a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.
Photograph caption reads "Giant Christmas tree in ornately decorated garden room at Harold Lloyd estate has been preserved for 10 years. The original fir tree, sprayed with special fire-proofing, is supported on a bamboo skeleton." The huge tree is at the far end of the room, decorated with hundreds of ornaments and lights. The ceiling has an intricate floral or botanical design and there are windows with draperies on either side of the tree. There are also sofas, tables with lamps and framed photographs on one of the tables. The tree was kept up year-round by the Lloyd family. The mansion is located at 1740 Greenacres Drive in Beverly Hills, near Benedict Canyon Drive.
Type
Image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;26 x 21 cm.
Photographic prints
Identifier
00110744
Herald Examiner Collection
HE box 330
CARL0005357460
http://173.196.26.125/cdm/ref/collection/photos/id/34019
Subject
Lloyd, Harold,--1893-1971--Homes and haunts
Greenacres (Beverly Hills, Calif.)
Dwellings--California--Beverly Hills
Mansions--California--Beverly Hills
Christmas trees--California--Beverly Hills
Christmas tree ornaments--California--Beverly Hills
Christmas lights--California--Beverly Hills
Sofas--California--Beverly Hills
Lamps--California--Beverly Hills
Tables--California--Beverly Hills
Interiors--California--Beverly Hills
Architecture, Domestic--California--Beverly Hills--Mediterranean influences
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments
California Historical Landmarks
Beverly Hills (Calif.)
Los Angeles Herald-Examiner photographs
Herald-Examiner Collection photographs

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