"The Girl from Montmartre" filming at La Venta Inn, Palos Verdes Estates, California
Contributor
Davis, Francis Pierpont (architect) Davis, Walter Swindell, 1887- (architect) Olmsted Associates (architect) Shattuch Construction Co. (builder) Lawyer, Jay (builder) Lewis, Edward Gardner (builder) Chaney, Charles H. (builder) Lawyer, Donald K. (builder)
Electronically digitized by the Palos Verdes Library District from the Palos Verdes Library Local History Room Photo Collection. Copyright status must be investigated before publishing or commercial use. To obtain permission and images for publication purposes please contact the Palos Verdes Library District.
Description
Image shows view of the film's cast and crew gathered beneath the courtyard pergola while shooting on location at La Venta Inn, located at 796 Via del Monte on lots 4, 5, and 6, block 1536. The silent film, released in January of 1926 and based on the novel "Spanish Sunlight" by Anthony Pryde, used La Venta to represent the main character's home on the island of Majorca. Identified seated in front row are, left to right: Lewis Stone (actor), Barbara La Marr (actress), E.H. Calvert (actor), Mathilde Comont [?] (actress), and at far right holding hat across his knee, Robert Ellis (actor.) Standing behind Stone and La Marr is the film's director, Aldred E. Green and at far right, in a light-colored dress with dark long bow, Miss Reba Willis, manager of La Venta Inn. The Inn, originally built as a club house (named "Clubhouse 764") to entertain realtors and prospective land owners, opened in the summer of 1923 and was the first permanent building constructed by the Palos Verdes Project. The name was soon changed to La Venta (meaning "The Sale" in Spanish) and the inn served as a sales office and architectural prototype for the peninsula. During the 1930s it became a weekend retreat for notable celebrities such as Charles Lindbergh, Erroll Flynn, Betty Grable, Bob Hope, Tyrone Power, Cary Grant, and Gloria Swanson. Briefly in 1942 the Inn became the central observation post of the coastal artillery. From 1944 to 1954 the property was the residence of Commander and Mrs. Stanley Schnetzler, and was re-established as an inn in 1955. On November 11, 1978, La Venta Inn became the first structure designated as an historical landmark by the Rancho de los Palos Verdes Historical Society. In 1992 the New York Food Company took over management of the property. Date Built: 1923 Photo Source: Palos Verdes Homes Association PVH building permit #4.
Type
Text
Format
1 photographic print (b/w); 8 x 9.5 in.
Identifier
pvld:2120 bar code: 000025338 negative number: 420
Subject
Willis, Reba (1887-1977) Historic buildings--California--Palos Verdes Estates Hotels--California, Southern Motion picture production & direction La Marr, Barbara, 1896-1926 Stone, Lewis, 1879-1953 Green, Alfred E., 1889-1960 Ellis, Robert, 1892-1974 La Venta Inn (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.)
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
