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133-594: The Harold Lloyd Estate , also known as Greenacres , is a large mansion and landscaped estate located in the Benedict Canyon section of Beverly Hills, California . Built in the late 1920s by silent film star Harold Lloyd , it remained Lloyd's home until his death in 1971. The estate originally consisted of a 44-room mansion, golf course, outbuildings, and 900-foot (270 m) canoe run on 15 acres (61,000 m). Greenacres has been called "the most impressive movie star's estate ever created." After Lloyd died,

266-463: A Barbary Coast gambling joint, and Spencer Tracy as his boyhood chum who has become a priest and gives the moral messages. In the summer of 1936, filming began on Maytime , co-starring Nelson Eddy, Frank Morgan , and Paul Lukas, produced by Irving Thalberg . After Thalberg's untimely death in September, production was shut down and the half-finished film scrapped. A new script was filmed with

399-481: A HUAC hearing; in a radio interview, MacDonald was quoted as saying, " Let he who is without sin cast the first stone " in response to what her opinion was on the investigations. She fired her manager Charles Wagner for anti-Semitic abuse of her Jewish friend Constance Hope, and declared during the 1940 presidential election, "I sing for Democrats and Republicans, black and white, everyone, and I just can't talk politics." MacDonald met Jack Ohmeis (1901-1967) at

532-686: A Hollywood contract. Sweethearts won the Photoplay Gold Medal Award as Best Picture of the Year. Mayer dropped plans for the team to co-star in Let Freedom Ring , a vehicle first announced for them in 1935. Only Eddy starred, whereas MacDonald and Lew Ayres co-starred in Broadway Serenade (1939) as a contemporary musical couple who clash when her career flourishes while his founders. MacDonald's performance

665-418: A birthday present; after MacDonald's death, it was briefly owned by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and Papas . MacDonald often worried about her husband's self-esteem; his acting career was constantly shaky, and RKO Pictures eventually sold out his contract when he had two movies left to make with them in the 1950s. Although she appreciated his support, MacDonald wished that their success

798-572: A bridal shower at the estate for Jeanette MacDonald attended by Hollywood's elite, including Ginger Rogers , Mary Pickford , Irene Dunne , Fay Wray , Norma Shearer , Dolores del Río , Loretta Young , Mervyn LeRoy , Ernst Lubitsch , Hal Roach , and Darryl Zanuck . Greenacres was built in the 1920s in Beverly Hills, one of Los Angeles's all-white planned communities. The area had restrictive covenants prohibiting non-whites (this also included Jews ) from living there unless they were in

931-444: A concert tour and refused to renew her MGM contract. Months later she summoned her manager Bob Ritchie from London to help her renegotiate. After initially insisting that she wanted to film Smilin' Through with James Stewart and Robert Taylor , MacDonald finally relented and agreed to film New Moon (1940) with Eddy, which proved to be one of MacDonald's more popular films. Composer Sigmund Romberg's 1927 Broadway hit provided

1064-470: A different storyline and supporting actors (including John Barrymore , whose relationship with MacDonald was strained due to his alcoholism). The 'second' Maytime (1937), was the top-grossing film worldwide of the year, and is regarded as one of the best film musicals of the 1930s. "Will You Remember" by Sigmund Romberg brought MacDonald another gold record. The Firefly (1937) was MacDonald's first solo-starring film at MGM with her name alone above

1197-590: A few nightclub appearances. She sang and danced at The Sands and The Sahara in Las Vegas in 1953, The Coconut Grove in Los Angeles in 1954, and again at The Sahara in 1957, but she never felt entirely comfortable in their smoky atmospheres. Starting in 1931 and continuing through the 1950s, MacDonald engaged in regular concert tours between films. Her first European tour was in 1931, where she sang in both France and England. Her first American concert tour

1330-464: A four-room miniature old English house, a miniature old English stable with a pony and cart, Great Dane dogs, a wishing well with water for the daughter's garden, a slide, acrobatic devices and a swing. The miniature house had electricity and a kitchen and bath with running water, where the Lloyds' daughter played with friends, including Shirley Temple . Lloyd named his estate Greenacres, and it became

1463-467: A gathering place for the Lloyds' family and friends. Sundays were known as "at home" day at Greenacres: The 'at home' day at Greenacres was Sunday when 30 or 40 friends would gather in the afternoon, amuse themselves with golf, tennis or handball, swimming, or with leisurely strolls through the gardens. A buffet would be set in the formal dining room and in the evening Lloyd would show a movie. Then he would wave everyone goodnight. In 1937, Mrs. Lloyd hosted

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1596-417: A generation of singers. MacDonald was born Jeannette Anna McDonald on June 18, 1903, at her family's Philadelphia home at 5123 Arch Street. She was the youngest of the three daughters of Anna May (née Wright) and Daniel McDonald, a factory foreman and a salesman for a contracting household building company, respectively, and the younger sister of character actress Blossom Rock (born Edith McDonald), who

1729-572: A good trill, and a Gallic inflection that understood Gounod's phrasing ... You felt if Faust must sell his soul to the devil, at least this time he got his money's worth." MacDonald's extensive radio career may have begun on a 1929 radio broadcast of the Publix Hour . She was on the Academy Awards ceremony broadcast in 1931. She hosted her own radio show, Vicks Open House , from September 1937 to March 1938, for which she received $ 5,000

1862-553: A kind of suspicious curiosity turned out to be sheer delight for me. She studied Marguerite with me—and lieder. These were the ones which astounded me most. I am quite sure that Jeanette would have developed into a serious and successful lieder singer if time would have allowed it." MacDonald made her opera debut singing Juliette in Gounod 's Roméo et Juliette in Montreal at His Majesty's Theatre (May 8, 1943). She quickly repeated

1995-518: A lavish version of the classic 1905 Franz Lehár operetta. The film was highly regarded by critics and operetta lovers in major U.S. cities and Europe, but failed to generate much income outside urban areas, losing $ 113,000. It had a huge budget of $ 1.6 million, partially because it was filmed simultaneously in French as La Veuve Joyeuse , with a French supporting cast and some minor plot changes. Naughty Marietta (1935), directed by W. S. Van Dyke ,

2128-660: A legal battle against the City of Los Angeles over the latter relaxing height requirements to allow a 45,000-square-foot villa that Mark R. Hughes had hoped to build on the area’s highest peak. Benedict Canyon has a mix of vegetation and growth that is endemic to Southern California : oaks and grasses on the lower slopes, and chaparral and lupine on the higher hillsides. Along nearby Franklin's Creek can be found sycamores , ferns and vines. Evergreens, such as pines, cypresses , deodars and eucalyptus , were planted as settlers moved in, and built homes and parks. Vegetation types within

2261-459: A museum, the estate was sold at auction in 1975. The entire property, including grounds and furnishings, was purchased by a retired Iranian businessman, Nasrollah Afshani, for $ 1.6 million. Afshani subdivided the estate into approximately 15 lots in addition to the mansion, with individual lots selling for as much as $ 1.2 million. The mansion was preserved on a smaller 5-acre (20,000 m) parcel and sold for $ 3 million in 1979 to Bernard C. Solomon,

2394-454: A party during her appearance in Tangerine . He was an architecture student at New York University and the son of a successful bottle manufacturer. His family was hesitant about the relationship, assuming that MacDonald was a gold-digger, but accepted her after they met. She and Ohmeis became engaged a year later, but their future plans and aspirations forced them to go their separate ways;

2527-455: A pregnancy to term; she had blackouts and fainting spells, became stressed to the point of not being able to eat, and was frequently in and out of hospitals and trying different treatments (one being massage therapy ), which only worked for a limited time. A few years before her death, MacDonald became a Religious Scientist . Her illnesses would not allow her to perform early morning filming shoots, much to her colleagues' annoyance. MacDonald

2660-416: A private 9-hole golf course, one of the largest pools in the western US, and a miniature English village built for Lloyd's daughter, Gloria. After Harold Lloyd's death in 1971, the property was left to his family, but mounting debt and a delinquency on the promissory note led City National Bank to foreclose on it by the end of 1974. Proceedings were paused as the Beverly Hills city council considered acquiring

2793-434: A private life on his estate. He would start each day with a jog around the grounds, followed by a swim in the pool. He also developed an "addiction to stereo that shook the mansion at 3 am with the force of 10 speakers in unison"; the decibel levels caused the gold leaf to fall from the ornate living room ceiling. Lloyd lived at the estate until he died of cancer in 1971, aged 77. A long-time member of staff noted that he had

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2926-565: A reporter and Ethel Waters as a maid, whom MacDonald personally requested. Within one year, beginning in 1942, L.B. Mayer released his four highest-paid actresses from their MGM contracts; Norma Shearer , Joan Crawford , Greta Garbo , and Jeanette MacDonald. Of those four stars, MacDonald was the only one whom Mayer would rehire. After opening the Metropolitan Opera 's membership campaign, MacDonald appeared as herself in Follow

3059-513: A second female lead in Bubblin' Over , a musical version of Brewster's Millions . She finally landed a starring role in Yes, Yes, Yvette in 1927. Planned as a sequel to producer H.H. Frazee's No, No, Nanette , the show toured extensively, but failed to please the critics when it arrived on Broadway. MacDonald also played the lead in her next two plays: Sunny Days in 1928 in her first show for

3192-497: A short story by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings . MacDonald played a widow who has lost her son, but warms to orphan Claude Jarman Jr. It would prove to be her final film. She frequently attempted a comeback movie, even financing and paying a screenwriter. One of the possible film reunions with Nelson Eddy was to be made in England, but Eddy pulled out when he learned MacDonald was investing her own funds. Eddy preferred to publicly blame

3325-532: A slot. In December 1956, MacDonald and Eddy made their first TV appearance as a team on the Lux Video Theatre Holiday Special . In 1957, Eddy and she appeared on Patti Page 's program The Big Record , singing several songs. On Playhouse 90 (March 28, 1957), MacDonald played Charley's real aunt to Art Carney 's impersonation in "Charley's Aunt." When MacDonald was born, her father quickly doted on her. Although he had hoped for

3458-426: A son who would pursue "an American dream " life that he believed he had failed to live himself, he advised his three daughters to do this instead. MacDonald was the only daughter in the family that had inherited both her father's red hair and blue-green eyes, although she often admired her sisters' beauty, such as Blossom's dimples and her elder sister Elsie's (1893 —1970 ) blonde hair and blue eyes. Elsie could play

3591-470: A superstitious fear of being driven around the Italian fountain in the estate's front court, always making his chauffeur back up rather than circle the fountain. However, "the only time he ever went around that fountain was the night he died." Lloyd left his Benedict Canyon estate to the "benefit of the public at large" with instructions that it be used "as an educational facility and museum for research into

3724-489: A week. However, the time demands of doing a weekly live radio show while filming, touring in concerts, and making records proved enormously difficult, and after fainting on-air during one show, she decided not to renew her radio contract with Vicks at the end of the 26-week season. Thereafter, she stuck to guest appearances. MacDonald appeared in condensed radio versions of many of her films on programs such as Cecil B. DeMille 's Lux Radio Theater , often with Nelson Eddy, and

3857-576: Is also part of the Pacific Flyway . As a result, the resident Southern California bird species often share company with neo-tropical migrants and other species, such as Canada geese. There are over eighteen species of snakes and eight species of lizards. The most common snakes are pacific rattlesnake, gopher snake , California king snake, and California striped racer. The rattlesnake is the only venomous snake in California. They seek shade during

3990-501: Is an example of neighborhood activism. The BCA is dedicated to preserving the beauty, safety, environment and quality of life in the Canyon. Because of their early efforts, Benedict Canyon remains the only canyon that is 100% residential. The Hillside Ordinance to limit building height at 36 feet (11 m) and stipulate restrictions on set-back, side yards or parking, was a product of Association lobbying and participation. That ordinance

4123-676: Is another community grass-roots organization representing about 9,000 residents in the Mulholland-Benedict Canyon area. Going hand-in-hand with the BCA, residents helped to generate the media attention, popular support, and political will that defeated the city's plan to reduce from two to one the number of paramedics available at each Fire Station to deliver emergency care. A number of notable people live or have lived in Benedict Canyon. Some of them are: Bottlenecks on

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4256-524: Is known. Rouben Mamoulian directed Love Me Tonight (1932), considered by many film critics and writers to be the perfect film musical. Starring Chevalier as a humble tailor in love with a princess played by MacDonald, much of the story is told in sung dialogue. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart wrote the original score, which included the standards " Mimi ," " Lover ," and " Isn't It Romantic? " In 1933, MacDonald left again for Europe, and while there signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . Her first MGM film

4389-488: The Capitol Theatre on Broadway . In 1920, she appeared in two musicals: Jerome Kern 's The Night Boat as a chorus replacement, and Irene on the road as the second female lead; future film star Irene Dunne played the title role during part of the tour, and Helen Shipman played the title role during the other part of the tour. In 1921, MacDonald played in Tangerine as one of the "Six Wives." In 1922, she

4522-683: The Hollywood Victory Committee film Follow the Boys . In hopes of producing her own films, MacDonald went to United Artists to make The Lottery Bride in 1930. Despite music by Rudolf Friml , the film was not successful. MacDonald next signed a three-picture deal with the Fox Film Corporation , a controversial move in Hollywood; every other studio was far superior in the eyes of many, from their budgets to

4655-583: The Houston Methodist Hospital from heart failure on January 14, 1965, with Raymond by her hospital bed. Two years before, she had been assigned Dr. Michael DeBakey , who had recently operated successfully on the Duke of Windsor , in the hope that he could save her. Despite the surgery, MacDonald became ill with pleurisy the week after, and was in Houston Methodist Hospital for over a month. In December 1964, her condition worsened and she

4788-501: The Los Angeles Times visited the property and noted that it had "the feel of Sunset Boulevard ," bringing to mind the line spoken by the young writer when he first visits Norma Desmond's home: "It was the kind of place that crazy movie people built in the crazy 20s." The house appeared to visitors in the 1970s to be frozen in time at 1929. One writer noted that nothing had been moved or replaced, changed, or modernized, from

4921-636: The Los Angeles Unified School District : 34°05′52″N 118°25′51″W  /  34.097789°N 118.430706°W  / 34.097789; -118.430706 Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American soprano and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier ( The Love Parade , Love Me Tonight , The Merry Widow and One Hour With You ) and Nelson Eddy ( Naughty Marietta , Rose-Marie , and Maytime ). During

5054-677: The Oakland Hills fire of October 1991 that killed 25 and destroyed 3,276 residences under similar conditions. The Los Angeles Police Department operates the West Los Angeles Community Police Station at 1663 Butler Avenue, 90025, serving the neighborhood. The Los Angeles Fire Department serves the area of Benedict Canyon. Fire Station 71 and Fire Station 99 serve the Benedict Canyon Area. Residents are assigned to schools in

5187-676: The Philadelphia Civic Grand Opera Company at the Academy of Music . Claudia Cassidy , the music critic of the Chicago Tribune wrote, "Her Juliet is breathtakingly beautiful to the eye and dulcet to the ear." The same critic reviewed Faust : "From where I sit at the opera, Jeanette MacDonald has turned out to be one of the welcome surprises of the season ... her Marguerite was better than her Juliet ... beautifully sung with purity of line and tone,

5320-664: The Railroad Hour , which starred Gordon MacRae . These included The Merry Widow , Naughty Marietta , Rose Marie , Maytime , Sweethearts , Bitter Sweet , Smilin' Through , and The Sun Comes Up , plus other operettas and musicals such as Victor Herbert's Mlle Modiste , Irene , The Student Prince , Tonight or Never with Melvyn Douglas , A Song for Clotilda , The Gift of the Magi , and Apple Blossoms . Other radio shows included The Prudential Family Hour , Screen Guild Playhouse , and The Voice of Firestone , which featured

5453-773: The Santa Monica Mountains range from moist coastal canyon bottoms in the Santa Monica Mountains, to desert transitional areas at the headwaters of the Santa Clara River . With the exception of the areas that border the Mojave Desert , all of the vegetation within the zone is influenced by the effects of the Pacific Ocean . The resulting cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers create a Mediterranean-type ecosystem. By far,

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5586-580: The last ice age include white alder , bigleaf maple, and black cottonwood. On slopes, and in valleys where rainfall concentrates, groves of evergreen coast live oaks are common throughout Benedict Canyon. These evergreen oaks provide food and shelter for numerous species of wildlife. Deeper soiled areas in the Santa Susana Mountains, the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains support the deciduous valley oak. A widely dispersed tree in

5719-411: The 103 fire stations in Los Angeles. Over the last ten-plus years (2015), the maximum number of Red Flag days per year was 12. The normal range is between four and seven days per year. Brush clearance is a year-round responsibility for those homeowners living in Benedict Canyon. Fire officials said that both the foliage and the lack of recent fires in the area are cause for concern, not comfort, noting

5852-563: The 15-acre (61,000 m) site with the Villa Lante and Villa Medici as inspiration in Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Revival style motifs. The Los Angeles Times published a full-page illustrated article describing it as a "gorgeous fairyland playground" and a "Modern Eden of groves and gardens." The elaborate design of the grounds' landscape and gardens included the following elements: The landscaping project

5985-429: The 1930s and 1940s she starred in 29 feature films, four nominated for Best Picture Oscars ( The Love Parade , One Hour with You , Naughty Marietta and San Francisco ), and recorded extensively, earning three gold records . She later appeared in opera, concerts, radio, and television. MacDonald was one of the most influential sopranos of the 20th century, introducing opera to film-going audiences and inspiring

6118-460: The 1950s, talks with respect to a Broadway return occurred. In the 1960s, MacDonald was approached about starring on Broadway in a musical version of Sunset Boulevard . Harold Prince recounts in his autobiography visiting MacDonald at her home in Bel Air to discuss the proposed project. Composer Hugh Martin also wrote a song for the musical, entitled "Wasn't It Romantic?" MacDonald also made

6251-513: The 1975 subdividing of the property.) Restoring everything except the original theater-size forty-rank pipe organ (which remains today behind the walls of the 80-foot (24 m) living room), the Field family replaced all the electrical wiring and plumbing and modernized the kitchens and bathrooms before moving into the estate. An 80-year-old carousel with hand-carved horses was added to the children's play yard. In 1993, billionaire Ron Burkle bought

6384-630: The Benedict family for more than 60 years. Lloyd paid $ 100,000 for the property. The site was close to the spot where Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks had built their famed Pickfair estate. In August 1925, Lloyd announced plans to build a $ 1 million estate on the 15-acre site, including a three-story French-Italian Renaissance home, a nine-acre golf course, a 50' x 150' swimming pool (the largest in southern California), an open-air theater, dance pavilion, tennis courts, and bridle path. Walter Weber and Sumner Spaulding (Weber, Staunton and Spalding)

6517-526: The Boys (1944), an all-star extravaganza about Hollywood stars entertaining the troops. The more than 40 guest stars included Marlene Dietrich , W.C. Fields , Sophie Tucker , and Orson Welles . MacDonald is shown during a concert singing " Beyond the Blue Horizon ," and in a studio-filmed sequence singing " I'll See You in My Dreams " to a blinded soldier. She returned to MGM after five years off

6650-474: The Church of Religious Science officiated. Newsreel footage shows Nelson Eddy as the last person to exit the church, with Lauritz Melchior and other celebrities offering him condolences. MacDonald was interred in a pink-marbled crypt at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale , which reads "Jeanette MacDonald Raymond." Hers is next to Nat King Cole , and George Burns and Gracie Allen . For her contribution to

6783-553: The Erlanger Theater in Buffalo, New York , on January 25, 1951, and played in 23 Northeastern and Midwestern cities until June 2, 1951. Despite less-than-enthusiastic comments from critics, the show played to full houses for virtually every performance. The leading role of "The Actress" was changed to "The Singer" to allow MacDonald to add some songs. While this pleased her fans, the show closed before reaching Broadway. In

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6916-542: The Grenadiers." The Vagabond King (1930) was a lavish two-strip Technicolor film version of Rudolf Friml 's hit 1925 operetta. Broadway star Dennis King reprised his role as 15th-century French poet François Villon , and MacDonald was Princess Katherine. She sang " Some Day " and "Only a Rose." The UCLA Film and Television Archive owns the only known color print of this production. Both Paramount and MacDonald were extremely busy in 1930. Paramount on Parade

7049-718: The Iroquois Amphitheater, Louisville, Kentucky, on July 19, 1954. Her production of The King and I opened August 20, 1956, at the Starlight Theatre . While performing there, she collapsed. Officially, it was announced as heat prostration, but in fact it was a heart seizure. She began limiting her appearances, and a reprisal of Bitter Sweet in 1959 was her last professional stage appearance. MacDonald and her husband Gene Raymond toured in Ferenc Molnár's The Guardsman . The production opened at

7182-666: The National Register of Historic Places. Meanwhile, Afshani subdivided the remaining 10 acres into 15 lots that he sold for over $ 1 million each. In August 1969, the Tate murders took place in Cielo Drive. Sharon Tate , Roman Polanski 's pregnant wife, and four others were killed by members of the Manson Family at the couple's 10050 Cielo Drive home. The place was later renamed 10066 Cielo Drive, and ultimately

7315-562: The Santa Monica Mountains, and to a lesser extent in other ranges, is the California black walnut. The animal population is pretty much the same as it was 10,000 years ago. Grizzly bears are an exception, as they were killed off by early settlers of the area. The most common medium-sized and large mammals are coyotes, mule deer, bobcats, raccoons, and skunks. Just away from the urban edge, other predators, such as grey fox, mountain lion , American badger , long-tailed weasel, and ringtailed cat, occupy various niches. The ecosystem's top predator,

7448-525: The Truth . The Shuberts, however, would not let her out of her contract to appear in the film, which starred Dix and Helen Kane (the "Boop-boop-a-doop girl"). In 1929, famed film director Ernst Lubitsch was looking through old screen tests of Broadway performers and spotted MacDonald. He cast her as the leading lady in The Love Parade , his first sound film, which starred Maurice Chevalier . In

7581-556: The acreage in the lower part of the estate along Benedict Canyon was subdivided into approximately 15 large home lots. The mansion, on top of its own hill, retained approximately 5 original acres of flat land. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In May 1923, Lloyd purchased land located at the mouth of Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills from P.E. Benedict. The property had been owned by

7714-414: The books in the library to the appliances in the kitchen and the fixtures in the bathrooms. Columnist Jack Smith visited the estate in 1973 and wrote that "time stood still", as Lloyd's clothes still hung in his closet, and the master bedroom and living room "looked like a set for a movie of the 1930s." A Renaissance tapestry presented to Lloyd as a housewarming gift by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks

7847-400: The city of Beverly Hills Board of Trustees at the time of its incorporation. In 1923, silent film star Harold Lloyd purchased 15.7 acres at the southern mouth of the canyon from P.E. Benedict for $ 100,000. Lloyd built a 44-room mansion on the site that would become known as Greenacres , and helped establish Benedict Canyon as a desirable address. Upon its completion in 1929, Greenacres had

7980-610: The city, including at the Academy of Music. She later took lessons with Al White and began touring in his kiddie shows, heading his "Six Little Song Birds" in Philadelphia at the age of nine. In November 1919, MacDonald joined her older sister Blossom in New York. She took singing lessons with Wassili Leps and landed a job in the chorus of Ned Wayburn's The Demi-Tasse Revue , a musical entertainment presented between films at

8113-642: The congregation, 'Now everybody's got to clap!'" MacDonald cited the number thirteen as her lucky number. Her characters always had a name beginning with M, the first letter of her surname and the 13th letter of the English alphabet, a ritual upon which she had insisted. Interestingly, thirteen became a recurring number throughout her life, such as the thirteen-year gap between her overseas tours in Europe; principal photography for The Merry Widow had taken thirteen weeks to film; her first movie, The Love Parade ,

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8246-487: The crowd) and at London's Dominion Theatre , and was invited to dinner parties with British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald and French newspaper critics. She returned to Paramount the following year for two films with Chevalier. One Hour with You in 1932 was directed by both George Cukor and Ernst Lubitsch, and simultaneously filmed in French with the same stars, but a French supporting cast. Currently, no surviving print of Une Heure près de toi ( One Hour With You )

8379-543: The dominant vegetation sub-type is chaparral. Chaparral is composed of drought- and fire-tolerant evergreen shrubs that range in height from four to ten feet. Unless recently subjected to fire, or some other type of disturbance, this plant community is generally too dense to penetrate. Another unique shrub community to Southern California is sage scrub, which varies between coastal and inland types. Sage scrub vegetation contains fewer stout, woody shrubs, and more openings with fine, delicate plants. The expansive valley floors between

8512-439: The east are Beverly Park and Franklin Canyon , and to the south is the city of Beverly Hills . Benedict Canyon is a ravine that drops in a north-to-south direction from its high point at the crest line in the Santa Monica Mountains ; to the east of the Canyon are its two sisters, Franklin Canyon and Coldwater Canyon . Rainwater percolating over the ancient strata of all three canyons emerges at their lowest altitude as

8645-606: The employment of a white resident (typically as a domestic servant). Several published accounts have described Lloyd as a leader or participant in neighborhood organizations around his estate that wanted to enforce restrictive covenants in the area. With the demise of his movie career and loss of income, Lloyd had difficulty maintaining the estate. In 1943, he petitioned the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to reduce his property taxes because, although he and his family wanted to continue living there, he said

8778-620: The endangered Southern California Distinct Population Segment of steelhead . The Santa Clara River supports these species as well as the federally listed endangered, unarmored three spine stickleback. Some of the upper reaches of the Los Angeles River at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains harbor populations of the Santa Ana sucker and speckled dace . The Benedict Canyon Association (BCA), started in 1948,

8911-418: The estate's principal gardens are frequently used for civic fundraising events and as a filming location, appearing in films such as Commando and Westworld . California Historical Landmark Marker No. 961 designation for the site states: Benedict Canyon To the north of the Benedict Canyon neighborhood is the neighborhood of Sherman Oaks , to the west is the neighborhood of Beverly Glen , to

9044-464: The fantastical entertainment of their films. Oh, for a Man! (1930) was more successful; MacDonald portrayed a temperamental opera singer who sings Wagner's "Liebestod" and falls for an Irish burglar played by Reginald Denny . In 1931, Don't Bet on Women was a non-musical drawing-room comedy in which a playboy ( Edmund Lowe ) bets his happily married friend ( Roland Young ) that he can seduce his friend's wife (MacDonald). Annabelle's Affairs (1931)

9177-454: The film vault on hearing the explosion and was rescued by his wife, Mildred Davis Lloyd, who caught him as he collapsed in a doorway to the vault and dragged him to safety. Seven firefighters and the estate's head gardener were hospitalized after being overcome by fumes from the burning films and chlorine gas from the pool's water treatment plant. The fire also damaged Lloyd's gymnasium and four-wall handball court. In his later years, Lloyd lived

9310-407: The first rush of sound films during 1929 and 1930, MacDonald starred in six films—the first four for Paramount Studios . Her first, The Love Parade (1929), directed by Ernst Lubitsch and co-starring Maurice Chevalier , was a landmark of early sound films, and received a Best Picture nomination. MacDonald's first recordings for RCA Victor were two hits from the score: "Dream Lover" and "March of

9443-452: The grounds and establishing it as a film museum, but the plan was ultimately abandoned due in part to the $ 700,000 cost of paying off the accrued debts, an additional $ 180,000 needed to collect various artifacts for the museum, $ 500,000 to redevelop the site, and roughly $ 100,000 a year in maintenance costs, all of which would defer city funds for other projects. The bank then completed its repossession of Greenacres and put it up for auction in

9576-529: The highest-grossing films of that year. In Rose-Marie , MacDonald played a haughty opera diva who learns her young brother (pre-fame James Stewart ) has killed a Mountie and is hiding in the northern woods; Eddy is the Mountie sent to capture him. Nelson Eddy and she sang Rudolf Friml's " Indian Love Call " to each other in the Canadian wilderness (actually filmed at Lake Tahoe). Eddy's definitive portrayal of

9709-471: The history of the motion picture in the United States." For a few years the home was open to public tours, but financial and legal obstacles prevented the estate from creating the motion picture museum that Lloyd had intended. Among other things, neighboring homeowners in the wealthy community were opposed to the creation of a museum hosting parties and attracting busloads of tourists. In October 1972,

9842-448: The home for $ 20 million – $ 19 million less than the $ 39 million asking price (which had included a valuable art collection of old masters ' paintings in the original asking price) but still among the highest prices paid for a home in the United States in the previous three years. As of May 1997, the estate was being occupied by film actress Barbara Rush . In 2001, the mansion was estimated to be worth $ 50–60 million. The main house and

9975-438: The hottest summer afternoons and hibernate during the winter. The zone supports five species of frogs, three species of toads, and five species of newts and salamanders. As in most parts of the world, frog populations have declined, probably due to climate change and pollution. The widely scattered perennial streams still support unique populations of native fish. Topanga and Malibu Creeks contain tidewater gobies, arroyo chub, and

10108-448: The house was razed, and another erected in its place. Author and LSD enthusiast Timothy Leary spent the last years of his life in a house in Benedict Canyon, where he died in 1996. Homes range from smaller one-story family residences to large properties. Homes are predominantly single-family and owner-occupied and have two or more bedrooms. The median year in which the homes were built is 1960. In 2000, Benedict Canyon homeowners won

10241-541: The house were published in the Los Angeles Times in July 1927. The home was described as French-Italian Renaissance design with interiors inspired by the Villa Palmieri near Florence . Construction of the mansion began in July 1927 and was completed in 1928. The 44-room, 45,000-square-foot (4,200 m) house and estate was said to have cost $ 2 million. A.E. Hanson , Lloyd's landscape architect, transformed

10374-442: The idea of MacDonald ( Irene Dunne was briefly considered) for the part of Mother Abbess in the film version of The Sound of Music . It never moved beyond the discussion stages partly because of MacDonald's failing health. An annual poll of film exhibitors listed MacDonald as one of the top-10 box-office draws of 1936, and many of her films were among the top-20 moneymakers of the years they were released. In addition, MacDonald

10507-464: The leading opera stars of the early 20th century. "When Jeanette MacDonald approached me for coaching lessons," wrote Lehmann, "I was really curious how a glamorous movie star, certainly spoiled by the adoration of a limitless world, would be able to devote herself to another, a higher level of art. I had the surprise of my life. There couldn't have been a more diligent, a more serious, a more pliable person than Jeanette. The lessons which I had started with

10640-636: The motion picture industry, MacDonald has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6157 Hollywood Blvd. For her contribution to recording, MacDonald has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1628 Vine Street. MacDonald was crowned as the Queen of the Movies in 1939 with Tyrone Power as her king. The ceremony was filmed and presented by Ed Sullivan . MacDonald was awarded an honorary doctor of music degree from Ithaca College in 1956. MacDonald

10773-508: The mountain lion, is present everywhere except the fragmented eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains that bisects the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Because they fear humans, however, they are rarely seen. Also, there are numerous prey species — such as rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice, and other rodents. Seven species of hawks, eight species of owls, peregrine falcons , golden eagles , northern harriers , American kestrels , and white-tailed kite share in this bounty of prey. Benedict Canyon

10906-653: The mountain ranges were plowed and farmed long ago. They are now entirely developed. The precise former native plant cover of the San Fernando , Simi and Santa Clarita Valleys was never adequately recorded. It is suspected that native perennial bunch grasses were dominant elements. Throughout the zone, over ninety-five percent of the native grasslands have been displaced by foreign invasive plants. The most common riparian (stream-related) woodland species are various willows, coast live oak, California sycamore , and Fremont's cottonwood. Less common species that are relics of

11039-582: The mystery guest on the December 21, 1952, episode of What's My Line? After the panelists guessed her identity, she told John Daly she was in New York for the holidays and would have a recital at Carnegie Hall on January 16. On February 2, 1956, MacDonald starred in Prima Donna , a television pilot for her own series, written for her by her husband Gene Raymond. The initial show featured guest stars Leo Durocher and Larraine Day, but it failed to find

11172-557: The neighborhood's narrow canyon roads have been noted as a primary concern. As part of the plan, the Department of Transportation tows away cars that are parked illegally on narrow hillside streets on "red flag days," when fire danger is high. When fire conditions reach the critical red flag level — 25 mph (40 km/h) wind and relative humidity below 15% — illegally parked vehicles that restrict access are ticketed and towed. Fire departments notify residents by raising red flags over

11305-517: The piano, and taught toddler MacDonald a variety of popular waltzes and Stephen Foster 's compositions. At this time, MacDonald discovered that she was an extrovert who enjoyed socializing with friends and performing for others, admitting that "[I] needed people to watch and applaud me as much as I needed food and drink." At the end of her first performance in the local church as a child, "I paused ever so slightly and then, when I realized they needed prodding, I promptly began clapping my hands and said to

11438-513: The plot and the songs: "Lover, Come Back to Me," "One Kiss," and "Wanting You," plus Eddy's version of "Stout Hearted Men." This was followed by Bitter Sweet (1940), a Technicolor film version of Noël Coward 's 1929 stage operetta , which Coward loathed, writing in his diary about how "vulgar" he found it. Smilin' Through (1941) was MacDonald's next Technicolor project, the third adaptation filmed in Hollywood, with Brian Aherne and Gene Raymond . Its theme of reunion with deceased loved ones

11571-481: The president of Everest Record Group. In 1986, Ted Field , heir to the Marshall Field department store chain and head of Interscope Films, bought the property for $ 6.5 million and lived there with his wife and their three children. The Fields extensively updated and renovated the entire home and grounds and added a pool back to the site. (The original pool located down closer to Benedict Canyon had been lost in

11704-452: The producers Lee and J.J. Shubert, for which she received rave reviews; and Angela (1928), which the critics panned. Her last play was Boom Boom in 1929, with her name above the title; the cast included young Archie Leach, who would later become Cary Grant . While MacDonald was appearing in Angela , film star Richard Dix spotted her and had her screen-tested for his film Nothing but

11837-556: The proposed project as mediocre, when in fact MacDonald was uninsurable due to her heart condition. A reunion with Maurice Chevalier was also considered. Other thwarted projects with Eddy were The Rosary , The Desert Song , and a remake of The Vagabond King , plus two movie treatments written by Eddy for them, Timothy Waits for Love and All Stars Don't Spangle . Offers continued to come in, and in 1962, producer Ross Hunter proposed MacDonald in his 1963 comedy The Thrill of It All , but she declined. 20th Century Fox also toyed with

11970-428: The result less successful. MacDonald sang "Spring Is Here" and the title song. It was the final film made by the team of MacDonald and Eddy. After a falling-out with Mayer, Eddy bought out his MGM contract (with one film left to make) and went to Universal, where he signed a million-dollar, two-picture deal. MacDonald remained for one last film, Cairo (1942), a cheaply budgeted spy comedy co-starring Robert Young as

12103-1042: The role in Quebec City (May 12), Ottawa (May 15 and 17), Toronto (May 20 and 22), and Windsor (May 24). Her U.S. debut with the Chicago Opera Company (November 4, 11 and 15, 1944) was in the same role. She also sang Marguerite in Gounod's Faust with the Chicago Opera. In the summer of 1945, she appeared with the Cincinnati Opera as Juliette in two performances of Roméo et Juliette (July 10 and 25) and one as Marguerite in Faust (July 15). That November, she did two more performances of Roméo et Juliette and one of Faust in Chicago. On December 12, 1951, she did one performance of Faust with

12236-410: The screen for two films. Three Daring Daughters (1948) co-starred José Iturbi as her love interest. MacDonald plays a divorcée whose lively daughters ( Jane Powell , Ann E. Todd, and Elinor Donahue ) keep trying to get her back with her ex, but she has secretly remarried. The song "The Dickey Bird" made the hit parade . The Sun Comes Up (1949) teamed MacDonald with Lassie in an adaptation of

12369-403: The springs feeding Franklin's Lake and Creek. A cross-section of the land reveals granite of volcanic origin, layered between worn river rocks and ocean-bottom mud. In upper Benedict Canyon are the subdivisions of Benedict Hills, which consists of 107 homes, and Benedict Hills Estates, which consists of 229 homes between Deep Canyon and Mulholland Drive, just east of Hutton. Benedict Canyon

12502-488: The steadfast Mountie became a popular icon. When the Canadian Mounties temporarily retired their distinctive hat in 1970, photos of Eddy in his Rose Marie uniform appeared in thousands of U.S. newspapers. San Francisco (1936) was also directed by W.S. Van Dyke. In this tale of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , MacDonald played a hopeful opera singer opposite Clark Gable as the extra-virile proprietor of

12635-432: The studio's first Technicolor feature, and he delivered with Sweethearts (1938), co-starring Eddy. In contrast to the previous film, the co-stars were relaxed onscreen and singing frequently together. The film integrated Victor Herbert 's 1913 stage score into a modern backstage story scripted by Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell . MacDonald and Eddy played a husband-and-wife Broadway musical-comedy team who are offered

12768-682: The sudden death of MacDonald's father was another factor in the break-up. Unfortunately, the Ohmeis family would lose a lot of their fortune after the Wall Street Crash , so MacDonald loaned money to Jack, and he repaid her as soon as he could, which was as late as the 1950s. MacDonald next dated Irving Stone (1901-1968) from around 1926–28; they met when she was touring in Chicago in The Magic Ring . Stone, who lived in Milwaukee,

12901-400: The summer of 1975 with an estimated value between $ 1.2 million and $ 1.6 million. Nasrollah Afshani, a retired Iranian businessman and Beverly Hills resident, bought the estate for $ 1.6 million telling the Los Angeles Times that he was "looking at property, shopping centers, to buy". Afshani kept the main house and the 5 acres surrounding it intact, resold it, and in 1984, it became listed on

13034-411: The taxes were "eating them out of house and home." The Board agreed to reduce the valuation of the improvements to $ 100,000. Lloyd was forced to reduce the estate's staff, and parts of the estate began to deteriorate from neglect. In August 1943, an explosion and fire at the home destroyed original negatives of his silent film comedies. Lloyd valued the damage to the films at $ 2 million. Lloyd rushed to

13167-573: The team films, and an unimpressed Mayer used this to point out why Jones could not replace Eddy in the next project. The Girl of the Golden West (1938) was the result, but the two stars had little screen time together, and the main song, "Obey Your Heart," was never sung as a duet. The film featured an original score by Sigmund Romberg, and reused the popular David Belasco stage plot (also employed by opera composer Giacomo Puccini for La fanciulla del West ). Mayer had promised MacDonald

13300-717: The title. Rudolf Friml's 1912 stage score was borrowed, and a new song, " The Donkey Serenade ," added, adapted from Friml's "Chanson" piano piece. With real-life Americans rushing to fight in the ongoing revolution in Spain, this historical vehicle was constructed around a previous revolution in Napoleonic times. MacDonald's co-star was tenor Allan Jones , who she demanded get the same treatment as she would, such as an equal number of close-ups. The MacDonald/Eddy team had split after MacDonald's engagement and marriage to Gene Raymond , but neither of their solo films grossed as much as

13433-486: The top opera and concert singers of the time. In 1953, MacDonald sang " The Star-Spangled Banner " at the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, broadcast on both radio and TV. MacDonald sang frequently with Nelson Eddy during the mid-1940s on several Lux Radio Theater and The Screen Guild Theater productions of their films together. She also appeared as his guest several times on his various radio shows such as The Electric Hour and The Kraft Music Hall . He

13566-505: The troops (over $ 1.5 million, adjusted for inflation). President Franklin D. Roosevelt , who considered MacDonald and Eddy two of his favorite film stars, awarded her a medal. She also did command performances at the White House for President Dwight D. Eisenhower . Unlike Nelson Eddy, who came from opera to film, MacDonald in the 1940s yearned to reinvent herself in opera. She began training for this goal with Lotte Lehmann , one of

13699-640: Was The Cat and the Fiddle (1934), based on the Jerome Kern Broadway hit. Her co-star was Ramón Novarro . The plot about unmarried lovers shacking up just barely slipped through the new Production Code guidelines that took effect July 1, 1934. Despite a Technicolor finale—the first use of the new three-color Technicolor process other than Disney cartoons—the film was not a huge success. It lost $ 142,000. In The Merry Widow (1934), director Ernst Lubitsch reunited Maurice Chevalier and MacDonald in

13832-515: Was MacDonald's first film in which she teamed with newcomer baritone Nelson Eddy . Victor Herbert 's 1910 score, with songs like "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life," "I'm Falling in Love with Someone," "'Neath the Southern Moon," "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp," and "Italian Street Song," enjoyed renewed popularity. The film won an Oscar for sound recording, and received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It

13965-502: Was a Republican , but she mostly avoided commenting on politics. When approached by the House Un-American Activities Committee about whether she had heard any gossip about Communist activity in Hollywood , she replied, "As at any focal point, there are some belligerents, but they are no more numerous than in any other community." Neither she nor Gene Raymond were ever considered or subpoenaed for

14098-452: Was a desert-island comedy directed by Leo McCarey , co-starring the likes of Jack Oakie and Kay Francis . Monte Carlo became another highly regarded Lubitsch classic, with British musical star Jack Buchanan as a count who disguises himself as a hairdresser in order to woo a scatterbrained countess (MacDonald). MacDonald introduced " Beyond the Blue Horizon ," which she recorded three times during her career, including performing it for

14231-567: Was a farce, with MacDonald as a sophisticated New York playgirl who does not recognize her own miner husband, played by Victor McLaglen , when he turns up five years later. Although highly praised by reviewers at the time, only one reel of this film survives. MacDonald took a break from Hollywood in 1931 to embark on a European concert tour, performing at the Empire Theater in Paris ( Mistinguett and Morris Gest were said to have been in

14364-559: Was a featured singer in the Greenwich Village revue Fantastic Fricassee , for which good press notices brought her a role in The Magic Ring the next year. MacDonald played the second female lead in this long-running musical which starred Mitzi Hajos . In 1925, MacDonald again had the second female lead opposite Queenie Smith in Tip Toes , a George Gershwin hit show. The following year, 1926, found MacDonald still in

14497-595: Was a part of Rancho de las Aguas ("Ranch of the Waters"), which also included present-day Beverly Hills . It was named by Edson A. Benedict, a storekeeper and native of Boonville, Missouri , who took a homestead in the Canyon in 1868. With help from his wife and sons, E. A. Benedict built an apiary that was so bountiful that in one year, they were reported to have made a single shipment of 45,000 pounds (20,000 kg) of honey from Santa Monica Pier . One of Mr. Benedict's sons, Pierce E. Benedict, later went on to be elected to

14630-503: Was also a surprise guest when she hosted a war-bonds program called Guest Star , and they sang on other World War II victory shows together. The majority of her radio work in the mid to late 1940s was with Eddy. Her 1948 Hollywood Bowl concert was also broadcast over the air, in which she used Eddy's longtime accompanist, Theodore Paxson. MacDonald appeared on early TV, most frequently as a singing guest star. She sang on The Voice of Firestone on November 13, 1950. On November 12, 1952, she

14763-547: Was also the basis of the recent defeat of the proposed villa on top of the Mark Hughes hilltop, an event cheered by many residents. Current and past beautification projects of the Association include the repair and repaving of roads, repainting of guardrails, repair of Upper Benedict Canyon, and a subsidized monthly service of clearing debris and trimming vegetation that spills on the roadway. "Adopt Fire Station 99"

14896-416: Was an all-star revue, similar to other mammoth sound revues produced by major studios to introduce their formerly silent stars to the public. MacDonald's footage singing a duet of "Come Back to Sorrento" with Nino Martini was cut from the release print due to copyright reasons with Universal Studios, which had recently acquired the copyright to the song for an upcoming movie, King of Jazz . Let's Go Native

15029-465: Was at her family's dinner table. Despite the strong relationship, Raymond's mother did not like MacDonald, attempting to snub her a few times (such as arranging her son with Janet Gaynor as a plus-one at a charity ball), and did not attend the wedding. The Raymonds lived in a 21-room Mock Tudor mansion named Twin Gables with their pet dogs and their horse White Lady, which Raymond gave to MacDonald as

15162-627: Was enormously popular after the devastation of World War I, and MGM reasoned that it should resonate with audiences during World War II, but it failed to make a profit. MacDonald played a dual role—Moonyean, a Victorian girl accidentally murdered by a jealous lover, and Kathleen, her niece, who falls in love with the son of the murderer. I Married an Angel (1942), was adapted from the Rodgers & Hart stage musical about an angel who loses her wings on her wedding night. The script by Anita Loos suffered serious censorship cuts during filming that made

15295-680: Was equal. Raymond was sometimes mistaken for Nelson Eddy by MacDonald's fans and passersby, which MacDonald later admitted that she never liked: "Of course we always laughed it off—sometimes Gene even obliged by signing Nelson's name—but no one will ever know the agonies I suffered on such occasions. More than anything else in the world those days, I wanted to see him receive as much acclaim as I, to spare him these humiliations." When she reunited with Chevalier in 1957, he asked her why she had retired from films, to which she replied, "Because for exactly twenty years I've played my best role, by his [Raymond's] side. And I'm perfectly happy." MacDonald died at

15428-422: Was hired as the architect. Lloyd also hired landscape engineer A.E. Hanson to execute plans for the "largest initial private landscaping project ever attempted" in the Los Angeles area. The plans included extensive gardens, a children's playground, and a stream fed by a well with water pumped to the top of a hill and then cascading through the property and creating water hazards in the golf course. Final plans for

15561-622: Was home in Hollywood, she held an open house at her home on Sunday afternoons for GIs. On one occasion, at the request of Lt. Ronald Reagan , she was singing for a large group of men in San Francisco who were due to ship out to the fierce fighting in the South Pacific. She closed with " The Battle Hymn of the Republic ," and 20,000 voices spontaneously joined in. She auctioned off encores for donations and raised almost $ 100,000 for

15694-673: Was in 1939, immediately after the completion of Broadway Serenade . MacDonald performed at the Mayo Civic Auditorium in Rochester, Minnesota on April 19, 1939, to open that venue before an audience. She sang several times at the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall . When America joined World War II in 1941, MacDonald co-founded the Army Emergency Relief and raised funds on concert tours. When she

15827-410: Was married to MacDonald but the marriage had been annulled in 1935, he never confirmed the claims. He later relocated to Europe as an MGM representative, becoming responsible for recruiting Greer Garson , Hedy Lamarr , and Luise Rainer . MacDonald married Gene Raymond in 1937. She met him at a Hollywood party two years earlier at Roszika Dolly 's home; MacDonald agreed to a date, as long as it

15960-503: Was most famous as "Grandmama" on the 1960s TV series The Addams Family . She was of Scottish, English, and Dutch descent. The extra N in her given name was later dropped for simplicity's sake, and A added to her surname to emphasize her Scottish heritage. She began dancing lessons with local dance instructor Caroline Littlefield, mother of American ballerina/choreographer Catherine Littlefield , when very young, performing in juvenile operas, recitals, and shows staged by Littlefield around

16093-420: Was named Philadelphia's Woman of the Year in 1961. Of the award, she said, "It is strange how awards, decorations, doctorates, etc., can be conferred from various parts of the country, and even the world. And yet, the funny satisfaction of being recognized in one's home town seems to be a more gratifying recognition than all." Shortly after MacDonald's death, surviving classmates from her high school contributed

16226-405: Was notably attended by a handful of MacDonald's costars (such as Eddy, Allan Jones, Chevalier, Joe E. Brown , Spencer Tracy , Lloyd Nolan , etc.), representatives of her fan club, former presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower , Senator George Murphy , former vice-president Richard Nixon , future governor & president Ronald Reagan , and Mary Pickford ; Dr. Gene Emmet Clark of

16359-542: Was one of the top-10 box-office attractions in Great Britain from 1937 to 1942. During her 39-year career, MacDonald earned two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (for films and recordings) and planted her feet in the wet concrete in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater . In the mid-1950s, MacDonald toured in summer-stock productions of Bitter Sweet and The King and I . She opened in Bitter Sweet at

16492-482: Was rushed to UCLA Medical Center . DeBakey suggested open-heart surgery , and Raymond brought MacDonald into the hospital January 12. On the afternoon of the 14th, Raymond was at her bedside massaging her feet when she died. He said that their last conversation was when MacDonald said, "I love you," and he replied, "I love you too;" she then sighed deeply, and her head hit the pillow. The funeral took place on January 18. Along with close family and widower Raymond, it

16625-489: Was so large that 3,500 tons of sandstone were taken from quarries in Chatsworth and trucked to the site for use in building the steps, terraces, and waterfalls. An unusual feature was the separate fairyland estate that Lloyd and A.E. Hanson designed for Lloyd's four-year-old daughter, Mildred Gloria. The play village had its own private gate with a sign reading, "Come into my garden and play." The fairyland estate included

16758-534: Was still hanging in the hallway. The house also had Lloyd's permanent Christmas tree loaded with ornaments at the end of a long sitting room. Jack Smith described the tree as follows: [A]t the end of the room, dominating it like some great Athena in a Greek temple, stood the most fantastic Christmas tree I had ever seen. It reached the ceiling, a great, bulbous mass of colored glass baubles, some of them as big as pumpkins, clustered together like gaudy jewels in some monstrous piece of costume jewelry. Unable to establish

16891-504: Was subdued, and choreographer Busby Berkeley , just hired away from Warner Bros. , was called upon to add an over-the-top finale in an effort to improve the film. Broadway Serenade did not entice audiences in a lot of major cities, with Variety claiming that New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles' cinema attendances were "sad," "slow,"and "sour." Following Broadway Serenade , and not coincidentally right after Nelson Eddy's surprise elopement with Ann Franklin, MacDonald left Hollywood on

17024-453: Was supplied with earplugs after the volume nauseated him. A recurrent issue throughout MacDonald's career was her health. Her handwritten letter from August, 1929 indicates that MacDonald, age 26, had recently suffered a heart attack. She also suffered from stage fright throughout her life to the point that her therapist told her to imagine that all of the members of the audience were lettuce. Due to her heart condition, she could not carry

17157-536: Was the nephew of the founder of the Wisconsin Boston Store , and worked in the family business. Few details were known of Stone's romance with MacDonald until the discovery of hundreds of pages of handwritten love letters she wrote to him that were found in his apartment after his death, which happened three years after her death. MacDonald eventually dated a Wall Street rep named Robert Ritchie (died 1972 ), 12 years her senior, who claimed that he

17290-549: Was the number-one box-office draw for 13 weeks; MacDonald performed opera for the first time for a screen test thirteen years after meeting Newell (who was also on set); the thirteen-year gap between her and sister Blossom's death; and husband Gene Raymond's birthday was August 13. On sets, MacDonald would never lip-sync , instead singing along to song playbacks during filming, which Lew Ayres discovered when he starred alongside her in Broadway Serenade , whereupon he

17423-447: Was the son of a fallen millionaire. They traveled with MacDonald's family to Hollywood, and he became a press agent for MGM. Rumors circulated that they were engaged and/or secretly married, since Ritchie was by MacDonald's side during her European tour and they lived together —MacDonald even signing her return address as "JAR" (Jeanette Anna Ritchie) and referring to him as her "darling husband." Despite Ritchie's family claiming that he

17556-468: Was the subject of Ralph Edwards' This Is Your Life . Her surprise guests included her sisters, a sailor she danced with at the Hollywood Canteen, her former English teacher, her husband and the clergyman who married them, and Nelson Eddy appeared as a voice from her past, singing the song he sang at her wedding; his surprise appearance brought her to tears. Shortly thereafter, she appeared as

17689-730: Was voted one of the Ten Best Pictures of 1935 by the New York film critics, was awarded the Photoplay Gold Medal Award as Best Picture of 1935 (beating out Mutiny on the Bounty , which won the Oscar), and in 2004 was selected to the National Film Registry . MacDonald earned gold records for "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" and "Italian Street Song." The following year, MacDonald starred in two of

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