Hollywood style – Eleanor Boardman and King Vidor – 1929

King Vidor escorts his wife, actress Eleanor Boardman, to the premiere of “Marianne” in 1929:

eleanor-boardman-king-vidor-premiere-marianne-1929

This is the house architect Wallace Neff designed for them – it was completed in 1928:

    • Oh, I try not to think too much about these things because it makes me CRAZY – but, the house is gone or unrecognizable… A few years back the Tower Drive residents battled Saudi royalty over building a compound on the property… But, well before that things began to go downhill for the house. King and Eleanor split in 1932, he put the house on the market at a spite price and she came racing back from Europe to change the terms of the sale. It was sold, subdivided, later owners altered it. Hey! I know this is weird but one of my favorite things about King Vidor (who was married – a lot) was that he was true to his lover, Coleen Moore (silent film star turned NYC banker) for something like fifty years.

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14 Comments

  1. September 1, 2012

    What a beautiful couple! The house looks amazing. Is that an outdoor fireplace? Hope the house is still around I can just imagine what it looks like today with big trees.

    • September 1, 2012

      Oh, I try not to think too much about these things because it makes me CRAZY – but, the house is gone or unrecognizable… A few years back the Tower Drive residents battled Saudi royalty over building a compound on the property… But, well before that things began to go downhill for the house. King and Eleanor split in 1932, he put the house on the market at a spite price and she came racing back from Europe to change the terms of the sale. It was sold, subdivided, later owners altered it. Hey! I know this is weird but one of my favorite things about King Vidor (who was married – a lot) was that he was true to his lover, Coleen Moore (silent film star turned NYC banker) for something like fifty years.

      I will find some pics of the interior and post them for you later–my kitchen gets demolished this Wednesday!

      • September 1, 2012

        I love Coleen Moore. Saw here interviewed on some British documentary about the Silent Movies… I wish I could remember the name of that and buy it. Anyway she was a DELIGHT! OH kitchen demolished? Is there no end to the destruction of Classic Los Angeles!? Who is your designer; maybe I know them since I am in the design biz up here. Or are you just doing away with the inconvenience of in home cooking?
        I will say a little prayer for your kitchen ordeal.

  2. September 1, 2012

    Oh no sir, home cooking is one of my joys! What I am demolishing is an IKEA abomination of the 1980’s slammed into a sun filled Spanish Colonial built in 1924. I would say a dear friend who designs movies is responsible for the design — but I am extremely bossy and opinionated and scrawled my own drawings — so I’m responsible for whatever happens — but you could never call me a designer, like you!!! xox, V

  3. George Kaplan
    May 23, 2013

    Stylish indeed. Such a shame about the house, I read about the shenanigans with the Saudis as well. Dreadful.
    In terms of my own style, today I am modelling the early twenty-first century Vagabond look… I wonder if King had a daughter whether he would have called her Empress (one step up from a queen)?! Ouch! Sorry for that… 😉

    • May 23, 2013

      Belinda, Antonia, and Suzanne 😉

  4. George Kaplan
    May 23, 2013

    🙂

  5. May 23, 2013

    Eleanor is one of my favourite actresses. Thank you.

    • May 24, 2013

      Did she appear in any Talkies? The impression I have is that she married and moved to France in the early 1930s…

      • May 24, 2013

        She made half a dozen Talkies. She did not marry again until 1940, to another director (Harry d’Abbadie d’Arrast, who had directed her in her last film in 1935). They were married until his death.

  6. September 26, 2014

    I suppose there are wildly varying takes on the word “true”… but when one is a mistress, one must take what one gets! *wink* Hoping for some before and after photos of your kitchen. I adore redecorating and refurbishing – it’s so exciting! Tiring, annoying, and expensive, yes… but exciting!

  7. Dan
    May 28, 2016

    Hi Vicki, would you be able to tell me the Address please.

    • May 29, 2016

      Hello, Dan. I think the house was on Tower Road…now called Tower Lane. Have to do a little digging to find the address…

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