Famous Houses: Pickfair - A History of Beverly Hills' First Mansion

It was the first mansion in Beverly Hills, transforming this sleepy, little suburb of Los Angeles into the playground of the stars. It was named Pickfair after its owners, two of the biggest stars in silent movies, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. And its story is the story of the transformation of Los Angeles from a sleepy town of ranches and orange groves into the glamour capital of the world.

In the early 1910s the movie industry was in full swing in southern California. The sunny climate made ideal weather for shooting movies, and filmmakers, actors and actresses flocked to the region from all over the country. One actress in particular, Gladys Smith, was quick to grasp the power of movies. She'd just gotten a supporting role in a Broadway play entitled The Warrens of Virginia, written by William C. DeMille, whose brother, Cecil B. DeMille was in the cast. The play's producer insisted Gladys should adopt a stage name, and created a new name for her - Mary Pickford. Once the play finished its run, Mary was out of work and looking for acting jobs. In 1909 she screen tested for D. W. Griffith at Biograph Studios in New York for a role in Pippa Passes, a nickelodeon. She didn't get the part, but Griffith saw potential in the 18-year-old and hired her. She appeared in 51 movies that year. When the company moved to Los Angeles, she went with them. Within five years she was the biggest female star in movies, earning more than a million dollars a year when bread was five cents a loaf.

Pickford was married in 1911 to Owen Moore, a silent film actor. Moore was an alcoholic and became abusive as his wife's star eclipsed his own. Secretly, Pickford began seeing Douglas Fairbanks, the dashing star swashbuckling adventure movies. Pickford finally divorced Moore on March 2, 1920 and married Fairbanks four weeks later.