In 1920, four years after they met and one year
after establishing United Artists with Charles Chaplin and D.W. Griffith.
MARY PICKFORD and DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS were married. Having
become the toast of Hollywood, the couple emharked on a storybook honeymoon
before setting up a home at Pickfair. The estate soon became the elite
social center for themovie world and visiting dignitaries. Aside from pool
parties, an evening at Pickfair might include dinner and the screening
of a new film in the living room followed by a plate of peanut brittle
as a snack., "Canoe runs" were also a popular activity among
Hollywood's elite, so the pool at Pickfair included a series of specially
built canoe ponds as well as a sandy beach along one of its sides.
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JACKIE COOGAN, seen here with a group of friends
invited to his house for a pool party, (Coogan is the smallest one) was
already a precocious young vaudeville attraction when Charlie Chaplin saw
his act and decided to cast him to co-star in the film The Kid (1921).
The role catapulted Coogan, age seven, into instant stardom. While earning
millions, even receiving a half-million-dollar bonus for switching studios,
the little boy was given a meager allowance by his parents, At age twenty-one,
his career as a child star over and forgotten, Coogan tried collecting
his earnings, only to discover that his mother and new- stepfather had
spent most of his trust fund, After a lengthy court battle Jackie emerged
with just $127,000 to start life with his new bride, Betty Grable. The
infamous case prompted the passage of the Child Actors Bill in California,
also known as the Coogan Act, which was created to protect the fortunes
of young actors. Ironically, Coogan is best known for his adult portrayal
of Uncle Fester in the TV series The Addams Family (1964-1966). |
