I recently went down a rabbit-hole researching the history of what is known nowadays as the Culver Studios at 9336 W. Washington Blvd, Culver City, but has been known as Ince Studios, DeMille Studios, RKO-Pathé Studios, Selznick Intl Pictures, and Desilu. This photo in particular caught my eye. In the late 1920s, Cecil B. DeMille decided to leave Paramount and strike out on his own as an independent producer. He found the job was a lot harder than it looked and so he didn’t last long. But while he was there, this is what his office looked like. It was on the third floor of the building known as “The Mansion” (the studio’s admin building modeled on George Washington’s Mt Vernon estate and became familiar to movie-goers when David O. Selznick used it as his logo in the 1940s.) Between the swords and guns mounted on the wall, and the huge polar bear rug on the floor, this is clearly the office of a man of his time. But I have to wonder how many visitors and secretaries tripped over that damned rug.
Whenever I think of “The Mansion” this is what I picture:
“The Mansion” at Culver Studios, Culver City, CA during the time when Cecil B. DeMille leased the studio, circa late 1920s:
Vents or sky-lights above the desk???
I don’t know but my guess is air vents.
My opinion of him has declined.
I am going to have to go back and watch it, but I think in the first season of the HBO Perry Mason series when he goes to collect his fee from a movie producer, the producer’s office was patterned after this one.
I’d love to know the history of those swords and what happened to them.
Particularly the samurai swords.