FOUR FILMS FEATURING THE HAROLD LLOYD ESTATE (OTHERWISE KNOWN AS GREENACRES)

Harold Lloyd was a successful American comedian with a career in the entertainment industry that spanned approximately fifty years, starting in 1913 and ending in 1963. During that time, he starred in many notable films, such as 'Safety Last!' (1923), 'The Freshman' (1925), and 'Movie Crazy' (1932). Harold was also known for owning an impressive estate, named Greenacres, which originally consisted of a forty-four-room mansion, a golf course, a large swimming pool, several gardens, a nine-hundred-foot canoe run, an open-air theater, and a number of other facilities. In fact, Greenacres impressed so many people, that it's been featured in quite a few films. This includes...

Name of the film: Westworld / Year Released: 1973 / Directed by: Michael Crichton / Starring: Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, and James Brolin / Genre: Sci-fi Western / Budget: $1.2 million / Box office: $10 million / Synopsis: A technical malfunction causes mayhem and havoc at a multi-themed amusement park for adults, which in turn forces some of the visitors in attendance to fight back / How was Greenacres featured in this film? One particular section of the amusement park, called Roman World, was largely represented by the lavish gardens at Harold's magnificent estate.

Name of the film: Farewell, My Lovely / Year Released: 1975 / Directed by: Dick Richards / Starring: Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, and John Ireland / Genre: Neo-noir mystery / Budget: $2.5 million / Box office: $2 million / Synopsis: A private investigator from Los Angeles is hired by a paroled convict to find his elusive girlfriend / How was Greenacres featured in this film? Harold Lloyd's opulent office was utilized in an intense sequence in which the private investigator visited the lavish home of a wealthy couple and asked them some questions related to his case.

Name of the film: Beverly Hills Cop / Year Released: 1984 / Directed by: Martin Brest / Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, and John Ashton / Genre: Action comedy / Budget: $13 million / Box office: $316.3 million / Synopsis: A freewheeling cop from Detroit discovers a very different culture when he travels from his hometown to Beverly Hills in pursuit of a murderer / How was Greenacres featured in this film? Some of it was used to represent the main gangster's grand estate, which appeared in numerous key scenes throughout the film, especially during the final shootout between the cops and the gangsters.

Name of the film: Commando / Year Released: 1985 / Directed by: Mark L. Lester / Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, and Dan Hedaya / Genre: Action / Budget: $10 million / Box office: $57.5 million / Synopsis: A retired Special Forces colonel tries to save his daughter after she's abducted by his former subordinate / How was Greenacres featured in this film? Similar to the film previously mentioned, 'Beverly Hills Cop', the main gangster's grand estate featured in the final shootout at the end of this film, between the two opposing adversaries, was doubled by Harold's grand estate. Coincidentally, both films revolved around a plot where the main character embarked on a quest to save a female named Jenny.

Greenacres was also featured in other films, such as 'The Loved One' (1965) and 'Peeper' (1975), keeping in mind that it has gone through many modifications over the years. After Harold Lloyd's death, it was purchased by the Iranian businessman, Nasrollah Afshani, who bought Greenacres for $1.6 million.

Today, Greenacres is owned by the American billionaire investor, Ronald Burkle, and as of 1984, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. It's located at 1740 Green Acres Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA, and currently is a private residence not open to the public.

To find out about some of the other lavish properties located in Beverly Hills, please feel free to visit thelegendaryestatesofbeverlyhills.com.