Whitley Heights 101

6754 Wedgewood Place

6754 Wedgewood Place was designed and built by architect Arthur S. Barnes in 1922. The original owner did not completely finish the house and it was bought two years later and the uncompleted rooms were finished. The lower bedroom, which had a private entrance, was often rented out during the years. Below is the property after it was first built-they should have left the wood garage doors alone.

Actor John Roche (pictured below), resided in the home in 1927 until his death in 1952. Roche began his acting career in 1922 and would have 64 parts in movies including, The Unholy Night (1929), A Lost Lady (1924), and Lady with a Past (1932). Roche usually played second lead parts , but after sound emerged, he was primarily assigned to small uncredited roles. For a time, Roche, was a tailor and co-owned Roche and Pollack on Sunset Blvd.

In 1935, screenwriter Sheridan Gibney and his wife, Mildred, resided at 6754 Wedgewood Place. Gibney is credited to writing 27 movies and television shows between 1932 and 1976 including, The Story of Louis Pasteur (1926), The Locket (1946) and one episode of The Six Million Dollar Man in 1975. Gibney and his wife, pictured below, met after she starred in one of his plays and a romance blossomed.

A year later, actor Lloyd Nolan and his wife moved into the home. Nolan has been in over 170 parts on movies and television starting in 1935. He is best known for his detective movies as “Michael Shayne” and tv minor roles in Father Knows Best, Special Agent 7, Bonanza, 77 Sunset Strip, The Walton’s and Archie Bunker’s Place. He also had minor roles in movies such as, Airport, Earthquake, and Hannah and her Sisters. Below Lloyd Nolan (center) is seen in Earthquake (1977), with actors Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner.

In 1938, while living at 6754 Wedgewood Place, 40 year old film producer, Edwin Trevor was leaving from a party on Fairfax Avenue and appeared to drunk as he was walking to his vehicle. A police officer saw him and suggested he not drive the car. Trevor cussed him out and left in the car for about six blocks before the police officer stopped him and arrested him for drunk driving. Trevor was a former war veteran captain, who at the age of 17 flew in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. He had also married actress Ruth Weston, according to a 1938 Los Angeles newspaper.