Whitley Heights 101

6610 Iris Drive

6610 Iris Drive was built in 1923 by architect Arthur S. Barnes; the address was originally listed as 2019 Iris Drive, but changed shortly thereafter. The 1,614 square foot home consists of two bedrooms and one bathroom on the main floor and a one bedroom apartment that has a separate entrance on the floor below.

Below is the patio area in the back showing the separate apartment entrance.

The house sits on a downslope at the corner of Iris Drive and Iris Circle.

One of the earliest occupants was special effects man for motion pictures, Sherman Sykes, who resided at 6610 Iris Drive between 1925 and 1927. One evening in 1924, Sykes and his wife were entertaining actress Ruth Ray and her chaperone J.C. Zerdier when there was a loud knock at the front door. Sykes answered the door and he is met with an armed man growling to “Stick em’ up”. The assailant lines up the four on the divan and steals all of their money and jewelry, a value totaling over $4,000, which was a lot more money back in the 1920s. The next day, the newspaper has an article, almost mocking the situation:

Years later, Sherman Sykes owned a gift shop in Pasadena and he would be the victim of another armed invasion in 1955. This time, the gunman was dressed professionally, wearing a suit and tie. Upon giving out his description, the police originally thought Sykes’ friend was the thief, but later ruled the man out. In 1964, Sykes would make headlines again, but this time as being the neighborhood arsonist and setting 8 or more fires over a period of two weeks. He was caught lighting his shed on fire and partially destroying his own home. Sykes was found guilty and placed on probation and although no motive was presented, it was mentioned that he was having trouble with his sister-in-law.

In February of 1925, Mrs. Lillian Spicer Grey, mother to Lita Grey, moved into this residence. Her daughter, a 16 year old actress had recently married actor Charlie Chaplin in Mexico. She was living with them in his mansion in Beverly Hills when they first married but moved into his residence when things settled down in the Beverly Hills home. Lita had announced she was pregnant with Charlie’s first child. Lillian was probably renting this home and may even rented the lower apartment as she was an unemployed actress. Working as an actress under the name Lillian McMurray, she appeared as an extra in Charlie Chaplin’s, The Gold Rush (1925) and as a maid in The Idle Class (1921). Lita, who went by Lita Grey, was also an extra in The Gold Rush. Lita first met Chaplin when she was 12 years old and was an extra in his film, The Kid in 1921. Below is Lillian, Lita, and Charlie at Chaplin Studio’s when Lita was signing her movie contract with his productions. One can only speculate why Lillian would allow the relationship between her 16 year old daughter and the 35 year old actor.

Lita stayed at this home on-and-off with her mother during her two pregnancies as the Chaplin-Grey relationship could be described as a roller coaster. Soon after giving birth to Charles Chaplin, Jr., Lita was pregnant again with their second child. According to newspaper accounts, Lita gave birth to their second son, Sydney Chaplin in this home. The marriage did not last and they divorced in 1928 after a long and public court battle suggesting that Charlie had been with five other women during their marriage. Lita came out with a $600,000 settlement, the highest cash settlement ever received in an American divorce in those times.

During the divorce, Lita and her mother moved into her grandparents home in Beverly Hills. Lita married and divorced three more times. She kept the name Lita Grey Chaplin for both her movie career and as an association to her two sons. Lillian legally changed her name to Lillian Grey following her daughter’s divorce. Lillian often went by other last names such as “Spicer” and in a 1920 census, while living with her parents, she used the name “Lillian L. Parker”.

Actor Knute Erickson (pictured below), resided at 6610 Iris Drive in 1930. Swedish born Knute Erickson was a vaudeville comedian and actor in Hollywood between 1915 and 1936. His most famous creation was that of the character Daffy Dan, with which he had some success as a touring vaudeville performer, in a show presented by Hollywood mogul Jesse Lasky. Daffy Dan made his film debut in 1915 in a couple of two-reel comedies, and was featured in two Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle films that were never released. Erickson continued to act in films up until 1936, when he did his last role, in the serial The Amazing Exploits of the Clutching Hand. Daffy Dan, however, only had one more film outing, as Lon Chaney’s daffy henchman in the silent horror comedy The Monster (1925). Erickson primarily played bit-parts, often uncredited.

Erickson enjoyed living in Whitley Heights. In the 1920s, he resided at 6630 Whitley Terrace in 1924, 6755 Wedgewood Place in 1926-27, 6672 Whitley Terrace (actress Barbara LaMarr’s former home) in 1928 and this property.

During the years, this home has been privy to other actors, scandals and tragedies. Actress Yvonne Anderson lived here in 1922. In 1934, MGM studio girl, June Lucid, was sued by disabled war veteran, Elving H Detrichson, for “leading him on”. He thought they were having a serious relationship and bought her lavish gifts such as a $800 ring, fur coat, radio and cash. He wrote her love letters and wanted them and the canceled checks back.  He filed a lawsuit against her for “jilting him”. Not much came out of the lawsuit other than a broken heart. In 1953, the Troendle’s were living at 6610 Iris Drive. They decided to go swimming at Malibu Lake and their 4 year old son, Phillip drowned in the lake.