Whitley Heights 101

6717 milner road

6717 Milner Road was built in 1924 by architect Nathan L. Coleman for K.J. Watson. The three-story home sits on a downslope with a total of 3,289 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms including a studio apartment with its own separate entrance. Below are early photos of Whitley Heights and the location of the house.

Motion picture director and screenwriter Howard Higgen and his wife, Agnes, resided at 6717 Milner Road between 1928 to 1931. With an architecture degree, Higgen’s love of theater brought him to designing set designs for a film studio.  He became the production manager on Cecil De Mille’s Forbidden Fruit (1921) and his first directing job was a 1922 comedy for Wallace Reid called “Rent Free”. Higgen then went on to direct “The New Commandment” in 1925 starring Blanche Sweet, “High Voltage” and “The Racketeer” in 1929 both starring Carole Lombard, “The Painted Desert” in 1931 with Helen Twelvetrees, and “Hell’s House” in 1932 starring Bette Davis. Higgen also wrote several screenplays including; “Broken Barriers” in 1924 with Norma Shearer, “Her Man” in 1930 starring Helen Twelvetrees, and “The Invisible Ray” in 1936 starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Although his movie career spanned for 18 years, Higgen died in 1938 at the age of 47.

Between 1933 and 1934 sculptor Blair Gordon Newell and his wife, actress Gloria Stuart rented the home. The couple were college sweethearts at UC Berkley and decided to marry on June 23, 1930 and lived in the artist’s colony at Carmel-by-the-sea as Newell focused on his art and surrounding himself with artists such as Ansel Adams and writers such as Upton Sinclair and and Sinclair Lewis. Meanwhile, Stuart acted in a local play which was brought down to the Pasadena Playhouse where she was discovered by Universal Studios and received six minor roles in 1932. In 1933, Stuart starred opposite Pat O’Brien in “Laughter in Hell” and opposite James Dunn in “The Girl in 419”. Stuart continued to get bigger roles and most of her time was spent filming at the studio.

At the end of May in 1933, one of Newell’s art friend from the colony came to stay with him as his wife went missing. 43 year old poet Orrick Johns was taking his wife, Caroline, to a sanitarium in El Paso. As they were going to board the train at the Los Angeles Railroad Depot, she fled the busy scene and he could not locate her. In addition, Johns had lost one of his legs during an accident several years ago, so he was unable to chase her in the crowd. As a result, Johns and his two year old daughter stayed as guests at 6717 Milner Road until Caroline could be found. Unfortunately, Johns was worried that she might harm herself as several days before, she ran into the ocean up in Carmel and purposely got caught in the current in the attempt to end her life. As Johns was unable to run in the water after her, a 23 year old man went into the water and saved her life. During the visit in Whitley Heights, the authorities located Caroline wandering around Seal Beach; she had no recollection of how she got there. Johns left to get her and take her to the hospital before anything else happened.

Stuart continued to work a lot and her marriage was suffering as there was no time. However, one Friday afternoon Stuart decided to relax and lay in the backyard on a blanket to get a tan. She tried to read a magazine, but it was so bright, that she suddenly became drowsy and began to nap. However, she suddenly awoke and turned to her side and within a few feet of her was a rattlesnake already set in its coil! Stuart screamed through the hills and her “rescue police” dog came running to her side killing the snake instantly. Stuart had so much anxiety, she packed for her cottage up in Carmel and took the dog. Unfortunately, the dog developed convulsions and died and Stuart had a burial for the brave dog in Carmel. At any rate, Stuart was not going to stay at the Whitley Heights house and her marriage was on the rocks. Newell and Stuart divorced in 1934 and within a few months, Stuart married screenwriter Arthur Sheekman, who she met on her latest movie set. Stuart retired from acting for almost 30 years to focus on painting. She then returned to star in minor roles (such as Rose in the Titanic in 1997 and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress!). Stuart died in 2010 at the age of 100.