Jimmie Shields (May 24, 1905 - March 5, 1974): elisa_rolle

Lived: 601 Lorna Ln, Los Angeles, CA 90049, USA (34.05636, -118.46985)
Buried: Woodlawn Cemetery, Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, USA
Buried alongside: William Haines
Find A Grave Memorial# 23570553

William Haines was an American film actor and interior designer. On a trip to New York in 1926, Haines met James "Jimmie" Shields, probably as a pick-up on the street. Haines convinced Shields to move to Los Angeles, promising to get him work as an extra. In 1933, Haines was asked to choose between a sham marriage and his relationship with Shields. Haines chose Shields. Haines and Shields remained together for the rest of their lives. Haines died from lung cancer; soon afterward Shields, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, put on Haines' pajamas, took an overdose of pills, and crawled into their bed to die. They were interred side by side in Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery. Joan Crawford, with whom the two men maintained a lifelong friendship, called them "the happiest married couple in Hollywood."

Together from 1926 to 1973: 47 years.
Jimmie Shields (1905 - 1974)
William Haines (January 2, 1900 – December 26, 1973)

Days of Love edited by Elisa Rolle
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325
ISBN-10: 1500563323
Release Date: September 21, 2014
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/4910282
Amazon (print): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500563323/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Amazon (kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MZG0VHY/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

House: The duplex at 1712 N. Stanley Avenue was once the home of Billy Haines, the legendary interior designer beloved by Old Hollywood actresses such as Joan Crawford, Carol Lombard, and Claudette Colbert.

Address: 1712 N Stanley Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046, USA (34.10212, -118.35583)

Place
Built in 1926
Rare and beautiful, very large English townhouse style Duplex. Designer William Haynes lived and worked here. According to the book “Tallulah!,” William Haines also rented the home to his friend Tallulah Bankhead for a time in the early 1930s. Floorplan features 4 bedrooms, grand staircase, 2 fireplaces, incredible living room with high ceilings and fireplace, patio/garden, gated, formal entry with amazing panelling, spacious kitchen, beautiful hardwood detailing throughout, hardwoodfloors, 12 Ft ceiling, kitchen and kitchenette, beautiful courtyard patio, den or office, 3 bedrooms. Monthly rent for the unit in 2010 was $3,995. In September 1926, after meeting Jimmie Shields, William Haines bought the house at 1712 North Stanley Drive, just off Sunset Boulevard, from Charles and Bettie Kimble. While most of the movie elite was moving into Beverly Hills, Billy opted to stay right in the heart of Hollywood. He paid $12.500 (along with a trust deed of record for $8.000) for the plain, two-story Spanish home. Billy was determined to transform his house into a showplace. One of the older homes in the area, 1712 North Stanley was built soundly, with deep foundations and heavy timbers. Such solid construction had attracted Billy, as it could withstand significant structural changes. He and Jimmie moved in and began taking measurements, drawing up rough floor plans. He abhorred the mishmash of historical styles that so characterized Hollywood architecture of the time, especially the pseudo-Spanish style that had been the rage of the 1910s and early 1920s. When Billy and Jimmie moved from their elegant movie-star house in Hollywood to a more modest but infinitely better located address in Brentwood, Billy didn’t sell the house on North Stanley right away; for a time he rented it out to the actor John Garfield.

Life
Who: Charles William "Billy" Haines (January 2, 1900 – December 26, 1973) and Jimmie Shields (May 24, 1905 – March 5, 1974)
William Haines was a film actor and interior designer. Haines was discovered by a talent scout and signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1922. His career gained momentum when he was loaned out to Columbia Pictures where he received favorable reviews for his role in “The Midnight Express.” Haines returned to MGM and was cast in the 1926 film “Brown of Harvard.” The role solidified his screen persona as a wisecracking, arrogant leading man. By the end of the 1920s, Haines had appeared in a string of successful films and was a popular box office draw. On a trip to New York in 1926, Haines met James "Jimmie" Shields, possibly as a pick-up on the street. Haines convinced Shields to move to Los Angeles, promising to get him work as an extra. The pair were soon living together and viewed themselves as a committed couple. His career was cut short by the 1930s due to his refusal to deny his homosexuality. Haines quit acting in 1935 and started a successful interior design business with his life partner Jimmie Shields, and was supported by friends in Hollywood. Among their early clients were friends such as Joan Crawford, Gloria Swanson, Carole Lombard, Marion Davies and George Cukor. Their lives were disrupted in June 1936 when approximately 100 members of a white supremacist group dragged the two men from their El Porto home (221 Moonstone Street, El Porto, Manhattan Beach) and beat them, because a neighbor had accused the two of propositioning his son. The incident was widely reported at the time, but Manhattan Beach police never brought charges against the couple’s attackers. The child molestation accusations against Haines and Shields were unfounded and the case was dismissed due to a lack of evidence.

Queer Places, Vol. 1 edited by Elisa Rolle
ISBN-13: 978-1532901904
ISBN-10: 1532901909
Release Date: July 24, 2016
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/6228297
Amazon (print): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1532901909/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Amazon (kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IZ1BU9K/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

House: William Haines’s companion of nearly 50 years was devastated by his lover’s death. On the evening of March 5, 1974, Jimmie Shields, 69, telephoned several friends from the Brentwood home at 601 Lorna Lane he had shared with Haines for many years. After making the last call, he swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills.

Address: 601 Lorna Ln, Los Angeles, CA 90049, USA (34.05636, -118.46985)

Place
L.A.’s most iconic designers, William Haines, lived at 601 Lorna Ln., in a 3,500 sq. ft. home, on a 22,000 sq. ft. lot. Completely out of place in this neighborhood of 3,000-5,000 sq. ft. houses. Haine’s home was considered, by celebrities, and designers alike, to be one of the most tasteful, elegant homes in town. After the grandeur of the previous house in North Stanley, many of Billy’s friends and associates were surprised by his choice. The new house was set in a modest neighbourhood on a small lot, built by the previous owners with a loan from the Federal Housing Administration. (Billy would joke that he decorated castles, but lived in an FHA house.) The property was purchased for just $5.600 from Arthur James Zander on May 22, 1944. Notably, for the first time, Jimmie’s name was included on the deed. Both he and Billy were granted an “undivided, one-half interest” in the property. Billy called in an architect, made plans to raise the ceilings by four feet, then took off for Europe with Jimmie. By the time they’d returned, the house had begun its transformation. “This is where I bring clients and prospective clients,” Billy said. “If we were selling automobiles, this would be our demonstration car. Not that we take pen and ink in hand and sign a client at the table. It’s simply the best way to expose them to a certain quality of life as I live it. Showing is always more meaningful than telling over the barren top of a desk.” He filled his new home with the treasures of his old residence: the antique chairs, the magnificent chandeliers, the priceless paintings. In the living room, a XIX century white marble fireplace rose from the center of the floor. He knocked down a few walls and installed large glass windows overlooking the pool. Outside, Greek and Roman statuary stood among the cypress trees. Most memorable, however was the hand-painted wallpaper that formed an elaborate mural, “Les Incas,” in the sunken living room and the bar area. It was so beautiful that Jack Warner instisted he needed it for a film. Billy agreed to have it all peeled off very carefully and sent over to the studio. In 1951 they’d marked their silver anniversary – 25 years – with an intimate gathering at Lorna Lane. Clifton Webb was there, and Orry-Kelly, and, of course, Joan Crawford and Eleanor Boardman. The house on Lorna Lane was sold in March 1975 for over $200.000 to a husband and wife, both physicians.

Life
Who: Charles William "Billy" Haines (January 2, 1900 – December 26, 1973) and Jimmie Shields (May 24, 1905 – March 5, 1974)
William Haines and Jimmie Shields settled in the Hollywood community of Brentwood and their business prospered until their retirement in the early 1970s, except for a brief interruption when Haines served in WWII. Their clients included Betsy Bloomingdale and Ronald and Nancy Reagan when Reagan was governor of California. Haines and Shields remained together until Haines’ death. Joan Crawford described them as "the happiest married couple in Hollywood." On December 26, 1973, Haines died from lung cancer in Santa Monica, California at the age of 73. Soon afterward, Shields took an overdose of sleeping pills. His suicide note read in part, "Goodbye to all of you who have tried so hard to comfort me in my loss of William Haines, whom I have been with since 1926. I now find it impossible to go it alone, I am much too lonely."

Jimmie Shields (May 24, 1905 - March 5, 1974)

Recent Posts from This Journal

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Book

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards: Best Lesbian Book

Error