French postcard, no. 190. Photo: Melbourne Spurr.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 821/2, 1925-1926. Photo: S.F. (Südfilm A.G.). This postcard, with a picture from Safety Last (Fred Newmeyer, Sam Taylor, 1923), erroneously mentions the actress as Mildred Harris, while she is Mildred Davis, Harold Lloyd's wife. Many sources today still confound the two actresses.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 821/4, 1925-1926. Photo: S.F. (Südfilm A.G.). This postcard, with a picture from Safety Last! (Fred Neymeyer, Sam Taylor, 1923), erroneously mentions the actress as Mildred Harris, while she is Mildred Davis, Lloyd's wife. Many sources today still confound the two actresses.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3981/1, 1929-1930. Photo: Paramount. The actress on the card is Mildred Davis, not Marion Davies, as erroneously captioned. Collection: Marlene Pilaete.
The girl
Mildred Hillary Davis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1901.
She was the daughter of Howard Beckett Davis and she was the sister of actor Jack Davis. Mildred was educated at the Friends School in Philadelphia.
After spending several years studying, she travelled to Los Angeles hoping for a role in a film. After appearing in several small roles, she caught the attention of Hal Roach, who pointed her out to comedian Harold Lloyd.
Lloyd was looking for a leading lady to replace Bebe Daniels. He cast Davis as 'the girl' in his comedy short From Hand to Mouth (Alfred J. Goulding, Hal Roach, 1919).
It would be the first of fifteen films they would star in together. These included His Royal Slyness (Hal Roach, 1920) with Snub Pollard, A Sailor-Made Man (Fred Newmeyer, 1921), the box-office hit Dr. Jack (Fred Newmeyer, 1922) and the popular family comedy Grandma's Boy (Fred Newmeyer, 1922) with Anna Townsend.
British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. 94.
British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. 94a.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 1254/1, 1927-1928. Photo: Paramount-Film.
Austrian postcard by Iris Verlag, no. 881. Photo: Paramount Film.
No films after marriage
Mildred Davis also co-starred with Harold Lloyd in the classic Safety Last! (Sam Taylor, Fred Newmeyer, 1923). Safety Last! includes one of the most famous images from the silent film era: Lloyd clutching the hands of a large clock as he dangles from the outside of a skyscraper above moving traffic.
The film was highly successful and critically hailed, and it cemented Lloyd's status as a major figure in silent films. In 1923, Davis and Lloyd married. After marrying, Lloyd announced that Davis would not appear in any more motion pictures.
Her last films were the drama Temporary Marriage (Lambert Hillyer, 1923) starring Kenneth Harlan, Mildred Davis, and Myrtle Stedman, and the comedy Condemned (Arthur Rosson, 1923) starring Davis and Carl Miller.
After much persuasion by Davis (and much grief) she received Lloyd's consent to return to the screen in the comedy Too Many Crooks (Fred C. Newmeyer, 1927) with Lloyd Hughes and George Bancroft. Lloyd produced the film through his production company. It was the only acting role she undertook after becoming married.
Throughout her married life, a close friend (and Harold's secretary) Roy Brooks lived with the Lloyds at Greenacres and kept Mildred company when Harold was not at home. In her later life, she suffered from depression and serious (though short-lived) drinking spells. Mildred Davis died in 1969 in St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. Davis and Lloyd remained married until her death and they had three children: Harold Lloyd Jr. (1931-1971), Gloria Lloyd Roberts (1924-2012) and their adopted daughter Marjorie Elisabeth Lloyd (1925-1986).
French postcard by Editions ZREIK, Paris, no. 8. Belgian poster by Crosly Film for Safety Last! (Fred Newmeyer, Sam Taylor, 1923), starring Harold Lloyd and Mildred Davis.
French postcard, no. 190, Photo: Melbourne Spurr.
French postcard by Cinémagazine-Edition, Paris, no. 314.
Italian postcard, no. 748. Photo: S.A.I. Films Paramount, Roma.
Sources: Wikipedia (English and German) and IMDb.
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