Today on part one of another brand new encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Suzanne Lloyd, the granddaughter who was raised like a daughter of iconic silent film star & business mogul Harold Lloyd. Suzanne is the steward of the Harold Lloyd estate and runs the archive of her grandfather’s groundbreaking early Hollywood silent films which the creative genius and shrewd businessman almost single handedly owned throughout his career. Ah a preservationist in the mold of Edie Adams, host Josh Mills’ mother who did the very same thing for the career of television’s original genius, her first husband, Ernie Kovacs. Be still our hearts.
Suzanne was incredibly gracious with her time when we talked to her and it was evident early on that she had so much to say about her years growing up, her grandfather’s career, her parent’s lives, the preservation of Lloyd’s films as well as his opulent and ridiculously large house and grounds in Beverly Hills, we knew this conversation was a two parter. Suzanne was an eager guest who wanted to talk about her grandfather’s work which ranks right up there with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Perhaps to the causal film fan, Harold Lloyd’s name isn’t as well-known some 90 years after the apex of his career simply because he owned his own films, not a film studio. So showings on television and screenings at film festivals were more sporadic through the years. But no doubt, with Suzanne’s help, more fans than ever are able to see Harold Lloyd’s comedy in 2026.
This episode is a film lover’s dream as we talk about early Hollywood icons like Mary Pickford, Daryl Zanuck, Hal Roach and many more – including her grandmother, Harold’s wife, Mildred Davis. Davis gave up her own career once she married her comedic genius husband. Why? You’ll hear about that shortly. Suzanne’s ability to talk about the legacy of Harold Lloyd is only matched by her recall of facts, dates, productions, screenings, studios and more that it’s almost uncanny how anyone could have total recall like that. So buckle up, this is only part one. Part two has stories about the famed Christmas tree that lived year round in the living room, the estate they lived on and the Paul McCartney party she attended after the estate was donated to the city. This episode spans decades. Take a listen.
