Betsy J. Green

It with Clara Bow

The silent movie It was released on February 19, 1927. This was one of the hit movies of the year. "It" was the code word for "sex appeal," and Clara Bow had plenty of it – from head to toe. Antonio Moreno was the male lead, and he's no slouch either in the "it" department, if you ask me.

Some scenes for this movie were filmed on or around California's Santa Catalina Island. Fortunately, this movie survives and is available for viewing on Youtube, so you can decide for yourself if Clara Bow had "it." What do you think?

The Romance

This 1913 romantic drama was released on February 15. The movie begins with a wealthy young lady who's rather bored. Life is pretty mundane in the mansion on the hill overlooking the sea. Well, just how long can you look at the walls of a mansion, and out at the water that's just – water.

But when a handsome and wealthy young man enters the scene, life at the mansion starts improving at the tempo of a ragtime beat. This movie was filmed at Bellosguardo, one of the picturesque estates in Montecito, CA.

The Voice From the Minaret

This silent film was released on January 28, 1923. Some scenes were filmed in Montecito, California where a polo club was a stand-in for the Bombay Polo Club. The local populace was thrilled to be able to take part and schmooze with Norma Talmadge, Eugene O'Brien, and director Frank Lloyd.

"The story required that . . . part of the action occurs in Bombay, India. Hence the resplendent pavilions and awnings, hence the swarthy complexions, the fierce beards, the cork helmets, the gaudy uniforms; hence also the British flags and the tea . . . Santa Barbara did what it could to give the scene a Santa Barbara version of the proper British Indian atmosphere by . . . appearing in gauzy frocks and immaculate flannels." – Santa Barbara Morning Press, July 16, 1922

No copies are known to exist.

Mary Pickford and the movie dog

Silent-movie star Mary Pickford came to Montecito, CA to film a scene for Stella Maris. This movie was released on January 21, 1918. Pickford stood in the garden theater that was located on the Piranhurst estate, owned by the Bothin family. (Santa Barbara's "Flying A" film studio also used this picturesque estate on Cold Springs Road in several of their movies.)

Mary was accompanied by Teddy, a famous movie dog that belonged to director Mack Sennett. Mary had a great deal of respect for this Great Dane. She told a newspaper interviewer, "All through the play, the dog's acting is as fine as any human being's and the expression in his eyes, perhaps, even more wonderful, for can any eyes express as much love as one sees in the eyes of a dog?" (Times Union, Brooklyn, New York, February 11, 1918)

Good news – you can find this movie on Youtube!

The Sea Beast

This movie was released on January 15, 1926. It is very loosely based on Herman Melville's Moby Dick, with some romance thrown in, plus a happy ending. The whale is still the whale, however. It was filmed in the waters around California's Santa Catalina Island.

John Barrymore and Dolores Costello had the leads. Reviews were generally favorable, but a couple of eagle-eyed writers found some inconsistencies.

"The close-up of the fastidiously manicured fingernail of a dirty and grizzled sea captain (Barrymore himself)." – Exhibitors Trade Review, January 23, 1926.

"Dolores Costello left her house in a flowered dress and reached the quay in a plain one." – Motion Picture, September 1926

Good news! Copies of this film still exist, and can be seen on Youtube.

(Image: theater poster)

The Power of Light

This silent movie was released on January 5, 1914. It was filmed in Sycamore Canyon, a region of Montecito, California. The movie features a family of moonshiners in the Canadian North Woods. The dad is in the illegal hooch business, but his son becomes a minister.

As the movie ends, we see the son destroying the illegal liquor equipment, but [spoiler alert!] six years later when Prohibition begins and the U.S. goes "dry," he may regret his rash actions.

This movie was produced by Santa Barbara's "Flying A" studio. There are no copies known to exist. 

The Scarlet Streak

Universal Pictures released the first installment of this 10-part serial on December 20, 1925. Some scenes were filmed on California's Santa Catalina Island.

A scientist invents a "death ray" weapon that shoots deadly lightning bolts. Just down the street, is "the house of closed shutters," so you know that's where the bad guys live.

Throughout the 10 episodes, the bad guys battle the good guys – the inventor's daughter and a newspaper reporter – for possession of the weapon. In the end, the bad guys are defeated – maybe by the death ray? – and the daughter and reporter fall in love.

No copies are known to exist.

Montecito subs for Hawaii

A million-dollar mansion in Montecito, California was the stand-in for Hawaii for the movie Aloha Oe which was released on December 12, 1915. Here's the story – a high-powered attorney in the United States turns to alcohol to relieve the tension of an important trial. When the trial is over, his friends put him on a boat headed for the South Pacific, hoping that the change of scene will help him dry out. (I guess piña coladas had not been introduced to the remote islands yet.) Of course, the movie involved a volcano and a comely island maiden.

After spending time on the island, the man returns to civilization – until he hears the song "Aloha Oe" played in a cafe. So, he returns to the island, the comely maiden, and dines happily on pupu platters for the rest of his days.

The studio constructed "20 bungalows on the banks of the creek running through the Gillespie place in Montecito, for temporary use in photo-play work . . . [there is] no place in California that presents so many excellent scenic features for photoplay requirements as are available on the Gillespie place." – Santa Barbara Morning Press, June 9, 1915

No copies are known to exist.

Old Ironsides

The Famous Players-Lasky released this maritime movie on December 6, 1926. Many scenes were filmed on and around California's Santa Catalina Island. The large numbers of cast and crew proved quite a challenge.

"Filmed at Catalina and the players and technicians were housed in tents. There were about 2,600 to provide for and food was served in cafeteria style in four large dining rooms seating about 500 persons. Food was brought from Los Angeles in two barges every morning." – Exhibitors Herald, May 21, 1927

"Four barge-loads of tent equipment were taken from Avalon to the Isthmus last week. It is stated that in one scene, more than 1,500 persons will be required. The pier at the Isthmus has been changed so that it typifies a waterfront scene from the historical records of Salem, Mass. Fifteen old-type sailing vessels are now anchored in the vicinity of Bird Island and Ship Rock." – Catalina Islander (Avalon, California), March 31, 1926

You can find this movie on Youtube.

His Jonah Day

This movie was released on November 26, 1920. Very little information is available about the plot of this short comedy, filmed on California's Santa Catalina Island. (Maybe there wasn't much of a plot.) Here's a review that sums it up best: "There is a whale, a bottomless boat, a sea-going baby carriage and an octopus. There are many exciting scenes, with laughs in every one." – Daily Pioneer (Bemidji, Minnesota), June 21, 1921

Although not the star, Oliver "Babe" Hardy had a "large" part in this film. (No copies are known to exist.)

Everyone – around the globe – seemed to enjoy this brief comedy. "Really entertaining comedy. The story is scanty as all stories around which comedy pictures are built are, but it is well told." – Kinematograph Weekly (London, England), February 10, 1921