Betsy J. Green

100 years ago this week in Santa Barbara, the local "Flying A" movie studio released a feature film called "Put Up Your Hands." The studio's glamor girl Margarita Fisher plays a young woman who decides to add a little pizazz to her aunt's society tea party by dressing in her undies and staging a boxing match between herself and well-known boxer Joe "Bull" Montana.

"Motion Picture News" magazine commented about the star's skimpy attire, "In some of the situations, the star appears dressed as an athlete, wearing only B.V.D.s. While broadminded people may think nothing wrong of it, some would-be reformers might be 'shocked.' In such case, you can trim down the scenes, thus sparing the feelings of such objectors." (Image: Moving Picture World, March 15, 1919)

100 years ago this week in Santa Barbara, there was an article in the local newspaper about a Santa Barbara nurse who was working with the Red Cross in Italy. Although World War I had ended the previous November, there was still a need for nurses to help the war-torn populations. Rose Gandolfo of Santa Barbara wrote back home that she intended to stay as long as she was needed.

Amazingly, when I Googled her name, I found some photos in the Library of Congress photo collection of Gandolfo when she was in Italy in 1918! (Image: Library of Congress)

100 years ago this week in Santa Barbara, there was a long article in the paper about a local man who had just been awarded the distinguished service cross. Albert F. Neil was cited "for acts of extraordinary heroism." In September, 1918, the tank he was riding in had been hit by a German shell. He and another soldier removed the tank's machine guns and used them against the Germans. The two men then used rifles and grenades to successfully attack the enemy trenches. Neil was a member of the Grizzlies, a group of volunteers from California. (Image: Wikimedia)

100 years ago this week, the Carpinteria Valley News published a sci-fi story written by a local boy named Linn Unkefer. "Though but 15 years old," the paper wrote, "Linn shows a wonderful fertility of imagination. The story is well worth reading." His story, A Trip to the Moon, told of a voyage to the moon in 1958 in an airplane with 700-horsepower motors. He was only off by 11 years.

Unkefer later worked in the publicity departments of Hollywood film studios such as RKO. And he got his start in little beach community of Carpinteria.

(Image: Wikimedia)

This cartoon appeared in Santa Barbara's Daily News and Independent in February 1919 as folks struggled with their income tax forms.

They probably thought it couldn't get any worse. Little did they know.

One hundred years ago this week, an article in the Santa Barbara newspaper wrote about the Red Cross volunteers at the Santa Barbara depot who met the trains of soldiers returning from World War I with hot coffee, doughnuts, cigars, cigarettes, apples, oranges and postcards. (A photo of this is on the cover of my "Way Back When: Santa Barbara in 1918" book. Image: courtesy of John Fritsche)

WAY BACK WHEN, 100 years ago today, this cartoon was published in Santa Barbara's "The Morning Press." Income tax had begun back in 1913. (Some things never change, eh?)

WAY BACK WHEN - 100 years ago today, on January 27, 1919, the Santa Barbara newspaper reported that more than 500 prospective buyers had visited the city's newest subdivision called "Fair Acres." This property on the Mesa runs along both sides of Santa Cruz Boulevard from Cliff Drive to the ocean.

WAY BACK WHEN - 100 years ago today, on January 17, 1919, an article in the Santa Barbara newspaper explained that the term "dough boy" originated during the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. When the American soldiers were in Mexico, many of them stayed in homes made of adobe, which was also called "dobie." Over time, "dobie" morphed into "doughboy." So now you know. (Image: wikimedia)

WAY BACK WHEN - 100 years ago today, on January 10, 1919, the local record store in Santa Barbara had an ad in the paper for records with titles such as, "The Rose of No Man's Land," "The Yanks with the Tanks Will Go Thru the Germans' Ranks," and my personal favorite, "Would You Rather Be a Colonel with an Eagle on Your Shoulder, or a Private with a Chicken on Your Knee?"