Betsy J. Green

Civilization on Santa Catalina Island

This anti-war movie was released on June 2, 1915 after World War I had begun, but before the United States joined the conflict. The leading character is a submarine captain who refuses an order to torpedo a defenseless passenger ship. His crew mutinies and he drowns.

But wait! It's not over yet. The captain ends up in the afterworld where Christ enters his body and then returns to the world to plead for peace. The mothers of the world ask the world leaders to end the war, and the movie ends with soldiers returning home.

Some scenes were filmed on Santa Catalina Island, immediately after the island's city of Avalon was largely destroyed by fire.

Good news! This movie is available on Youtube.

Do or Die

This 18-part serial, starring Eddie Polo, was released on May 30, 1921. Some scenes were filmed on California's Santa Catalina Island, although many of the scenes were said to be filmed in Cuba.

An American family lives in Cuba and owns a special ring that contains a map to buried pirate treasure. A guy named Satan is the bad guy. (What else could he be with a name like that?) Satan tries repeatedly to gain possession of the ring.

A member of the family from the United States goes to Cuba to help combat Satan. He finds it's not as easy as it sounds because it takes 18 hellish episodes to defeat the forces of evil, but Eddie Polo saves the day and the map. (I just love the image on this poster.)

The Battle of Hearts

This silent movie was released on May 21, 1916. It was filmed on California's Santa Cruz Island and Santa Catalina Island. It's the familiar triangle theme involving a young woman and two young men who are vying for her attention. One is a fisherman, and the other is the son of a lighthouse keeper. There are exciting situations on the water and the rocky coastline, as the two young men compete for the young woman's affection.

However, it sounds like the behind-the-scenes events were even more exciting. "The misfortunes encountered in the filming . . . include a hurricane on Catalina Island, which [razed] a fishing village of 18 houses . . . The company then lost the boat Ruby, a two-masted schooner, and its crew of three men. Barges used to carry props to Catalina Island encountered heavy seas, and the property men and stage carpenters were at sea for 36 hours without food or shelter." – Motion Picture News, May 6, 1916

No copies are known to exist.

Gondolas in Montecito, CA

Montecito was a stand-in for scenes in Europe in a silent movie about a wealthy young American man with plenty of time and money on his hands. He is ready for adventure – especially if it involves an attractive young woman. This "Flying A" film – The Lure of the Mask – was released on May 17, 1915.

Several locations in Montecito were used, including the Crocker-Sperry Ranch known as "Las Fuentes." The site of this ranch is now the Birnam Wood Golf Club.

"The reservoir at the Crocker-Sperry Ranch in Montecito will be used for a Venetian scene . . . A crew of workmen yesterday afternoon took out a bunch of specially prepared scenery and placed this in such a manner that the desired effect will be secured. Gondolas will also be employed to add the truer atmosphere." – Santa Barbara Morning Press, February 27, 1915

No copies are known to exist.

Dodo Newton is a Hit

The "Flying A" silent movie Soul Mates was released on May 8, 1916. It takes place on the East Coast, but was filmed at the Casa Buenaventura – one of the million-dollar estates in Montecito, California.

This movie should have been called Married, But Not to Each Other, or maybe Sour Mates. It's all about infidelity and suicide, and a six-year-old Santa Barbara girl had a part. Hopefully, they kept her in the dark about the film's theme.

"Little Dodo Newton, the clever girl who is well-known and loved by many in Santa Barbara, will please many of her friends by her work in "Soul Mates" . . . She plays a strong-boy part through the five reels." – Santa Barbara Daily News & Independent, July 24, 1916

Wife Wanted in Montecito

Miramar Beach on the coast at Montecito, California was the scene for Wife Wanted, a one-reel silent film released on April 28, 1915. (This is one of the few films made in this area that was not made in a million-dollar mansion.) Most of the scenes take place at this upscale beach resort.

He's a rich young guy in search of a wife. We know he's a rich guy because his last name is Fortune. That's easy to understand, but it's not clear why he needs to advertise for a wife. Naturally, he is flooded with replies and photos, including one from a mysterious young lady in a swimsuit who writes "Find Me."

He goes to Miramar Beach in Montecito where he dives off a pier and rescues a drowning woman in his spare time. In an amazing coincidence, Miramar is where the young lady is. (If you watch enough movies, you get used to amazing coincidences like this.)

This is another of the many films that are "lost."

The Tiger's Trail on Santa Cruz Island

On April 20, 1919, the first episode of the 15-part silent serial called The Tiger's Trail was released. Ruth Roland was the star. One episode was filmed on California's Santa Cruz Island.
A group of Hindu tiger worshippers and a gang of Western outlaws try to cheat a young woman out of rich mines that belong to her. In one episode, she is put into a cage with a live Bengal tiger, and in others she is the victim of kidnapping attempts. And since there are 15 episodes in this serial, she does a darn good job of defending herself.

"In order to familiarize herself with boxing . . . Ruth Roland spent several hours each day . . . learnin' to jab and uppercut in the correct style – and she learned. She knocked the villain cold, and he had to be sprinkled with water mixed with equal parts of ice." – Film Daily, April 4, 1919

This serial is one of the many lost silent films.

Russian Actress Stars in Adventure Serial

The first episode of The Woman in the Web was released on April 8, 1918. Hedda Nova played the lead in this silent serial. A young European woman of noble birth is expected to marry a man in her class, but she loves an American man instead. Somehow, she gets involved in a series of dangerous missions and is helped along the way by the American.

Some of the 15 episodes were filmed on California's Santa Cruz Island. Amazingly, it snowed while the film company was there, and they were able to get some beautiful footage of this rare weather. Unfortunately, this is one of the many early films that did not survive.

Lois Weber & Anna Pavlova connect

On April 3, 1916, the silent film The Dumb Girl of Portici was released. The title sounds insulting to modern audiences, although a century ago, "dumb" simply meant "mute" or unable to speak. In the opera, which is the source, the mute girl dances and pantomimes, so it's not much of a stretch to have a prima ballerina – Anna Pavlova – play this part. Pavlova plays the sister of a humble fisherman. She spends much of her time dancing on the beach, instead of doing something useful like cleaning and gutting fish.

Lois Weber directed this eight-reel movie, and filmed the beach scenes on California's Santa Catalina Island. Other scenes were filmed at one of the million-dollar mansions in Montecito, CA.

Good news! This film survives and can be seen on Youtube.

The Shooting of Dan McGrew

This 7-reel romantic adventure silent movie was released on March 31, 1924. The story opens with a cabaret dancer in South America named Lou who is hoping for a big break in her career, and a shifty guy named "Dangerous Dan" McGrew who claims he can help her.

The opening scenes were filmed on California's Santa Catalina Island with Barbara La Marr as the star. The scenes that take place at the Malamute Saloon in Alaska were filmed elsewhere.

(There are no known copies of this silent film.)