bjgreen
By Betsy J. Green
The earliest reference that I’ve found about movies being shown in Santa Barbara dates way back to 1898. An article in the local paper about a vaudeville show at the opera house (the original Lobero Theater) mentioned that the show included “the Waragraph, a scientific wonder of life, showing the recent naval events, the military parades and a Spanish bull fight.” – Santa Barbara Morning Press, October 16, 1898
The “recent naval events” mentioned were scenes from the 1898 Spanish-American War in Cuba, produced by the Edison Wargraph Company. These were some of the first moving images projected on a screen that audiences here had ever seen.
Betsy’s Way Back When book — 1919 — is now available in local bookstores and at Amazon.com. This is the sixth book in her series of the history of Santa Barbara, one year at a time. Learn more at .
