bjgreen
By Betsy J. Green
One of the most popular productions filmed by Santa Barbara’s “Flying A” was the 30-part serial called “The Diamond from the Sky,” released in 1915. SB audiences were especially keen to see local scenery in the film. The paper reported, “Some extraordinary scenes will be taken in Chinatown today.”
Santa Barbara’s Chinatown was centered along East Cañon Perdido from State Street to Santa Barbara Street. One wonders what the residents of that area thought about a movie filmed on their streets.
No copies are known to exist.
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 .
