MOVIES WAY BACK WHEN: Silent Actor Nabbed for Speeding
By Betsy J. Green
One of the most famous silent movie actors was John Barrymore. (And yes, actress Drew Barrymore is his granddaughter.)
He visited here in 1919 for some R&R, but apparently cut loose on one of our local streets.
“John Barrymore, well-known American actor, and temporary visitor in Santa Barbara, was halted in his joyous flight out on East Haley Street yesterday afternoon. Traffic Officer Williams was stern in his decision that Mr. Barrymore was pushing a bit heavy on the throttle of his machine.” Barrymore was fined $10.
Betsy's Way Back When book -- Movies & Million-Dollar Mansions -- is now available in local bookstores and at Amazon.com. This is the seventh book in her series on the history of Santa Barbara. Learn more at .
4 Comments
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Jan 22, 2023 06:39 PMThe local speed limits in 1919 ranged from 20 to 30 m.p.h. Most cars for street driving could not reach 80 m.p.h.
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Jan 24, 2023 09:27 AMBJGREEN - It was sarcastic humor on my comment. I do know that in the 1920's autos could not go at 80. Maybe some of them went at 35 to 40 in the late 1920's.
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Jan 22, 2023 06:53 PM$10 from 1919 is now about $171.56 , which seems like a pretty stiff penalty/fine?
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Jan 22, 2023 09:37 AMHe was probably going over 80. Ha-ha!