MOVIES WAY BACK WHEN: The Welcome Mat Was Out

By Betsy J. Green

Santa Barbara welcomed silent movie actors and crews a century ago. Not every community felt this way. Some cities and towns considered them undesirables. Why was our community different? One answer – tourism.

“Barbarenos are always glad of new methods of publicity, that the city may in time let everyone, everywhere know of the beauty of the city. Perhaps no method of publicity is more effective than the moving picture, for it travels into the highways and byways, and is seen not only by the dwellers in the great cities, but also by villagers all over the land.” – Morning Press, July 6, 1919

The city hoped to draw tourists to sites such as the Casa de la Guerra. Here is a scene from “The Ghost of the Hacienda,” filmed there by the “Flying A” in 1913.

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 betsyjgreen.com​.