Santa Barbara Sideways
Historical Cinema Footnotes from a Seaside Paradise
Santa Barbara's history with film is as fertile as its land. It's infectious. Film lovers world-wide find their way to this sleepy coastal paradise.
Santa Barbara’s soil is rich and deep in cinema history. Referred to as the Hollywood North, Santa Barbara is home to an International Film Festival, a showcase of independent and international film that nurtures aspiring filmmakers, honors industry luminaries and preserves cinema as an art form.
Miles of palm lined beaches, white sailboats on the crisp blue sea in the afternoon. Purple bougainvillea in the sunshine. Stretching from Carpinteria on the south to Santa Maria on the north and incorporating from the culturally distinct towns of Montecito, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Solvang and Santa Ynez. Santa Barbara, hosts over 8 million visitors annually.
The city’s Spanish style terra cotta tile roofs and Mediterranean architecture are traced back to the 18th century. Present day, the city has strict ordinances to prevent erosion.
Its history stretches back 3,000 or more years. To a time the county was inhabited by the Chumash, a peaceful group of hunter-gathers. They numbered 20,000 plus and spent their days hunting mule deer and rabbits. During the summers, the Chumash of the Valley would travel to the coast, where they fished and traded baskets and pelts for shellfish and ornaments. Most succumbed to small pox and syphilis brought to them by Spanish Missionaries. Fewer than 1,000 are left and some may be found operating the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez.
During the years 1910-1920, Santa Barbara, not Hollywood was the center of California’s growing silent film industry. The Famous Flying A Studios was located on the corner of Mission and State, the middle of Santa Barbara. Now, there are two gas stations. The other two corners are occupied by Garrett’s Restaurant and a nondescript office building.
The Garrett’s building was the headquarters of the former Flying A Studios. Once the biggest studio in the land. It covered two blocks of Mission Street from Chapala to Anacapa. From 1912 to 1919, Flying A made over 1,200 films. Stars included Lon Chaney Sr., and Victor Fleming. Mostly cowboy movies filmed on the then-undeveloped hills.
Home to a substantial Chumash settlement, Rancho Oso has several known ceremonial and burial grounds. In its heyday, many silent film stars such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton were regular visitors to the ranch, were they lounged at the pool, ate steaks, and put impromptu skits.
Although movie making in Santa Barbara has never returned to its pre-WWI height, many movie greats have made Santa Barbara home. And movie productions have never faltered to find their way up north.
Andy Garcia made his way down State Street in the Solstice Parade in Steal Big, Steal Little. Scenes from Seabiscuit, were filmed in North County. Than, Sideways put Santa Barbara on the map. Nominated for an Oscar, the film has sparked a boom in tourism and many winery tours.
The town’s cinematic nostalgia was formed in the past and its enthusiasm for movies is infectious, promising to bring its landscape to theaters and homes worldwide
