By Betsy J. Green
Back in December 1916, Santa Barbara residents were witnessing movie technology on the ground floor in scenes such as this one which was probably shot on a nearby road. “Beloved Rogues” was the title of this film. It was released in January 1917. Only a fragment of this movie still exists.
On the right side of this photo, is a jalopy driven by the stars of the movie – the vaudeville comedy team named Kolb and Dill. On the left side, is a state-of-the-art (for that time) mobile filming unit. There is a cameraman, another man to his right who was probably the director, and in the back, there appears to be a man pedaling the wheeled platform on which the men and camera sit.