bjgreen
By Betsy J. Green
In the 19teens, women wore long dresses that reached their ankles, so movies that showed women’s legs, were popular with male audiences. But how did silent moviemakers get around society’s restrictions?
One way was to create fantasy movies about mythology. For example, in 1916, Universal Studios released a film called “Undine” about a mermaid who becomes human. This was an excuse for filming actresses romping around the beaches of Santa Cruz Island and Santa Catalina Island wearing gauze and seaweed and not much else.
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 .
So silhouettes of women make you uncomfortable. You have issues.