bjgreen
By Betsy J. Green
On October 27, 1913, the “Flying A” released “In the Days of Trajan,” a movie set in Ancient Rome featuring men in sandals and skirts. It was filmed at several of the million-dollar mansions in Montecito. Trajan [TRAY-jun] is the emperor of Rome, and he feels that if you aren’t with him, you are against him. So, when some royal folk from another kingdom refuse to swear allegiance to him, his highness has a hissy fit. The victims of the emperor’s wrath are sent to the arena to fight each other to the death. Somehow or other, this movie manages to have a happy ending, although they never do have an orgy.
The movie got rave reviews. “Scenic backgrounds of such beauty . . . make one really believe that he has been transported to Rome in the year 100 A.D. . . . one is forced to pinch oneself to realize that here is a feature film taken in the United States of America, instead of in Italy.” – Motography, October 18, 1913
Trajan was apparently reborn as the orange moron.