bjgreen
By Betsy J. Green
Handsome hunk Bill Russell was one of the most popular leading men at the “Flying A.” He starred in dozens of movies from 1913 to 1921.
A movie magazine ran this photo with the description: “A One-Ring Ringling. The Ringlings have very little on Russell when it comes to circuses. Of course, Bill’s is a sort of family affair; he raises all these performers in his own garden at Montecito, California – Santa Barbara’s millionaire suburb – (what’s a millionaire colony without a picture star?).” – Photoplay, September 1919
You can learn more about Russell on UCSB’s “Flying A” website: https://flyinga.filmandmedia.ucsb.edu/people
Betsy’s Way Back When book — 1919 — is now available in local bookstores and at Amazon.com. This is the sixth book in her series of the history of Santa Barbara, one year at a time. Learn more at .
