bjgreen
By Betsy J. Green
On April 3, 1916, the eight-reel film “The Dumb Girl of Portici” was released. Some scenes for the movie were filmed at an estate in Montecito. (A century ago, the term “dumb” meant “unable to speak.”) The star was a world-famous ballerina.
The film was extremely popular. “Although Pavlowa in ‘The Dumb Girl of Portici’ has been shown six times daily to crowded houses . . . there are hundreds of people who have been turned away.” – Los Angeles Herald, May 13, 1916
(This film was available on Youtube the last time I checked.)
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 .
