bjgreen
Hedda Nova’s last film was in 1926 (Image: Picture Play magazine, April 1918)
By Betsy J. Green
This was the title of a movie being filmed on Santa Cruz Island in March 1918. And lest the entomologists reading this get all kinds of excited, I can assure you that the only bugs involved in this venture were the ones that might have snuck into the tents of the 40 actors, actresses, and film crew who were camping on the island.
The film was billed as “one of the finest pictured romances yet produced, and is expected to make a distinct hit,” according to the local paper. The movie was being produced by the Vitagraph Studios of Brooklyn, New York. That was a long way from here, but considering that the movie was also called “a romance of the tropics,” it’s not surprising that it was not being filmed in Brooklyn in chilly March.
The star of the film was the Russian actress Hedda Nova. She appeared in a number of silent films, but dropped out of the acting business when “talkies” replaced the silents — probably because of her accent.
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 betsyjgreen.com
