SCVNews.com | Opinion/Commentary: Ken Striplin | A Tribute to Film History

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1999 - SCV & AV split off from 805 area code to become 661 [story]

Ken Striplin | A Tribute to Film History

By Ken Striplin | Friday, Feb 2, 2024

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For more than a century, Santa Clarita has been one of the premier filming destinations in Southern California. Santa Clarita’s cinematic roots trace back to 1903, when Hollywood first utilized the canyons and streets for movie productions, notably the earliest silent western films. Esteemed figures like Charlie Chaplin, Tom Mix and William S. Hart, a local legend, all chose Newhall as their home base during this flourishing era. Today, Santa Clarita is home to significant filming venues, sound studios and production sets, including the famous Melody Ranch and Walt Disney’s Golden Oak Ranch.

Dating back to the early 1900’s, Newhall was the heart of location filming in Santa Clarita, making it the ideal location to honor Santa Clarita’s cinematic legacy with the popular Newhallywood Silent Film Festival. This year’s festival specifically honors action movie star Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Producer Thomas Ince, recognized for developing the studio system and launching the career of William S. Hart.

Kicking off the festival is the screening of Fairbanks’ timeless 1920 classic, “The Mark of Zorro.” This iconic film intricately weaves the tale of a seemingly foolish fop, masking himself as the courageous vigilante Zorro, committed to protecting the oppressed. The screening is scheduled at the Newhall Family Theatre for the Performing Arts on Feb. 16, at 8 p.m. This showing is only the beginning of a weekend-long celebration. Some of the other acclaimed films being shown include Silent Screams: 100th Anniversary “Waxworks,” Douglas Fairbanks: “Robin Hood” and Thomas Ince: “The Ruse” and “Hell’s Hinges.” The days, times and venues vary so please visit SantaClaritaArts.com/Newhallywood to view showtimes. The webpage will also give you the full line up of movies being shown and a brief description about what you can expect. Join us and celebrate Santa Clarita’s cinematic heritage with this lineup of classic and timeless films.

City Manager Ken Striplin can be reached at kstriplin@santaclarita.gov.

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