Local historian and author Betsy J. Green will give a talk titled “Silents on the Islands,” 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18 as part of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum’s (SBMM) Distinguished Speaker Series.
The event, at SBMM, 113 Harbor Way, Ste. 190, includes a pre-lecture reception for SBMM members only, 6:15-6:45 p.m.
The talk is free to attend for Navigators Circle members; $10 for SBMM members; $20 for the general public; and $5 for students and educators with a valid school ID or email address.
Purchase tickets here, or call 805-456-8750.
The Channel Islands, with their natural beauty and dramatic shorelines, once served as the backdrop for more than 250 silent films, SBMM said.
Early silent cinematic adventures featured legendary stars like Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Buster Keaton, and Laurel & Hardy.
From five-minute beachside reels to million-dollar epics with casts of thousands, the islands offered the perfect setting for tales of pirates, shipwrecks, mermaids, and high-seas adventure.
“Watching silent movies is a form of time travel,” Green said. “You see the people, the buildings, the transportation — and our coastline — just as it was 100 years ago.”
Green has been a professional writer for some 25 years. She is the author of “The Way Back When” series and currently writes “The Great House Detective” column, uncovering stories of local homes and the people who lived in them.
A former editor for “Reader’s Digest” and “World Book Encyclopedia,” Green has researched the histories of more than 85 homes and nominated five to the National Register of Historic Places.
“Betsy’s research brings a vivid new perspective to Santa Barbara’s connection to early Hollywood,” said Lis Perry, SBMM director of education. “Her storytelling shows how our coastal environment played a starring role in shaping film history.”
Green has given presentations throughout the community at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, Genealogy Society, Santa Barbara Yacht Club, and Rotary clubs.
For more about the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, visit sbmm.org.