Balboa
Films had their beginning in Long Beach, Cal in 1913 as a small
production company fighting for survival.
Balboa grew to include 20 buildings on 8 acres downtown, with
11 additional acres for outdoor shooting in Signal Hill, a separate
township within the city of Long Beach.
With
a bright future, Balboa's president, Herbert Horkheimer, signed
several prominent stars like Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, directors
William Desmond Taylor, Henry King and Thomas Ince.
Balboa
made tremendous innovations in shooting night scenes and new
techniques for color tinting. Balboa often set the standards
regarding the quality of props and wardrobe, including their
maintenance, storage, and care.
Balboa's
highly efficient productivity turned them into the Walmart of
silent films, with as many as 10 movie companies shooting simultaneously
at the studios. To accommodate this high productivity, an elaborate
film distribution system developed using multiple companies,
such as General Film, Moss Films, Fox Pictures and Pathe.
By
1917, Balboa Studios became Long Beach's biggest employer and
largest tourist attraction.
Pictured
below is a photo of Charlie Chaplin behind the camera - Buster
Keaton on the right. In the middle is Herbert Horkheimer and
Lou Anger (manager for Fatty Arbuckle).
For some
reason, in 1918, Herbert Horkheimer abruptly turned his back on the movies,
bankrupted the studio, walked out and never returned.
