Movies Way Back When: Mary Pickford Films in Estate Garden

Dateline: January 1918One of the more unusual silent films that Mary Pickford made was “Stella Maris,” in which she played a dual role. She personified both a rich woman and a bedraggled orphan, and looked dramatically different in both roles.

While playing the rich woman, some scenes were filmed in the garden of the palatial Bothin estate in Montecito. Both Pickford and the scenery got a rave review in the “Variety” trade journal in January 1918. “It is a whale of a Pickford release . . . It is a revelation in exterior locations and interior settings.” – Variety, January 25, 1918

Good news! This film is available for viewing on Youtube.

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