La Mesa Hosted Hollywood South a Century Ago

Jim Newland of the knows volumes about the city’s past, including details about its stint as home of the Flying A Movie Co., a film studio established on La Mesa Boulevard on Aug. 11, 1911.

“If it’s not the third, it’s really close to being the third brick-and-mortar studio,” said Newland of the pioneering Hollywood-style enterprise.

He’s seen a few of the movies made locally and, in the spirit of a true historian, finds them intriguing in an archeological sense. He says Dr. Dana Driskel, a film professor from UC Santa Barbara, thinks there’s a handful left of the estimated 100 short films produced in La Mesa.

“I think I’ve seen clips or the whole of about six [films],” Newland said. “Mr. Driskel is convinced there are still at least 12 that were made from here. I guess he’s had luck finding a few copies over in Europe. They have a different system of archiving their films.”

To celebrate the centennial of San Diego County’s first movie studio, the society is hosting a two-part event. The first begins at 10 a.m.  Friday, Aug. 12, with a dedication of a centennial plaque at 8360 La Mesa Blvd.—the historic Wolf Building and now the location of .

A presentation by Driskel will be given the following day, also at 10 a.m., in the Grossmont Healthcare District auditorium at 9001 Wakarusa St. Excerpts of films made at Flying A will be shown.

For more information, call 619-980-3932 or email theflyingacommittee@cox.net.