Photos and Artifacts

(née Roscoe Conklin Arbuckle; aka Will B. Good and William B. Goodrich; b. Smith Cowter KS 1887; d. Hollywood CA 1933)

About Roscoe’s Life

  • Jura, Jean-Jacques and Rodney Norman Bardin II. “Reel 4: Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle.” Balboa Films: A History and Filmography of the Silent Film Studio. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1999, pp. 132-135.
  • Stahl, Jerry.I, Fatty. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2004.
Roscoe Arbuckle and his Dog
Roscoe Arbuckel with Luke, his dog, outside the Balboa Studio garages. Photo courtesy of Marc Wanamaker.
Roscoe Arbuckle and his Dog in Front of Blank Wall
Photo courtesy of Marc Wanamaker.

A Complete List of Arbuckle’s Films at Balboa

  • The Bell Boy. Two reel comedy. Comique Film Corp. Released, Mar. 18, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.
  • The Cook. Two reel comedy. Comique Film Corp. Released, Sept. 15, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.
  • A Country Hero. Two reel comedy. Comique Film Corp. Released, Dec. 10, 1917, by Paramount Pictures.
  • Good Night, Nurse. Two reel comedy. Comique Film Corp. Released, July 8, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.
  • Moonshine. Two reel comedy. Comique Film Corp. Released, May 13, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.
  • Out West. Two reel comedy. Comique Film Corp. Released, Jan. 20, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.

Balboa Gives Dance for Arbuckle

(née Helen Alice Myres; aka Marie Osborne-Yeats, Helen Marie Osborne; nicknames: “Little Majesty Marie,” “Baby Grand,” “Little Mary Sunshine,” “Baby Bernhardt’; child star; costumer; b. Denver CO, 05 Nov. 1911; d. San Clemente CA, 11 Nov. 2010)

About Marie’s Life

  • Ankerich, Michael G. “Chapter 17: Baby Marie Osborne.” Broken Silence: Conversations with 23 Silent Film Stars. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1993, pp. 224-236.
  • Jura, Jean-Jacques and Rodney Norman Bardin II. “Reel 4: Baby Marie Osborne.” Balboa Films: A History and Filmography of the Silent Film Studio. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1999, pp. 135-143.
Baby Marie Osborne
Photo courtesy of Don and Joan Young
Baby Marie Osborne Article
Photo courtesy of Don and Joan Young

A Complete List of Osborne’s Films at Balboa

  • Joy and the Dragon (entitled A Little Ray of Sunshine in U.K.). Five reel drama. Balboa Amusement Producing Co. Released Dec. 31, 1916, by Pathé Exchange, Inc.
  • Little Mary Sunshine. Five reel drama. Balboa Feature Film Co. Released, Mar. 3, 1916, by Pathé Exchange, Inc.; Gold Rooster Plays.
  • Maid of the Wild. Three reels. Balboa Amusement Producing Co. Released, Oct. 9, 1915,  by Pathé Frères.
  • Shadows and Sunshine (entitled Sunshine and Shadows in U.K.). Five reel comedy-drama. Pathé-Balboa. Released Nov. 12, 1916, by Pathé Exchange, Inc.; Gold Rooster Plays.
  • Should a Wife Forgive? Five reel drama. Equitable Motion Pictures Corp. Released Nov. 8, 1915, by World Film Corp.
  • Sunshine and Gold. Five-reel comedy-drama. Balboa Amusement Co. Released, Apr. 29, 1917, by Pathé Exchange, Inc.; Gold Rooster Plays.
  • Told at Twilight. Five-reel drama. Balboa Amusement Producing Co. Released, Mar. 25, 1917, by Pathé Exchange, Inc.; Gold Rooster Plays.
  • Twin Kiddies (entitled Twin Rays of Sunshine in U.K.). Five-reel drama. Balboa Amusement Producing Co. Released, Jan. 28, 1917, by Pathé Exchange, Inc.; Gold Rooster Plays.

Baby Marie Around Long Beach

Baby Marie Paper Doll

(actor; director; b. Elliston VA, June 24, 1886; d. Toluca Lake CA, June 25, 1982)

About Henry’s Life

  • Henry King. Texts by Quim Casas, Thierry Lemoine, José Andrés Dulce, Peter Von Bagh, Álvaro del Amo, Carlos Losilla, José María Latorre, Xavier Pérez, Ricardo Aldarondo, Miguel Marías and Gregory Peck. Coordinated by Quim Casas and Ana Cristina Iriarte. San Sebastian International Film Festival/Filmoteca Española: 2007.
  • Jura, Jean-Jacques and Rodney Norman Bardin II. “Reel 4: Henry King.” Balboa Films: A History and Filmography of the Silent Film Studio. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1999, pp. 105-112.
  • Lemoine, Thierry. Henry King:Le Réalisateur volant. Unpublished manuscript.
  • Thompson, Frank, ed. Henry King, Director: From Silents to ‘Scope. Based on interviews by David Shepard and Ted Perry. Los Angeles: Directors Guild of America, with the Giornate del Cinema Muto, 1995.
Henry King With Baby Marie on His Lap
Henry King with Marie Osborne on his lap. Photo courtesy of Marc Wanamaker.
'Unto Herself Alone' Still
Henry King crowning Ruth Roland in still from “Unto Herself Alone.” Photo courtesy of Marc Wanamaker.

Henry King, the most celebrated Balboan, launched his directorial career at Balboa Studios in 1915. He later became one of the founders of both the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and the Directors Guild of America. After four years at Balboa, King directed films for United Artists, 20th-Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Paramount. Today King is best remembered for his movies of the ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s: The Song of Bernadette (1943), Margie (1946), Twelve O’Clock High (1949), The Gunfighter (1950), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952), Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1955),Carousel(1956), The Sun Also Rises (1957), Tender is the Night (1961).

Henry King Letter
Letter signed by King from the Ronald W. Mahan Collection

King’s Balboa Films

(née Mary Ann Brennan; actress; b. 1892; d. New York NY, May 18, 1955)

About Lillian’s Life

  • Hanson, Nils. Lillian Lorraine: The Life and Times of a Ziegfeld Diva. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2011.
'The Photo-Play Review' Cover
'The Photo-Play Review' Article

A Complete List of Lorraine’s Films at Balboa

TitleAlternate TitleNo. of ReelsRelease Date
Neal of the Navy  (14 chapters) 2 eachSept. 01–Dec. 02, 1915
Should a Wife Forgive?The Lady of Perfume5Nov. 08, 1915

(actress; future wife of Oliver Hardy of “Laurel and Hardy” fame; b. Brooklyn; d.?)

Myrtle Reeves
Myrtle Reeves. Photo courtesy of Marc Wanamaker.
Myrtle Reeves in Unidentified Balboa Film
Myrtle Reeves at left and as maid at door at right in unidentified Balboa film. Photo courtesy of Marc Wanamaker.

A Complete List of Myrtle’s Films at Balboa

(aka Baby Ruth; child performer; actress; b. San Francisco CA, Aug. 26, 1892; d. Hollywood CA, Sept. 22, 1937)

About Ruth’s Life

  • Jura, Jean-Jacques and Rodney Norman Bardin II. “Reel 4: Ruth Roland.” Balboa Films: A History and Filmography of the Silent Film Studio. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1999, pp. 119-124.

Ruth Roland
Ruth Roland in Costume

More Photos and a List of Roland’s Balboa Films

(née Anna Jackal; actress; b. Philadelphia PA, Oct. 06, 1892; d. Palm Springs CA, July 14, 1954)

About Jackie’s Life

Jura, Jean-Jacques and Rodney Norman Bardin II. “Reel 4: Jackie Saunders.” Balboa Films: A History and Filmography of the Silent Film Studio. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1999, pp. 112-119.

Jackie Saunders Posing
Jackie Saunders in Rain With Umbrella and Dog

List of Saunders' Balboa Films

(actor; b. Shelby City AL, March 16, 1878; d. Monrovia CA, June 17, 1936)

A Complete List of Walthall’s Films at Balboa

Title

Alternate Title

No. of Reels

Release Date

Beulah 6May 08, 1915
Birth of a Man, TheWhen the Wheel Turns5Apr. 01, 1916

The photo below is from Beulah. See synopsis of the movie by clicking on the underlined title. Please note the “LBP” (Long Beach Police) on the policeman’s collar. Photo courtesy of Bryan Young.

Still From 'Beulah'

The Birth of a Man. See photos and synopsis of this movie by clicking on the underlined title.