"In May. 1909, Francis Boggs, director of the Selig Polyscope company, brought the first motion picture aggregation to Los Angeles. Boggs - who was shot and killed
by an insane Japanese gardener three years ago - was the real father of the moving picture industry on the coast. He opened a small temporary studio on Olive street near Eighth, almost in the heart of the business district. At that time the Turkish trouble was at its height, and Boggs, always up to date, wanted to put on a film having some special bearing on the Turkish affair. He offered me the leading part.
I was heartily indignant and talked about my Augustin Daly traditions, but he assured me that it was a perfectly honest and legitimate way to make a living, and promised that my name would not be used in connection with the production.
It was called "In the Power of the Sultan," one reel in length, and required two days in the making.
It was the pioneer picture in the west. Up to that time no motion picture had ever been produced west of the Rocky Mountains. In that drama, Stella Adams, now with the Universal, played the lead and Betty Harte the juvenile lead. Tom Santschi, still with Selig as director and actor, was in the cast and was also the general utility man of the studio ; James McGee was the business man- ager, and the other members of the little company were Frank Montgomery, who has since won renown as a director of Indian plays, and Ed Vivian, who was drowned at Redondo Beach several years ago. James Crosby, now chief of the Universal laboratory, was the cameraman.
The plant was a vacant lot with an old building on it that served as a dressing room. I will never forget my first visit to it. My heart sank into my boots when I viewed the frightful disorder of the place. The stage was covered with carpets and debris and, viewing my ill-concealed repugnance, Boggs said : "Never mind the floor, we will only cut to your knees ; the rest won't show."
That first scene was a shocking experience. I had been accustomed to rapid fire stock production, one play a week, and it was inconceivable that sets could be got up so quickly and used so little. None was used more than two days, ~ the average time consumed in making a reel, and while it was being done, they were preparing the scenario for the next production."
~ Quoted from an article in Photoplay Magazine, December, 1915, pp. 75-77, called "The Picture Forty-Niners" and written by the leading man, Hobart Bosworth. Available at archive dot org.