Lotus Blossom: The First Chinese-American Film and Made in Boyle Heights, Part Two

This is the second part of Boyle Heights Historical Society Advisory Board member Rudy Martinez’s post on the filming of the first Chinese-American movie, Lotus Blossom, right here in Boyle Heights. – Paul R. Spitzzeri On the evening of July 14, 1921, as production on Lotus Blossom was nearing completion, a “Motion Picture Electrical Pageant”…

Lotus Blossom: The First Chinese-American Film and Made in Boyle Heights, Part One

In 2015, the Chinese film industry’s box-office receipts skyrocketed nearly 50% and the recent Chinese New Year/Valentine’s Day seven-day take produced a new record of over a half-billion dollars, beating the haul that was brought in during the opening week of the latest Star Wars film.   In light of these leaps and bounds, it is interesting that,…

The Bernstein Film Studio of Boyle Heights

From the time that motion pictures were first filmed in the Los Angeles area around the turn of the 20th century, the industry has, obviously, been identified with Hollywood. The first studios, however, were in Edendale (the Silver lake/Echo Park/Los Feliz area) and others eventually were established in Culver City, Universal City, Burbank, Lincoln Heights…