Southern California seems to have been terraformed by the Creator to attract the motion picture industry: the mild, sunny weather conducive to outdoor shooting; the boundless variety of natural scenery (ocean, mountains, desert, farmlands) that can double for any location on earth; the diverse population of ready-made extras, and, at least in the first decades, the open shop policies of the city fathers (no pesky trade unions). Little wonder that the pioneers of the medium ditched the cold, clammy, and crowded precincts of New York and New Jersey to light out for the picture-perfect vista. Soon enough, modern factories staffed by a pool of…
