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L.A. Redux / The City Then and Now

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Col. William N. Selig, a former traveling magician, arrived from Chicago in 1909 with plans to produce the first motion picture ever filmed entirely in Los Angeles. The movie, “The Heart of a Race Horse Tout,” was shot at the rear of the Sing Loo Laundry lot, on Olive Street between 7th and 8th streets.

Later that year, Selig, who had developed a projector called the Polyscope, built his first studio in Silver Lake, but it had no lights or scenery. Streets and parks were commonly used for movie locations and animal farms became quite popular. This prompted Selig to purchase 32 acres of land adjoining Lincoln Park (then called Eastlake Park) from Pacific Electric Railway magnate Henry E. Huntington.

Selig transformed the property into a private zoo with ornate arches and stone lionesses guarding the entrance. The zoo began with a nucleus of animals owned by Big Otto, a trainer who supplied early movie makers with animal “extras.”

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Residents and tourists assumed that the “Selig Zoo and Amusement Park” on Mission Road at the end of the streetcar line was the city zoo, but it was really a home for animals that were featured in Selig’s films--and available for rent. Elephants rented for $200 a day, while monkeys went for $25 to $50 a day.

The first Tarzan movie was filmed at the Selig Zoo, the surrounding hillsides passing for Africa. It was also the home of Mary, a famous chimpanzee that was insured for $100,000 and starred in many of Selig’s films. Another resident was a $200-a-week dog named Cameo. She had weak eyes and wore tinted glasses to prevent the harsh movie lights from blinding her.

The Selig Zoo became the largest collection of wild animals in the world. By 1915 it held 700 animal species.

A severe storm hit Los Angeles and some of the animals drowned when they were washed into the nearby lake. This, together with financial difficulties, caused the Selig Zoo to be liquidated in the early 1920s. The remaining animals were donated to the city and thus the first city zoo was born.

After having outgrown the Lincoln Park property, the animals were moved for a short time to the west bank of Chavez Ravine in Elysian Park, but neighborhood residents complained that the lions’ roar kept them awake at night. This prompted the final move of the animals to Griffith Park.

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