Join film professor and author John Trafton to learn about Laguna’s links to early Hollywood. Meet the author who will be signing copies of his new book, Movie-Made Los Angeles, following the program.

Los Angeles was a cinematic city before the movies arrived. By the dawn of the twentieth century, photography, painting, and tourism in Southern California provided early filmmakers with a model for how to build a myth-making business and envision ideal moviegoers. In his new book Movie-Made Los Angeles, film professor and author John Trafton explores how Hollywood was the product of art forms that flourished here in Laguna Beach. Join us for a journey through Southern California’s rise to the movie capital. We will explore the first film shot in California (right here in Laguna), the earliest version of The Wizard of Oz (29 years before Judy Garland wore the ruby slippers), and World War I movies shot in Orange County’s sycamore canyons.

Advance tickets recommended.

Museum members: $12

Non-members: $18

A native of Southern California, John Trafton is a visiting assistant professor at Occidental College and the author of several works on film history, including The American Civil War and the Hollywood War Film (2015) and Movie-Made Los Angeles (2023).