Archives and the ‘Silver Screen’

     When the site of your archival facilities combines an historic location with the presence of the long-running film industry in Southern California, (as is the case with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles), then it’s a given your collections include material referencing an ongoing series of motion pictures, television shows, and ads. While the history of filming at San Fernando Mission has spanned more than a century, the Archives has gathered a modest collection of photographs, documentation, and digital resources that help represent this connection to its local history.

     ‘Over Silent Paths’ was the first film to depict some of the historic scenery at Mission San Fernando.  Released in 1910, this short, silent movie was directed by D.W. Griffith and features Marion Leonard with Dell Henderson.  The National Film Preservation Foundation re-distributed the film, and it’s accessible through CriticalCommons via this link.

     The following image from a 1967 episode of ‘Dragnet’ shows Sgt. Joe Friday (portrayed by Jack Webb) during filming along San Fernando Mission Blvd.   This shot takes place in front of the same c.1820 Convento building depicted in D.W. Griffith’s 1910 production.

     The original version of the movie ‘Yours, Mine and Ours’ was released in 1968, and star-red Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. The following image was created during a scene completed in the original c.1806 San Fernando Mission church prior to its reconstruction in the 1970s.

     The use of Mission San Fernando as a filming location has resulted in a sizable list of productions over the years (follow this link to see a IMDb website listing) and it continues to provide a modest source of income for Mission operations. The 1985 re-lease ‘Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure’ utilized the Mission site – the film may not be epic but its earnings in excess of $30-million sure were.  The 1987 release of ‘La Bamba’ also generated huge profits.  While no filming was actually done at San Fernando Mission, a memorable scene shows a funeral procession proceeding past the historic landmark and heading towards the adjacent Catholic cemetery where the real Richard Valenzuela had been interred in 1959.

     When productions such as a series of promotions that HBO did for the show ‘Dexter’ are filmed at the Mission, staff are typically treated to the services of the gourmet food trucks that are retained for the casts and crews.  Last year’s TV mini-series ‘The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe’ was distributed by Lifetime Television after a couple days of shooting took place at the Mission.  It definitely was a little strange walking right past the actress portraying the famous blonde on my way out the office.  The most recent shoot at Mission San Fernando took place when the cast and crew of the popular show ‘Criminal Minds’ arrived early the morning of August 20, 2015.  Scenes filmed inside the church were included in an episode which aired in January, 2016.