Filming the Elephant Anna May 1922
By Randall Brown
In the spring of 1922 Boulder Creek welcomed the return of the movie people. Location scouts for the Thomas Ince company, searching for a place to film a picture, in “a wooded country with no snow,” with “plenty of river and mountain scenery,” found the town ideally suited their plans. A crew of carpenters went to work, remodeling the old “Poverty Flat” set — one long street lined with log buildings — into a Canadian pioneer village.
During the last week in March that year, the railroad depot hummed with activity as several flatcars loaded with equipment arrived, followed the following day by two special coaches carrying cast and crew, the largest company yet to visit Santa Cruz County. The town’s hotels and boarding houses were quickly filled to capacity.
A crowd of residents from Boulder Creek and Brookdale were invited to participate in a staged celebration. “Farmers from the mountain regions and the San Lorenzo valley had gathered with saddle horses, buggies and spring wagons to play their roles. And when all was ready Mr. Wray, the director, gave the signal for action, then began the parade through the village….It was an animated scene as they marched gesticulating, laughing, and greeting each other as though they met for the first time in many years. Then there was the dance on the village green to concertina music and the game of ring-a-rosy with gray-haired citizens of seventy or more years and mirth and hilarity abounding.” Afterwards, there was a screening of the footage at Sweeney’s Movie Hall in the old Fireman’s building, so the people could see themselves on film.
Fun began in earnest when another movie star rode into town on a freight train. “At the noon hour yesterday it became apparent to the persons who happened to be on Main street that something out of the ordinary had occurred; children excitedly pointed…, dogs barked, and horses shied and vainly endeavored to break loose from their hitching posts, all of which commotion was caused by the arrival of a strange looking quadruped — an elephant.”
Suffering from motion sickness after her extended train ride, Anna May, Queen of the Movie Elephants, spent a few days recovering at Moody and Cress’s Livery Stable on Main Street. Her return to work attracted much favorable notice. The Sentinel reported that “Anna May was the attraction, along with the Movie folks at a beautiful part of the creek and some good pictures were taken of a scene in which Madge Bellamy was the heroine. Anna May is a most intelligent animal (a 14-year old elephant).” The Evening News informed the public that “May Ann has been kept very busy acting her several parts. She can be made to do anything but talk.”
On the set at Poverty Flat, Anna May showed off one of her favorite tricks — reaching her trunk through a saloon window to sample a drink. Her off-duty hours were busy as well. “Much merriment was caused on the main business street,” reported the News, “when Anna May, the movie colony elephant, sedately paraded the avenue with four passengers on her back…while cameras clicked taking pictures of the unusual scene, amid the applause of the crowd of onlookers.”
The climactic scene of the movie involved an extended chase. Fleeing down Boulder Creek in a canoe, heroine Madge Bellamy and romantic lead Cullen Landis were closely pursued by the villain, played to the hilt by Noah Beery Sr. The elephant caught up with the bad guy at Junction Park, washing him off the rocks (with some special effects help from the local hose company). The happy ending, however, nearly went wrong. Anna May knelt down so the rescued couple could ride off into the sunset on her back. As she stood up, reported the News, “Miss Bellamy lost her balance and pitched head foremost to the ground, which luckily was mostly sand at that point.”
When the company packed up to leave at the end of the month, the managers decided to avoid the train, sending the elephant to San Jose by truck. After safely passing over the mountain grades, however, there was a near-disaster at Campbell, when her ropes gave way and she fell out upon the highway.
Anna May soon recovered from her injuries. When the finished movie, “Soul of the Beast” was released in the spring of 1923, it was agreed that her scenes with heroine Madge Bellamy were the heart of the story. To avoid scandalous implications, the studio’s publicity referred to the animal star as “Oscar”, her name in the movie. “Oscar the Elephant, a Perfect Lover with Madge Bellamy,” raved Moving Picture World, adding that “the elephant and the girl seem really to have a genuine affection for each other.”
This article was originally written by Randall Brown for the August 2020 print edition of the San Lorenzo Valley Post. Randall was a San Lorenzo Valley resident and historian.
Editor’s note:
In the 1920s, elephants on movie sets faced harsh treatment with little welfare consideration. Sourced from circuses or menageries, they endured cruel training methods, including physical punishment, and worked long hours in stressful, unfamiliar environments with minimal humane oversight. We could not source any information about the treatment of Anna May during her stint in the movies.
The San Lorenzo Valley Post is your essential guide to life in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We're dedicated to delivering the latest news, events, and stories that matter to our community. From local government to schools, from environmental issues to the arts, we're committed to providing comprehensive and unbiased coverage. We believe in the power of community journalism and strive to be a platform for diverse voices.
