Mary Miles Minter
Flying A Studio Silent Film Star
Santa Barbara’s Flying A Studio was for a time one of the largest silent movie studios in the country. Arguably its brightest star was a teenager named Mary Miles Minter.
She was born Juliet Shelby in 1902. Her mother, Charlotte, was the queen of all stage mothers, and at age 4, Mary appeared on stage in the production Cameo Kirby. She began her film career in 1912 and soon changed her name to Mary Miles Minter. She was lured to Flying A in 1916, 14 years old and already an established star.
The studio she joined in Santa Barbara was at its peak. Personnel included 18 full-time directors, almost 100 actors, and close to 300 technical people. In 1916, Flying A made 242 pictures.
