It's Oscar Time in Los Gatos

In anticipation of the 83rd American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards Sunday, also known as the Oscars, we wanted to celebrate Los Gatos' cinematic history with a look at the town's involvement in the film industry.

Best Actress: Olivia Mary de Havilland was born July 1, 1916, and grew up in Saratoga. She graduated from Los Gatos High School in 1934. She starred in Alice in Wonderland and Pride and Prejudice and wanted to become "another Katharine Cornell," according to historical records from the book, History of Los Gatos: Gem of the Foothills, by George G. Bruntz; the book, Images of America: Los Gatos, by Peggy Conaway; the Internet Movie Database; and the archives of Hooked On Los Gatos: The Library and Museum History Project. In 1935, she went to Hollywood to pursue an  acting career. Twice she won Oscars for best actress, in To Each His Own in 1946 and The Heiress in 1949. She was highly acclaimed for performances in Gone With the Wind and The Snake Pit. She has lived in Paris since the 1950s and used to visit Los Gatos and Saratoga. She is the elder sister of actress Joan Fontaine.

Best Actors: Western action-adventure film actor pioneer Gilbert M. "Bronco Billy" Anderson was born March 21, 1880, and is said to have starred in the film, The Bad Man's Christmas Gift, in Los Gatos in the early 1900s. Old Stage Coach Road behind Hotel Lyndon, now Lyndon Plaza, at the corner of Main Street and Santa Cruz Avenue, in downtown Los Gatos, became sets for the film, according to historical records from the books, History of Los Gatos: Gem of the Foothills and Images of America: Los Gatos; the Internet Movie Database; and the archives of Hooked On Los Gatos: The Library and Museum History Project. The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company he created with the help of Chicago millionaire George K. Spoor at one time had Charlie Chaplin on board, according to an article published in the now defunct Los Gatos News. In 1958, Anderson was awarded a special Oscar. His films are available today on 35 mm film, having captured what life was like in Los Gatos and nearby areas, the article stated. The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum still hosts the annual Bronco Billy Film Festival. The Niles Edison Theater in Fremont has shown several Bronco Billy films. He died in 1971. 

Richard Bennett, 1870-1944, was an American actor who lived in Los Gatos, according to the Clarence Darrow Digital Collection from the University of Minnesota Law Library. The New York Times published an small article in 1857 found in the archives of the Los Gatos Public Library with the headline, "Bennett Home Burned," and a sub-headline declaring that "Fireworks Are Blamed for Loss to Actor in Los Gatos, Ca." Dated July 5, the small story said firecrackers set off by picnickers destroyed Bennett's home with damages estimated at $40,000. Valuable antiques and theatrical mementos were destroyed, the article said.

Best Pictures: Orson Welles, American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter and producer, is said to have filmed the horror movie, Necromancy, in Los Gatos in 1971, according to the Internet Movie Database. The CBS movie, "Quiet Victory—The Charlie Wedemeyer Story," and the PBS documentary, "One More Season," about Los Gatos football coach Charlie Wedemeyer, tell about his plight with Lou Gehrig's disease after discovering it at age of 32. Wedemeyer died last year at age 64.

Best Actor Hangouts: The Los Gatos Garden Inn Hotel's claim to fame is that Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio stayed there, according to Henry Bankhead, Los Gatos Public Library's manager for adult services. Other town locals said famous American novelist John Steinbeck reportedly met with John Ford and Charlie Chaplin at the Lyndon Hotel in 1939, and Renaissance man Col. Charles Erskine Scott Wood had parties that included show folk, according to longtime Los Gatos resident Alastair Dallas, author of the book, Los Gatos Observed.