Col. William Selig had a great run as the first filmmaker to take advantage of the endless possibilities of making movies in Southern California, with its year-round mild climate and wide-ranging topography. He went on to produce the first American horror film (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1908) and the first feature film made in the United States (The Coming of Columbus, 1912); shot the first feature-length film in the American West with authentic cowboys and Native Americans, originated the "cliffhanger" and jungle-adventure movie genres, opened the first permanent movie studio in Los Angeles, and---decades before Disneyland and Universal Studios---planned a combination movie studio and theme park. It all came to a crashing end by 1918 as his studio, Selig Polyscope ceased production. By 1940 at the age of 70, he was living in this rented house, having lost almost everything in the Great Depression. The year before his death in 1948 he was awarded an honorary Academy Award for his special role in the history of the motion picture industry. A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6116 Hollywood Boulevard was awarded posthumously.


The William Selig House is located at 136 North Vendome Street in Los Angeles, California. Perhaps one day a plaque will be placed outside the home in memory of this great man who contributed so much to our history.

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