Episode details

World Service,17 Jun 2020,26 mins
Available for over a year
Stanley Tucci imagines the story of modern California as a movie screenplay, tracing the dramatic history of the state from Hollywood to Silicon Valley. In this episode, the first man to direct a full movie in California meets a dramatic end. In 1911, 41-year-old Francis Boggs was on the up, a pioneering movie director. But his luck was just about to run out. And the story of William Mulholland and the lies that made Los Angeles possible. Mulholland first brought water to arid LA, with much double dealing. Academic consultant: Dr Ian Scott, University of Manchester Producer: Laurence Grissell (Photo: Actor Stanley Tucci. Credit: David M. Benett/Getty Images)
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