Also interesting is the fact that Hollywood was about an hour's travel from the Mexican border. This mattered in the early days of movies, when Edison's patent

Also interesting is the fact that Hollywood was about an hour's travel from the Mexican border. This mattered in the early days of movies, when Edison's patent enforcers would show up to demand payment for people using cameras. The early filmmakers didn't want to pay and skipping to Mexico while the goons were in town was a good way to avoid those "expenditures".