Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Preferred Citation
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Biographical / Historical
Scope and Contents
Related Materials
Existence and Location of Copies
Processing Information
General
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Southern California Edison motion picture film
Identifier/Call Number: mssSCE MP
Physical Description:
117.92 Linear Feet
(53 boxes, 58 oversize reels)
Date (inclusive): approximately 1914-1996
Abstract: This collection contains over 600 films
or other audiovisual media chronicling the history and development of Southern California
Edison, including the construction of Edison plants, advertising footage, the search for
alternative energy sources, and employee news videos featuring updates on Edison projects.
Historical footage and advertising spots date from the 1930s forward, while the majority of
the VHS and U-Matic material covers the 1970s through 1990s.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
Authorization for commercial uses must be obtained from Southern California Edison through
the EIX (Edison International) Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
NOT AVAILABLE. Audiovisual materials are not available for viewing until reformatted,
however selected items have been digitized and are available online; see links in the
contents list. Boxes 21-51 and oversize reels housed in cold storage. Please contact Reader
Services for more information.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Southern California Edison motion picture film, The Huntington
Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Edison International, August 2005.
Biographical / Historical
Southern California Edison (SCE) is the largest electric utility in California and one of
the nation's largest investor-owned electric utilities, serving more than 13 million people
in 15 counties of central, coastal and southern California. Based in Rosemead, California,
the utility has been providing electric service in the region for more than 120 years. SCE
is a subsidiary of Edison International, which is also headquartered in Rosemead. The SCE
service territory includes approximately 430 cities and communities with a total customer
base of approximately 4.8 million residential and business accounts. SCE is regulated by the
California Public Utilities Commission and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
SCE's earliest predecessor was Holt and Knupps, which in 1886 installed street lights in
Visalia, California. In 1894, a group including Elmer Peck and George Baker organized West
Side Lighting to provide electricity in Los Angeles. The next year the company merged with
Los Angeles Edison Electric, which owned the rights to the Edison name and patents in the
region, and Baker became president. Edison Electric installed the first DC-power underground
conduits in the Southwest. In 1899, Edison's Santa Ana River No.1 hydroelectric plant began
operation, transmitting power to Los Angeles over the world's longest power line (83 miles).
In 1907, Edison's Kern River-Los Angeles Transmission Line began operation. At 118 miles and
75 kV, it was the world's longest and highest voltage power line, and the first line in the
nation to be entirely supported by steel towers.
John Barnes Miller began his 31 year service as company president in 1901, the same year
that the Edison Electric Company of Los Angeles recapitalized as a $10 million corporation.
In 1909, after another recapitalization, the corporate name was changed to the present
Southern California Edison Company (SCE). Under Miller's leadership, the firm bought many
neighboring utilities and built several power plants. In 1917, SCE doubled its assets
through a merger with Henry E. Huntington's Pacific Light and Power Corporation. The
centerpiece of the merger transferred ownership of the Big Creek hydroelectric project to
SCE. Big Creek eventually became one of the world's largest hydroelectric projects.
At the same time SCE increased its generation and transmission assets through the merger
with Pacific Light and Power, it was losing a major customer in the city of Los Angeles.
Beginning in 1912, the city of Los Angeles began developing its own city-owned power
department and conflict with SCE ensued. In 1917, SCE and the city of Los Angeles reached a
settlement under which SCE sold its combined distribution system within Los Angeles to the
city for $12 million. SCE continued to operate the system under lease until 1922, since the
city required that time to develop the generating capacity to serve its new system.
During the middle years of the twentieth century, SCE faced a number of natural and
economic challenges. A 1925 earthquake and the 1928 collapse of the St. Francis Dam severely
damaged SCE's facilities. The Great Depression and World War II had a significant effect on
SCE's continued growth and access to economic and natural resources. Human resources also
proved to be an issue in these years as the war constricted SCE's access to workers and in
1953 SCE faced a major employee strike.
SCE survived these difficult decades and in 1964 consolidated its eastern service area by
merging with the California Electric Power Company (also known as Calectric). Through this
merger, SCE gained access to Calelectric's 450,000 customers and 41,500-square-mile
territory. A second significant mid-1960s event for SCE was the 1963 initiation of
construction of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). SONGS Unit 1 began
operation in 1968. In addition to nuclear energy, SCE has also supported the development of
renewable and alternative energy resources such as wild, solar and geothermal. Today's
Southern California Edison is the product of more than a century of providing reliable
electric service to central, coastal and southern California.
Information for the Biographical Note was obtained from
Iron Men and Copper Wires:
A Centennial History of the Southern California Edison Company
by William A. Myers
(Glendale, CA: Trans-Anglo Books, 1983); and from the Southern California Edison Company
website (11/10/2008, URL: http://www.sce.com).
Scope and Contents
The collection primarily chronicles the history and development of Southern California
Edison, including the construction of Edison plants, advertising footage, the search for
alternative energy sources, and employee news videos featuring updates on Edison projects.
Historical footage and advertising spots date from the 1930s forward, while the majority of
the VHS and U-Matic material covers the 1970s through 1990s.
The motion picture film consists of a variety of media formats, including film reels, VHS,
U-Matic, and cassette tapes. The majority of the VHS and U-Matic tapes have been transferred
to DVD and are available for paging. Many of the reels, some U-Matic tapes, and materials of
other formats have not been reformatted and may not be available for paging. Over 100 films
have been digitized and are available to view on the California Revealed website and the
Internet Archive. See links in the finding aid. Two films are also available on the
Huntington Digital Library: "Kilowatt the Conqueror" (SCE MP 031), and "Mrs. Mortimer Jones
prepares 'Dinner for Eight'" (SCE MP 608).
Related Materials
-
Southern California Edison records, 1848-1989
(mssSouthern California Edison records)
-
Southern California Edison negative and photograph collection,
approximately 1883-1989
(photCL SCE), with 70,000 images digitized and
available in the
Huntington Digital Library
Existence and Location of Copies
In 2018, a selection of 56 motion picture films in this collection were digitized as part
of the California Audiovisual Preservation Project (CAVPP) and made available online on
California Revealed (californiarevealed.org) and the Internet Archive. Between 2019 and
2024, additional films and audio recordings were digitized and made available on the
California Revealed website. See links to the digitized films in the contents list.
Processing Information
In October 2019, this finding aid was updated to add links to the initial 56 films that
were digitized and made available online. In March 2024, links to additional digitized films
were added to the finding aid.
General
The following items are missing as of March 2024: SCE MP 326, 327, 413, 531, 535, 554,
575.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Olympic Games (23rd : 1984 : Los Angeles, Calif.)
Broadcast advertising
Cogeneration of electric power and heat -- California
Electrical engineering
Electric industry workers
Electricity -- California
Electric lines
Electric power distribution
Electric power-plants
Electric properties
Electric substations
Electric transformers
Electric facilities
Focus groups
Geothermal power plants
Hydroelectric power plants
Motion pictures -- West (U.S.)
Nuclear energy
Public utilities -- California
Renewable energy sources -- California
Solar energy
Television commercials
Big Creek (Calif.) -- History
California -- History -- 1850-1950
California -- History -- 1950-
California, Southern -- History
Motion pictures (visual work) -- California -- 20th
century
U-matic
VHS
Videocassettes
Videotapes
Audiocassettes
Magnetic tapes -- United States.
Huntington, Henry Edwards, 1850-1927
Pan-American Exposition ((1901 :) (Buffalo, N.Y.))