Scorza-ing Points

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Scorza-ing Points
Newhall resident Philip Scorza continues to point to interesting Santa Clarita Valley history.

By Margie Anne Clark
Signal Features Writer

Sunday December 31, 2000

o many a passer-by, the Santa Clarita Valley may seem like a fresh, new, up-and-coming community, but there are those in the valley who know better. Newhall resident, Philip Scorza, writer and producer of "Points of Interest," a weekly television program airing on SCVTV Channel 20, has been taking local audiences on a fascinating trek through the history of the Santa Clarita Valley for nearly six years.
    Blazing a trail from the past to the future, Scorza's program chronicles the rich heritage of the Santa Clarita Valley, from the early days of California's first gold rush, to the colorful lives of such notables as Henry Mayo Newhall, and Charles Alexander Mentry. The entertaining magazine- style show is hosted and narrated by Scorza, who takes viewers on location to historic sites in and around the valley. Integrating a vast library of historic photos from the archives of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society, along with personal interviews, Scorza's program gives viewers a glimpse into the early beginnings of a town that has since become a premier family community.
    "History should be fun," Scorza said. "By watching this program, people are learning things about their community and their local history, which is nice."
    The idea for the program developed out of Scorza's fascination with the history of the Santa Clarita Valley. Even before he moved to Newhall from Van Nuys in 1992, Scorza was intrigued by the rustic remnants of down-town Newhall. He would often visit with friends at the Saugus Cafe, where he could see the old Saugus train station.
    "I've always been taken by the romance of trains," Scorza said.
    "Living in the Los Angeles area, you begin to realize what an interesting history we have up here in Santa Clarita. Things like Beale's Cut, Mentryville, Vasquez Rocks and the movie Industry, are examples of what a colorful history we have here," Scorza said.
    With a background in the entertainment industry, Scorza was eager to launch his idea for a history program after he heard about SCVTV Channel 20, a new public access station that opened in July 1995. Prior to the opening of the station, Scorza pitched his idea to the station's West Division Community Programing Manager, Susan Shapiro.
    "It seemed that the community would appreciate programing specifically about this area. It couldn't be seen anywhere else, and that's the sort of thing we were looking for," Shapiro said.
    "We were really happy and excited that he was going to be making the show because it was one of the first programs to appear on the channel. We were really hoping that people would utilize this resource to focus on specifically local themes," she said. "I think it's a great example of what you can do with public access. It's ultra-local television that's produced by someone who is an expert, and particularly interested in his subject matter. It's a very content driven program, and I think it's charming."
    With video camera in hand, Scorza and Denise Rue, Scorza's wife at the time, soon went to work taping episodes of the show in the spring of 1994. "I had already shot 12 shows and started editing the episodes in July. We went on air with the first episode in August of 1995, and we've been on the air ever since," Scorza said. Since beginning the program, Scorza has created nearly 40 episodes of "Points of Interest."
    "After I made one or two episodes, I realized that I needed to get involved with the Historical Society because there were a lot of places you just couldn't get into without special permission," he said.
    The historic site of Mentryville, once known simply as "Pico" to the locals, was privately owned at the time. Places such as historic Rancho Camulos are never open to the public.
    Scorza explained that the Historical Society was founded in 1975, to foster interest in and preservation of the local history.
    "It was founded by people who were tired of seeing our local landmarks torn down and bulldozed over," Scorza said. The members of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical welcomed Scorza and his ideas with open arms. Scorza currently serves on the board of directors of the Historical Society.
    Life-long Newhall resident, Tom Frew IV, who serves as the corresponding secretary for the Historical Society, saw a need for this type of programing. "With so many new people moving to the valley, I think it's an important undertaking," Frew said. A lot of people wouldn't know anything about the history of the valley if it weren't for this program. For those of us who have been forever, it doesn't hurt to shape us again too," he said.
    Frew has good reason to be concerned with the preservation of the valley's history.
    Frew's grandfather and grandmother settled in Newhall in 1900 after a happen-chance encounter at a general store while en route from their home in the Antelope Valley, to Santa Monica and Long Beach. "The clerk at the counter asked my grandfather's children what their father did for a living. They told him he was a blacksmith," explained Frew. The Frew children were told that the town blacksmith had just died and the town was in need of a new blacksmith. The asking price of the shop, house and land was 200 dollars.
    "My grandfather only had $25 cash in his pocket, so they loaned him the difference which he later paid back," Frew said. The shop was known as "T.M. Frew and Son General Blacksmithing."
    The Frews maintained a viable blacksmith business until the mid 1930's. The shop was rebuilt in 1935 and remained in business as a welding shop, complete with a full-time blacksmith, until it's closing in 1970. The building still stands on the corner of Market Street and San Fernando, across from Tresierras' Market. Currently, the Historical Society is in the planning stages of building a replica of the original old blacksmith shop on the property of William S. Hart Park in Newhall.
    The history of the Frew family can be seen in episode 26 of Scorza's "Points of Interest," on March 22 and 26. Frew is also the featured guest on "The History of Canyon Country," episode 30, on March 1 and 5.
    Another life-long resident, Gladys Laney, was a featured guest on "Points of Interest," episode 34, "Newhall in the1920's." Laney has lived all of her 90 years in Newhall, where she continues to lead a high profile and active life. "Phil has done a wonderful job with his program," Laney said. "It's such a valuable tool for teaching young people about the history of our valley. We're indebted to him for making these wonderful videos."
    Scorza said,"The city was really growing in the 1920s. The Ridge Route had been built through there, and Main street had moved from Railroad Ave. to Spruce street. I basically told the story of Newhall in the '20s , and included an interview with Gladys. The photos were a big help. I think using historic photos adds an lot to the program, because sometimes I'll actually get ideas from the photos."
    Another notable local who has been a guest on "Points of Interest," was none other than The Signal's Mr. SCV himself, John Boston. "I've done two or three shows with Phil and it's always been such a treat," Boston said. The popular historian, who writes the Time Ranger column for The Signal's Sunday paper and teaches SCV history through Golden Oak Adult School, was featured on a special "Points of Interest," titled, "Growing up in Newhall in the 1960's." Boston said he and Scorza would cruise around town in Boston's vintage 1953 Ford pick-up, reminiscing about old cheeseburger drive-ins, illegal race tracks, and places where teen-agers used to hang out.
    "There are so many stories about the valley, but I think putting them on video for the public record is very important," Boston said. "And Phil's a very good interviewer. He makes his guest feel comfortable and at home. That's a talent."
    "I suppose one of these days, we'll get together and maybe do a few more of the shows," Boston said. "My only beef with Phil, was that he said the camera adds 10 pounds, but after watching myself on T.V., I'm afraid the figure is closer to 50 pounds! I really don't have that many chins in real life." Boston is also a featured guest on episode 21, "History of the Signal," which airs on April 12, and 16.
    "We have such a much more colorful history than a lot of places have," Scorza said. "There have been so many interesting characters here, such as Bill Jenkins, and the Lyons Brothers and Henry Clay Needham, and Henry Mayo Newhall, whose names have left an indelible mark on our valley. So we've had a fascinating history. The neat thing about ‘Points of Interest' is that I can take people around to the location where history occurred. I can tell them the story in pictures, and usually there's somebody to help tell it."
    Another interesting guest on the show was Letty Dyer Foote, who was born and raised outside the gates of Vasquez Rocks before it became a state park. She took Scorza on a personal tour of Vasquez County Park. "As a kid she played there between the ages of about five to 14," Scorza explained. "People used to have cabins there. She showed me the graves of where the people who used to live there were buried." Episode 32 explores the life of Dyer Foote, in "Letty Dyer Foote at Vasquez Rock," on Feb. 15 and 19. "You meet some really interesting people," Scorza said.
    Other interesting people Scorza has met along the way include Clem Cox, who has lived in Canyon Country for 70 years. Scorza interviewed him on the "History of Canyon Country" episode. Another interesting aspect of the history of Santa Clarita involves transportation. "You have to go through our community if you want to connect L.A. to San Francisco," explained Scorza. "A couple years ago a young fellow by the name of Mike Ballard came to the Historical Society and we did a show on the history of Highway 99." Ballard, a historian for Caltrans, went through the archives at Caltrans and put together a history of the highways. "The History of Highway 99, with Mike Ballard," airs on Jan. 25 and 29.
    Scorza also put together a piece on "The Walker Family of Placerita Canyon," which will air on Jan 11, and 15. "I met Ray Walker, who is now 80-years-old, (when) he opened up the cabin at Placerita Canyon Park, and we did some video shoots inside and outside the cabin," Scorza said. Walker was born and raised in the historic cabin that has become a favorite sight-seeing spot for many visitors to the park.
    "Ours is quite an interesting lot of different facets of things happening," Scorza said. "We could break our history down into the oil industry. It's a fascinating story. The first oil wells west of the Mississippi were here. The oldest oil well was still operating up until 1990 right here in Mentryville. And then there is the movie making industry. We were the back lot to countless Hollywood westerns from the early 1900s on."
    In 1952, a movie by the name of "Suddenly" was filmed in Newhall starring Frank Sinatra. The city of Newhall was cast as the back drop for middle America, Scorza explained.
    "There are no scenes with Mr. Sinatra on the streets of Newhall, so we can't actually say the man stepped onto our pavement," explained Scorza. "But they filmed on San Fernando Road, using the M&M Market, (now Tresierras Market,) the Ford Dealership, the American Theater, the Malt Shop, the Saugus Station, and Dr. Ross's house, among many quaint locations. Frank is supposed to kill the President of the U.S. when he steps off the train in the town of Suddenly. They used a bit of our personal history with the Chamber of Commerce sign that reads, "...the first gold discovery in California." An episode on some of the early movies filmed in Santa Clarita, will air on Feb. 8 and 12.
    "It's interesting the way we've broken down our history," said Scorza. "We have pre-1900, 1900-1950 and on, and then it can be broken down by location and special categories." Scorza's line-up also includes special categories, such as The St. Francis Dam Disaster. "That's a story that we have tons and tons of resources on," Scorza said.
    If Scorza seems to possess a knack for bringing stories to life and finding the right people to help him in his quest, that's probably because it comes with the territory.
    Prior to becoming a full time English instructor at Sierra Vista Junior High School in 1998, Scorza worked in the entertainment industry after graduating with a degree in Theater from Southern Illinois University. Scorza moved to Los Angeles from Chicago in 1976. "I've worked on and off in the entertainment industry as a writer for television and as a stage manager and stage hand for live theater," Scorza said.
    Scorza's credits include writing and directing the play, "Shelter From The Storm," which ran for eight weeks at the Group Repertory Theatre in North Hollywood in 1977.
    The play received rave reviews from the L.A. Times. In a stage review, L.A. Times critic Sylvie Drake wrote; "The play is a delicate tracery of connected vignettes,— unabashedly romantic, light in texture but poignant in feeling. . .What the great merit of the GRT production reverts to finally, however, is the subtlety and resilience of author Scorza's beautifully timed direction. . ." Scorza went on to stage manage "A Night in the Catskills," in the spring of 1989, at the Las Palmas Theater in Los Angeles, and later in Atlantic City in fall 1990.
    Other credits for Scorza include writing for Quinn Martin Productions on a show called, "The Runways." No stranger to final frontiers, Scorza also wrote an episode for "Star Trek, The Next Generation" in 1990, in collaboration with his writing partner Ron Jarvis. The name of the episode was "Disaster," in which Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart, finds himself trapped in an elevator with a bunch of children during a space quake. Scorza and Jarvis also wrote an episode of the "Munsters-Today" series. "I've written screenplays, teleplays, novels, short stories, and one non-fiction book, but I've found the most satisfaction from writing plays," Scorza said.
    Scorza's creativity and interest in history has carried over into the classroom, with the recent publication of "Santa Clarita Valley, A Pictorial History, 1876-1926." The book chronicles the first 50 years of the Santa Clarita Valley with stunning original photographs that can also be seen in Scorza's "Points of Interest" videos. The book was a group effort that began as a project between Scorza and Sierra Vista Junior High School U.S. History teacher, Frank Wright. The book was written and put together by the advanced placement eighth grade students at Sierra Vista in spring 2000, as a part of the William S. Hart High School district's school-to-career program. Scorza and Wright were the editors of the book. The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society recently awarded Scorza and Wright, as well as Sierra Vista Junior High School, with a plaque of recognition for their work.
    "The students got a real feel for preserving the history of the Santa Clarita Valley for future generations to come," Scorza said.
    The late author, and historian, Jerry Reynolds preserved the photos that were used for both the book and the videos. Reynolds acquired the photos from a collection of the late A.B. Perkins. "Video Moments with Jerry Reynolds," will be the first in the series of "Points of Interest," to air, beginning on Jan. 4, and Jan. 8.
    In addition to teaching English and Drama at Sierra Vista Jr. High, Scorza also teaches the Regional Occupational Program (ROP) video production class through the William S. Hart High School District. The class produces "Hart District T.V." which airs on SCVTV Channel 20 every Monday and Wednesday. When he isn't busy with his multi-faceted projects, Scorza finds time for hiking, cooking, and spending time with his 15-year-old son Casey, who sometimes lends hand behind the camera of his dad's video shows.
    Of his work on "Points of Interest," Scorza said, "I think people will enjoy watching the program because it will take them to places they may not know about, or some places they may have always wondered about. I haven't run out of ideas yet, and interest in the program just keeps on growing. I love doing it."
    For more information about "Points of Interest," and The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society, call 254-1275 or visit the web at scvhs.org. Selected episodes of "Points of Interest," are available for purchase by calling the Santa Clarita Historical Society, at 254-1275. SCVTV Channel 20 Community Access can be reached at 253-0082. "Santa Clarita Valley, A Pictorial History, 1876-1976," can be purchased at The Signal Office, M-F, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., or at Barnes and Noble in Valencia, and Borders Books and Music on Town Center Drive.