Monthly Archives: April 2011

Stan Laurel in Buster’s Footprints

Posted on April 22, 2011 by John Bengtson

One of my all time favorite Keaton location discoveries was finding these statues appearing in Buster Keaton’s short film Hard Luck (1921).  During the scene, Buster eludes the police by posing among the statues of a park monument.  The scene … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Stan Laurel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Buster Keaton Steamboat Bill, Jr. locations

Posted on April 18, 2011 by John Bengtson

Buster Keaton filmed his final independent production Steamboat Bill, Jr. in Sacramento, California.  By the time Keaton and company came to town, Sacramento had become a popular location for Hollywood films.  Historian Paul Frobose discovered these Sacramento locations, and has … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Keaton Studio, Keaton Tour, Steamboat Bill, Jr. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Meet Buster in Goatland at the Silver Spray Pier

Posted on April 16, 2011 by John Bengtson

Believe it or not, renting goat carts to travel around the Southern California beach amusement piers was once a popular entertainment. In this scene from the Roscoe Arbuckle – Buster Keaton comedy The Cook (1918) (Milestone Film & Video), Buster … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Langdon on Larchmont

Posted on April 15, 2011 by John Bengtson

Larchmont Boulevard was (and remains) a very popular place to film.  Many of Harry Langdon’s antics from Saturday Afternoon (1926) were filmed at the corner of Larchmont and W. 1st Street. Larchmont appears in many other silent films, including Harold … Continue reading →

Posted in Harry Langdon | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Harry Langdon in The Strong Man

Posted on April 12, 2011 by John Bengtson

One of the great set pieces from Harry Langdon’s The Strong Man (1926) takes place as Harry attempts to transport a femme fatale up a flight of stairs into her apartment.  With a suspicious cop on her tail, “Lily” of … Continue reading →

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Chaplin – A Film Johnnie at the Bryson

Posted on April 10, 2011 by John Bengtson

The remarkable image quality of the new Chaplin at Keystone collection from Flicker Alley makes it possible to identify several more scenes from Charlie’s earliest films.  As shown here, the extant Bryson Apartments (2701 Wilshire Blvd.) stood in for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Keystone Studio | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Harold Lloyd Hollywood Tour

Posted on April 7, 2011 by John Bengtson

Tour silent-era Hollywood with this PDF guide prepared in connection with my May 22, 2011 presentation of Harold Lloyd’s Never Weaken and Girl Shy for the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. The tour is … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Chaplin Studio, Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Girl Shy, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour, Keaton Studio, Keaton Tour, Lloyd Studio, Lloyd Tour | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Chaplin Medley of Then and Now Images

Posted on April 7, 2011 by John Bengtson

This 27 MB PowerPoint slide-show features over a dozen famous Chaplin filming locations, fading back and forth between vintage and contemporary images.  The ghostly transitions are quite effective.  The slides are animated, so please pause long enough before clicking to … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chaplin’s Very First Scene – Now a Jack-in-the-Box

Posted on April 5, 2011 by John Bengtson

Following the release of the Chaplin at Keystone DVD Collection, for which I prepared a bonus feature program, Kevin Dale contacted me wondering if Chaplin had filmed the opening scene from his inaugural film Making a Living in front of … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Keystone Studio | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Tour of Chaplin’s The Kid

Posted on April 5, 2011 by John Bengtson

Attached below is a PowerPoint presentation showing the historic settings in Chinatown and the Plaza de Los Angeles where Chaplin filmed his early masterpiece The Kid (1921).  The file is about 60MB, and you will need a PowerPoint viewer to … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, The Kid | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Details Behind Video Tour of Chaplin Keystone Locations

Posted on April 4, 2011 by John Bengtson

I highly recommend the Chaplin at Keystone DVD collection presented by Flicker Alley.  Watching these beautiful restorations of Chaplin’s earliest films made during 1914 at the Keystone Studio is a revelation.  For years only nearly unwatchable copies of these films … Continue reading →

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