Monthly Archives: June 2013

Solved at Last! – the Safety Last! Mystery Building

Posted on June 25, 2013 by John Bengtson

Harold Lloyd filmed his stunt-climbing “thrill” comedies on the rooftops of eight buildings in the downtown Los Angeles Historic Core.  Remarkably, seven of these eight buildings are still standing.  (In all Lloyd employed 17 buildings in one way or another … Continue reading →

Posted in Harold Lloyd, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Safety Last! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

How Harold Lloyd filmed the Safety Last! finale (at three places)

Posted on June 20, 2013 by John Bengtson

Safe at last, Harold stumbles over a parapet wall into the arms of his fiance Mildred Davis, capping his hair-raising climb up the 13 story “Bolton Building” in Safety Last! Seeking the perfect angle for each shot, Lloyd staged this … Continue reading →

Posted in Harold Lloyd, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Los Angeles Historic Core, Safety Last! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Leave it to Harold (and Beaver) at the Long Beach Pike

Posted on June 16, 2013 by John Bengtson

In a prior post I wrote how an idyllic Skokie, Illinois street once stood in for Mayfield on Leave It to Beaver.  Although that episode has no connection to silent movies, I was surprised to see that the Season 5, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Leave It To Beaver, TV Shows | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

How Charlie Chaplin made The Kid (older post)

Posted on June 11, 2013 by John Bengtson

In an early post I uploaded a PowerPoint presentation highlighting some of the historic settings in Chinatown and the Plaza de Los Angeles where Chaplin filmed his early masterpiece The Kid (1921).  You can download the 60 MB file here. … Continue reading →

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

On the Fence – Keaton’s stunts in Cops and Our Hospitality

Posted on June 6, 2013 by John Bengtson

In a recent post I showed how Buster Keaton staged his daring waterfall rescue from Our Hospitality (1923).  In honor of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s presentation of Our Hospitality this June 8 at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Keaton location to be demolished – photo help?

Posted on June 1, 2013 by John Bengtson

I just discovered where Keaton filmed a scene from Cops (1922), as Big Joe Roberts retrieves his wallet from Buster (but not its cash contents) by leaning out to grab it from a passing taxi.  The scene was filmed at … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Chaplin Studio, Cops, Hollywood Tour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments