As I explain in my book Silent Traces, Charlie Chaplin filmed several early comedies in Echo Park, just a few blocks south of the Keystone Studio where he began his film career 100 years ago. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it turns out that Chaplin and other Keystone stars also filmed beside homes that are still standing directly across the street from the park. As shown above and elsewhere below, Chaplin’s home in Cruel, Cruel Love (1914) is located at 1629 Park Avenue, at the NE corner of Logan Street. Other remaining homes along Park Avenue appear in Keystone films too (see below), standing just a few blocks east from where Chaplin filmed on Sunset Boulevard 100 years ago, as reported HERE. (Once again, these discoveries are possible due to the wonderful image quality of the Chaplin at Keystone DVD collection from Flicker Alley).
I began paying attention to the front porches appearing in early Keystone films after noticing that a dozen other movies were shot beside the front porch where Chaplin filmed the initial scene of his career (as reported HERE).
The porch in the Chaplin/Mabel Normand comedy Mabel at the Wheel (1914) reveals a “1629” address and an array of distinctive potted plants that clearly matches Chaplin’s porch in Cruel, Cruel Love (see below).
I also noticed a group of small bungalows that appears both in Cruel, Cruel Love and in Chaplin’s A Film Johnnie (1914), that reveal a street corner consistent in appearance to a corner appearing in the Roscoe Arbuckle comedy A Flirt’s Mistake (1914). The Arbuckle corner reveals a street sign reading “Park Ave” (see below).
Although hard to spot at first, I finally noticed that Chaplin’s “potted plant” porch also appears in A Flirt’s Mistake (see above), tying the pieces together. So on a hunch, I researched “Park Ave” in connection with the 1629 “potted plant” address, and found that Chaplin’s Cruel, Cruel Love home is still standing due north of Echo Park at 1629 Park Avenue.
Remarkably, a second home appearing both in Cruel, Cruel Love and in A Flirt’s Mistake, at the NW corner of Park and Logan, is also still standing (see above), as is the group of bungalows, just up the street, at what was originally 1711 – 1715 Park Ave (see below).
Below is a broad overview of the filming sites related to the north end of Echo Park. The arrow points west along Park Avenue past the corner of Logan.
Chaplin at Keystone from Flicker Alley: Copyright (C) 2010 by Lobster Films for the Chaplin Keystone Project. Today photos Copyright (C) 2014 Google Inc.; Bing Maps Bird’s Eye – (C) 2014 NAVTEQ, Pictometry Bird’s Eye (C) 2014 Pictometry International Corp., (C) 2014 Microsoft Corporation.
Please help support naming the Chaplin Keaton Lloyd alley in Hollywood by posting a review on Google Maps. Prototype alley sign design by noted Dutch graphic artist – Piet Schreuders. Download a 4-page brochure HERE. This video further explains the alley – if you can, please leave a thumbs up.
Below, 1629 Park Avenue on Google Street View.
Thanks for all the illuminating research. Regards Thom.
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Another Herculean effort! Thanks John- I was at Echo Park in 2008, I’ll have to review my video and photos to see if I captured your discoveries!
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As always, John, I really appreciate all the work you do. It blows my mind! Just the other day, I was looking at your research on how Musso and Frank could be seen in “Cops.” So thankful that you do this stuff!
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This is great work. I have a house in Echo Park that I’d like to speak to you about. Thanks.
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Fantastic! Thank you for doing this research so neat!
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Awesome, I used to live in the green house on the opposite corner! I had no idea!
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Great piece of investigative work
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I have a house in Echo Park that was owned by Frank Short. Does anyone know of this silent film actor?
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Thanks so much for this awesome website!
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But I’m confused. Where’s his house in echo park?
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The house still standing at 1629 Park Avenue plays his house during the film – he didn’t live in Echo Park.
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Thanks for all your research! Great article!
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For me this film https://putlocker4k.me/16-shadowman-2017.html remind the persona of Chaplin. I want to compare.
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IS IT TRUE CHARLIE CHAPLIN ALSO LIVED IN ANOTHER HOME IN MONTECITO HEIGHTS, CA ?
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Hi Jenny – I’m afraid I don’t know the full details of Chaplin’s real estate investments. Just to be clear, the house here at 1629 Park Avenue portrays Chaplin’s home. You can see several photos of his mansion, and how close it was to other movie stars, in this post https://silentlocations.com/2019/03/05/green-acres-pickfair-chaplins-breakaway-home-and-keatons-italian-villa/
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