Chaplin filming The Pilgrim in Newhall (now part of Santa Clarita). SCVhistory.com.

While preparing my upcoming talk for Cinecon 51 I just realized that Chaplin filmed this rustic church scene from The Pilgrim (1923) in Newhall, near where friend Douglas Fairbanks filmed much of Wild and Woolly in 1917, beside the original Presbyterian Church, built in 1891, that once stood at the west end of Market Street at Newhall Avenue. You can read about the connections between Chaplin’s The Pilgrim and Frank Sinatra’s assassination/kidnap drama Suddenly (1954) in my prior post, and download a written tour at the end of this post.

I will discuss Wild and Woolly, and Harold Lloyd’s masterpiece The Kid Brother (1927), two wonderful films highlighted at the 2015 Cinecon Classic Film Festival, as part of the “Hollywood’s Silent Echoes” presentation I will be giving Labor Day Monday, September 7, 2015, at 11:05 a.m. at the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Boulevard. Entirely new, my talk will be filled with many fun surprises about the great silent comedians, and the historic elements captured in their films.

Following my talk and book signing I will again lead a walking tour during the lunch break along Cahuenga Boulevard where Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd filmed so frequently.

Click to enlarge – the two camera angles are almost a perfect match. The church was built in 1891 and replaced with a modern stucco structure in 1923, the same year Chaplin filmed The Pilgrim.  SCVhistory.com.

The link below is an updated written tour to over 50 Hollywood filming locations and historic sites associated with Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Stan Laurel, and Harry Langdon. This latest edition includes many new discoveries not found in my books or previously posted tours.

Hollywood’s Silent Echoes Tour – Cinecon 2015 – John Bengtson

For those who live in LA, even if you have plans for an afternoon BBQ, I hope you’ll consider spending Labor Day morning at the Egyptian Theater discovering some fun new insights about early Hollywood.

All images from Chaplin films made from 1918 onwards, copyright © Roy Export Company Establishment. CHARLES CHAPLIN, CHAPLIN, and the LITTLE TRAMP, photographs from and the names of Mr. Chaplin’s films are trademarks and/or service marks of Bubbles Incorporated SA and/or Roy Export Company Establishment. Used with permission.