Here’s more Hollywood history appearing in another little-known film, this time from a Columbia Studios Screen Snapshots newsreel.
Above, Screen Snapshots captured pioneer Hollywood stunt pilot/actor Frank Clarke flying an airplane from the roof of the Los Angeles Railroad Building downtown, beginning at 01:35 on YouTube HERE. Seen here under construction, before a later building would block the full view, it still stands at 1060 S Broadway at the NE corner of Broadway and 11th.
Looking north up Broadway, if the Blackstone Building at back seems familiar, it’s because it appears behind Harold Lloyd during Safety Last! – 1923, still standing at Broadway and 9th.
Here are matching views from the movie, left, and one of many images of Frank Clarke available through the San Diego Air & Space Museum archival Flickr account. You can read part of the “BLACKSTONE” building sign in both images.
A news account of Frank’s stunt. At back, to the right, stand 950 and 908 S Broadway, the buildings where Harold would build rooftop sets for his climbing stunts in Feet First – 1930 and Safety Last!
For visual context, here’s a side view of where Frank flew from the roof of the Railway Building (unfinished at the time), near the three-story triangular building, now lost, at the former intersection of Broadway and Broadway Place, where Harold built sets for his initial climbing scenes from Safety Last! (left) and Feet First (middle). USC Digital Library.
Using Frank’s photo for reference, we see up the street the 950 and 908 S Broadway rooftops where Harold would later build stunt sets for the next stage of his climb in Safety Last! and Feet First.
Dorothy Devore made stunt comedies matching Harold’s skill and production techniques. Above, a frame from Hold Your Breath – 1924, notice the Blackstone Building behind her. Dorothy screen captures courtesy the Retroformat Vault – https://www.patreon.com/retroformatsilents.
Above, looking again at the Railway Building paired with a promotional still from Hold Your Breath. Dorothy appears to be at great height, but she is in fact hanging on from the side of the one-story rooftop building far away from the main edge of the roof. Historian Richard W. Bann pointed out that when Harold works at the De Vore Department Store during Safety Last! (right) he is paying indirect tribute to Dorothy.
Dorothy filmed earlier stunts atop the roof of 908 S Broadway, the same rooftop where Harold filmed the clock scenes from Safety Last! The facade of Harold’s set faced away from the street, while Dorothy’s facade faced toward the street. The large white building at back is the Hamburger’s Department Store still standing at Broadway and 8th.
This building facade and safety net were built for another movie filmed years later atop the LA Railway Building (several late-1920s buildings, including LA City Hall, appear at back), but this simulated composite view shows how Dorothy safely filmed her stunt climbing scenes here. Marc Wanamaker – Bison Archives.
Above, photos by George Watson from the Delmar Watson Archives. Frank took flight with little clearance to spare.
Above, looking north up Broadway at Frank’s lift-off – the completed Railway Building now boasts a prominent “Western Auto Supply Co” sign. The Blackstone Building appears at back. USC Digital Library.
Above, a final view of Frank’s launch pad, before the one-story rooftop building Dorothy climbed on (above) was constructed. San Diego Air & Space Museum archival Flickr account.
I knew nothing about Frank Clark (later Clarke) before starting this post. He led quite a life, born in 1898, he was one of the original Hollywood stunt pilots, transferring between moving airplanes, landing a plane atop a moving train, and doubling for actors such as James Cagney. The 6′ 2″ actor is credited with over a dozen roles and stunts on IMDb. Frank served as a major in the Air Force during WWII, training young pilots. 
Biographer and LA Times staff writer Cecilia Rasmussen explains Frank died in 1948 when a practical joke went wrong. He had planned to dive bomb a friend’s rural cabin with bags of cow manure, but during the steep descent the bags became lodged behind the control stick, causing his plane to crash. Cecilia reports Frank’s rooftop stunt discussed here was filmed for the Katherine MacDonald Pictures Corp. movie titled It Could Happen, released in 1921 as Stranger Than Fiction. Publicity for the film boasts about “A take-off from the roof of a skyscraper.”
I hope you will check out Buster Keaton’s San Francisco footsteps, a true window into the past. Please also check the many other Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd videos posted on my YouTube Channel, including How Harold Filmed Safety Last!
Below, the LA Railway Building at Broadway and 11th.
Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd film locations (and more) 
Thank you John.
Verzonden vanaf mijn Galaxy
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The portrait is not of Devore, but of Jane Novak.
https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/pho26chic_0068
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Wow – thanks Mary! Problem corrected. I was too lazy to verify “Dorothy’s” portrait as posted elsewhere. Who knew you can’t trust “facts” and photos posted online?
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Thanks for yet another fascinating post, John. I still think the courage required to film on the roof of a high building is huge. Lloyd’s tribute to Devore is wonderful. To my shame, I’d never heard of her. I need to seek out her films.
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Interesting stuff! Sad about Frank Clark’s passing, though.
— Karen
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It is sad, but it is almost a miracle he lived for so long as he did. Bill Strother, the Human Spider who survived climbing dozens of skyscrapers, and who did the real-life climbing scenes in Safety Last!, died at age 60 in an automobile accident. You never know
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Dear John,I’ve been researching folks who’ve lived in my 100 year old apartment building over the past century, and I was pleased to discover that Dorothy lived here towards the end of her life. It’s sort of fun to think of her as my downstairs neighbor (separated only by time). I’m glad she’s remembered! Cheers, Bill G
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March 21, 2023
Dear Mr. Bengston,
Can you recommend a few Silent Movie Locations in Los Angeles where to use a Metal Detector & hopefully find some relics? I am new to Metal Detecting but just bought a good Metal Detector Set to give this a try & hopefully find some old relics. You’re welcome to join me & my friend if you wish for 1/3 if we find anything. As to myself, I’m a retired Columbia U. MBA who did record producing on the side for mainly 60’s British name Rock groups when I lived in London in the early 1990s. I live in Los Angeles now in San Fernando Valley. Are there any books you’d recommend that show locations. Thank You, Mickey HifiHifi68@gmail.com
PS I couldn’t find a contact address for you so I’m trying this.
PPS If you wanted to use any of the recordings I own for free on your site, just ask.
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Hi Mickey – what an interesting question. I’m afraid I don’t have an easy answer. Most location-shooting at true exteriors only lasted a day or two, so they wouldn’t likely have relics lying around. Searching at studio sites could be promising, but … either these historic sites are still employed as studios, meaning you would need permission to visit and search, or, the sites were demolished and built-over decades ago. The Keaton Studio was demolished in 1931, rebuilt as the KMTR radio/tv facility, which was again demolished years later. The Lasky ranch where dozens of silent film exterior sets were built is now the Hollywood Forest Lawn cemetery. They did film often at Griffith Park, while hundreds of movies were filmed at the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, a housing development with some remaining open space, perhaps something remains there. Good luck with your search – let us know if you find something.
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Thanks for getting back to me. I’ll definately check out Iverson Movie Ranch as it’s near to where I live- if you want to join s, just let me know. It’s funny, I looked up some places like Wlliam Desmond Taylor’s House/Cottage where he was murdered thinking it would be cool if we could find a gun but instead found his place was leveled for a shopping center, as many of these places were. I probably have a better chance of winning on a Scratch Off Lottery Card. Are there any books you’d recommend that mention Silent Movie Locations & where the Silent Move Stars lived? I just bought an expensive book “The Movieland Directory” by E.J. Fleming, who unfortunately is dead, that lists a huge amount of addresses but without context for an amateur like myself, it’s almost like another language.
Best,
Mickey Ober
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