Author Archives: John Bengtson

Buster Keaton’s Cops and Laurel & Hardy 1928 Year Two

Posted on June 28, 2025 by John Bengtson

Buster Keaton’s masterpiece Cops (1922) is one of his seven films inducted into the Library of Congress National Film Registry as a work of “enduring importance to American culture.” Cops is his only independently produced film with no interior scenes. … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops, Laurel and Hardy | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Buster Keaton’s Three Ages Leap of Faith

Posted on May 22, 2025 by John Bengtson

This post examines Buster Keaton’s ‘failed’ rooftop leap between buildings during his first feature comedy Three Ages (1923), one of the most remarkable stunts of his career. The movie tells three tales of love, set in the Stone Age, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Three Ages | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Buster Keaton’s Backlot Adventures in Cops

Posted on April 15, 2025 by John Bengtson

One of the most iconic moments in Buster Keaton’s Cops (1922), in all of cinematic history for that matter, is Buster chased back and forth down an empty city street by a mob of angry policemen. The giant buildings at … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Silent Location Encore Performances

Posted on March 31, 2025 by John Bengtson

Short and sweet, just a few examples of silent film locations making repeat appearances. Sadly, all are long since demolished. The good news, more rare and previously unavailable silent films become accessible on YouTube every day. These YouTube links below … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Charlie Chaplin’s One A.M. Mystery SOLVED!!

Posted on January 15, 2025 by John Bengtson

Charlie Chaplin’s 1916 film One A.M. begins with him portraying a wealthy drunk struggling to exit a taxicab. Filmed on location, this setting has been a mystery for over a century, until Sarah Lagrillière, a brilliant film preservationist and avid … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Studio, Charlie Chaplin, Hollywood History, Lyons and Moran | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

How Laurel & Hardy Made “Two Tars”

Posted on November 3, 2024 by John Bengtson

They did it again! Flicker Alley is now hosting Laurel & Hardy: Year Two, a beautifully presented 2-disc Blu-ray set of Stan and Ollie’s 1928 films, their second year (Year Two) working as a duo. These all-new restorations were assembled … Continue reading →

Posted in Laurel and Hardy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Buster Keaton Go West – many NEW discoveries on a new YouTube essay

Posted on October 19, 2024 by John Bengtson

Thanks to the brilliant research by frequent guest blogger Jeffrey Castel de Oro, and the beautiful remote Arizona desert photos shared by dedicated EPA attorney and devoted Keaton fan Marie Muller, we can ‘visit’ online today essentially all of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Go West, Jeffrey Castel de Oro | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Buster Keaton – the Great SMILING Stoneface

Posted on September 13, 2024 by John Bengtson

Buster Keaton – “The Great Stoneface” – the child vaudeville performer who famously never smiled on stage, the silent comedy star who promoted his deadpan persona on film. Yet working with friend and mentor Roscoe Arbuckle, Buster started his film … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Roscoe Arbuckle | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Caught On Film – Buster Keaton’s The Cameraman

Posted on July 30, 2024 by John Bengtson

Silent Locations has over 10 posts about various aspects of The Cameraman; filming in Hollywood, at M-G-M, around New York, in Santa Monica, Newport Beach, and so on. My new YouTube video compiles these posts and even more discoveries into … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, The Cameraman | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mack Swain’s Santa Monica Adventures with Laurel & Hardy, Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd

Posted on June 29, 2024 by John Bengtson

Imagine a “lost” silent film providing detailed views of where Laurel & Hardy, Roscoe Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Charlie Chaplin once filmed. This time it’s the 1918 Mack Swain L-KO comedy Adventurous Ambrose, a beautiful scanned print from … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Culver City, Laurel and Hardy, Santa Monica | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Monty Banks ‘Peaceful Alley’ beside Pickford, Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd

Posted on May 31, 2024 by John Bengtson

Cheerful, dapper, always smiling, winking, performing pratfalls and dangerous stunts tirelessly in dozens of films, silent comedian/director Monty Banks is a revelation. Born Mario Bianchi in Italy in 1897, he started in films in 1916, before Buster Keaton, and made … Continue reading →

Posted in Los Angeles Historic Core, Monty Banks | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Silent Comedy’s Bridges of Hollenbeck Park

Posted on April 27, 2024 by John Bengtson

The graceful arch bridge that once spanned the narrow lake in Hollenbeck Park has appeared in numerous silent films. USC Digital Library. Perhaps its most celebrated appearance is with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy during their early talkie short Men … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Colleen Moore and Buster Keaton Reveal a “Lost” Hollywood Intersection

Posted on March 30, 2024 by John Bengtson

Hollywood was a small, undeveloped community during the early years of cinema. Cahuenga Blvd, now a major thoroughfare, once ran south for two blocks from Hollywood Blvd past Selma to where it ended at Sunset Blvd. Through traffic would then … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Day Dreams, Hollywood History, One Week | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Harold Lloyd, Dorothy Devore, Movie Pilot Frank Clarke – Stunt Birds of a Feather

Posted on March 2, 2024 by John Bengtson

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Hollywood History, Los Angeles Historic Core, Safety Last! | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Historic Hollywood Relics Found In “Lost” Films

Posted on February 4, 2024 by John Bengtson

This post presents bits and pieces of Hollywood history appearing in an assortment of little-known films, many unavailable for decades. I closely follow Dave Glass’s invaluable YouTube channel. You never know what brief scene from an obscure film will reveal … Continue reading →

Posted in Gale Henry, Hollywood History | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Solved! – Buster Keaton’s 100 Year Old Three Ages Bungalow

Posted on January 19, 2024 by John Bengtson

Love triumphs over all. Buster Keaton’s first feature comedy Three Ages (1923) tells three tales of love, set in the Stone Age, the Roman Age, and the Present Age (i.e. 1923), where against all odds underdog Buster wins the girl … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Three Ages | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Buster Keaton’s San Francisco footsteps

Posted on December 30, 2023 by John Bengtson

Buster filmed scenes from Day Dreams (1922) and The Navigator (1924) across San Francisco. Most locations look remarkably unchanged a century later. My latest YouTube video reveals every SF locale with then and now views, intercut with scenes where sneaky … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Day Dreams, San Francisco | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Stan Laurel and W.C. Fields Crossed Paths Near the Keaton and Metro Studios

Posted on December 16, 2023 by John Bengtson

Expanding on the previous post, Stan Laurel also crossed paths with W.C. Fields, at the Metro Studios south of Buster Keaton’s studio, with the same landmark storage building still standing appearing at back. The scenes further below appear in Stan’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Stan Laurel, W.C. Fields | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Keaton and W.C. Fields Cross Paths Again Near Buster’s Studio

Posted on November 11, 2023 by John Bengtson

Buster Keaton filmed The Chemist (1936) and W.C. Fields filmed Running Wild (1927) beside the same apartment building still standing across the street from the Astoria studios where both movies were made in Queens, New York. (Links to detailed posts … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Keaton Studio, W.C. Fields | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Chaplin, Keaton, and Coogan on Sanchez Street – Three Films Revealed in a Brief Glimpse during The Kid

Posted on October 14, 2023 by John Bengtson

Accolades aside, Chaplin’s masterpiece The Kid preserves a treasure trove of visual history, including Olvera Street near the Plaza de Los Angeles, and the Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd Alley in Hollywood. It’s complicated (more below), but The Kid also captures the precise spot … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Jackie Coogan, The Kid | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments