Author Archives: John Bengtson

The Little Tramp’s Screen Debut – Charlie Chaplin’s Kid Autos – They Were What ?!?

Posted on March 11, 2023 by John Bengtson

My latest YouTube video presents Charlie Chaplin’s screen debut of “The Little Tramp,” while explaining what exactly were “kid auto races.” Below, a few scenes from the video, and further below, my original post about the film from 2011. Inducted … Continue reading →

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Silent Star Mabel Normand – the Game Girl’s Trio of Triumphs

Posted on February 18, 2023 by John Bengtson

As seen in the two previous posts, the Wonderful Wanda Wiley leapt between moving cars on Vine Street, and rollicked at the edge of the Santa Monica Slapstick Comedy Cliffs. But silent star “game girl” Mabel Normand took some good … Continue reading →

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Santa Monica’s Slapstick Comedy Cliffs – How Did They Do It?

Posted on January 28, 2023 by John Bengtson

Although Harold Lloyd was the most accomplished, dozens of others silent comedians also filmed “stunt” comedies climbing up or hanging from tall buildings. As reported many times in this blog, one very common technique was to construct a small building … Continue reading →

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Wonderful Wanda Wiley … Who?

Posted on January 14, 2023 by John Bengtson

Wonderful Wanda Wiley was a spirited, athletic silent film comedienne, whose charm and girl-next-door appeal made her the female equivalent of Harold Lloyd’s “All-American Boy” (sometimes she even wore glasses). Ever ready, she bravely rolled down stairways, dived on cement … Continue reading →

Posted in Hollywood History, Wanda Wiley | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

Hiding in plain sight – more cinematic magic from Buster Keaton’s Go West

Posted on December 24, 2022 by John Bengtson

Known only as “Friendless,” Buster finds himself working on an Arizona cattle ranch during Go West. There he meets Brown Eyes the cow when he kindly removes a painful rock stuck in her hoof. Soon after she returns the favor … Continue reading →

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Buster Keaton’s “Electric House” Home

Posted on November 30, 2022 by John Bengtson

Buster filmed the graduation scenes from The Electric House (1922) at a commercial site still standing, just blocks away from his once magnificent real-life home (above) appearing later in the film. The film opens with graduating botanist Buster mistakenly receiving … Continue reading →

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New revelations about Safety Last! and The Kid

Posted on November 12, 2022 by John Bengtson

Two recent YouTube videos revealing new details from Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last!, and Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid, are now uploaded to my YouTube Channel. The channel includes a playlist of other video presentations hosted by museums and other groups. Hang … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin - Keaton - Lloyd Alley, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Safety Last!, The Kid | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Kid, Cops, Intolerance revealed in a 125 year old photo

Posted on October 29, 2022 by John Bengtson

When the great silent comedians filmed the streets of LA one hundred or more years ago, many of those settings were already decades old. Focusing on a single vintage photo, let’s explore one of the most fascinating film locations in … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Los Angeles Historic Core | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Harold Lloyd’s “Hot Water” Sherlock turkey troubles

Posted on October 15, 2022 by John Bengtson

Wrangling a live turkey on a trolley, forced to walk it home, overlapping Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr., even more visual history is now revealed from Harold Lloyd’s Hot Water (1924). Newlywed Harold’s day is shattered when his better half calls … Continue reading →

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Flying “Lizzies of the Field” – Part 2

Posted on October 1, 2022 by John Bengtson

One of silent comedies’ craziest scenes, race cars zooming down a ramp, flying through the air, landing in a pile atop each other, marks the exciting climax to Lizzies of the Field (1924), the Mack Sennett Comedies Studio production recently … Continue reading →

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Jackie Coogan’s Charlie Chaplin’s Lost LA Alley – The Rag Man

Posted on September 17, 2022 by John Bengtson

Jackie Coogan returned twice more to an LA alley where he made The Kid with Charlie Chaplin. Early LA streets, now lost, appear in Jackie’s The Rag Man (1925). Jackie plays an orphan who becomes a successful junk dealer working … Continue reading →

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Harold Lloyd’s “Hot Water” “Happy Days” Home

Posted on September 3, 2022 by John Bengtson

Harold’s home stands on two different blocks and TV’s Happy Days Cunningham home appears nearby. So many new locales from Hot Water (1924) were found and shared by eagle-eyed reader Zebra 3, a self-described film location hobbyist, who shares what … Continue reading →

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Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times” Sanitarium Solved

Posted on August 21, 2022 by John Bengtson

Charlie Chaplin used the former Occidental College Hall of Letters (still standing) to portray the charity hospital where Edna Purviance delivers her baby in The Kid (1921). But “cured of a nervous breakdown but without a job” during Modern Times … Continue reading →

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Billy Bevan’s “Lizzies of the Field” before Griffith Observatory

Posted on August 6, 2022 by John Bengtson

This post is dedicated with heartfelt appreciation to Dave Glass and Dave Wyatt, who join the growing ranks of silent film superheroes preserving and restoring classic films, and making them available on home video to grateful fans. Having released compilations … Continue reading →

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What? Buster Keaton’s Studio Appears in Seven Chances!

Posted on July 16, 2022 by John Bengtson

Buster Keaton filmed dozens of scenes beside or adjacent to his small studio at Lillian Way and Eleanor. In a surprising new discovery, the corner of his studio actually appears during a scene from Seven Chances (1925) as Buster jogs … Continue reading →

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Case Closed! How Buster Keaton filmed Sherlock Jr.

Posted on July 2, 2022 by John Bengtson

Hosted by the Catalina Museum for Art and History, earlier this year I had the thrill and honor to introduce their screening of Buster Keaton’s brilliant comedy Sherlock Jr. (1924), accompanied by renowned pianist and composer Michael D. Mortilla. With … Continue reading →

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Soft Shoes – Crossing Paths with Chaplin, Laurel, and Lloyd

Posted on June 18, 2022 by John Bengtson

Now streaming on the San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s website, Harry Carey’s 1925 action/drama Soft Shoes, in which Carey (right) seeks to rescue a young woman from a life of crime, was purportedly set in San Francisco. Yet the film’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Chinatown, Harold Lloyd, Stan Laurel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Charlie Chaplin’s One A.M. Mystery

Posted on May 29, 2022 by John Bengtson

Charlie Chaplin’s 1916 Mutual comedy short One A.M. was unique in many ways. Charlie plays a drunken bon-vivant, returning home after a night on the town. Except for a brief exterior scene with his taxi driver Albert Austin, Charlie plays … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Studio, Charlie Chaplin, Hollywood History, Lyons and Moran | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Keaton Sherlock Jr. – Valentino Blood and Sand – at Avalon Silent Film Showcase

Posted on May 8, 2022 by John Bengtson

Buster Keaton’s brilliant comedy Sherlock Jr., and Rudolph Valentino’s smoldering performance as a conflicted bullfighter in Blood and Sand, highlight this year’s Avalon Silent Film Showcase, hosted on Catalina Island at the beautiful Avalon Casino Theatre, on May 13 – … Continue reading →

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The San Francisco Silent Film Festival returns to live cinema – Steamboat Bill, Jr. – Penrod and Sam

Posted on April 16, 2022 by John Bengtson

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival triumphantly celebrates the return of live cinema hosting its 25th anniversary festival at the Castro Theater May 5-11, 2022. Here is the schedule, which runs a full week –  https://silentfilm.org/2022-festival-schedule/ One highlight is the … Continue reading →

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