Author Archives: John Bengtson

Buster and the Three Stooges at the Columbia Ranch – Part 3

Posted on October 7, 2012 by John Bengtson

As discussed in prior posts, Buster Keaton and the Three Stooges nearly crossed paths in Cops (1922) and Soup To Nuts (1930) (see HERE), and did cross paths in Neighbors (1920) and Soup To Nuts (see HERE), before filming their … Continue reading →

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Harold Lloyd – By the Sad, Santa Monica Waves

Posted on September 25, 2012 by John Bengtson

During Harold Lloyd’s 1917 short film, By The Sad Sea Waves, Harold pretends to be a beach life guard in order to impress the ladies.  Filmed where David Hasselhoff would film Baywatch many decades later, By The Sad Sea Waves … Continue reading →

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Buster Keaton – Three Stooges – LAPL Author Lecture

Posted on September 9, 2012 by John Bengtson

I want to thank everyone for attending my Silent Footsteps lecture held September 15 at the Los Angeles Public Library Taper Auditorium, hosted by Photo Friends. Using archival photographs, vintage maps, and then and now comparison photos, I led a … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Three Stooges | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Charlie Chaplin – The Kid’s Tearful Olvera Street Reunion

Posted on August 17, 2012 by John Bengtson

The heart-tugging reunion in The Kid (1921) played between Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp and his “adopted” son (Jackie Coogan) remains one of the most emotionally charged scenes in all of film history.  Remarkably, the setting for this iconic scene remains … Continue reading →

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Charlie Chaplin, Ron Swanson, and Parks and Recreation

Posted on August 9, 2012 by John Bengtson

Location filming has been staged in Los Angeles now for well over a century.  It should come as no surprise then that contemporary television shows share exterior settings that once appeared in classic films.  In one prior post I explain … Continue reading →

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Keaton’s Sherlock Jr. Hollywood Vault (with Harold Lloyd too)

Posted on August 5, 2012 by John Bengtson

In his 1924 comedy Sherlock Jr., Buster Keaton portrays a daydreaming movie theater projectionist who fancies himself a great detective.  During the movie’s lengthy dream sequence, Buster’s character, after falling asleep on the job, finds himself living wild adventures on … Continue reading →

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More Buster in Manhattan – The Cameraman, Part II

Posted on July 29, 2012 by John Bengtson

Bob Egan’s fascinating website PopSpotsNYC.com explores visual archeology similar to my own.  But instead of looking at silent-era comics, his site concerns places “where interesting events in the history of Pop Culture took place; like album cover shots, places where … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Manhattan, The Cameraman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Artist Locations Part 8 – the Paramount Backlot

Posted on July 18, 2012 by John Bengtson

My first post about The Artist filming locations shows that the three different movie theater exteriors appearing in the movie were all filmed at the Warner Bros. backlot.  As shown here, apparently all of the other exterior city scenes from … Continue reading →

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The Artist Locations – Part 7 – Uggie and Peppy Save the Day

Posted on July 5, 2012 by John Bengtson

Now that the multi-Oscar-winning Best Picture The Artist is available for study on home video, I can present more locations from the film, including the street sign mentioned in my first post (see left), visible when Uggie the dog summons … Continue reading →

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Chaplin’s Studio Pay Day

Posted on July 1, 2012 by John Bengtson

As documented in my Keaton book, and elsewhere on this blog (Mr. Keaton’s Neighborhood), Buster Keaton filmed over four dozen scenes and simple insert shots on the streets adjacent to his small studio.  In a similar vein, as described in … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Studio, Charlie Chaplin, Hollywood Tour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin – Four Silent Jailbreaks

Posted on June 25, 2012 by John Bengtson

Jails and silent comedies!  A match made in heaven.  This post shows where (ONE) Laurel and Hardy filmed the jailbreak scene from The Second Hundred Years, (TWO) Charlie Chaplin filmed a prison release scene in Police, (THREE) Laurel and Hardy … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy, Stan Laurel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Two Hollywood Stunts – Lloyd and Keaton

Posted on June 16, 2012 by John Bengtson

Just a quick post here about this aerial view taken in 1922 as the prominent Security Bank Building, at the NE corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Cahuenga, nears completion.  I could point out so many filming spots in this photo, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops, Girl Shy, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Chaplin, Arbuckle and The Rounders

Posted on June 12, 2012 by John Bengtson

I’ve always enjoyed the comic interplay between Charlie Chaplin and Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle during their classic Keystone short The Rounders (1914).  Charlie and Roscoe play a couple of good time inebriates, or “rounders,” who empty their wives’ pocketbooks in order … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Los Angeles Historic Core, Roscoe Arbuckle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

A Tale of Two Train Wrecks (and One Airport) – by Buster Keaton

Posted on May 20, 2012 by John Bengtson

Buster Keaton’s debut film One Week (1920) was hailed as the comedy sensation of the year.  It ended with a powerhouse one-two gag that still wows audiences today.   Buster attempts to move his newly built home which becomes stuck at … Continue reading →

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Bones of the Past – the Bones TV Pilot and Buster Keaton

Posted on May 13, 2012 by John Bengtson

Since my daughter has been enjoying the Fox Network crime drama Bones on Netflix, I thought I’d check out the pilot to see what the show was about.  Ostensibly set in Washington DC, the show teams up socially awkward forensic … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, The Goat, TV Shows | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Hollywood 1926 – The Big Picture and How the Pieces Fit

Posted on April 22, 2012 by John Bengtson

As much as I enjoy solving a movie location puzzle, and learning where a favorite scene was filmed, what I enjoy more is getting a sense of the context of how the movie was made.  I appreciate the craft that … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Studio, Hollywood Tour, Keaton Studio, Lloyd Studio | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

How Harold Lloyd Filmed Girl Shy on Bunker Hill

Posted on April 11, 2012 by John Bengtson

The 2012 Turner Classic Film Festival in Hollywood will be screening Harold Lloyd’s first independently produced feature comedy Girl Shy (1924) on April 14, 2012 at the Egyptian Theater.  In that film, Harold discovers the woman he loves is about … Continue reading →

Posted in Angels Flight, Bunker Hill, Girl Shy, Harold Lloyd, Lloyd Thrill Pictures | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Keaton – Cops – and the First Baptist Church of Hollywood

Posted on March 30, 2012 by John Bengtson

During the frenzied chase at the conclusion of Buster Keaton’s most famous short comedy Cops (1922), Buster grabs hold of a passing car one-handed that whisks him out of frame away from a mob of police (above).  As I explain … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops, Hollywood Tour, The Goat | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Harry Langdon – The Strong Man Part 2

Posted on March 26, 2012 by John Bengtson

Continuing my prior post about the vamp woman’s apartment in Harry Langdon’s 1926 comedy feature The Strong Man, Harry meets the unscrupulous woman, played by Gertrude Astor, at the corner of Carondelet Street and W. 7th Street.  With a suspicious … Continue reading →

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Help Please? – Silent Jailbreak – SOLVED

Posted on March 22, 2012 by John Bengtson

My friend Steve Vaught, who writes a wonderful blog about historic Hollywood and Southern California architecture at Paradise Leased, recently appealed to his readers, with great success, for help identifying certain classic Hollywood homes.  So I thought I would give … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Stan Laurel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments