Author Archives: John Bengtson

Before the Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd Alley

Posted on December 6, 2018 by John Bengtson

The beautiful new Kino Lorber Blu-ray release Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers is a revelation, a six-disc set featuring dozens of early films created by women, many unseen for decades. One of the biggest surprises was witnessing the Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd alley appear … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin - Keaton - Lloyd Alley, Hollywood Tour, Lois Weber | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Chaplin falls for The Kid – every scene now identified

Posted on November 24, 2018 by John Bengtson

Charlie Chaplin’s masterpiece The Kid (1921) tells the story of the Little Tramp discovering, trying to avoid, and eventually falling in love with an abandoned infant, played out scene by scene at the end of this post. As I write … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin - Keaton - Lloyd Alley, Charlie Chaplin, For Heaven's Sake, Harold Lloyd, The Kid | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Keaton’s Bungalow Outside MGM

Posted on November 11, 2018 by John Bengtson

When Buster Keaton joined MGM in 1928, he rented a bungalow near, but off site from, the MGM campus, infuriating studio head Louis B. Mayer, as Keaton was (one of) the only star(s) to rent space off of the lot. … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Culver City, Keaton Studio | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Oliver Hardy at the Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd Alley

Posted on October 31, 2018 by John Bengtson

The block of Cahuenga south of Hollywood Boulevard was the most popular spot in town to film silent movies. As I’ve written in numerous tours and posts, everyone filmed there, from Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, to Charlie Chaplin, Buster … Continue reading →

Posted in Laurel and Hardy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Buster Keaton and W.C. Fields in Astoria

Posted on October 19, 2018 by John Bengtson

Buster Keaton and W.C. Fields filmed alongside the same Astoria apartment building, nine years apart. Who knew? While working on a post connecting Fields’ It’s The Old Army Game with Keaton’s The Cameraman (1928) and Harold Lloyd’s Speedy (1928) (all … Continue reading →

Posted in Astoria, Buster Keaton, New York, W.C. Fields | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Buster Keaton’s Kennel on the MGM lot

Posted on September 23, 2018 by John Bengtson

As one of MGM’s biggest stars, Buster Keaton once had a private bungalow dressing room on the studio lot, jokingly dubbed “Keaton’s Kennel.” A reader correctly wrote long ago that the Kennel stood along the north side of the lot, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Culver City, Keaton Studio | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Buster Keaton’s Blue Blazes in Astoria

Posted on September 3, 2018 by John Bengtson

While working on posts covering W.C. Fields filming It’s The Old Army Game (1926) and Running Wild (1927) at the Paramount Astoria Studios on 35th Avenue and 35th Street, I remembered Keaton had made a few short comedies for Educational … Continue reading →

Posted in Astoria, Buster Keaton, New York | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields in New York with Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd

Posted on August 8, 2018 by John Bengtson

The wonderful new Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of W. C Fields and Louise Brooks in It’s The Old Army Game (1926) is a must-have for any Fields, Brooks, or silent comedy fan. As I’ve reported at length in several prior … Continue reading →

Posted in It's The Old Army Game, Manhattan, New York, W.C. Fields | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks in Ocala Florida – Part Three – Fields Chased Around Town

Posted on July 30, 2018 by John Bengtson

Here’s the third and final post about W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks filming It’s The Old Army Game (1926) in Ocala, Florida. In the first post Fields plays an embattled pharmacist dealing with rude customers, nagging relatives, and pesky firefighters. … Continue reading →

Posted in It's The Old Army Game, Ocala Florida, W.C. Fields | 7 Comments

W.C. Fields Running Wild in New York

Posted on July 21, 2018 by John Bengtson

Having studied the new Blu-ray release of W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks in It’s The Old Army Game (1926) (with more posts to come), let’s focus on the beautiful Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of Fields’ Running Wild (1927), another wonderful … Continue reading →

Posted in Astoria, New York, W.C. Fields | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks in Ocala Florida – Part Two – Louise Strolls Around Town

Posted on July 12, 2018 by John Bengtson

This next post about the wonderful new Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of It’s The Old Army Game is authored mostly by noted Louise Brooks author and expert Thomas Gladysz, with (my comments) limited to the Ocala Florida historic settings appearing … Continue reading →

Posted in It's The Old Army Game, Louise Brooks, Ocala Florida, W.C. Fields | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks in Ocala Florida – Part One

Posted on July 4, 2018 by John Bengtson

If you love W.C Fields, Louise Brooks, silent comedy, or time-traveling via a beautiful vintage movie, you’ve got to get the wonderful new Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of It’s The Old Army Game (1926). In only his sixth onscreen role, … Continue reading →

Posted in It's The Old Army Game, Louise Brooks, Ocala Florida, W.C. Fields | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks Bring Magazines to Life

Posted on June 29, 2018 by John Bengtson

The new Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of It’s The Old Army Game (1926) starring W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks is wonderful; an entertaining comedy, a beautiful print, lovingly staged close-ups of Louise, and dozens of time travel moments filmed on … Continue reading →

Posted in It's The Old Army Game, Louise Brooks, Ocala Florida, W.C. Fields | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

New Buster Keaton Self-Guided Tours

Posted on June 26, 2018 by John Bengtson

The Buster Keaton June 15-17 Celebration Weekend was a huge success, and the site of Buster’s former studio (where Chaplin also filmed his Mutual shorts) is now graced with a beautiful commemorative plaque. As part of the long weekend, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Chaplin Studio, Charlie Chaplin, Keaton Studio | 4 Comments

Ghosts of the Past – the Regent Apartments – costar with Chaplin, Weber, Sennett and Roach

Posted on June 9, 2018 by John Bengtson

The classic Regent Apartment (1913-1983) facing Westlake (MacArthur) Park once co-starred with Charlie Chaplin, and appeared in other silent productions with Lois Weber, Mack Sennett, and Hal Roach. As shown here, the Regent’s front entrance portrayed the restaurant where Charlie … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Keaton’s Battling Butler – A Knockout Finish to the SF Silent Film Festival

Posted on May 21, 2018 by John Bengtson

The 2018 San Francisco Silent Film Festival closes Sunday, June 3 with a screening of Buster Keaton’s self-directed comedy Battling Butler (1926), hosted by Leonard Maltin, and honoring recently deceased festival Board member, beloved television writer and director Frank Buxton, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Film Noir, The Turning Point, Three Stooges | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Keaton’s Seven Chances – On The Clock

Posted on May 12, 2018 by John Bengtson

Late for church, during Seven Chances (1925) Buster Keaton must marry by 7:00 p.m. that evening in order to inherit a fortune. But what time is it? Having just lost his pocket watch down a sewer drain, Buster stops in … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Seven Chances | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Surviving Sherlock Jr. Bungalow

Posted on April 21, 2018 by John Bengtson

A bungalow that appears in Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr. (1924), and in his early short film Convict 13 (1920), is still standing today at 4908 McKinley Avenue, when it was moved 11 miles away from Buster’s studio in 1926, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Keaton Studio, Sherlock Jr. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Chaplin’s The Great Dictator – Author Presentation at the Alex

Posted on April 11, 2018 by John Bengtson

Charlie Chaplin’s brilliant and courageous challenge to tyranny, The Great Dictator (1940), remains sharply relevant today. I will be introducing this classic film at the beautiful Alex Theater in Glendale on Thursday, April 19, 2018, and signing copies of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

From Roach’s to Roaches – Stan & Ollie Meet Starsky & Hutch

Posted on April 1, 2018 by John Bengtson

Guest blogger Jim Dallape, creator with Robert Winslow of the remarkable Hal Roach Studios Backlot Tour, reports how TV’s Starsky & Hutch and Charlie’s Angels filmed in the same places as Laurel & Hardy and other Roach stars. Take it … Continue reading →

Posted in Charley Chase, Culver City, Hal Roach Studios, Laurel and Hardy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments