Category Archives: Buster Keaton

Keaton and Hitchcock’s Vertigo Day Dreams

Posted on March 19, 2017 by John Bengtson

Filmed on location in San Francisco, Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece Vertigo (1958) provides tantalizing mid-century glimpses of the City in sparkling VistaVision color. Remarkably, when Scottie (James Stewart) traces Madeleine (Kim Novak) by car back to his own apartment, they cross … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Daydreams, San Francisco | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Keaton’s Cops and Go West – Peeking Over the School Fence

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Bengtson

Rebuilt over the years, but pre-dating 1912, the Vine Street (Colgrove) Elementary School still stands between Romaine and Willoughby, kitty-corner from the site of the former Keaton Studio block in Hollywood. The back of the school, with its distinctive series … Continue reading →

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Buster Keaton, Seven Chances, and Warren Beatty?

Posted on December 15, 2016 by John Bengtson

Warren Beatty’s audacious and scarily prescient political satire Bulworth (1998) depicts Beatty as a California Senator seeking reelection who’s become so disillusioned with the ineffectiveness of politics that he hires a hit man to finish him off. Suddenly liberated to … Continue reading →

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Buster Keaton, The General, and Animal House?

Posted on December 9, 2016 by John Bengtson

As shown in this previous post describing how Buster Keaton filmed The General in Cottage Grove, Oregon, Buster and crew stayed at the Bartell Hotel during the production, staged the summer of 1926. The hotel stands just a block or … Continue reading →

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The Chaplin – Keaton – Lloyd Hollywood Alley

Posted on October 26, 2016 by John Bengtson

Hollywood Heritage celebrated the Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd Alley on 9-29-2021, National Silent Movie Day, by dedicating a special plaque (see below). Three of the greatest comedies of all time, Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid (1921), Buster Keaton’s Cops (1922), and Harold Lloyd’s Safety … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Chaplin - Keaton - Lloyd Alley, Charlie Chaplin, Cops, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour, Safety Last!, The Kid | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Silent Witness – the House that Watched Over Chaplin and Keaton

Posted on September 20, 2016 by John Bengtson

The sturdy two-story home once located at 1022 Cole Avenue had a front row seat to some of the most remarkable scenes in early Hollywood history. Its rear dormer window looked down on the humble open air stage where Charlie … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Convict 13, Daydreams, Sherlock Jr., The Blacksmith, The Boat | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Amazing New Keaton Discoveries – My Wife’s Relations

Posted on July 24, 2016 by John Bengtson

An astonishing new Keaton stunt, Buster’s return visit to a classic apartment house, and yet another surprise appearance of the Cops – The Kid – Safety Last! Hollywood alley – the Lobster Films restoration of My Wife’s Relations (1922), with … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, The Goat | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Reflections on Keaton’s Cops at the SF Silent Film Festival

Posted on May 28, 2016 by John Bengtson

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival starts next week, with another wide and varied lineup of classic silent films accompanied with live musical performances. Comedy fans will be especially interested in the Saturday morning program, introduced by Leonard Maltin, where … Continue reading →

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Buster in Cops Cruising Santa Monica Boulevard

Posted on April 19, 2016 by John Bengtson

Buster Keaton’s famous short film Cops (1922) remains his only self-produced movie that was filmed completely out of doors, with no interior scenes. Early in the film Buster helps Big Joe Roberts into a taxi in front of the Pantages … Continue reading →

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Chaplin – Keaton Studio Connections – The Fireman and Convict 13

Posted on March 22, 2016 by John Bengtson

Because Charlie Chaplin filmed his Mutual comedy shorts (1916-17) at the same small studio where Buster Keaton later filmed his independent shorts and features (1920-28), many common locations and settings appear in their films (see above).  I explain this in … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Chaplin Studio, Charlie Chaplin, Convict 13, Keaton Studio | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Mostly Lost – Keaton Found (Stan Laurel too) at Hollywood and Western

Posted on March 3, 2016 by John Bengtson

This fun discovery from Buster Keaton’s The Goat (1921) was made possible thanks to Mostly Lost, the Library of Congress crowd-sourcing workshop to screen and identify orphan silent and early sound films, held at the Packard Campus in Culpeper Virginia. … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Stan Laurel, The Goat | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Houdini – Keaton – The Grim Game – Cops

Posted on November 19, 2015 by John Bengtson

Buster Keaton writes in his autobiography that famed magician and escape artist Harry Houdini gave him his nickname after witnessing 6-month old Keaton tumble unhurt down a flight of stairs. While likely more myth than fact,* Harry and Bess Houdini … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops, Harry Houdini, The Grim Game | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Ginger, Buster, and Groucho, Lon Chaney and Loretta Young, all at the Jewett Estate

Posted on October 7, 2015 by John Bengtson

As reported in a recent post, Buster Keaton in Cops, Harpo and Groucho Marx in Duck Soup, and the 1947 murder noir classic Born to Kill, and the 1980s soap opera Dynasty (see YouTube at end of post), all filmed … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops, Duck Soup, Jewett Estate | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Groucho, Buster, and Noir – at the Pasadena Jewett Estate

Posted on July 5, 2015 by John Bengtson

From Buster Keaton and the Marx Brothers, to noir classics and the 1980s soap opera Dynasty, the lavish Jewett estate located at 1145 Arden Road (originally 1201) in Pasadena has portrayed cinematic wealth and grandeur for nearly a century. Designed … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Duck Soup, Film Noir, Jewett Estate, Marx Brothers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Cagney and Keaton Crossing Paths in Inglewood

Posted on April 6, 2015 by John Bengtson

James Cagney’s crime-busting thriller “G” Men (1935) and Buster Keaton’s debut short film One Week (1920) both contain exciting scenes filmed in Inglewood.  Cagney portrays a new FBI recruit who helps the bureau capture notorious bank robber Danny Leggett, played … Continue reading →

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The Artist and its Amazing Ties to Chaplin, Pickford, Keaton and Lloyd

Posted on March 3, 2015 by John Bengtson

Tonight marks the Turner Classic Movie Channel premiere of the 2011 multi-Oscar-winning Best Picture The Artist. Depicting the silent movie era, and filmed on location in Hollywood, the movie has many amazing connections to early Hollywood history and its biggest … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Mary Pickford, The Artist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How Buster Keaton Filmed The General

Posted on September 26, 2014 by John Bengtson

I had the honor of introducing Buster Keaton’s 1926 masterpiece The General at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s inaugural “A Day of Silents Festival.” Presented below are the informational slides prepared for that screening by festival Artistic Director Anita … Continue reading →

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Keaton’s The General on location in Cottage Grove

Posted on September 8, 2014 by John Bengtson

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival special one-day “Silent Autumn” event opens Saturday morning, September 20, 2014, with a trio of classic Laurel & Hardy silent shorts, and features a 7:00 p.m. screening of Buster Keaton’s 1926 Civil War masterpiece … Continue reading →

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Keaton’s Heart in San Francisco – The Navigator

Posted on May 12, 2014 by John Bengtson

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s upcoming A Day of Silents, February 2, 2025, begins with a screening of Buster Keaton’s 1924 classic The Navigator, a personal favorite of Buster, and one of his most successful films. Early on The … Continue reading →

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Chaplin Leads the Gang to the Hollywood Police

Posted on March 31, 2014 by John Bengtson

As I explain in my book Silent Traces, Charlie Chaplin’s landmark short film Easy Street (1917) contains scenes filmed on extant Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles (see below), where he would return a few years later to film his … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon, Stan Laurel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment