Books by John Bengtson
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Top Posts & Pages
- How Harold Lloyd Filmed Safety Last!
- Keaton's Short Fuse - Cops, Musso & Frank, and enduring Hollywood history
- Cagney and Harlow on The Public Enemy's Miracle Mile
- Charlie Chaplin's Echo Park Home - 100 Years Later
- The Artist Locations Part 8 - the Paramount Backlot
- Early Thrill Comedies - Who Was First?
- How Laurel and Hardy Filmed Duck Soup
- Green Acres, Pickfair, Chaplin's Breakaway Home, and Keaton's Italian Villa
- Harold Lloyd - lasting impressions at Grauman's Chinese
- How Charlie Chaplin filmed The Kid
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Author Interviews – Reviews
- Academy Interview July 2011
- AMPAS Lecture on The General
- City Brights SF Gate Review
- Publishers Weekly Review
- KPCC Interview
- Interview on Movie Mom
- Philadelphina Inquirer
- Los Angeles Times interview
- Los Angeles Magazine Review
- MOMI article on New York and Speedy
- New York Times (see page 5)
- Author’s Modern Times Program
- Wall Street Journal
- Associated Press
- Examiner – Best 2011 Silent Film Books
- The Commentary Track
- Leonard Maltin Movie Crazy
- LA Observed
- Film Forum New York
- New York Times – Keaton Review
- 2013 Club TCM in Hollywood
- LA Times 2013
- John Bengtson on IMDB
- Talking Buster Keaton – Neighbors @ 24:30
- Talking Buster Keaton – The Blacksmith @ 11:30
- Nitrateville Radio Interview
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Recent Posts
- Charlie, Buster, and Harold Silent Footsteps LA Tour
- Columbo and Mannix Save Us, Again
- Early Hollywood Visual Tour at HippFest 2021
- Buster Keaton’s Early Days on Los Feliz
- Incredible new Laurel “OR” Hardy film collection
- The Lens of History – Hollywood before the Chaplin Studio
- Live Virtual Silent Locations Tour with Esotouric
- Mary Pickford’s “A Beast at Bay” a century before LAX
- Buster’s Brazen Bystanders
- Doug and Mary, Hedda and Jed, The Beverly Hillbillies Hollywood Appeal
- The Remarkable Charlie Chaplin Archives
- Buster, Harold, Mabel, and Doug, and the murder of Wm. Desmond Taylor!
- Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Lyons & Moran – the “good” old days on New High Street
- Buster Keaton’s Go West Desert – “Frozen” in Time
- Time Travel to 1919 Hollywood
- CHASE! A Tribute to the Keystone Cops
- Buster Keaton – Hard Luck, The Goat – closeups at Westlake Park
- Time Travelers: Uncovering Old LA in Keaton Comedies
- Buster Keaton – Ghosts of Go West
- Caught on Camera – Buster Keaton’s The Cameraman in New York
- Charlie Chaplin’s Once Lost Film – A Thief Catcher
- Arbuckle and Keaton Filmed in Culver City Years Before Laurel and Hardy
- Harold Lloyd’s Earliest Days Filming in Edendale
- Buster Keaton – More Backlot Scenes From Our Hospitality
- How Laurel and Hardy Filmed Duck Soup
- Keaton’s The Cameraman on the Santa Monica Pier
- Three Good Fellows – Harold Lloyd, Doug MacLean, and Ben Model
- Buster, Harold, and Stymie at the Venice Pier
- Mary Pickford, the Talmadge Sisters, and Buster Keaton at the Brunton Studio
- Keaton’s Missing Scene and Cameraman Tricks
- Silent Comedy’s Crazy Corner
- Happy “Roaring Twenties” New Year at Keaton’s Bungalow
- Buster Keaton at the Selig Studio “Prison”
- Buster Keaton’s Scarecrow Adobe
- Silent Hollywood’s Japanese Enclave
- How Mary Pickford Filmed Daddy-Long-Legs Part Two
- Chaplin’s Earliest Scenes Beside the Selig Studio
- Harpo, Chico, and James Cagney at the Brunswig Mansion
- Early Thrill Comedies – Who Was First?
- Harry Houdini Solves a Charlie Chaplin Mystery!
- How Mary Pickford Filmed Daddy-Long-Legs Part One
- Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Schindler
- The nearly last – Safety Last – joke
- The Office – Film Noir – and Harold Lloyd
- Chaplin, Keaton, and Lois Weber’s “Suspense” in Beverly Hills
- Alice Howell Early Hollywood Views
- The Hollywood Heritage in Lois Weber’s Suspense
- Harold Lloyd’s The Kid Brother Was Close to Home
- Buster’s Paramount Backlot Plunge
- Buster Keaton’s The Cameraman
- Green Acres, Pickfair, Chaplin’s Breakaway Home, and Keaton’s Italian Villa
- Silent Echoes LA Bus Tours and Podcast
- Hollywood Snapshots – a 1922 Time Machine
- Harry Langdon – His Marriage Wow
- Laurel & Hardy’s Liberty Rooftop
- Before the Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd Alley
- Chaplin falls for The Kid – every scene now identified
- Keaton’s Bungalow Outside MGM
- Oliver Hardy at the Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd Alley
- Buster Keaton and W.C. Fields in Astoria
- Buster Keaton’s Kennel on the MGM lot
- Buster Keaton’s Blue Blazes in Astoria
- It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields in New York with Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd
- It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks in Ocala Florida – Part Three – Fields Chased Around Town
- W.C. Fields Running Wild in New York
- It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks in Ocala Florida – Part Two – Louise Strolls Around Town
- It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks in Ocala Florida – Part One
- It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks Bring Magazines to Life
- New Buster Keaton Self-Guided Tours
- Ghosts of the Past – the Regent Apartments – costar with Chaplin, Weber, Sennett and Roach
- Keaton’s Battling Butler – A Knockout Finish to the SF Silent Film Festival
- Keaton’s Seven Chances – On The Clock
- The Surviving Sherlock Jr. Bungalow
- Chaplin’s The Great Dictator – Author Presentation at the Alex
- From Roach’s to Roaches – Stan & Ollie Meet Starsky & Hutch
- Restoration Premiere of Soft Shoes – Crossing Paths with Chaplin, Laurel, and Lloyd
- The Surviving Keaton Studio Neighbors
- The Surviving Chaplin “The Circus” Tree
- Charley Chase “Fast Work” Around Hollywood
- The “Never Give A Sucker An Even Break” Car Chase – Part 2
- The “Never Give A Sucker An Even Break” Car Chase – Part 1
- Farewell – a sudden lost Our Gang landmark
- The Red Kimono – A Vast Record of Early Los Angeles
- Another Lois Weber First – Using Locations
- Keaton’s “What No Beer?” Barrel Avalanche
- Arbuckle – Keaton at the Bronx Biograph Studio
- Buster’s Manhattan Apartment – The Cameraman Part III
- Arbuckle – Keaton – the Good Night Nurse Hot Springs
- Chaplin’s San Jose Day Making A Night Out
- Buster Keaton’s Haunted House
- Chaplin – Pavlova – Lois Weber – at the Castle Sans Souci
- Harold Lloyd’s The Freshman leads the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
- Hollywood’s Silent Echoes – 2017 FIAF/FLC Tour
- Keaton’s The Goat – the geography of a gag
- Buster with a Bullitt – Keaton and Steve McQueen’s SF Stunts
- Keaton and Orson Welles – A High Sign Touch of Evil
- Keaton and Hitchcock’s Vertigo Day Dreams
- Keaton’s Cops and Go West – Peeking Over the School Fence
- Chaplin – Inside “The Kid” Maternity Hospital
- Where Roscoe Arbuckle Filmed His Brooklyn Vitaphone Shorts
- Follow Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd film locations (and more) on WordPress.com
Categories
- Angels Flight
- Astoria
- Beverly Hills
- Brooklyn
- Bunker Hill
- Buster Keaton
- Chaplin – Keaton – Lloyd Alley
- Chaplin Studio
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- Chinatown
- City Lights
- College
- Columbia
- Convict 13
- Cops
- Court Hill
- Culver City
- Daydreams
- Doug Fairbanks
- Doug MacLean
- Douglas Fairbanks
- Duck Soup
- Edendale
- Exposition Park
- Film Noir
- Florida
- For Heaven's Sake
- Girl Shy
- Go West
- Hal Roach Studios
- Harold Lloyd
- Harry Houdini
- Harry Langdon
- Hollywood History
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- Hot Water
- It's The Old Army Game
- James Cagney
- Jewett Estate
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- Keaton Tour
- Keystone Studio
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- Leave It To Beaver
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- Lloyd Thrill Pictures
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- Sherlock Jr.
- Speedy
- Stan Laurel
- Steamboat Bill, Jr.
- The Artist
- The Blacksmith
- The Boat
- The Cameraman
- The Freshman
- The General
- The Goat
- The Grim Game
- The Kid
- The Last Edition
- The Office
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- The Scarecrow
- The Strong Man
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- Three Stooges
- Tillie's Punctured Romance
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- Follow Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd film locations (and more) on WordPress.com
Silent Locations – Chaplin – Keaton – Lloyd (and more)
- Charlie, Buster, and Harold Silent Footsteps LA Tour
- Columbo and Mannix Save Us, Again
- Early Hollywood Visual Tour at HippFest 2021
- Buster Keaton’s Early Days on Los Feliz
- Incredible new Laurel “OR” Hardy film collection
- The Lens of History – Hollywood before the Chaplin Studio
- Live Virtual Silent Locations Tour with Esotouric
- Mary Pickford’s “A Beast at Bay” a century before LAX
- Buster’s Brazen Bystanders
- Doug and Mary, Hedda and Jed, The Beverly Hillbillies Hollywood Appeal
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Category Archives: Hollywood Tour
Silent Hollywood’s Japanese Enclave
The great silent film comedians Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd filmed more frequently on the 1600 block of Cahuenga south of Hollywood Boulevard than at any other street in town. Keaton alone filmed scenes for eight different movies … Continue reading
Hollywood Snapshots – a 1922 Time Machine
Facing a public relations nightmare in 1922 over recent scandals, the film community produced Hollywood Snapshots, a promotional film portraying screen folk as wholesome to middle America. Presented online by the National Film Preservation Foundation, Snapshots captures remarkable images of … Continue reading
Posted in Hollywood History, Hollywood Tour
Tagged Brunton Studio, Famous Players Lasky Studio, Hollywood, Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood History, Hollywood Hotel, Hollywood Landmarks, Hollywood Studios, Hollywood Tour, NFPF, Pickford - Fairbanks Studio, Silent Movie Locations, then and now
12 Comments
Before the Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd Alley
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 Chaplin - Keaton - Lloyd Alley, Cleo Madison, Cops, Eleanor's Catch, First Women Filmmakers, Gale Henry, Grace Cunard, Hollywood Tour, Lois Weber, Neighbors, Silent Movie Locations, The Detectress, The Kid, The Purple Mask, then and now, Where Are My Children
5 Comments
Hollywood’s Silent Echoes – 2017 FIAF/FLC Tour
[Tour download] Late in 1921 a mob of angry police chased Buster Keaton down a narrow Hollywood alley towards Cahuenga Boulevard. Entering the street Buster saw to his right a corner where “America’s Sweetheart” Mary Pickford filmed a scene in … Continue reading
The Chaplin – Keaton – Lloyd Hollywood Alley
Three of the greatest comedies of all time, Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid (1921), Buster Keaton’s Cops (1922), and Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last! (1923), were filmed in the heart of Hollywood at the unnamed alley running just south of Hollywood Boulevard … Continue reading
Posted in Buster Keaton, Chaplin - Keaton - Lloyd Alley, Charlie Chaplin, Cops, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour, Safety Last!, The Kid
Tagged Buster Keaton, Cahuenga, Chaplin - Keaton - Lloyd Alley, Charlie Chaplin, Cops, Cosmo, East Cahuenga Alley, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood, Safety Last!, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, The Kid, then and now
26 Comments
Cinecon 2016 Silent Echoes Hollywood Walking Tours
The block of Cahuenga south of Hollywood Boulevard was the setting for more silent movie filming than any other spot in town. I’ll be leading walking tours of this historic site at the upcoming Cinecon 52 Classic Film Festival during … Continue reading
Harold Lloyd’s Why Worry? TCM Hollywood Connection
In honor of the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival screening of Harold Lloyd’s 1923 feature comedy Why Worry? at the Egyptian Theater on Friday, April 11 at 7:15 pm, here are a couple of quick views from the conclusion of … Continue reading
Johnny Depp and Buster Keaton at the Cops/Ed Wood alley
To go with the Hollywood’s Silent Echoes presentation I gave last month at the Cinecon 49 Classic Film Festival at the Egyptian Theater, I prepared a tour of nearly 50 silent-era Hollywood landmarks and film locations you can access HERE. … Continue reading
Posted in Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Cops, Hollywood Tour, The Kid
Tagged Benny and Joon, Buster Keaton, Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Cops, EaCa, East Cahuenga Alley, Ed Wood, Hollywood, Hollywood Tour, Johnny Depp, Keaton Locations, Keaton Tour, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, then and now, Tim Burton
4 Comments
The Kid – Cops – Safety Last! Three comic masterpieces filmed at a common Hollywood alley you can still visit today
Charlie Chaplin encountered the abandoned infant who will become his son in The Kid (1921) along an alley running east-west between Cosmo and Cahuenga just south of and parallel to Hollywood Boulevard. A gang of police would later chase Buster … Continue reading
Posted in Buster Keaton, Chaplin - Keaton - Lloyd Alley, Charlie Chaplin, Cops, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour, Safety Last!, The Kid, The Last Edition
Tagged Brian Unger, Buster Keaton, Chaplin Locations, Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Cops, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood, Hollywood Tour, Keaton Locations, Safety Last!, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, The Kid, then and now, Time Traveling with Brian Unger, Tramping Through Hollywood, Travel Channel
17 Comments
Keaton location to be demolished – photo help?
I just discovered where Keaton filmed a scene from Cops (1922), as Big Joe Roberts retrieves his wallet from Buster (but not its cash contents) by leaning out to grab it from a passing taxi. The scene was filmed at … Continue reading
How Harold Lloyd Filmed Safety Last (the parts on the ground)
The alleys at the SE corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Cahuenga are certainly the most historically significant silent film locations in town. The yellow arrow above marks the alley entrance from which Buster Keaton grabs a passing car one-handed in … Continue reading
Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Safety Last!
Tagged Buster Keaton, Cops, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood, Hollywood Tour, Keaton Locations, Lloyd Studio, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Man on the Clock, Safety Last!, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, Stunt Climbing, then and now
7 Comments
Author Appearance at TCM Classic Film Festival – Free Tour
Attached to this post is a self-guided tour to Hollywood silent film locations and studios that I have prepared in connection with the “Hollywood’s Silent Echoes” presentation I will be giving April 28, 2013, at 3:00 p.m. at Club TCM … Continue reading
Posted in Chaplin Tour, Hollywood Tour, Keaton Tour, Lloyd Tour, Uncategorized
Tagged Buster Keaton, Chaplin Locations, Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood, Hollywood Tour, Keaton Locations, Keaton Studio, Lloyd Studio, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, then and now
5 Comments
Cops and Safety Last! – the Cosmo Alley Connection
We learn early in Safety Last! (1923) that Harold Lloyd’s roommate Bill Strother can climb tall buildings when we watch him escape from a policeman by scaling a four-story apartment building (left). [NOTE: “Skip,” a resourceful and eagle-eyed reader, was … Continue reading
Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour, Safety Last!
Tagged Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood, Hollywood Tour, Keaton Locations, Lloyd Locations, Lloyd Studio, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Safety Last!, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, Stunt Climbing, then and now
17 Comments
Chaplin – Keaton – Lloyd – One Block in Silent-Era Hollywood (update)
The intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Cahuenga Boulevard was a popular film setting for silent-era comedies. At the far end of this post is a link to download an animated 15 MB PowerPoint presentation showing thirteen (but not all) Chaplin, … Continue reading
Posted in Buster Keaton, Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Cops, Girl Shy, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour, Hot Water, Keaton Studio, Keaton Tour, Lloyd Studio, Modern Times, Safety Last!, The Cameraman
Tagged Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood, Hollywood Tour, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, then and now
3 Comments
Front and Back Cameos – 100 years of a Hollywood landmark
Toberman Hall has stood at 6410-6414 Hollywood Boulevard (each oval above) since 1907. Its original two-story neighbor to the left, at the southwest corner of Cahuenga and Hollywood Boulevard (pictured in the black & white images above) was expanded into … Continue reading
Posted in Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour, The Goat, Tillie's Punctured Romance
Tagged Buster Keaton, Chaplin Locations, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour, Keaton Locations, Lloyd Locations, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, then and now
13 Comments
Keaton’s Short Fuse – Cops, Musso & Frank, and enduring Hollywood history
At one point during Buster Keaton’s most famous short film Cops (1922), Buster finds himself and his newly acquired horse-cart full of furniture in the middle of the annual Policeman’s Day Parade. After politely tipping his hat in recognition to … Continue reading
Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops, Hollywood Tour
Tagged American Cinematheque, Buster Keaton, Cops, Egyptian Theater, Grauman's Egyptian Theater, Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood History, Hollywood Tour, Keaton Locations, Musso & Frank, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, then and now
6 Comments
Chaplin’s Studio Pay Day
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
Two Hollywood Stunts – Lloyd and Keaton
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
Hollywood 1926 – The Big Picture and How the Pieces Fit
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 Buster Keaton, Chaplin Studio, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood History, Hollywood Landmarks, Hollywood Studios, Hollywood Tour, Keaton Studio, Lloyd Studio, Pickford - Fairbanks Studio, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, then and now
20 Comments
Keaton – Cops – and the First Baptist Church of Hollywood
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