Category Archives: Keaton Studio

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

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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Take the Tour – the Buster Keaton Studio

I first read Rudi Blesh’s biography Keaton in junior high, and was immediately hooked by Buster’s magic and the romance of early filmmaking. I grew up watching silent comedies on public television, and collecting 8mm prints of Charlie Chaplin and … Continue reading

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Happy “Roaring Twenties” New Year at Keaton’s Bungalow

Happy New Year everyone! For some reason 2020 and its prior century silent-era counterpart resonate with me more so than 2019-1919 ever did. The Roaring Twenties are with us again. This widely viewed classic photo of Buster making his 1929 … Continue reading

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Keaton’s Bungalow Outside MGM

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

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Buster Keaton’s Kennel on the MGM lot

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

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New Buster Keaton Self-Guided Tours

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

The Surviving Sherlock Jr. Bungalow

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

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The Surviving Keaton Studio Neighbors

Buster Keaton unwittingly documented the urbanization of the once agricultural Colegrove region of Hollywood in the background of his films. As reported in my book Silent Echoes, the quaint Cahuenga Valley Lemon Growers Exchange warehouse once stood across the street … Continue reading

Posted in Buster Keaton, Keaton Studio, The Goat, The Scarecrow | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Keaton’s The Goat – the geography of a gag

Particular yet pragmatic, Buster Keaton would travel hundreds of miles to find just the right setting for a joke, while also filming dozens of mundane locations within steps of his small studio in Hollywood. This post breaks down the geography … Continue reading

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

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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Chaplin – Keaton Studio Connections – The Fireman and Convict 13

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

Found – a new version of Keaton’s The Blacksmith and the tales it tells

As reported in Variety, lightning struck twice for film historian Fernando Pena.  The same gentleman from Argentina who discovered a complete version of the Fritz Lang 1927 epic Metropolis has now unveiled a 9.5 mm print of Buster Keaton’s 1922 … Continue reading

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Keaton – Seven Chances Filmed Close to Studio

(You’ll find most Seven Chances filming locations at this earlier post.) Now that the Keaton films are all available on Blu-ray, I not only continue to make new discoveries, but to my great satisfaction I am also increasingly able to … Continue reading

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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 , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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

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Mr. Keaton’s Neighborhood

Buster Keaton would travel hundreds of miles to find just the right setting for a shot.  But he was also practical, and filmed dozens of exterior scenes at or adjacent to his small studio.  I am not aware of any … Continue reading

Posted in Buster Keaton, Daydreams, Keaton Studio, Sherlock Jr. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

The Artist Locations Part 2, Roger Rabbit, and Buster Keaton’s Debut – One Week

The Artist depicts the romance between a fading silent film star and a rising “talkie” ingénue, set in Hollywood during 1927 to 1932.  Writer-director Michel Hazanavicius, and his mostly French cast and crew, traveled to California to film at true … Continue reading

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Chaplin – Keaton – Lloyd – One Block in Silent-Era Hollywood

The intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Cahuenga Boulevard was a popular film setting for silent-era comedies.  Attached below for download is a 15 MB PowerPoint presentation showing thirteen (but not all) Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd filming locations near this historic … 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 , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

View Academy Lecture on The General Locations

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has posted the PowerPoint presentation I gave on July 20, 2011 concerning Buster Keaton’s Civil War comedy The General (1927). You can watch the presentation here. You can find a complete report … Continue reading

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New locations from The General

On July 20, 2011, Kevin Brownlow screened Buster Keaton’s Civil War comedy The General (1927) as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences “Summer of Silents” film series, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.  Before … Continue reading

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