Category Archives: Los Angeles Historic Core

Early Thrill Comedies – Who Was First?

Posted on September 27, 2019 by John Bengtson

Thrill comedies featuring a star hanging from the side of a tall building have long been a staple of silent films. The photo at left from Play Ball (1925) eloquently explains the brilliant technique with a single image. Starting with … Continue reading →

Posted in Los Angeles Historic Core | Tagged Billie Ritchie, Billy Armstrong, Broadway, Chapman Building, Hamburger's Department Store, L-KO comedies, Los Angeles Historic Core, Moonlighting, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, then and now | 6 Comments

Harry Houdini Solves a Charlie Chaplin Mystery!

Posted on September 12, 2019 by John Bengtson

Harry Houdini helped to discover where Charlie Chaplin filmed crucial scenes for his very first movie Making a Living (1914). The initial scene of Charlie’s entire career (below), discovered by Kevin Dale and reported HERE, was staged in front of … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Harry Houdini, Los Angeles Historic Core | Tagged Chaplin Locations, Charlie Chaplin, City Lights, Harry Houdini, Hill Street, Los Angeles Athletic Club, Los Angeles Express, Los Angeles Historic Core, Los Angeles Tribune, Making a Living, Olive Street, Silent Movie Locations, Ville de Paris | 11 Comments

The nearly last – Safety Last – joke

Posted on July 18, 2019 by John Bengtson

Surviving his heroic climb up a skyscraper during Safety Last!, Harold Lloyd falls into the arms of his loving fiancé Mildred Davis, waiting for him on the rooftop. As reported in another post, this satisfying conclusion was actually filmed from … Continue reading →

Posted in Harold Lloyd, Los Angeles Historic Core, Safety Last! | Tagged Harold Lloyd, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Los Angeles Historic Core, Man on the Clock, Safety Last!, Silent Comedians, Silent Movie Locations, then and now | 11 Comments

The “Never Give A Sucker An Even Break” Car Chase – Part 1

Posted on December 29, 2017 by John Bengtson

Universal’s 1941 production Never Give A Sucker An Even Break features W.C. Fields in his final starring role. Directed by Edward Cline (Buster Keaton’s early co-writer/director) the movie ends with a frantic Keystone Kops-style car chase around the produce/warehouse district … Continue reading →

Posted in Los Angeles Historic Core, W.C. Fields | Tagged 6th Street Bridge, 7th Street Bridge, Alameda Street, East 6th Street, East 7th Street, Industrial Street, Los Angeles Historic Core, Mateo Street, Mesquit Street, Mill Street, Never Give A Sucker An Even Break, Produce Street, Santa Fe Avenue, then and now, W.C. Fields, Wholesale Street | 10 Comments

Saving the Best for (Safety) Last!

Posted on June 14, 2016 by John Bengtson

There is no better way to experience Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last! than in a giant 1920’s movie palace packed with audience members gasping and shrieking at every turn. The Los Angeles Conservancy screens this classic thrill comedy on Saturday, June … Continue reading →

Posted in Harold Lloyd, Lloyd Tour, Los Angeles Historic Core, Safety Last! | Tagged Broadway, Harold Lloyd, Los Angeles Conservancy, Los Angeles Historic Core, Man on the Clock, Safety Last!, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movies, Stunt Climbing, then and now | 7 Comments

Chaplin on South Central – Making It Work

Posted on February 2, 2016 by John Bengtson

This image of Charlie Chaplin struggling with a cart load of tools and supplies in a Dickensian warehouse district is one of the most visually arresting of his entire career. Surrounded by horse-drawn wagons and early automobiles, the Little Tramp … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Court Hill, Los Angeles Historic Core | Tagged Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Essanay, Los Angeles Historic Core, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, South Central, then and now, Work | 7 Comments

How Roscoe Arbuckle Filmed His Safety Last! Moment (Before Harold Lloyd Did)

Posted on December 30, 2015 by John Bengtson

Early in Roscoe Arbuckle’s charming feature comedy The Life of the Party (1920), his character, instantly smitten by a female visitor to his high-rise law offices, stumbles backward through an open window, and hangs precipitously several stories in the air. … Continue reading →

Posted in Harold Lloyd, Los Angeles Historic Core, Roscoe Arbuckle, Safety Last! | Tagged Bartlett Building, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Los Angeles Historic Core, Safety Last!, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, The Life of the Party, The New Janitor, then and now | 1 Comment

Houdini – The Grim Game’s historic LA landmarks

Posted on November 28, 2015 by John Bengtson

After shooting a 15-part serial The Master Mystery, world famous magician and escape artist Harry Houdini made his feature film debut in 1919 with The Grim Game, screening at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s special A Day of Silents … Continue reading →

Posted in Harry Houdini, Los Angeles Historic Core, The Grim Game | Tagged Harry Houdini, Herald Examiner Building, Los Angeles County Jail, Los Angeles Historic Core, Rex Arms, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, Stillwell Hotel, straight-jacket escape, The Grim Game, then and now, Trinity Hotel | 8 Comments

Charlie Chaplin City Lights Tour – Author Presentation

Posted on June 8, 2015 by John Bengtson

As part of the Los Angeles Conservancy Last Remaining Seats film series, on June 13, 2015 I will be introducing Charlie Chaplin’s masterpiece City Lights at the spectacular Los Angeles Theater where the film premiered January 30, 1931. Although the … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, City Lights, Los Angeles Historic Core | Tagged Chaplin Locations, Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Los Angeles Historic Core, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, then and now | 1 Comment

The Three On A Match – ‘G’ Men – Ann Dvorak connection

Posted on May 9, 2015 by John Bengtson

This post comes with a shout-out to Christina Rice, Senior Librarian overseeing the invaluable Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection, and author of Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel, the wonderful biography about the spirited actress who played many standout roles … Continue reading →

Posted in Los Angeles Historic Core, Pre-Code | Tagged "G" Men, Ann Dvorak, Fort Moore Hill, Hall of Justice, Hollenbeck Park, International Bank Building, Los Angeles High School, Safety Last!, Southern Pacific Depot, Three On A Match | 1 Comment

How Charlie Chaplin Filmed The Bank

Posted on November 13, 2014 by John Bengtson

Charlie Chaplin’s Essanay comedy The Bank (1915) marks his final cinematic footsteps in downtown Los Angeles. While Broadway, and other nearby Historic Core streets appear in several of his early Keystone films, including Making A Living, His Favorite Pastime, The … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Los Angeles Historic Core | Tagged Bumping Into Broadway, Chaplin Locations, Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, High and Dizzy, Hollywood, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, The Bank, then and now | 5 Comments

Chaplin – Caught In the Rain 100 Years Ago by the 2nd St Tunnel

Posted on May 4, 2014 by John Bengtson

Charlie Chaplin’s lucky 13th Keystone Studio movie Caught in the Rain was released May 4, 1914, one hundred years ago today. Although Chaplin credits this film in his autobiography as his first directorial effort, Chaplin biographer David Robinson suggests otherwise, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bunker Hill, Charlie Chaplin, Keystone Studio, Los Angeles Historic Core, Los Angeles Tunnels | Tagged bunker hill, Caught In The Rain, Chaplin Locations, Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Keystone Studio, Los Angeles Historic Core, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, then and now | 1 Comment

LA’s Early Hills, Tunnels Preserved in Noir – Silent Comedies

Posted on October 31, 2013 by John Bengtson

Once marked with hills and tunnels, the complicated landscape of early Los Angeles has changed so dramatically that it’s difficult to visualize how all of the pieces once fit together. Massive landmarks such as Court Hill and the Broadway Tunnel … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Hill, Film Noir, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Los Angeles Historic Core, Los Angeles Tunnels | Tagged Alhambra Hotel, Bobby Dunn, Broadway Tunnel, Clyde Cook, Court Hill, Criss Cross, film noir locations, Hal Roach, Hal Roach Studios, Harold Lloyd, Hill Street Tunnel, Kress House Moving Company, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Los Angeles Civic Center, Los Angeles Historic Core, Never Weaken, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, then and now | 12 Comments

More Discoveries From Keaton’s Cops

Posted on October 24, 2013 by John Bengtson

Buster Keaton’s best-known short film Cops (1922) has always been one of my favorite movies. I must have been twelve when I first bought an 8mm print of it, and have since watched it dozens of times. Now that it … Continue reading →

Posted in Bunker Hill, Cops, Los Angeles Historic Core | Tagged Broadway, Buster Keaton, Cops, Los Angeles Historic Core, Main Street, Moneta, Neighbors, Rutland, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, then and now, Washington Park | 12 Comments

How Harold Lloyd filmed the Safety Last! finale (at three places)

Posted on June 20, 2013 by John Bengtson

Safe at last, Harold stumbles over a parapet wall into the arms of his fiance Mildred Davis, capping his hair-raising climb up the 13 story “Bolton Building” in Safety Last! Seeking the perfect angle for each shot, Lloyd staged this … Continue reading →

Posted in Harold Lloyd, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Los Angeles Historic Core, Safety Last! | Tagged Hanging from a clock, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood, How Harold Lloyd filmed Safety Last, How Harold Lloyd filmed the clock, Lloyd Studio, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Los Angeles Historic Core, Man on the Clock, Safety Last!, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, Stunt Climbing, then and now | 10 Comments

Douglas Fairbanks, Edge of Doom, and Film Noir

Posted on May 16, 2013 by John Bengtson

During Douglas Fairbanks’ 1916 short comedy The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (part of the Fairbanks Modern Musketeer DVD set from Flicker Alley), a police van races from HQ down a quaint, post Victorian era Los Angeles street. Thirty-four years … Continue reading →

Posted in Douglas Fairbanks, Film Noir, Harold Lloyd, Los Angeles Historic Core | Tagged Douglas Fairbanks, Edge of Doom, film noir, film noir locations, Harold Lloyd, Los Angeles Historic Core, Mystery of the Leaping Fish, Never Weaken, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, then and now | 4 Comments

Silent Cameos of the lost Southern Pacific Depot

Posted on January 15, 2013 by John Bengtson

Before the beautiful downtown Los Angeles Union Train Station opened in 1939, built on the site of the original Chinatown, the various railroads serving L.A. each operated from their own stations. Union Station helped to reduce downtown noise and congestion … Continue reading →

Posted in Douglas Fairbanks, Girl Shy, Hal Roach Studios, Harold Lloyd, Los Angeles Historic Core, Stan Laurel | Tagged Arcade Depot, Be Reasonable, Douglas Fairbanks, Girl Shy, Harold Lloyd, Just Neighbors, Los Angeles Arcade Depot, Los Angeles Historic Core, Los Angeles Southern Pacific Depot, Los Angeles Train Stations, Los Angeles Union Station, Mother's Joy, Santa Fe Depot, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, Southern Pacific Central Depot, Stan Laurel, then and now, When the Clouds Roll By | 12 Comments

Harold Lloyd – Film Noir – Criss Cross and the Hill Street Tunnel

Posted on October 15, 2012 by John Bengtson

Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, and many other silent comedians filmed stunt comedy sequences by building sets on Court Hill overlooking the south end of the former Hill Street Tunnel. As shown at left, filming a set against the street far … Continue reading →

Posted in Bunker Hill, Film Noir, Harold Lloyd, Los Angeles Historic Core, Los Angeles Tunnels | Tagged bunker hill, Criss Cross, film noir, film noir locations, Harold Lloyd, Los Angeles Historic Core, noir, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, then and now | 14 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 Charlie Chaplin, Keystone Studio, Los Angeles Athletic Club, Los Angeles Historic Core, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, The Rounders, then and now, Wilshire Boulevard | 9 Comments

How Harold Lloyd Filmed Safety Last!

Posted on February 29, 2012 by John Bengtson

The image of Harold Lloyd hanging desperately from the hands of a skyscraper clock during Safety Last! (1923) is one of the great icons of film history. Using maps, aerial views, and vintage photographs, my book Silent Visions shows how … Continue reading →

Posted in Harold Lloyd, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Los Angeles Historic Core, Safety Last! | Tagged Ask Father, Broadway, clock stunt, Feet First, Harold Lloyd, High and Dizzy, Hugo, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Look Out Below, Los Angeles Historic Core, Man on the Clock, Never Weaken, Safety Last!, Silent Comedians, Silent Comedies, Silent Movie Locations, Silent Movies, stunt, Stunt Climbing, then and now | 36 Comments