Tag Archives: Buster Keaton

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 →

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The Surviving Keaton Studio Neighbors

Posted on March 12, 2018 by John Bengtson

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

The Surviving Chaplin “The Circus” Tree

Posted on February 22, 2018 by John Bengtson

Paul Ayers, attorney, SoCal historian, and Altadena hiking trail expert and restorer, has shared many remarkable location discoveries over the years, including the finale from Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus (1928). Stemming from Paul’s discoveries, we now know a tree that … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Paul Ayers, Sherlock Jr. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Red Kimono – A Vast Record of Early Los Angeles

Posted on November 27, 2017 by John Bengtson

The Red Kimono (1925), a searing drama notably produced and written by women, captures a remarkably comprehensive visual record of early Los Angeles. From Broadway and posh gated communities to Chinatown and the amusement park piers, these settings, along with … Continue reading →

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Another Lois Weber First – Using Locations

Posted on October 29, 2017 by John Bengtson

In her day, pioneering producer/director/screenwriter Lois Weber ranked alongside D.W. Griffith and Cecile B. DeMille as one of the most successful and influential filmmakers of any gender. As historian Cari Beauchamp writes, though little known today, Weber was the first … Continue reading →

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Keaton’s “What No Beer?” Barrel Avalanche

Posted on September 23, 2017 by John Bengtson

As Jim Kline writes in The Complete Films of Buster Keaton, MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer had already drafted Keaton’s termination letter by the time filming of What No Beer? completed in January 1933. For better or worse, this … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Paul Ayers | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Arbuckle – Keaton at the Bronx Biograph Studio

Posted on August 27, 2017 by John Bengtson

Noted biographer James Curtis contacted me with an intriguing observation. Did a scene from the 1917 Arbuckle-Keaton short Oh Doctor! (above) reveal the large glass rooftop shooting stage of the former Biograph Studio, located at 807 E 175th St in … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Manhattan, New York, Roscoe Arbuckle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Buster’s Manhattan Apartment – The Cameraman Part III

Posted on August 14, 2017 by John Bengtson

In a prior post, Bob Egan flexed his Manhattan research skills to locate Marceline Day’s now lost apartment in Buster Keaton’s The Cameraman, 35 West 58th Street. Now Bob has located Buster’s midtown apartment as well, 201 East 52nd Street. … Continue reading →

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Arbuckle – Keaton – the Good Night Nurse Hot Springs

Posted on July 29, 2017 by John Bengtson

Roscoe Arbuckle, Al St. John, and Buster Keaton must have had special fun making their Comique film Good Night Nurse (1918), leaving their Long Beach studio behind to film certain scenes at the Arrowhead Hot Springs resort 75 miles to … Continue reading →

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Buster Keaton’s Haunted House

Posted on June 19, 2017 by John Bengtson

My friend architectural writer Steve Vaught made this amazing discovery – the “haunted” mansion appearing in Buster Keaton’s 1921 short film The Haunted House was the former Bonebrake Mansion, once standing on the corner of Adams and Figueroa. Steve noticed … Continue reading →

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Keaton’s The Goat – the geography of a gag

Posted on April 25, 2017 by John Bengtson

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 →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Keaton Studio, The Goat | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Buster with a Bullitt – Keaton and Steve McQueen’s SF Stunts

Posted on April 9, 2017 by John Bengtson

Recent posts show Buster Keaton crossed paths with Orson Welles in Venice, California (The High Sign and Touch of Evil), and with Alfred Hitchcock in San Francisco (Day Dreams and Vertigo). This time Keaton and ‘King of Cool’ actor Steve … Continue reading →

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Keaton and Orson Welles – A High Sign Touch of Evil

Posted on March 31, 2017 by John Bengtson

Prior posts discuss Orson Welles and Chaplin (Citizen Kane – Modern Times), and Keaton and Alfred Hitchcock (Day Dreams and Vertigo), so how about Keaton and Orson Welles? Their paths crossed too, filming in Venice, California. As I explain in … Continue reading →

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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

Cinecon 2016 Silent Echoes Hollywood Walking Tours

Posted on August 15, 2016 by John Bengtson

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 →

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