Tag Archives: Charlie Chaplin

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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Chaplin’s San Jose Day Making A Night Out

Posted on July 13, 2017 by John Bengtson

Do you know the way to San Jose? It turns out Charlie Chaplin did. Thanks to the Blu-ray clarity of Charlie’s restored Essanay comedies, and the tenacious research by Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum historian David Kiehn, we now know … Continue reading →

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Chaplin – Pavlova – Lois Weber – at the Castle Sans Souci

Posted on June 12, 2017 by John Bengtson

One highlight of the recently concluded San Francisco Silent Film Festival was the Library of Congress restored presentation of pioneering director Lois Weber’s powerful historic epic The Dumb Girl of Portici (1916), starring world-acclaimed ballet dancer Anna Pavlova in her … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Lois Weber, Tillie's Punctured Romance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 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 →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops, Keaton Studio | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Chaplin – Inside “The Kid” Maternity Hospital

Posted on February 11, 2017 by John Bengtson

In a prior post, How Charlie Chaplin Filmed The Kid, I explain that the former Occidental College Hall of Letters building, once visited by Presidents Taft and Teddy Roosevelt, portrays the Dickensian maternity hospital where single mother Edna Purviance is … Continue reading →

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How Chaplin Filmed The Champion – on Location in Niles

Posted on November 7, 2016 by John Bengtson

The upcoming San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s Day of Silents winter program this December 3 at the Castro Theater offers something for everyone, from Ernst Lubitsch’s 1926 Jazz Age gem So This is Paris, to the Oscar’s first ever Best … 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

Chaplin’s The Tramp – ‘New’ Views of One of Cinema’s Most Iconic Scenes

Posted on October 16, 2016 by John Bengtson

Forever known as “the Little Tramp,” Charlie Chaplin filmed his eponymous short film The Tramp for the Essanay company over 100 years ago in Niles, California. When Chaplin arrived at the Bay Area studio early in 1915, the small rural … Continue reading →

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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

The Modern Times – Citizen Kane – Humphrey Bogart Factory Gate

Posted on September 13, 2016 by John Bengtson

I recently watched Citizen Kane (1941) for the first time in years, broadcast on TCM, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Having seen it many times before, the scenes and the dialog were all familiar, but still powerful and engaging. But now … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Chinatown, Modern Times, Orson Welles | 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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Columbo and the Silent Clowns – Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd

Posted on May 16, 2016 by John Bengtson

I’ve been enjoying watching Peter Falk as Columbo on Netflix, and am transfixed by the time travel elements of this now decades-old series. The population of Los Angeles has nearly doubled since the time of filming, and there’s something quaint, … 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

The Kid – Charlie Chaplin’s Onscreen Fans

Posted on February 14, 2016 by John Bengtson

[Update: I found where this scene with the girl was filmed – read HERE] While Chaplin fans packed theaters worldwide to watch his onscreen antics, during several scenes in The Kid you can see fans watching him onscreen as well.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, The Kid | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 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 , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

How Charlie Chaplin filmed The Kid

Posted on January 9, 2016 by John Bengtson

Filmed mostly in 1920, The Kid utilizes more historic settings and extant locations than any other Chaplin film. A century later you can still visit Edna Purviance’s Dickensian maternity ward, the mansion (later owned by Muhammad Ali) where she abandons … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, The Kid | Tagged , , , , , , , | 21 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Keaton – Langdon – Lloyd on Larchmont – Ebell Club Author Talk

Posted on October 30, 2015 by John Bengtson

Developed along a street car line (always ripe for slapstick antics), Larchmont Boulevard has been a popular movie location for nearly 100 years.  Harold Lloyd filmed there as early as 1917.  During my luncheon talk at the Ebell Club on … Continue reading →

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New Chaplin Discovery – Cinecon Talk and Guided Tour

Posted on August 27, 2015 by John Bengtson

While preparing my upcoming talk for Cinecon 51 I just realized that Chaplin filmed this rustic church scene from The Pilgrim (1923) in Newhall, near where friend Douglas Fairbanks filmed much of Wild and Woolly in 1917, beside the original … Continue reading →

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Chaplin, Sinatra, The Pilgrim and Noir

Posted on August 8, 2015 by John Bengtson

Classic movies filmed on location provide historic views of the past. Moreover, later films shot at a popular location also provide fresh perspectives of earlier movies filmed at the same spot. A case in point is the Saugus train station … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Film Noir, The Pilgrim | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments