Tag Archives: Hill Street Tunnel

Lady Cops (and Harold Lloyd) Reveal 1914 Lost LA Treasures

Posted on December 12, 2021 by John Bengtson

What time machines! Thanks to the Eastman Museum, vivid details of downtown LA’s most iconic (and now sadly lost) landmarks fill the background of the 1914 gender reversal comedy Forcing the Force, restored and streaming on the museum site. Harold … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Hill, Los Angeles Historic Core | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Three Good Fellows – Harold Lloyd, Doug MacLean, and Ben Model

Posted on March 15, 2020 by John Bengtson

Musician Ben Model is a silent film super-hero. Aside from his duties as resident accompanist for MoMA in New York, the Library of Congress, and performing at silent screenings around the county, his indie Undercrank Productions has released over 20 … Continue reading →

Posted in Ben Model, Doug MacLean, Harold Lloyd | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

How Laurel and Hardy Filmed Another Fine Mess

Posted on February 1, 2015 by John Bengtson

In 2001 Piet Schreuders wrote to me from his home in Amsterdam postulating (correctly) about the tunnel appearing at the conclusion of Laurel and Hardy’s 1930 comedy short Another Fine Mess. Apart from being an internationally acclaimed graphic designer, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Laurel and Hardy, Los Angeles Tunnels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Harold Lloyd Takes A Chance on Court Hill

Posted on January 1, 2014 by John Bengtson

The Criterion Collection Blu-ray release of Safety Last! contains many bonus features, including three razor-sharp early Harold Lloyd short films.  One such film, Take A Chance (1918) featured here (and now available on the Criterion Channel), provides rare views of … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Hill, Hal Roach Studios, Harold Lloyd | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments