Tag Archives: San Francisco then and now

Buster Keaton’s San Francisco footsteps

Buster filmed scenes from Day Dreams (1922) and The Navigator (1924) across San Francisco. Most locations look remarkably unchanged a century later. My latest YouTube video reveals every SF locale with then and now views, intercut with scenes where sneaky … Continue reading

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

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 Hitchcock’s Vertigo Day Dreams

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

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San Francisco’s Silent Echoes – Presidio Officers’ Club Talk

Buster Keaton in Pacific Heights? Charlie Chaplin at Fisherman’s Wharf? Harold Lloyd at UC Berkeley? The great silent comedians did not limit themselves to filming in Hollywood, as I will discuss during my San Francisco’s Silent Echoes presentation this Thursday, … Continue reading

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Keaton’s Heart in San Francisco – The Navigator

The 2014 San Francisco Silent Film Festival concludes Sunday, June 1, with a screening of Buster Keaton’s 1924 classic The Navigator, a personal favorite of Buster, and one of his most successful films. Early on The Navigator features a joke … 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

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