Tag Archives: Silent Comedians

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 →

Posted in Buster Keaton, San Francisco | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

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 →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Orson Welles, Venice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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 →

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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 →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, The Kid | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Where Roscoe Arbuckle Filmed His Brooklyn Vitaphone Shorts

Posted on January 23, 2017 by John Bengtson

Starting at page 2 below, this multi-page post reveals more than two dozen Brooklyn movie locations filmed over 85 years ago. Click each image for a larger view. The recently demolished Vitagraph (Vitaphone) Studio, once standing at E 14th between … Continue reading →

Posted in Brooklyn, New York, Roscoe Arbuckle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

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 →

Posted in Buster Keaton, The General | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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 →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

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 →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 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

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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Amazing New Keaton Discoveries – My Wife’s Relations

Posted on July 24, 2016 by John Bengtson

An astonishing new Keaton stunt, Buster’s return visit to a classic apartment house, and yet another surprise appearance of the Cops – The Kid – Safety Last! Hollywood alley – the Lobster Films restoration of My Wife’s Relations (1922), with … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, The Goat | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 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 , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

How Harold Lloyd Filmed Bumping Into Broadway

Posted on April 30, 2016 by John Bengtson

Harold Lloyd’s debut two-reel comedy featuring his ‘Glass Character,’ Bumping Into Broadway (1919), appears in a sparkling restoration as part of the new Criterion Collection Blu-ray release of Speedy (1928). Lloyd filmed many scenes in downtown Los Angeles, including Weller … Continue reading →

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Buster in Cops Cruising Santa Monica Boulevard

Posted on April 19, 2016 by John Bengtson

Buster Keaton’s famous short film Cops (1922) remains his only self-produced movie that was filmed completely out of doors, with no interior scenes. Early in the film Buster helps Big Joe Roberts into a taxi in front of the Pantages … 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