Tag Archives: Silent Movie Locations

Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin – Four Silent Jailbreaks

Posted on June 25, 2012 by John Bengtson

Jails and silent comedies!  A match made in heaven.  This post shows where (ONE) Laurel and Hardy filmed the jailbreak scene from The Second Hundred Years, (TWO) Charlie Chaplin filmed a prison release scene in Police, (THREE) Laurel and Hardy … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy, Stan Laurel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Two Hollywood Stunts – Lloyd and Keaton

Posted on June 16, 2012 by John Bengtson

Just a quick post here about this aerial view taken in 1922 as the prominent Security Bank Building, at the NE corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Cahuenga, nears completion.  I could point out so many filming spots in this photo, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops, Girl Shy, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Chaplin, Arbuckle and The Rounders

Posted on June 12, 2012 by John Bengtson

I’ve always enjoyed the comic interplay between Charlie Chaplin and Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle during their classic Keystone short The Rounders (1914).  Charlie and Roscoe play a couple of good time inebriates, or “rounders,” who empty their wives’ pocketbooks in order … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Los Angeles Historic Core, Roscoe Arbuckle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

A Tale of Two Train Wrecks (and One Airport) – by Buster Keaton

Posted on May 20, 2012 by John Bengtson

Buster Keaton’s debut film One Week (1920) was hailed as the comedy sensation of the year.  It ended with a powerhouse one-two gag that still wows audiences today.   Buster attempts to move his newly built home which becomes stuck at … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, One Week | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Bones of the Past – the Bones TV Pilot and Buster Keaton

Posted on May 13, 2012 by John Bengtson

Since my daughter has been enjoying the Fox Network crime drama Bones on Netflix, I thought I’d check out the pilot to see what the show was about.  Ostensibly set in Washington DC, the show teams up socially awkward forensic … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, The Goat, TV Shows | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Hollywood 1926 – The Big Picture and How the Pieces Fit

Posted on April 22, 2012 by John Bengtson

As much as I enjoy solving a movie location puzzle, and learning where a favorite scene was filmed, what I enjoy more is getting a sense of the context of how the movie was made.  I appreciate the craft that … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Studio, Hollywood Tour, Keaton Studio, Lloyd Studio | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

How Harold Lloyd Filmed Girl Shy on Bunker Hill

Posted on April 11, 2012 by John Bengtson

The 2012 Turner Classic Film Festival in Hollywood will be screening Harold Lloyd’s first independently produced feature comedy Girl Shy (1924) on April 14, 2012 at the Egyptian Theater.  In that film, Harold discovers the woman he loves is about … Continue reading →

Posted in Angels Flight, Bunker Hill, Girl Shy, Harold Lloyd, Lloyd Thrill Pictures | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Keaton – Cops – and the First Baptist Church of Hollywood

Posted on March 30, 2012 by John Bengtson

During the frenzied chase at the conclusion of Buster Keaton’s most famous short comedy Cops (1922), Buster grabs hold of a passing car one-handed that whisks him out of frame away from a mob of police (above).  As I explain … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops, Hollywood Tour, The Goat | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Harry Langdon – The Strong Man Part 2

Posted on March 26, 2012 by John Bengtson

Continuing my prior post about the vamp woman’s apartment in Harry Langdon’s 1926 comedy feature The Strong Man, Harry meets the unscrupulous woman, played by Gertrude Astor, at the corner of Carondelet Street and W. 7th Street.  With a suspicious … Continue reading →

Posted in Harry Langdon, The Strong Man | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Help Please? – Silent Jailbreak – SOLVED

Posted on March 22, 2012 by John Bengtson

My friend Steve Vaught, who writes a wonderful blog about historic Hollywood and Southern California architecture at Paradise Leased, recently appealed to his readers, with great success, for help identifying certain classic Hollywood homes.  So I thought I would give … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Stan Laurel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

How Harold Lloyd Filmed the Girl Shy Trolley Stunts

Posted on March 19, 2012 by John Bengtson

Following the great success of Safety Last! (1923), Harold Lloyd further cemented his reputation as a dare-devil comic with his first independently produced feature comedy Girl Shy (1924).  In that film, Harold discovers the woman he loves is about to … Continue reading →

Posted in Girl Shy, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour, Lloyd Thrill Pictures | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Keaton’s Highland Goat Garage

Posted on March 11, 2012 by John Bengtson

During the frantic chase in Buster Keaton’s 1921 short film The Goat, Buster attempts to flee the police by leaping onto the rear spare tire of a departing car, only to find himself sitting instead on a freestanding auto garage … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Hollywood Tour, The Goat | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

How Harold Lloyd Filmed Safety Last!

Posted on February 29, 2012 by John Bengtson

The image of Harold Lloyd hanging desperately from the hands of a skyscraper clock during Safety Last! (1923) is one of the greatest icons in cinematic history.  Using maps, aerial views, and vintage photographs, my book Silent Visions shows how … Continue reading →

Posted in Harold Lloyd, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Los Angeles Historic Core, Safety Last! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 51 Comments

The Artist Locations – Part 6 – Uggie Saves The Day

Posted on February 27, 2012 by John Bengtson

What an Oscar night!  The two biggest winners, The Artist, and Hugo, both pay homage to early cinema, and the best animated short, the beautiful and moving The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, pays tribute in part to … Continue reading →

Posted in The Artist | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Artist – Locations 1 of 5, Chaplin, and Pickford (repost)

Posted on February 16, 2012 by John Bengtson

Set in Hollywood during 1927 to 1932, The Artist depicts the romance between a fading silent film star and a rising “talkie” ingénue.  The Artist has received glowing reviews and numerous awards, and is noteworthy for being presented in black … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, One Week, The Artist, The Kid | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Mr. Keaton’s Neighborhood

Posted on February 13, 2012 by John Bengtson

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 →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Daydreams, Keaton Studio, Sherlock Jr. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

New York, Harold Lloyd, and Adam Sandler?!

Posted on February 6, 2012 by John Bengtson

After matching The Artist (2011) and Harold Lloyd in a prior post, how about pairing Harold and Adam Sandler for an encore?  I haven’t seen many of Sandler’s films, but once I realized Big Daddy was shot on location in … Continue reading →

Posted in Harold Lloyd, Lloyd Tour, Manhattan, New York, Speedy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Artist Locations Part 5 – Chaplin’s City Lights

Posted on January 28, 2012 by John Bengtson

The Los Angeles Theater, located at 615 S. Broadway in the Los Angeles Theater District, has a remarkable connection to two of the most audacious hit movies in Hollywood history, Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights (1931), and Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, City Lights, Los Angeles Historic Core, The Artist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Chaplin’s Modern (Los Angeles) Times

Posted on January 26, 2012 by John Bengtson

As I explain in my visual essay included in the Criterion Collection Blu-ray edition of Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times (1936), Chaplin filmed scenes for his first movie Making A Living (1914) beside the third Los Angeles Times Building that once … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, For Heaven's Sake, Harold Lloyd, Modern Times | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Artist Locations Part 4, Bradbury, Chaplin, and Lloyd

Posted on January 20, 2012 by John Bengtson

During a pivotal scene in The Artist (2011), fading silent film star George Valentin and rising ingénue Peppy Miller pass each other on a staircase at the Kinograph Studios where they work, their career trajectories mirrored by their relative positions … Continue reading →

Posted in Angels Flight, Charlie Chaplin, Hal Roach Studios, Harold Lloyd, Lloyd Thrill Pictures, Los Angeles Historic Core, Los Angeles Tunnels, Safety Last!, The Artist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments