Tag Archives: Silent Movie Locations

The Artist and its Amazing Ties to Chaplin, Pickford, Keaton and Lloyd

Posted on March 3, 2015 by John Bengtson

Tonight marks the Turner Classic Movie Channel premiere of the 2011 multi-Oscar-winning Best Picture The Artist. Depicting the silent movie era, and filmed on location in Hollywood, the movie has many amazing connections to early Hollywood history and its biggest … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Mary Pickford, The Artist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Even More Speedy – New York Locations

Posted on December 31, 2014 by John Bengtson

Harold Lloyd’s final silent comedy Speedy, filmed on location in New York during the summer of 1927, is a goldmine of vintage Manhattan locations.  While my book Silent Visions devotes 100 pages to the dozens of NYC (and Los Angeles) … Continue reading →

Posted in Harold Lloyd, Manhattan, Speedy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Big Parade – Historic Views of the Home Front

Posted on December 1, 2014 by John Bengtson

Although most of The Big Parade (1925) is set in the war-torn villages and battlefields of France, the acclaimed World War I drama also provides historic views of early downtown Los Angeles and Orange County. Told from the soldier’s point … Continue reading →

Posted in Los Angeles Tunnels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

How Charlie Chaplin Filmed The Bank

Posted on November 13, 2014 by John Bengtson

Charlie Chaplin’s Essanay comedy The Bank (1915) marks his final cinematic footsteps in downtown Los Angeles.  While Broadway, and other nearby Historic Core streets appear in several of his early Keystone films, including Making A Living, His Favorite Pastime, The … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Los Angeles Historic Core | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

How Charlie Chaplin Filmed The Adventurer

Posted on October 17, 2014 by John Bengtson

Decades before Bugs Bunny delighted audiences by tunneling into madcap predicaments, escaped convict Charlie Chaplin tunneled to freedom in The Adventurer (1917) on a Malibu beach within the shadow of Castle Rock and Haystack Rock, prominent coastal landmarks that stood … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

How Buster Keaton Filmed The General

Posted on September 26, 2014 by John Bengtson

I had the honor of introducing Buster Keaton’s 1926 masterpiece The General at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s inaugural “A Day of Silents Festival.” Presented below are the informational slides prepared for that screening by festival Artistic Director Anita … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, The General | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Keaton’s The General on location in Cottage Grove

Posted on September 8, 2014 by John Bengtson

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival special one-day “Silent Autumn” event opens Saturday morning, September 20, 2014, with a trio of classic Laurel & Hardy silent shorts, and features a 7:00 p.m. screening of Buster Keaton’s 1926 Civil War masterpiece … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, The General | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Silent Era Hollywood Tour – Cinecon 50 – Author Presentation

Posted on August 27, 2014 by John Bengtson

Attached to this post is a self-guided written tour to Hollywood silent film locations and studios that I have prepared in connection with the “Hollywood’s Silent Echoes” presentation I will be giving Friday, August 29, 2014, at 10:55 a.m. at … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Tour, Keaton Tour, Lloyd Tour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Charlie Chaplin’s Echo Park Home – 100 Years Later

Posted on August 12, 2014 by John Bengtson

As I explain in my book Silent Traces, Charlie Chaplin filmed several early comedies in Echo Park, just a few blocks south of the Keystone Studio where he began his film career 100 years ago. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it turns out … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Keystone Studio | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Chaplin’s First Scene – a Very Busy Place to Film

Posted on June 13, 2014 by John Bengtson

One of my earliest posts (reprinted below), reports that the site of Chaplin’s first scene, from his initial movie Making a Living (1914), was discovered by Kevin Dale to have been filmed in front of a residential porch adjacent to … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Keystone Studio | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Max Linder Shines Again in Seven Years Bad Luck

Posted on May 19, 2014 by John Bengtson

Dapper Max Linder, the pioneering French silent film comedian affectionately dubbed “The Professor” by Charlie Chaplin, will be taking the spotlight soon. Max’s 1921 feature comedy Seven Years Bad Luck will be screened at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Keaton’s Heart in San Francisco – The Navigator

Posted on May 12, 2014 by John Bengtson

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s upcoming A Day of Silents, February 2, 2025, begins 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 … Continue reading →

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

Chaplin – Caught In the Rain 100 Years Ago by the 2nd St Tunnel

Posted on May 4, 2014 by John Bengtson

Charlie Chaplin’s lucky 13th Keystone Studio movie Caught in the Rain was released May 4, 1914, one hundred years ago today. Although Chaplin credits this film in his autobiography as his first directorial effort, Chaplin biographer David Robinson suggests otherwise, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bunker Hill, Charlie Chaplin, Keystone Studio, Los Angeles Historic Core, Los Angeles Tunnels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chaplin – 100 Years Ago on Sunset Boulevard

Posted on April 23, 2014 by John Bengtson

“Sunset Boulevard” – few words evoke the mystique and glamour of Southern California more than the name of this historic street that wends its way west from the heart of downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean. As discussed here, … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Cops, Keystone Studio, Tillie's Punctured Romance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Harold Lloyd’s Why Worry? TCM Hollywood Connection

Posted on April 10, 2014 by John Bengtson

In honor of the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival screening of Harold Lloyd’s 1923 feature comedy Why Worry? at the Egyptian Theater on Friday, April 11 at 7:15 pm, here are a couple of quick views from the conclusion of … Continue reading →

Posted in Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Chaplin Leads the Gang to the Hollywood Police

Posted on March 31, 2014 by John Bengtson

As I explain in my book Silent Traces, Charlie Chaplin’s landmark short film Easy Street (1917) contains scenes filmed on extant Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles (see below), where he would return a few years later to film his … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon, Stan Laurel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Perry Mason at the Chaplin Studio – The Case of the Homecoming Kid

Posted on March 18, 2014 by John Bengtson

One of the most gratifying experiences to come from working on my Charlie Chaplin book Silent Traces was being given a private tour of the Chaplin Studios, at 1416 N. La Brea Avenue in Hollywood, now home to The Jim … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Studio, Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, The Kid | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Laurel & Hardy Hit The Skids

Posted on January 26, 2014 by John Bengtson

During their ride home from the hospital in County Hospital (1932), Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (well, their stunt doubles) skid at a wide intersection beside a Gothic-windowed auto garage.  The zig-zag detailing remains on the garage wall. This unusual … Continue reading →

Posted in Culver City, Laurel and Hardy | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Buster Keaton and The Three Stooges – Round 6

Posted on January 20, 2014 by John Bengtson

In his 1926 self-directed feature comedy Battling Butler, Buster plays an effete millionaire who seeks to impress a girl by allowing her to mistakenly believe he is a champion boxer sharing the same name.  As might be guessed, the movie … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Film Noir, The Turning Point, Three Stooges | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 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