Tag Archives: then and now

Cops and Safety Last! – the Cosmo Alley Connection

Posted on March 28, 2013 by John Bengtson

We learn early in Safety Last! (1923) that Harold Lloyd’s roommate Bill Strother can climb tall buildings when we watch him escape from a policeman by scaling a four-story apartment building (left).  [NOTE: “Skip,” a resourceful and eagle-eyed reader, was … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour, Safety Last! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Keaton – Seven Chances Filmed Close to Studio

Posted on March 17, 2013 by John Bengtson

(You’ll find most Seven Chances filming locations at this earlier post.) Now that the Keaton films are all available on Blu-ray, I not only continue to make new discoveries, but to my great satisfaction I am also increasingly able to … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Harry Langdon, Keaton Studio, Seven Chances | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Chaplin – Keaton – Lloyd – One Block in Silent-Era Hollywood (update)

Posted on February 19, 2013 by John Bengtson

The intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Cahuenga Boulevard was a popular film setting for silent-era comedies.  At the far end of this post is a link to download an animated 15 MB PowerPoint presentation showing thirteen (but not all) Chaplin, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Chaplin Tour, Charlie Chaplin, Cops, Girl Shy, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour, Hot Water, Keaton Studio, Keaton Tour, Lloyd Studio, Modern Times, Safety Last!, The Cameraman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Silent Cameos of the lost Southern Pacific Depot

Posted on January 15, 2013 by John Bengtson

Before the beautiful downtown Los Angeles Union Train Station opened in 1939, built on the site of the original Chinatown, the various railroads serving L.A. each operated from their own stations.  Union Station helped to reduce downtown noise and congestion … Continue reading →

Posted in Douglas Fairbanks, Girl Shy, Hal Roach Studios, Harold Lloyd, Los Angeles Historic Core, Stan Laurel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Front and Back Cameos – 100 years of a Hollywood landmark

Posted on December 27, 2012 by John Bengtson

Toberman Hall has stood at 6410-6414 Hollywood Boulevard (each oval above) since 1907.  Its original two-story neighbor to the left, at the southwest corner of Cahuenga and Hollywood Boulevard (pictured in the black & white images above) was expanded into … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Hollywood Tour, The Goat, Tillie's Punctured Romance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Keaton’s Short Fuse – Cops, Musso & Frank, and enduring Hollywood history

Posted on December 16, 2012 by John Bengtson

At one point during Buster Keaton’s most famous short film Cops (1922), Buster finds himself and his newly acquired horse-cart full of furniture in the middle of the annual Policeman’s Day Parade.  After politely tipping his hat in recognition to … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Cops, Hollywood Tour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Harold Lloyd – Film Noir – Criss Cross and the Hill Street Tunnel

Posted on October 15, 2012 by John Bengtson

Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, and many other silent comedians filmed stunt comedy sequences by building sets on Court Hill overlooking the south end of the former Hill Street Tunnel.  As shown at left, filming a set against the street far … Continue reading →

Posted in Bunker Hill, Film Noir, Harold Lloyd, Los Angeles Historic Core, Los Angeles Tunnels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Harold Lloyd – By the Sad, Santa Monica Waves

Posted on September 25, 2012 by John Bengtson

During Harold Lloyd’s 1917 short film, By The Sad Sea Waves, Harold pretends to be a beach life guard in order to impress the ladies.  Filmed where David Hasselhoff would film Baywatch many decades later, By The Sad Sea Waves … Continue reading →

Posted in Harold Lloyd | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Buster Keaton – Three Stooges – LAPL Author Lecture

Posted on September 9, 2012 by John Bengtson

I want to thank everyone for attending my Silent Footsteps lecture held September 15 at the Los Angeles Public Library Taper Auditorium, hosted by Photo Friends. Using archival photographs, vintage maps, and then and now comparison photos, I led a … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Three Stooges | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Charlie Chaplin, Ron Swanson, and Parks and Recreation

Posted on August 9, 2012 by John Bengtson

Location filming has been staged in Los Angeles now for well over a century.  It should come as no surprise then that contemporary television shows share exterior settings that once appeared in classic films.  In one prior post I explain … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, TV Shows | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Keaton’s Sherlock Jr. Hollywood Vault (with Harold Lloyd too)

Posted on August 5, 2012 by John Bengtson

In his 1924 comedy Sherlock Jr., Buster Keaton portrays a daydreaming movie theater projectionist who fancies himself a great detective.  During the movie’s lengthy dream sequence, Buster’s character, after falling asleep on the job, finds himself living wild adventures on … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Sherlock Jr. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

More Buster in Manhattan – The Cameraman, Part II

Posted on July 29, 2012 by John Bengtson

Bob Egan’s fascinating website PopSpotsNYC.com explores visual archeology similar to my own.  But instead of looking at silent-era comics, his site concerns places “where interesting events in the history of Pop Culture took place; like album cover shots, places where … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Manhattan, The Cameraman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Artist Locations – Part 7 – Uggie and Peppy Save the Day

Posted on July 5, 2012 by John Bengtson

Now that the multi-Oscar-winning Best Picture The Artist is available for study on home video, I can present more locations from the film, including the street sign mentioned in my first post (see left), visible when Uggie the dog summons … Continue reading →

Posted in The Artist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Chaplin’s Studio Pay Day

Posted on July 1, 2012 by John Bengtson

As documented in my Keaton book, and elsewhere on this blog (Mr. Keaton’s Neighborhood), Buster Keaton filmed over four dozen scenes and simple insert shots on the streets adjacent to his small studio.  In a similar vein, as described in … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplin Studio, Charlie Chaplin, Hollywood Tour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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