Introduction
We kick off our then and now tour of four Los Angeles area filming locations with The Three Stooges and their 1939 comedy Calling All Curs. We then join Laurel and Hardy for an afternoon in the park in their 1929 movie Men O'War. The park is still there, but there have been changes, as you'll see.
The Our Gang / The Little Rascals kids are racing their go-carts on the streets of the Westside of Los Angeles in the 1929 comedy Cat, Dog and Company and we get a good look at how the neighborhood around these same streets has changed over the decades.
Charley Chase wraps up our tour by giving us a rare look at a Culver City neighborhood that was in the process of being built as he filmed scenes for his 1924 comedy short All Wet.
The Three Stooges - Calling All Curs (1939)
The Plot
In this classic comedy movie short, The Three Stooges are (somehow) veterinarians running their own pet hospital. A rich lady brings in her dog - Garcon - for a surgery. The surgery is a success (!) but while the dog is recuperating, two dog-nappers steal Garcon and hold him for ransom.
Historic Hollywood Filming Location Then And Now
Most of this film was made at the Columbia Pictures studio, but there is a scene where the Stooges go out looking for Garcon. This movie location is shown in the then and now filming location comparison photo above
The building on the right is 5600 Fernwood Avenue, built in 1929 and recognized by the City of Los Angeles as a historic place. Miraculously, this building dodged demolition when the 101 Freeway was built right in back of it in the 1940s. The building seen in the film is still with us, unchanged over all the decades and but those are NOT the same trees!
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Laurel and Hardy - Men O'War (1929)
The Plot
An early "talkie" from Laurel and Hardy, this film has the boys as sailors on shore leave spending a day in the park. They encounter two lovely young ladies and attempt to treat them to a fun afternoon in the park, with a predictably disastrous outcome!
Hollenbeck Park Filming Location Then And Now
Like The Three Stooges movie Calling All Curs, the location used in this movie was almost lost when the city was planning a Freeway route (in this case, the I-5 Freeway). As things turned out, the freeway just cuts through a tiny corner of Hollenbeck Park in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles that was the filming location for Men O'War. The configuration of the park today very closely matches what Laurel and Hardy captured on film in 1929, though it's not as nice looking as it was back then.
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Click the link below to watch some quick excerpts from the full Filming Locations Then and Now documentary video:
Laurel and Hardy - Men O'War - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video
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Laurel and Hardy - Men O'War - Complete Filming Locations Video
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Our Gang / The Little Rascals - Cat, Dog and Company (1929)
The Plot
The Gang has built go-carts, powered by their dogs, and they are racing them down the streets in the neighborhood. The local "be kind to animals" lady sees what's going on and convinces the kids that they shouldn't use their pets in that way, and that they should be kind to all animals.
Westside Of Los Angeles Filming Location Then And Now
The Our Gang / The Little Rascals movies were frequently shot outdoors on location, and frequently used the SAME movie locations. The Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles was an often-used film location for The Little Rascals series starting with the very first film (Our Gang in 1922).
By using the same filming locations through the years 1922 - 1932, the film makers have left us with an amazing time capsule to explore this neighborhood when it had a very "small town" look and feel. Something it most definitely does NOT have today.
While the streets and alleys are all in the same places - and even a few trees that were captured on film 90+ years ago are still standing - only a few of the buildings seen in the films are still around.
The filming location then and now photo above shows the 3300 block of Motor Avenue. The street is a bit wider these days and almost all the buildings captured on film in 1929 have been replaced.
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Our Gang / The Little Rascals - Cat, Dog and Company - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video
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The Little Rascals - Cat, Dog and Company - Complete Filming Locations Video
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Charley Chase - All Wet (1924)
The Plot
Charley has to get to the train station. On his way, he comes across a fellow motorist stuck in the mud. Charley helps him out but then Charley gets stuck in the mud. The motorist tells him he would love to help him out, but he's got to get to the train station!
A Filming Location Time Capsule From 1924
The bulk of this Charley Chase comedy short was filmed in one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Culver City, California.
At the time (1924), the streets had been recently paved and the water, sewer and electric utilities were in place waiting for the lots to be sold and the homes to be built.
During filming, a few homes had already been built and we can see several others under construction. Many of these homes still stand today and are in excellent condition.
The movie location then and now photo comparison above, taken in front of 8868 Carson Street, dramatically illustrates how the neighborhood has evolved over the last 100 years.
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Click the link below to watch some quick excerpts from the full Filming Locations Then and Now documentary video:
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In case you missed it: My December 2024 featured filming locations then and now photos blog entry.
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