Introduction
This month's filming locations then and now videos blog post takes a look at movies from 1926 through 1941, including a Bette Davis drama and a visit on location with The Three Stooges!
We'll visit two historic parks, a vanished Los Angeles neighborhood and a long flight of steps up a very steep hill!
Bette Davis - Three On A Match (1932)
The Plot
An old taboo says that if three people share a match, disaster will strike each of them!
The Filming Location: Historic Hollenbeck Park In Los Angeles
Nestled in Los Angeles's Boyle Heights district, Hollenbeck Park kicks off our tour of historic filming locations. For over a century, this scenic park has drawn filmmakers, providing the backdrop for scores of motion pictures, such as:
- Snub Pollard - Run 'Em Ragged (1920) - Coming here in 2028
- Laurel and Hardy - Men O'War (1929)
- Charley Chase - Dollar Dizzy (1930) (Members Only)
- Doris Day - The Pajama Game (1957) - Coming here in 2027
- Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)
Although its core layout remains largely unchanged since Three On A Match was filmed here back in 1932, today's park features a bit less of its historic lush greenery and is missing its iconic arched wooden footbridge over the lake.
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Charley Chase - Crazy Like A Fox (1926)
The Plot
Charley discovers he's to have an arranged marriage and having not even seen the bride to be, he decides to do everything he can to sabotage the plan!
The Filming Location: Berkeley Square In Los Angeles
In the early part of the 20th century, there was a small neighborhood a few miles west of Downtown Los Angeles called Berkeley Square. Grand homes lined each side of its single east-west street and entrance to the neighborhood was through two ornate gates: one on the 2300 block of Gramercy Place and the other on Western Avenue.
Berkeley Square boasted numerous prominent residents, including the producer of this movie, Hal Roach. A full listing of the residents along with superb historical photos can be found here: Berkeley Square - Resurrecting A West Adams Street Lost To The Freeway.
Crazy Like A Fox gives us invaluable historical views of the west gate entrance at Gramercy Place along with some glimpses inside this exclusive enclave. Unfortunately, construction of the Santa Monica Freeway in 1961 forced the demoliton of this neighborhood. It is long vanished without a hint of what used to be there.
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Charley Chase - Crazy Like A Fox - Quick Preview Filming Locations Video
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Charley Chase - Crazy Like A Fox - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video
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Our Gang / The Little Rascals - Lazy Days (1929)
The Plot
There isn't any! Well, actually there's a bit of a plot: the Gang are just hanging around on a lazy summer day when they discover there's a cutest baby contest in town, so they gather up their younger brothers and sisters and head on down to the contest.
The Filming Location: Media Park In Culver City
This particular park right on the border of Culver City and Los Angeles actually preceded the founding of Culver City.
Originally, Media Park was surrounded on both its north and south sides by Pacific Electric Railway tracks, and we get some very good views of the Venice Short Line tracks that ran along the Venice Blvd side of the park in Lazy Days. Unfortunately, the "red car" passenger trains of the Pacific Electric Railway stopped running in the 1950s and soon after, Venice Blvd was widened, completely paving over the old railroad right-of-way.
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Our Gang / The Little Rascals - Lazy Days - Quick Preview Filming Locations Video
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The Three Stooges - An Ache In Every Stake (1941)
The Plot
The Three Stooges are running an ice delivery business. They are flagged down by a customer who needs a block of ice delivered to her house, which is at the top of a long flight of steps up a very steep hill.
The Filming Location: Steps In The Silver Lake Neighborhood Of Los Angeles
The two Los Angeles neighborhoods of Silver Lake and Echo Park are notable for their very steep hills, and large concentration of steps leading up those hills. They've been a favorite location for filmmakers since the 1920s whenever a movie plot called for a steep hill, and you can see several of these filming locations right here on this website:
- Stan Laurel - The Pest (1922) (Members Only)
- The Music Box Steps BEFORE Laurel and Hardy featuring excerpts from the 1925 Charley Chase movie Isn't Life Terrible and the 1926 movie Ice Cold Cocos starring Billy Bevan and Andy Clyde (Members Only)
- Laurel and Hardy - The Music Box (1929)
- Edgar Kennedy - It's Your Move (1945)
The Laurel and Hardy steps used in their 1932 movie The Music Box has received official recognition from the City of Los Angeles. While The Three Stooges steps have not (yet) received any formal recognition, perhaps one day the steps at the end of the cul-de-sac of the 2200 block Fair Oak View Terrace will receive recognition as well.
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The Three Stooges - An Ache In Every Stake - Quick Preview Filming Locations Video
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In case you missed it: My October 2026 featured filming locations then and now videos blog entry.
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