I’ve been studying Silent films for over 40 years and of all the people I’ve heard talk about this era, you are one of the most knowledgeable people and you presented so well thank you so much
OMG! This is GOLD and you finally found your niche on TH-cam, Justin! Do not deviate from the topic of Hollywood murders. You make it so very interesting.
Would love a Thelma Todd video. So much has been done on her, but with your talent, and research, you could put a unique spin on the story. Great job, you’ve found your gift!
I’m crazy about Garbo as well as Valentino, they are my favorites. William Powell, Myrna Loy are divine. At one point, I tried to build my whole world around “vintage”; the clothes, cars, home furnishings, my surroundings, my 1830’s apartment, old music and movies. It’s been a wonderful obsession♥️. I just recently sold lots of my vintage clothing collection. But I still have all the really cool and rare pieces😃
This story is one of my favorite old Hollywood tales and what a treat to see the actual locations both then and now. Indeed one of the best parts of the early films (specifically Harold Lloyd's) is seeing the streets contemporary to his time. I hope you continue to make many more of these videos!
This is the best type of video I have ever seen. I would of never known about these places even I’m a huge movie nut for silent movies an early talkies .
@@bjmartin5225 I know, right? I've read that the bungalows were torn down but couldn't quite picture the parking lot and how the houses were originally arranged. So good to see it all explained. Hollywood has so much history that has vanished.
Sunset Blvd is one of the greatest movie and Gloria Swanson performance is one of the great performance ever on screen. I didn't know about this murder of famous director in 1922. All the sites you have shown was amazing, the Chase Bank front with all the names and dedication still there is very nice. Thanks for all the history you had to track down for this story. Thanks, great work.
Justin, this locarion tour is fabulous! I couldnt stop watching until i had finished it. It's ovvious that you love LA. .A little story. I met my good friend Mark shortly after we both moved to Laa from the midwest in 1978. I moved back east twenty years later but Mark still lives in LA. We both immersed iurselves in LA, we both loved the place and its history. Mark once commented that his life was "a continuing love-hate affair with LA." I thought he nailed it. Your videos bring back the fascination held for me when ai moced to LA after college. It was a fabulous time to luve there and both Matk and I made the absolute most of it. Just as you are doing now. Keep up the great work and ignore the traffic. Everything else is wonderful! Mark went on to earn a MFA in film
I fell in love with Silent Pictures way back in the very early 1960s when I was about 14-15 years old! There was a show on TV - maybe once a week (I’ve forgotten) called Silents, Please! And they showed nothing but silent films. I just found this video a few hours ago and I can’t wait till I click on Part 2!!!! Thank you so much for making this video and showing where the old studios once were!
Edendale actually encompassed more than just the neighborhood that is now known as Echo Park - it was also what is now known as Los Feliz and Silverlake. As someone who was born in Hollywood and loves old movies, it's one of the reasons I love living in Edendale - it has fabulous history.
Across from our house in the "Silverlake Hills" was an old house, rather Italianate, in which a very old lady lived. Supposedly she had been a movie player who had worked at a studio over on Glendale Blvd, across from Tom Mix' ( one of the first Hollywood cowboys) stable where his famous horses were kept. The only studio I remember was there was Mack Sennett's but the lady across from us wasn't a comedienne. As a child I had been warned to never bother this lady, no noise, no stopping by to chat. In the early 1970s, it seems that she died, house and grounds were sold, demolished, robbed out of its fine accoutrements and fell into the hands of developers. Totally ruined the block. So much early movie history over in the east side of LA and because a lot of it was just abandoned, it was left untouched for a long time. addenda: The Mixville studios (Tom Mix' place) is much more northerly than the Keystone studio.
mothgirl007 Very interesting to know that Los Feliz and Silverlake were also part of Edendale. I had never heard that. I think they should have left all of it to be called Edendale. I think it was a much prettier name than any of the other names it's called now. If I lived in any of those places, I would still refer to it as Edendale.
I kid you not I was literally on the treadmill at this Equinox on Selma/Vine when I watched this! What a great video, can't wait for the other parts. I have lived in LA for 25yrs and have always heard a loose tale of the first celebrity murder in Hollywood but never actually knew the story so this is fantastic! Thanks for creating and sharing this with us Justin! About to watch Part 2 rn!
O come ON. So you couldn’t have looked it up? Good grief 🙄🤣😂 I found 4 books on the murder at my library….in WI in 1983…..I became OBSESSED! I moved to LA in 1995….and a bit later I got re obsessed cuz of some awesome silent film sites in the early internet…..but apparently you weren’t THAT interested…..so your excitement ….doesn’t quite seem genuine. You act like….you’d heard rumors all the time but just couldn’t find any info….then this video in 2023 (🙄🤣😂)comes out and 💥 now I get to know the whole story! Made me chuckle…..o the drama.
I am so glad to find this vlogs.....Very interesting to show the exact place it happen then and now. It is very educational to let us know the history back then. Imagine how it looks like back is way so different now.
Thank you for this. You've done an excellent job. Having lived on Whitley in Hollywood, Micheltorena in Silver Lake and S. Gramercy and S. Plymouth in the Hancock Park environs, many decades ago, I was always interested in the old Hollywood stories from my neighborhoods. You have done your research and have respectfully presented them as the history that we will now, not, lose.
Justin, as a decades long devotee of the Taylor Case I have to say Thank you for providing such a detailed tour of the many locations still in existence here in L.A.! Even though there has been no definitive explanation to the mystery of who shot WDT the fascination with both the murder and the cast of characters continues. Again, Thank You Justin!!
Justin: THIS is an amazing piece of work. You really need to be proud of it. I've watched it many times and pick up something new everytime. BTW, I think in my TH-cam account, I've left maybe 3 comments on people's videos. It's not something I do. KUDOS. I'm blown away from how good this documentary is
Oh, this is great! Transposing the old streets of Hollywood into today....quite sad it's all gone. I recently discovered that my great uncle, whom I did know, married a woman whose uncle left the East, along with his sister. He wound up being an extra in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in the famous tango scene and then later in the tango palace scene, dancing right behind Valentino. I have a short up showing who he is and am finishing up a video of my completed and posted blog post. Frank's sister was also in the business and I have posted pictures she took on the Our Gang set...Frank himself landed a job as a valet of some sort working for Hal Roach and I have posted pictures of him and his sister at Hal Roach's home first Hollywood home in the Berkeley Square development. Mary Miles Minter apparently led on Rudolph Valentino and his friend, letting them think she was interested in each of them...When they found out that she was exchanging love letters with both of them, well, that was the end of that!
AWESOME video. I knew a little bit about this story but not a lot. This helps put everything together. Seeing the present day location of some of these structures makes me sad! At least we have pictures.
First and foremost you did an incredible job. This has always been a story that I gravitate to. To see all of these places is a treat. I do live in LA and love to do drive by’s. To come across someone that likes the same with so much research and story telling is a gem. Thank you kindly. You now have a forever fan. Keep posting.
This is a Brilliant recantour's tale of the sad chapter which preceded the equally sad stories of Olive Thomas, Roscoe Arbuckle, Thomas Ince, Barbara Lamarr, and two of my favourites : Anita Berber & Jeanne Eagels. Excellent job, and i hope You recount the above, mostly forgotten tales of truly talented actors, with the same attention to detail, on what remains of the bygone environs.... i simply ❤ how the camera just heart-breakingly scans the seemingly impenetrable gates to the Nirvana of Beautiful, luxurious mansions which harken back to the wondrously beguiling days of Hollywood's enchanting Beginnings.... Cheers, Đan
Every time I read comments like this I wonder a couple of things. I wonder how much of your own money you are giving away and how long have you been a hoarder?
I totally agree with you in regards to the destruction of Hollywood Bungalows and Mansions and let's not forget the famous restaurants. The fact that Hollywood's fascinating history is almost gone is such a shame. I would loved to have been in Hollywood during it's heyday not just because of it's movie stars but the Architecture design's of the houses and places of interest. The other area I find frustrating is the fact a nice big museum based on Hollywood has never been built and it most likely won't. Big Travesty !!
I'm really enjoying this and you're doing an excellent job.. I lived in the Los Feliz Hills on Sunset Drive around 1970 then it was a very unpretentious Bohemian Enclave with a lot of old actors and writers my ex-husband being one and I do remember walking down to that motion picture Studio and I really didn't know what it was all about then I think it was near Hyperion and it had an old wooden gate in the very front one that a person could easily enter into but of course I had no interest in doing that but it just had such a history as did the neighborhood I lived in I also worked around Hollywood and Vine at the Max Factor Studio around that time and worked at Studios and lived across the street from the Selznick Studios one of those historic Cottages that were then moved to the inside of the studio as a landmark so I guess that's why I enjoy watching shows like this because it just brings back so many memories. When you got to the end of this part 1 in your series you mentioned Robinsons department store downtown and that was my very first place of employment when I moved from New York to Los Angeles.I remember the old wooden escalator and they had a Sundries Department imagine that.
I'm a huge movie buff! Used to go to Hollywood all the time. Read books on Lucille Ball, Clark Gable, Rock Hudson. And I find the old studio contract system fascinating. But Hollywood has gone crazy woke. Plus the movies for the most part are awful. One super hero movie after the other. I'm not sure if this industry will survive. They were in huge trouble in the 1960's but independent films such as Bonnie and Clyde helped pull them up. Hopefully they will get their act together. Nothing is ever too big and powerful to fail. Just look at Mero Goldwyn Mayer. MGM was once a powerhouse beyond belief. Now look at them. WE LOVE YOUR CHANNEL ❤❤ KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK 😊
Yes, Spill the tea Justin ☕️ love all the details of these stars back in the day. Your videos are extremely informative and fascinating to say the least. I find old Hollywood history extremely interesting. Excellent work, really appreciate all your hard work and detailed work.
That bank building, especially that magnificent mural in its totality is a work of high art. Kudos to all those involved with its planning and construction.
I stumbled upon ur channel w/this video and i was totally sucked in. I commend u for your smooth editing style - not all jumpy and hyper - and your attention to detail. You also have a wonderful raconteur voice. I loved this story and look forward to more.
Great job with this story. I appreciate your research, writing and storytelling plus filming! Love to see these locations now. Looking forward to more of your videos!
I'm sure that the Chase Bank building you included in the video was originally a Home Saving of America building. I worked for them and all their building were very impressive and always in the best locations. Great Video.
Thank You indeed. What an enjoyable, exhaustive, well-detailed post You made! I'm a Hollywood history "nerd" since my teens. Although being 52 y.o. nowadays, I continue having stimulated "hunger" about that issue, spanning the mere birth of a truly professional business, among allure and sociological worldwide impacts. Giorgio from Milan, Italy
Thanks for uploading this, I passed here so many times going to the movies or Amoeba or Avalon and I never knew I was using the location of Mary Pickford’s dressing room as a meetup location/ smoke spot. I did know it was the location of a former studio but I didn’t know how big of a deal it was. I love this
Highly recommended. I really appreciated the time , care & appreciation of it all. Also the editing- Telling the important parts of the story without dragging them out. It's rare I find these types of videos where people sincerely care. And you're also very talented at doing this type of thing. Thanks I didn't expect all that when I started these video.
This is amazing work, I LOVE your style, your tone, your knowledge is incredible and I love seeing all of these spots around L.A. and hearing these fascinating stories, thank you for your work!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for the time, effort and research that went into making this video, I found it very interesting and enjoyed it immensely, I love hearing about old Hollywood, also you have a great voice for narration,so I hope we see more. Thankyou from Australia 🇦🇺
Thank you so much for going to the locations and for doing so much research (wonderfully presented too, I must say). I look forward to watching the next part where the proverbial stuff might hit the fan, I fear! Much love and appreciation from a classic Hollywood fan from across the pond. xxx
So glad to see this one! One of Stevie Nicks' muses was Mabel Normand and she wrote a song about her, so I'm a bit familiar as Stevie has talked about her as an inspiration for the song. Good to know more!
Great video! 14:08 for Louise Brooks fans, she's in the lower right (publicity) photo standing on the ladder "painting" the barn - wearing high heels and ultra-chic flapper clothes and cloche hat lol. Sennett supposedly was NOT happy being surprised on "This is Your Life", it took a few minutes for him to warm up and smile when he recognized his old friends. He was scammed into appearing thinking he was going to be on a show with some title like "How to get your Book Published", presumably his memoir.
Great presentation. I love your style of story telling, and how you include all details. Thanks for your hard work, research and sharing. Much appreciated.
Very well done video. I really enjoyed the way you presented all aspects of the actors and the locations then and now . The mural near the end inspired the artist by the most blowhardy of reasons .
YOU Sir did so Well with this Documentary!!!!!! Explained so Well and included so many authentic photos and went into so much detail!! Thanks keep it up #SilentFilm Hollywood is the best. Keep it up omg
This is so lovely and delightful! Albeit, I am just in the history portion. I am just taken. It would be so much fun to take a tour with you! Thank you for curating this! ❤
Hello Justin...I just joined your channel!! I just finished watching your Whitley Heights series...cannot get enough of you !!! Please keep them coming as you are a naturally gifted story teller!!! Love, love love you!!!!
I find all this incredibly fascinating! Thank you, for the history class. This was an excellent video and you are incredibly articulate and knowledgeable. I have subscribed.🎉🎉
Very nicely done! For any and all interested, I read "Tinseltown" by Willian J. Mann last summer and it's quite the overview of the Desmond mystery. It includes the Olive Thomas and Roscoe Arbuckle scandals, as well as numerous others from the time. It also goes into great detail about the relationship between Zucker and Hays and the reality of the mounting pressure of making movies (and business empires) at the time. Mann doesn't pull any punches and he sheds a bit of light on the mystery of Desmond himself, who was possibly not the person whom most thought he was. Mann also proposes an interesting potential guilty party and their motivation.
I just watched all three of your videos and learned some things I had never heard before. I love the old photos of houses and neighborhoods. Your presentations are very professional and wonderfully narrated. Thank you for all the work you put into them! I grew up in Los Angeles in the 1950's and I cannot stand to drive around, remembering all the old places that have been replaced by ugly buildings and freeways. I lived there for 7 years taking care of my parents 2003-2010 and I got to where I quit going around Hollywood, because it was too depressing to see what it looks like now. I only went there to take the folks to lunch at Musso Franks and then straight home to Northridge. I first heard of William Desmond Taylor and his scandalous death in Kenneth Anger's book, "Hollywood Babylon" back in the 1960's. Then, about 30 years ago, I read "A Cast of Killers" by Sidney Kirkpatrick. A bit later, I read Adela Rogers St. Johns' "The Honeycomb," which gave her version of the Taylor scandal. The Anger book had Taylor as a heterosexual lothario who collected women's lingerie with labels affixed with names and dates of his conquests. This was the original version put out by studio chief Charlie Eyton. The Kirkpatrick book has Taylor living a closeted gay life, being blackmailed by Sands, with the ladies man cover story fed to the newspapers. St. Johns doesn't mention Taylor's sexuality, but she claims the pink frilly nighty with MMM embroidered on it wasn't made up because she says she saw it. You don't mention in any of your videos that Taylor was gay. King Vidor noted that actress Claire Windsor claimed that many women were friends with Bill Taylor but none of them slept with him and they didn't know of any woman who did. What is your opinion?
Hey I love that you brought this up. I did mention Taylor being gay in episode 2. It was during my visit to George Hopkins’ grave. I talked about how George wrote about their intimate relationship in his autobiography. We know that Taylor fathered a daughter for sure and we have George stating they were lovers. So we know at the very least Taylor was bisexual. It’s like you said though, one book paints him as a womanizing lothario and another has him cruising underground gay bars in LA. Both of those accounts seem to have been marinating in gossip. I was trying best to tell the story from what I’ve read in newspaper articles (many I featured) as opposed to telling it from gossip and heresy. I too read all of those books you’ve mentioned except for Adela’s. I would love to get a copy. I love A Cast of Killers (it was the first one I read) but it’s been proven to be full of errors. Still a fun read. I also loved Tinseltown but I didn’t love their theory and ending. Otherwise it was a fantastic read. I also love Hollywood Babylon but boy oh boy was Anger wrong about so so much. Still so much fun.
@@TheJustinRootShow That's right, I just re-watched #2 and indeed you did mention Taylor being gay. A century later, so much of this story has been marinating in gossip. When I first read the Anger book about 55 years ago, it was much more scandalous than it reads now. I was 20 years old and the story grabbed me right from the minute I read it. Why hadn't I ever heard about this!? And yes, if you look at it now, there is so much he got wrong. I think he was settling some old scores in writing it. I'm not as familiar with the mistakes in Kirkpatrick's book, and I gave away my copy years ago. "The Honeycomb" is an interesting book. This was supposedly the first time the Taylor scandal had been written about in a book. Adela didn't mention names and strongly implied that Charlotte Shelby did it. Adela's father and D.A. Thomas Woolwine were good friends. I wonder if Charlotte was paying him off?
@@lemorab1 So many questions and so many of them are forever unanswered. Hollywood Babylon seemed outrageous when I too read it in my 20’s. I’ll always be fascinated with this story and will probably always read whatever comes out about it.
you're a very good storyteller. this is the second video i've watched of yours. i'm having a hard time understanding the dislikes on the video. thank you!
Have you ever considered doing a deep dive video and research into the black dahlia? You’re so good at research and following details! I’m interested in what you might turn up in an investigation.
I’ve been studying Silent films for over 40 years and of all the people I’ve heard talk about this era, you are one of the most knowledgeable people and you presented so well thank you so much
Completely agree. Outstanding job Justin.
I worked in the Alvarado area and thank goodness people are staring to preserve those gorgeous homes still standing
Oh my goodness thank you so much for this amazing compliment. Apologies for just now seeing it. I thank you immensely.
Thank you so much!! Trully appreciated @@Scripts360
OMG! This is GOLD and you finally found your niche on TH-cam, Justin! Do not deviate from the topic of Hollywood murders. You make it so very interesting.
I'm kind of an old Hollywood nerd and a true crime nut, so I am fascinated by William's story. Thanks for sharing❤
Well thank you for watching. Really appreciate it.
I love the way you tell a story. Keep bringing more❤
Would love a Thelma Todd video. So much has been done on her, but with your talent, and research, you could put a unique spin on the story. Great job, you’ve found your gift!
i have seen the movie Hot toddy a story of thelma and the murder... have you seen it? loni anderson played thelma tood
She is definitely on my list! I saw the TV movie and have read a few things about her but would love to do a deep dive.
Love the before and after photos-what a difference 100 years make!
Same here! Could look at them all day.
It makes me sad. All our society cares about now is building up, replacing. It’s all about money. Not the art of Hollywood
Sad that in America nothing lasts....we destrou almost every neiborhood and famous building.... Europeans have much more respect and love of history
I’m crazy about Garbo as well as Valentino, they are my favorites. William Powell, Myrna Loy are divine. At one point, I tried to build my whole world around “vintage”; the clothes, cars, home furnishings, my surroundings, my 1830’s apartment, old music and movies. It’s been a wonderful obsession♥️. I just recently sold lots of my vintage clothing collection. But I still have all the really cool and rare pieces😃
And not in a good way.
This story is one of my favorite old Hollywood tales and what a treat to see the actual locations both then and now. Indeed one of the best parts of the early films (specifically Harold Lloyd's) is seeing the streets contemporary to his time. I hope you continue to make many more of these videos!
Thank you so much! I love Harold Lloyd too. ❤️
I have a Harold Lloyd picture framed in my home. Loved him as a kid.
@@akelly4207 He is fabulous! Even my teenage grandchildren have appreciated his movies.
This is the best type of video I have ever seen. I would of never known about these places even I’m a huge movie nut for silent movies an early talkies .
@@bjmartin5225 I know, right? I've read that the bungalows were torn down but couldn't quite picture the parking lot and how the houses were originally arranged. So good to see it all explained. Hollywood has so much history that has vanished.
Sunset Blvd is one of the greatest movie and Gloria Swanson performance is one of the great performance ever on screen. I didn't know about this murder of famous director in 1922. All the sites you have shown was amazing, the Chase Bank front with all the names and dedication still there is very nice. Thanks for all the history you had to track down for this story. Thanks, great work.
Justin, this locarion tour is fabulous! I couldnt stop watching until i had finished it. It's ovvious that you love LA. .A little story. I met my good friend Mark shortly after we both moved to Laa from the midwest in 1978. I moved back east twenty years later but Mark still lives in LA. We both immersed iurselves in LA, we both loved the place and its history. Mark once commented that his life was "a continuing love-hate affair with LA." I thought he nailed it.
Your videos bring back the fascination held for me when ai moced to LA after college. It was a fabulous time to luve there and both Matk and I made the absolute most of it. Just as you are doing now.
Keep up the great work and ignore the traffic. Everything else is wonderful!
Mark went on to earn a MFA in film
I fell in love with Silent Pictures way back in the very early 1960s when I was about 14-15 years old! There was a show on TV - maybe once a week (I’ve forgotten) called Silents, Please! And they showed nothing but silent films. I just found this video a few hours ago and I can’t wait till I click on Part 2!!!! Thank you so much for making this video and showing where the old studios once were!
I love Mabel Normand and William Desmond Taylor! Thank you so much for!
Edendale actually encompassed more than just the neighborhood that is now known as Echo Park - it was also what is now known as Los Feliz and Silverlake. As someone who was born in Hollywood and loves old movies, it's one of the reasons I love living in Edendale - it has fabulous history.
Across from our house in the "Silverlake Hills" was an old house, rather Italianate, in which a very old lady lived. Supposedly she had been a movie player who had worked at a studio over on Glendale Blvd, across from Tom Mix' ( one of the first Hollywood cowboys) stable where his famous horses were kept. The only studio I remember was there was Mack Sennett's but the lady across from us wasn't a comedienne. As a child I had been warned to never bother this lady, no noise, no stopping by to chat. In the early 1970s, it seems that she died, house and grounds were sold, demolished, robbed out of its fine accoutrements and fell into the hands of developers. Totally ruined the block.
So much early movie history over in the east side of LA and because a lot of it was just abandoned, it was left untouched for a long time.
addenda:
The Mixville studios (Tom Mix' place) is much more northerly than the Keystone studio.
mothgirl007 Very interesting to know that Los Feliz and Silverlake were also part of Edendale. I had never heard that. I think they should have left all of it to be called Edendale. I think it was a much prettier name than any of the other names it's called now. If I lived in any of those places, I would still refer to it as Edendale.
I kid you not I was literally on the treadmill at this Equinox on Selma/Vine when I watched this! What a great video, can't wait for the other parts. I have lived in LA for 25yrs and have always heard a loose tale of the first celebrity murder in Hollywood but never actually knew the story so this is fantastic! Thanks for creating and sharing this with us Justin! About to watch Part 2 rn!
O come ON. So you couldn’t have looked it up? Good grief 🙄🤣😂 I found 4 books on the murder at my library….in WI in 1983…..I became OBSESSED! I moved to LA in 1995….and a bit later I got re obsessed cuz of some awesome silent film sites in the early internet…..but apparently you weren’t THAT interested…..so your excitement ….doesn’t quite seem genuine. You act like….you’d heard rumors all the time but just couldn’t find any info….then this video in 2023 (🙄🤣😂)comes out and 💥 now I get to know the whole story!
Made me chuckle…..o the drama.
This is by far the most extensive account of this mystery I've ever encountered. Outstanding. And nice production values, too.
I am so glad to find this vlogs.....Very interesting to show the exact place it happen then and now. It is very educational to let us know the history back then. Imagine how it looks like back is way so different now.
Thank you for this. You've done an excellent job. Having lived on Whitley in Hollywood, Micheltorena in Silver Lake and S. Gramercy and S. Plymouth in the Hancock Park environs, many decades ago, I was always interested in the old Hollywood stories from my neighborhoods. You have done your research and have respectfully presented them as the history that we will now, not, lose.
Justin, as a decades long devotee of the Taylor Case I have to say Thank you for providing such a detailed tour of the many locations still in existence here in L.A.! Even though there has been no definitive explanation to the mystery of who shot WDT the fascination with both the murder and the cast of characters continues. Again, Thank You Justin!!
Justin: THIS is an amazing piece of work. You really need to be proud of it. I've watched it many times and pick up something new everytime. BTW, I think in my TH-cam account, I've left maybe 3 comments on people's videos. It's not something I do. KUDOS. I'm blown away from how good this documentary is
Oh, this is great! Transposing the old streets of Hollywood into today....quite sad it's all gone. I recently discovered that my great uncle, whom I did know, married a woman whose uncle left the East, along with his sister. He wound up being an extra in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in the famous tango scene and then later in the tango palace scene, dancing right behind Valentino. I have a short up showing who he is and am finishing up a video of my completed and posted blog post. Frank's sister was also in the business and I have posted pictures she took on the Our Gang set...Frank himself landed a job as a valet of some sort working for Hal Roach and I have posted pictures of him and his sister at Hal Roach's home first Hollywood home in the Berkeley Square development. Mary Miles Minter apparently led on Rudolph Valentino and his friend, letting them think she was interested in each of them...When they found out that she was exchanging love letters with both of them, well, that was the end of that!
AWESOME video. I knew a little bit about this story but not a lot. This helps put everything together. Seeing the present day location of some of these structures makes me sad! At least we have pictures.
First and foremost you did an incredible job. This has always been a story that I gravitate to. To see all of these places is a treat. I do live in LA and love to do drive by’s. To come across someone that likes the same with so much research and story telling is a gem. Thank you kindly. You now have a forever fan. Keep posting.
I couldn’t have said it better!
Keystone Cops and Keystone Studios started in Chicago on Keystone Ave. I'm from Chicago and I love that fact. Great video.
I wish someone would do biopics about Mabel and Mary Miles Minter. Hopefully some of Mabel's movies are on DVD.
There was a Mabel Normand movie on utube at one time, don’t remember the name.
Such a thoroughly comprehensive & delightful video. Thank you.
This is a Brilliant recantour's tale of the sad chapter which preceded the equally sad stories of Olive Thomas, Roscoe Arbuckle, Thomas Ince, Barbara Lamarr, and two of my favourites : Anita Berber & Jeanne Eagels.
Excellent job, and i hope You recount the above, mostly forgotten tales of truly talented actors, with the same attention to detail, on what remains of the bygone environs....
i simply ❤ how the camera just heart-breakingly scans the seemingly impenetrable gates to the Nirvana of Beautiful, luxurious mansions which harken back to the wondrously beguiling days of Hollywood's enchanting Beginnings....
Cheers,
Đan
It's a shame that they tore the bungalows down. People don't recognize their history anymore.
Imagine the home you grew up in demolished and replaced with a Taco Bell.😨
@@thegreencat9947yes and don't forget dollar stores, gas stations, and mini malls with liquor stores.
every single time they move the Olympics, they destroy multiple city blocks [aka "gentrification", those who worship gold $$ don't care about history]
Every time I read comments like this I wonder a couple of things. I wonder how much of your own money you are giving away and how long have you been a hoarder?
I totally agree with you in regards to the destruction of Hollywood Bungalows and Mansions and let's not forget the famous restaurants.
The fact that Hollywood's fascinating history is almost gone is such a shame.
I would loved to have been in Hollywood during it's heyday not just because of it's movie stars but the Architecture design's of the houses and places of interest.
The other area I find frustrating is the fact a nice big museum based on Hollywood has never been built and it most likely won't. Big Travesty !!
I'm really enjoying this and you're doing an excellent job.. I lived in the Los Feliz Hills on Sunset Drive around 1970 then it was a very unpretentious Bohemian Enclave with a lot of old actors and writers my ex-husband being one and I do remember walking down to that motion picture Studio and I really didn't know what it was all about then I think it was near Hyperion and it had an old wooden gate in the very front one that a person could easily enter into but of course I had no interest in doing that but it just had such a history as did the neighborhood I lived in I also worked around Hollywood and Vine at the Max Factor Studio around that time and worked at Studios and lived across the street from the Selznick Studios one of those historic Cottages that were then moved to the inside of the studio as a landmark so I guess that's why I enjoy watching shows like this because it just brings back so many memories. When you got to the end of this part 1 in your series you mentioned Robinsons department store downtown and that was my very first place of employment when I moved from New York to Los Angeles.I remember the old wooden escalator and they had a Sundries Department imagine that.
Wow u lived in the Los Felix House ??
Great detailed explanation of the story. Compelling.
I'm a huge movie buff! Used to go to Hollywood all the time. Read books on Lucille Ball, Clark Gable, Rock Hudson. And I find the old studio contract system fascinating. But Hollywood has gone crazy woke. Plus the movies for the most part are awful. One super hero movie after the other. I'm not sure if this industry will survive. They were in huge trouble in the 1960's but independent films such as Bonnie and Clyde helped pull them up. Hopefully they will get their act together. Nothing is ever too big and powerful to fail. Just look at Mero Goldwyn Mayer. MGM was once a powerhouse beyond belief. Now look at them. WE LOVE YOUR CHANNEL ❤❤ KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK 😊
Yes, Spill the tea Justin ☕️ love all the details of these stars back in the day. Your videos are extremely informative and fascinating to say the least. I find old Hollywood history extremely interesting. Excellent work, really appreciate all your hard work and detailed work.
That bank building, especially that magnificent mural in its totality is a work of high art. Kudos to all those involved with its planning and construction.
I stumbled upon ur channel w/this video and i was totally sucked in. I commend u for your smooth editing style - not all jumpy and hyper - and your attention to detail. You also have a wonderful raconteur voice. I loved this story and look forward to more.
Great job with this story. I appreciate your research, writing and storytelling plus filming! Love to see these locations now. Looking forward to more of your videos!
Wow! Thank you for doing this. Sad to see the Sennet studio reduced to a storage place.
I'm sure that the Chase Bank building you included in the video was originally a Home Saving of America building. I worked for them and all their building were very impressive and always in the best locations. Great Video.
Thanks for the time and research you put into this. Living in SoCal you sometimes forget all of the history that surrounds you. Kudos!
Thank you!!! We are surrounded by sooo much history too.
Thank you for posting this! Years ago, I read Sidney Kirkpatrick's book "A Cast of Killers" about this event. So interesting! I'm on my way to Part 2.
Thank You indeed. What an enjoyable, exhaustive, well-detailed post You made! I'm a Hollywood history "nerd" since my teens. Although being 52 y.o. nowadays, I continue having stimulated "hunger" about that issue, spanning the mere birth of a truly professional business, among allure and sociological worldwide impacts. Giorgio from Milan, Italy
Thanks for uploading this, I passed here so many times going to the movies or Amoeba or Avalon and I never knew I was using the location of Mary Pickford’s dressing room as a meetup location/ smoke spot. I did know it was the location of a former studio but I didn’t know how big of a deal it was. I love this
You tell a story very well! Looking forward to watching parts 2 and 3.
Wow, thank you, Mr. Root! I have been fascinated with the silent era and this murder mystery. What a treat your video is!
Great documentary and love all the information you have given. Great job!!
Highly recommended. I really appreciated the time , care & appreciation of it all. Also the editing- Telling the important parts of the story without dragging them out. It's rare I find these types of videos where people sincerely care. And you're also very talented at doing this type of thing. Thanks I didn't expect all that when I started these video.
It's Sad that the bungalows are no longer There thanks for the Informative videos.
I don't really know who these actresses are, but you make me wanna know more about them. Fascinating story. You have a new subscriber.
Would love to see your take on the death of George Reeves, TV's Superman, who died of a gunshot wound in Benedict Canyon. Another series?
It’s on my list actually. I’ve always been fascinated with it and the house is still there too!
Very haunted 👻
This is amazing work, I LOVE your style, your tone, your knowledge is incredible and I love seeing all of these spots around L.A. and hearing these fascinating stories, thank you for your work!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for the time, effort and research that went into making this video, I found it very interesting and enjoyed it immensely, I love hearing about old Hollywood, also you have a great voice for narration,so I hope we see more. Thankyou from Australia 🇦🇺
Thank you so much for going to the locations and for doing so much research (wonderfully presented too, I must say). I look forward to watching the next part where the proverbial stuff might hit the fan, I fear!
Much love and appreciation from a classic Hollywood fan from across the pond. xxx
This was a very interesting and enjoyable video series. Please keep it up. We are new fans!
So glad to see this one! One of Stevie Nicks' muses was Mabel Normand and she wrote a song about her, so I'm a bit familiar as Stevie has talked about her as an inspiration for the song. Good to know more!
Much respect , your voice sounds like Mr.Rodgers to me , calming ty
Boy oh boy if the other parts are near as fun and juicy as this part....
You have a new subscriber. Great work!
Well done Justin.
Great video! 14:08 for Louise Brooks fans, she's in the lower right (publicity) photo standing on the ladder "painting" the barn - wearing high heels and ultra-chic flapper clothes and cloche hat lol. Sennett supposedly was NOT happy being surprised on "This is Your Life", it took a few minutes for him to warm up and smile when he recognized his old friends. He was scammed into appearing thinking he was going to be on a show with some title like "How to get your Book Published", presumably his memoir.
Great stuff! I love these early Hollywood scandals. Any chance of something on the Jean Harlow - Paul Bern mystery?
Seconded! That one was an interesting story
Oh! That’s a good one. His old house is very haunted too 👻
@@samanthab1923 Yes, Sharon Tate said she saw Bern's ghost when she was staying there with Jay Sebring.
@@tedbishop567 Yes! That’s right. Plus the last time I saw the house on a ghost show, it had that look & setting
I am sooooo glad TH-cam suggested your channel...so entertaining/informational/well researched/excellently crafted!!!
Hello how are you doing?
I read a book about this and was dying to see the location. Thanks for doing this!!
You’re so welcome. Glad you got to see them.
My kind of documentary...thank you. And 3 parts....something I can sink my teeth into. Yahoo!
Fantastic job! Subscribed and shared, notifications on. Thank you!
Great presentation. I love your style of story telling, and how you include all details. Thanks for your hard work, research and sharing. Much appreciated.
Very well done video. I really enjoyed the way you presented all aspects of the actors and the locations then and now . The mural near the end inspired the artist by the most blowhardy of reasons .
This video is absolutely fascinating! Thank you so much! as a student of history in general I found this to be most interesting!
YOU Sir did so Well with this Documentary!!!!!! Explained so Well and included so many authentic photos and went into so much detail!! Thanks keep it up #SilentFilm Hollywood is the best. Keep it up omg
This is so lovely and delightful! Albeit, I am just in the history portion. I am just taken.
It would be so much fun to take a tour with you!
Thank you for curating this! ❤
Your story is just wonderful! You’re a great storyteller. And the old photos are absolutely priceless. I just subscribed. ❤️❤️❤️
Justin truly love your videos and knowledge of old Hollywood👍🏻
Fascinating!
Hello Justin...I just joined your channel!! I just finished watching your Whitley Heights series...cannot get enough of you !!! Please keep them coming as you are a naturally gifted story teller!!! Love, love love you!!!!
I find all this incredibly fascinating! Thank you, for the history class. This was an excellent video and you are incredibly articulate and knowledgeable. I have subscribed.🎉🎉
This is fascinating. Thank you for all of the time and effort you put into this! It's magnificent!
Omg I came across your channel,and boy oh boy I love it!!!!!! Thank for your hard work,can’t wait for more stories like this ❤❤❤❤❤
Hi how are you doing?
Very nicely done! For any and all interested, I read "Tinseltown" by Willian J. Mann last summer and it's quite the overview of the Desmond mystery. It includes the Olive Thomas and Roscoe Arbuckle scandals, as well as numerous others from the time. It also goes into great detail about the relationship between Zucker and Hays and the reality of the mounting pressure of making movies (and business empires) at the time. Mann doesn't pull any punches and he sheds a bit of light on the mystery of Desmond himself, who was possibly not the person whom most thought he was. Mann also proposes an interesting potential guilty party and their motivation.
New sub here. I absolutely love this video, jam-packed with details.
Been watching 5 minutes. I love this channel
You should have a million subs for the quality of these videos! 👍 fab!
There's Dutch film museum has one of the only prints of an MMM film that hasn't been seen in 94 years. My hope is I get to see it in my lifetime.
Great video! Love the content and the way you deliver it; keep up the good work.
Very well narration on the stories with details...
This is absolutely fantastic. Im so glad I was suggested this. Bravo.
I’ve just stumbled on your channel and LOVE it! Thanks so much for sharing these images and stories. It must be a passion project for you.
Just discovered your channel and had to subscribe. 😊❤.now I m making up for lost time and Bing watching. You are awesome 👌
Very well researched and narrated. Keep going!
Thank you so much for this delightful video. I love your attention to detail and in depth research.
This is so good I love it wonderful work so much information thank you! (Subscribed)
Wonderful information on the history of the studio landmarks. Thank you
Excellent work.
I just watched all three of your videos and learned some things I had never heard before. I love the old photos of houses and neighborhoods. Your presentations are very professional and wonderfully narrated. Thank you for all the work you put into them!
I grew up in Los Angeles in the 1950's and I cannot stand to drive around, remembering all the old places that have been replaced by ugly buildings and freeways. I lived there for 7 years taking care of my parents 2003-2010 and I got to where I quit going around Hollywood, because it was too depressing to see what it looks like now. I only went there to take the folks to lunch at Musso Franks and then straight home to Northridge.
I first heard of William Desmond Taylor and his scandalous death in Kenneth Anger's book, "Hollywood Babylon" back in the 1960's. Then, about 30 years ago, I read "A Cast of Killers" by Sidney Kirkpatrick. A bit later, I read Adela Rogers St. Johns' "The Honeycomb," which gave her version of the Taylor scandal. The Anger book had Taylor as a heterosexual lothario who collected women's lingerie with labels affixed with names and dates of his conquests. This was the original version put out by studio chief Charlie Eyton. The Kirkpatrick book has Taylor living a closeted gay life, being blackmailed by Sands, with the ladies man cover story fed to the newspapers. St. Johns doesn't mention Taylor's sexuality, but she claims the pink frilly nighty with MMM embroidered on it wasn't made up because she says she saw it. You don't mention in any of your videos that Taylor was gay. King Vidor noted that actress Claire Windsor claimed that many women were friends with Bill Taylor but none of them slept with him and they didn't know of any woman who did. What is your opinion?
Hey I love that you brought this up. I did mention Taylor being gay in episode 2. It was during my visit to George Hopkins’ grave. I talked about how George wrote about their intimate relationship in his autobiography. We know that Taylor fathered a daughter for sure and we have George stating they were lovers. So we know at the very least Taylor was bisexual. It’s like you said though, one book paints him as a womanizing lothario and another has him cruising underground gay bars in LA. Both of those accounts seem to have been marinating in gossip. I was trying best to tell the story from what I’ve read in newspaper articles (many I featured) as opposed to telling it from gossip and heresy.
I too read all of those books you’ve mentioned except for Adela’s. I would love to get a copy. I love A Cast of Killers (it was the first one I read) but it’s been proven to be full of errors. Still a fun read. I also loved Tinseltown but I didn’t love their theory and ending. Otherwise it was a fantastic read. I also love Hollywood Babylon but boy oh boy was Anger wrong about so so much. Still so much fun.
@@TheJustinRootShow That's right, I just re-watched #2 and indeed you did mention Taylor being gay. A century later, so much of this story has been marinating in gossip. When I first read the Anger book about 55 years ago, it was much more scandalous than it reads now. I was 20 years old and the story grabbed me right from the minute I read it. Why hadn't I ever heard about this!? And yes, if you look at it now, there is so much he got wrong. I think he was settling some old scores in writing it. I'm not as familiar with the mistakes in Kirkpatrick's book, and I gave away my copy years ago. "The Honeycomb" is an interesting book. This was supposedly the first time the Taylor scandal had been written about in a book. Adela didn't mention names and strongly implied that Charlotte Shelby did it. Adela's father and D.A. Thomas Woolwine were good friends. I wonder if Charlotte was paying him off?
@@lemorab1 So many questions and so many of them are forever unanswered. Hollywood Babylon seemed outrageous when I too read it in my 20’s. I’ll always be fascinated with this story and will probably always read whatever comes out about it.
@@TheJustinRootShow Kenneth Anger lied about sooooooo many things in his book - entertaining but total trash, imho.
I used to live a half mile from Mabel's old home in Staten Island. I can confirm its as "want to get away from" -able now as then. 😂
Very well-researched episode. I learned many historical tidbits. New subscriber here looking forward to your other episodes.
This is an excellent video and I have just subscribed. Thank you for a great channel! 😊
Love these! New fan for sure. Great history too.
It's too bad they tore those houses and Bungalow down. Desmond's home was not old.
You have a wonderful speaking voice!❤
you're a very good storyteller. this is the second video i've watched of yours. i'm having a hard time understanding the dislikes on the video.
thank you!
Absolutely love your very informative videos. I have been a fan of silent through to 1930's movie.
Damn Mary, I grew up until 13 yrs old Shreveport La where I'd did plenty of stage plays ❤❤❤
Just "DISCOVERED" you!!
Subscribed❤
Excellent research & production.
🙌🙌👏👏👏
Very Interesting! Just found this Blog. I Subscribed Today!
Have you ever considered doing a deep dive video and research into the black dahlia? You’re so good at research and following details! I’m interested in what you might turn up in an investigation.
Just found you and subbed. I had never heard of this story. Thank you ❤