After we had seen the Playboy Mansion and had our chance encounter with Brian Wilson on the morning of Monday, October 6, 2008, Jimmy, Dick, and I – while in the Beverly Hills area – decided to stop by the Will Rogers Memorial Park and check out the surroundings. Yes, this park is best known for the incident in which Wham frontman George Michael was arrested in the men’s room for acts we won’t go into here – but to me, it was more significant as being the spot where Laurel and Hardy filmed the opening scenes of their 1932 feature Pack Up Your Troubles.
The park is a small one, located on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. Although we all three put our head together, we could not derive one single thought – at least about where the scenes were actually shot. The park had changed much during the intervening 75 years and virtually the only landmarks other than trees and grass visible in the film are the Beverly Hotel in the background (which has also changed), sidewalks which may or may not have been changed, moved, or removed, and a fountain and possible pond which has doubtlessly been renovated as well.
Laurel and Hardy in the park in Pack Up Your Troubles
The park is today the Will Rogers Memorial Park
In fact the whole park was currently under renovation and was actually closed to the public. Fortunately we all had the guts to get down and dirty in Beverly Hills and cross over the plastic fences meant to keep us out. About the only thing that we can now say with certainty is that Laurel and Hardy’s two park bench scenes were absolutely and positively shot in three different locations, two at the park and one at an altogether different location (the very opening shot shows them overlooking what appears to be the ocean!). This is one we may never totally solve, but the photos below indicate the most likely locations that we can determine.
In spot #1 with the fountain in the background
Best guess of spot # 1, note the fenced in (under renovation) fountain area in the background on the right. The Beverly Hotel can be seen above the trees.
Spot #2, with the Beverly Hotel in background
Best guess of spot #2. The Hotel is obscured by the trees
After our visit to the Will Rogers park, Jimmy and I dropped Dick off and awaited the call from Adam Sadowsky who we would be meeting for lunch. While we waited, we decided to park and walk around a bit in Beverly Hills. Dick had told us that scenes from another Hal Roach short subject starring the comedy team of Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts and entitled Sneak Easily (1932) were shot in front of the Beverly Hills City Hall. I had my picture taken in front of it and then upon my return home located the film and captured the frames below.
Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd exit the ‘courthouse’ to put Zasu in an ambulance in Sneak Easily
Billy Gilbert and James C. Morton chase after the ambulance…
…past the left wing of the ‘courthouse’
The courthouse is actually the City Hall, virtually unchanged over 75 years later
And finally, the opening scene of Laurel and Hardy’s Busy Bodies had been filmed on Canon Drive as they jubilantly drove their Model T down the street at the beginning of their 1933 film. There were no real landmarks visible in the film (save one house which may or may not still be standing), but the alternating large and small palm trees lining the road are unmistakable. I quickly darted out into the traffic to get a photo on Canon Drive.
The boys on a sunny afternoon in 1933 in the film Busy Bodies
75 years later…just as sunny…just as dumb looking
Jimmy and I then headed back over to Beverly Drive to see if we might happen to spot Dick Van Dyke again, who, if he had been dining, would surely have been done by then. We never found him and were in the midst of browsing the shops when Adam called. We arranged to meet for lunch at Jerry’s Famous Deli and Jimmy and I headed out of Beverly Hills.
Although these Laurel and Hardy locations were mostly inconclusive as to the precise spot of filming, they were necessary additions to my location repertoire and it was nice to finally stop off and grab a few photos.
Next up: a lunch I’ll never forget…
This is great, Brad! Thanks for posting it. Get a load of this shot of the camera crew filming Stan and Babe on that “Busy Bodies” tracking shot:
http://tinyurl.com/4phug3
Randy Skretvedt
December 18th, 2008
So good to see these locations as they are today, I never knew where the park was filmed until Lois mentioned it- we drove past there several times on the buses and tours
Lucy
December 23rd, 2008
Do you know the exact location for “Two Tars” automible scene. It says Santa Monica, and I can see Palos Verdes in the back ground. But I do not reconize the hill behind them. I was born and raised in LA, so I do notice a lot of locations i all the classic movies. Thank You.
Larry
November 16th, 2011
the “car fight” was filmed on centinela avenue about where the santa monica airport is now
david brew
November 20th, 2012
anybody know the location of the lumber yard in “busy bodies”?
david brew
November 20th, 2012
The exterior scenes at the lumber yard were filmed on the Hal Roach Studios backlot.
Brad
November 20th, 2012