STEAMBOAT BILL,

JR. (1928)

Buster Keaton filmed Steamboat Bill, Jr. in Sacramento, California

The movie begins with a panning shot shot from the American River to the right, across the tip of Discovery Park, to the Sacramento River on the left.

The large sets were constructed along the west bank of the Sacramento River.

The falling house set was built here. It does not appear in this photo, suggesting it may have been devised after production began.

The state capitol stands barely one mile away.

When the new paddle wheel ship arrives, we can see four tall pipes for the city water filtration plant (box), and an extant water intake tower (oval) in the background

Buster arrives by train at the former Freeport station south of town. The town set (oval) appears at the top.

The station is gone, but the tracks are still in occasional use. The tracks are elevated because they run along the top of a river levee.

Buster is walking towards the jail built set at the far north end of the river front set. Looking south, we see the four tall pipes from the water treatment plant.

At the far distance is a shape that looks like a tall building.

It is a tall building, the 926 J Street Building that opened in 1926 at the corner of 10th and J Streets.

The jail cell set (purple bar) lines up directly with the office building.

The left circle marks the tip of Discovery Park where the opening was filmed, the right circle marks the capitol building.

1919, a year before Buster took over this small studio. The fence had this atypical pattern.

Coincidentally, Charlie Chaplin filmed his Mutual comedies here in 1916-1917. The fence at back appears in Steamboat Bill, Jr.

When Buster climbs over a gate at the end of the film, it was his own studio fence. This is perhaps the final scene Buster filmed at his independent studio before moving to MGM.

© 2011 John Bengtson, all rights reserved.

THE END

John@SilentEchoes.net