Buster Keaton - The High Sign (1921) - Filming Locations

Watch the Quick Preview Video below, and scroll down for information about the filming locations.

Featured Filming Location Photo

The transformation of Venice Beach (Los Angeles)
The 1800 block of Ocean Front Walk in Venice Beach, Los Angeles
Venice Beach as it originally looked over 100 years ago, compared with the same view today. The only thing that's lasted at this filming location is the building on the left, 1811 Ocean Front Walk. Virtually unrecognizable today, the original building IS still there, buried under all that red painted stucco.

Historical Production & Location Reference

Film: The High Sign (1921)
Artist: Buster Keaton
Directors: Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline
Featured Historical Landmarks:
  • Venice Beach: The primary location for the film's iconic seaside sequences.
  • The Pike (Long Beach): The legendary amusement park area captured during the production's tour of the coast.
  • Moonstone Beach (Redondo Beach): A historic coastal site that famously featured a roller coaster, long since disappeared from the modern shoreline.

Production & Preservation Note: The High Sign serves as a fascinating map of the early 1920s Los Angeles coastline. While the fundamental geography endures, sites like the Moonstone Beach roller coaster and the original Pike amusement park highlight the transient nature of early-20th-century Southern California landmarks. This film remains a primary visual resource for understanding how these iconic spaces defined the era's recreational culture.

Buster is hired by a gang to assassinate a rival and... is hired by the target to be his personal body guard!

Where did Buster Keaton film The High Sign? This comedy short movie filmed all along the Los Angeles area coast, starting off in Redondo Beach, moving on to the Pike amusement park in Long Beach and ending up in Venice Beach. This Quick Preview Video above focuses on the scenes in Venice Beach.

The complete filming locations video is worth a look, though, as it provides some very interesting history on both the Moonstone Beach section of Redondo Beach (there used to be a roller coaster there called The Lightning Racer!) plus a look back at the historic Pike Amusement Park in Long Beach.

Buster Keaton, along with Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd are widely considered to be The Three Geniuses of Silent Film Comedy, and there's more filming locations then and now videos and photo galleries from their movies on the site here:

The Three Geniuses of Silent Film Comedy - Filming Locations Then and Now Videos and Photo Galleries

Member Exclusive - Full "Then and Now" Documentary

If you've made a small donation to the site and are a current member, you can view the COMPLETE filming locations video in The Three Geniuses Of Silent Comedy Filming Locations Videos section of the site by clicking here to Login and then clicking here:

Buster Keaton - The High Sign - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video


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