"Luke's Movie Muddle"

The nine minute Harold Lloyd film "Luke's Movie Muddle" (Rolin Films, 1916) was shot at the Hollywood Theatre, 6764 Hollywood Blvd. Here Lloyd is fighting with a policeman about how far out on the sidewalk he can place his Pathé sign. The sidewalk tile says "Hollywood Theatre."

Lloyd plays a theatre owner who also has to usher and run the boxoffice as well as putting up with an incompetent projectionist. Also featured are Bebe Daniels and Snub Pollard. Hal Roach directed. 

Moving the sign back to get it off the sidewalk. 

A view of one of the columns at the side of the entrance as the policeman checks on Lloyd.

A customer at the boxoffice of the Hollywood.

As soon as he sells a ticket he runs over to be the ticket taker.  

Well, at least the exteriors were shot at the Hollywood Theatre. The interiors we see in this film are quite different than the interior views we see in the 1916 Lois Weber film "Idle Wives." See the post about that film for many shots. If we assume "Wives" was shot inside the Hollywood, it's unknown where Lloyd did this one.

Perhaps the interiors were done at Hollywood's other movie theatre, the Iris. The location of the Iris Theatre that was open at the time of the filming was at 6417 Hollywood Blvd., just east of the lot where the Warner opened in 1928. John Bengtson notes that it was most likely a set constructed someplace as that was the case for most interiors seen in silent films due to lighting considerations.

Lloyd as usher showing the patron to a seat. 

A view of the rear of the auditorium and the ladder to the booth. The open door goes to the boxoffice. Here Lloyd is behind the lady he's escorting to a seat. Note the mural on the house left wall. 

Lloyd later gets more violent -- not ushering but rather throwing and shoving his patrons into place. The seats are just folding chairs.

Another look at the murals on the side wall of the auditorium.

Back in the boxoffice at the Hollywood again -- between fights with the patrons and projectionist. 

"Snub" Pollard as the projectionist covered with a mountain of film. Note the trap door and ladder on the right.

Pollard falling down the ladder onto a customer. 

Another booth view -- with the customer coming up to retaliate. 

Lloyd in the booth for a chat with his projectionist. 

A bit of piano tuning before the show. 

Finally getting a picture on the screen. 

Pollard with a frying pan in his left hand, getting ready to cook an egg on top of his lamphouse. The film ends with Lloyd and Pollard trying to strangle each other on the floor at the back of the auditorium. The customers have all left after a little fire incident. Thanks to Jonathan Raines for spotting the film as featuring the Hollywood Theatre.

Silent film detective John Bengtson has the Hollywood as #19 on his "Hollywood's Silent Echos: A Tour of Silent-era Hollywood Film Locations." It's a pdf attached to the Silent Locations blog. It was assembled as a bonus following a talk he gave at the 2013 TCM Festival. He's the author of "Silent Visions: Discovering Early Hollywood and New York through the Films of Harold Lloyd" as well as several other books about early film.

The film is available on YouTube in several versions from Change Before Going, CBGP Silents and Padamson, the latter one including the opening title cards.

See the page about the Hollywood Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more about the 1913 vintage building.

On IMDb: "Luke's Movie Muddle"