I'm kind of an old Hollywood nerd and a true crime nut, so I am fascinated by William's story. Thanks for sharing❤

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

Love the before and after photos-what a difference 100 years make!

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!

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!

Great detailed explanation of the story. Compelling.

This is by far the most extensive account of this mystery I've ever encountered. Outstanding. And nice production values, too.

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!

It's a shame that they tore the bungalows down. People don't recognize their history anymore.

Well done Justin.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

Keystone Cops and Keystone Studios started in Chicago on Keystone Ave. I'm from Chicago and I love that fact. Great video.

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.

This is fascinating. Thank you for all of the time and effort you put into this! It's magnificent!

Been watching 5 minutes. I love this channel

I wish someone would do biopics about Mabel and Mary Miles Minter. Hopefully some of Mabel's movies are on DVD.

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.

Much respect , your voice sounds like Mr.Rodgers to me , calming ty

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

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.

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 research. Thanks.

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

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

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.

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.

OMG! This is GOLD and you finally found your niche on KZfaq, Justin! Do not deviate from the topic of Hollywood murders. You make it so very interesting.

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?

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

Justin truly love your videos and knowledge of old Hollywood👍🏻

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!

Great stuff! I love these early Hollywood scandals. Any chance of something on the Jean Harlow - Paul Bern mystery?

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.

You tell a story very well! Looking forward to watching parts 2 and 3.

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

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 .

Very well-researched episode. I learned many historical tidbits. New subscriber here looking forward to your other episodes.

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!!

My kind of documentary...thank you. And 3 parts....something I can sink my teeth into. Yahoo!

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.

New sub here. I absolutely love this video, jam-packed with details.

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!!!!!!!

Fascinating!

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! ❤

Wow, thank you, Mr. Root! I have been fascinated with the silent era and this murder mystery. What a treat your video is!

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.

You should have a million subs for the quality of these videos! 👍 fab!

I love Mabel Normand and William Desmond Taylor! Thank you so much for!

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 Interesting! Just found this Blog. I Subscribed Today!

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.

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!!!!

This is absolutely fantastic. Im so glad I was suggested this. Bravo.

It's too bad they tore those houses and Bungalow down. Desmond's home was not old.

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 🇦🇺

I am sooooo glad KZfaq suggested your channel...so entertaining/informational/well researched/excellently crafted!!!

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 ❤❤❤❤❤

Your story is just wonderful! You’re a great storyteller. And the old photos are absolutely priceless. I just subscribed. ❤️❤️❤️

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.🎉🎉

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

Hi. I just checked if the Capitol Records building was still there, because at first, not seeing it on this video I thought it might have been destroyed, like so many artifacts from the past. I don't see it on this video, but I haven't arrived at the end, yet. Anyway, thanks for your stories about Hollywood. My Dad was a DP, and I've always been passionate about the real Hollywood, when they still cared about real issues and for most part turned out great movies!

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 KZfaq 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

Very interesting, great video 👍😁

Just found you and subbed. I had never heard of this story. Thank you ❤

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.

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.

Love these! New fan for sure. Great history too.

Just "DISCOVERED" you!! Subscribed❤ Excellent research & production. 🙌🙌👏👏👏

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.

Boy oh boy if the other parts are near as fun and juicy as this part.... You have a new subscriber. Great work!

Great videos, keep exploring! Greetings Tom Belgium.

Such a thoroughly comprehensive & delightful video. Thank you.

This video is absolutely fascinating! Thank you so much! as a student of history in general I found this to be most interesting!

Thanks for the time and research you put into this. Living in SoCal you sometimes forget all of the history that surrounds you. Kudos!

You do a great job!

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 😊

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!

Wow! Thank you for doing this. Sad to see the Sennet studio reduced to a storage place.

Great video! Love the content and the way you deliver it; keep up the good work.

Great documentary and love all the information you have given. Great job!!

Very well researched and narrated. Keep going!

This was a very interesting and enjoyable video series. Please keep it up. We are new fans!

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.

Excellent work.

Great content

It's Sad that the bungalows are no longer There thanks for the Informative videos.

I enjoyed this thanks. Not a fan of Hollywood or care at all about it, but the history along with the then and now locations were great.

This was really good! Enjoying it … onwards to part two …

Very well narration on the stories with details...

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?

5:29 thats a 1925-6 Chrysler Roadster, Silver Dome, hydraulic brakes.. Whoopie!

Thanks for this! 😊

Great content brother!

So well done! Thank you