CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION
PART ONE: A BRIEF HISTORY
PART TWO: INSIDE THE MUSEUM
VISITOR INFORMATION

WHERE THE HECK IS NILES?

Before I tell you a little of that tale, let's take a moment out for a quick geography lesson. Niles is located in the southeastern corner of the San Francisco Bay Area and is an historic district of Fremont. Today, Niles is a roughly 16 square block area of historic buildings housing boutiques, restaurants and craft stores, but back at the turn of the 20th Century, the tiny community was a railroad town serving the needs of farmers who grew grapes, olives and nursery plants in the surrounding hills.

HOW THE FLICKERS CAME TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Back in the 1900s, the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was headquartered in Chicago. The studio derived its unusual name from the first letters of the founding partners' last names: S for George K. Spoor and A for Gilbert M. Anderson. In addition to being a partner in the firm, Anderson was also one of the studio's leading stars, billed in Essanay's popular western photoplays as "Broncho Billy." In addition to western shoot-em-ups, the studio also produced a variety of dramatic films and the very successful Snakeville Comedies series.

George K. Spoor (left) was a showman and early motion picture distributor. Gilbert M. Anderson (right) was an actor/director who got his start in motion pictures with the Edison Film Company and Vitagraph. Together, Spoor and Anderson formed the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company in 1907.

Photos courtesy of the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum

In the earliest days of the motion picture industry the biggest and most successful studios were located in New York, New Jersey and Chicago. All of these studios had one problem in common: the east coast and midwestern winter weather made it difficult to meet production schedules because making movies relied on natural sunlight in outdoor studios. As a result, many studios looked to the west for locations with more sunshine and fewer cloudy days during the winter months.

In much the same way as Jesse Lasky would send C. B. DeMille and actor, Dustin Farnum, west in 1914 to make The Squaw Man, Anderson headed west in 1912 with a crew of 52 Essanay technicians and actors to set up shop in sunnier climes. Since "Broncho Billy" was particularly interested in making western films, he looked for a rural location with scenery appropriate to his needs. When he got off the train in Niles, he figured he was in cowboy country.

After discussing matters with the Niles city fathers, who were quite agreeable to the idea of a studio that would bring new money into town, Anderson set up shop in an old barn and began making movies. In October, 1912 Spoor came out to Niles, where he and Anderson agreed on a plan. Essanay's headquarters would remain in Chicago with Spoor running the business end of things from there while Anderson built a full-scale motion picture production facility in Niles.

Completed in June, 1913, Essanay's $50,000 studio was immediately put into service, cranking out from two to five fifteen minute one-reelers a week. The studio's roster of employees working in Niles grew to 80 with an annual payroll of $200,000. The flickers had arrived in northern California!

Essanay's Niles facility: The main building measured 200-feet by 50-feet with a glass-roofed interior studio immediately behind it. The smaller white building on the right was the studio's stable (you can't shoot horse operas without horses) which also housed a blacksmith shop. The cottages across the back of the facility housed actors and technicians. In the foreground you can see the train tracks that brought "Broncho Billy" and his crew to Niles.

Photo courtesy of the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum.

A MOTION PICTURE LEGEND GROWS TO STARDOM IN NILES

In December of 1914 Charles Chaplin signed a one-year contract with Essanay. He left Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios in Hollywood and traveled east to make a film at Essanay's Chicago facility. Unhappy with that arrangement, Chaplin moved to the Niles studio and made the remainder of his 14 Essanay films there.

Despite the fact that Chaplin left Essanay after only one year, that year turned out to be significant for both the actor and the studio. First, Essanay allowed Chaplin more creative control of his films which gave him the opportunity to fully develop his signature character, The Little Tramp. The first film featuring the tramp character (Kid Auto Races at Venice) was made at Keystone in 1914, but Chaplin fleshed out the character and gave him the pathos element that made the tramp a legendary screen icon while at Essanay.

It was also during his year with Essanay that Chaplin began developing the stock company of players that would become so familiar to his fans during the coming years. This group included the woman who would star as his leading lady in 35 films during the next eight years, Edna Purviance. Edna played the love interest in Chaplin's movies, as well as in his personal life.

From Essanay's point of view, 1915 was a significant year because the studio's income hit an all-time high, largely due to the success of Chaplin's films. It was for this reason that the popular actor made new salary demands when his Essanay contract came to an end in December, 1915. He wanted $10,000/week with a signing bonus of $150,000, a significant increase over the $75,000 (including bonus) Essanay paid him during 1915.

For several reasons George Spoor rejected Chaplin's demands and Essanay's relationship with The Little Tramp came to and end. Having gained immense popularity with movie fans, however, Chaplin had no trouble finding a studio willing to meet his salary requirements. Chaplin returned to Hollywood and signed a contract with the Mutual Film Corporation that ultimately amounted to $670,000/year, making 26-year-old Charles Chaplin one the highest paid individuals in the world.

Charles Chaplin as his signature character, The Little Tramp. During a career that spanned about eight decades, Chaplin made a total of 82 films, at least ten of which featured him in the role of the beloved tramp.

Photo believed to be in the public domain

THE REST OF THE STORY

The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company operated from 1907 until 1918, when it became part of American Vitagraph Studios, which was ultimately absorbed into Warner Bros. So, needless to say, there's a good deal more the the Essanay story than we've presented here.

For the rest of that story, I recommend Broncho Billy and the Essanay Film Company, a book by David Kiehn. This comprehensive history of Essanay is available through the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum on-line store or from Amazon.

MOTION PICTURE HISTORY IN AN HISTORIC THEATER

Before we enter the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, I should mention that the building housing the museum has an interesting history of its own. Back in 1913, this small storefront on the main street of Niles was one of a chain of motion picture theaters owned and operated by the Edison company. Silent films (mostly 15-minute one-reel shorts) were shown in the theater on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

While all that remains today of the original theater is a row of seats, part of the building has been returned to the purpose it served a hundred years ago. The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum has acquired a collection of about 8,000 silent film titles, which are shown with live music accompaniment on Saturday nights. See the visitor information panel at the end of this article for the details.

Back in 1913, the Edison Theater, which now houses the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, was a major entertainment center in rural Niles, California.

Photo by author

WHAT YOU'LL FIND INSIDE THE MUSEUM

The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum primarily consists of six unique areas. For the purposes of this article, we'll call them:

As you walk through the front door, you'll see a long hall ahead of you. This is the gallery and it contains period photographs and memorabilia associated with Essanay's history in Niles.

While visitors are certainly welcome to wander through the gallery on their own, I recommend going into the museum store (to your right from the entrance) and inquiring about hooking up with a docent for a tour. Tours are handled on an informal basis, so a docent might be available right away, or you might need to kill a little time (the museum store is a great place to do that) until a docent finishes a tour that's already started.

The reason for this suggestion is that signage is almost nonexistent in the museum and, unless you are an expert on the silent film era and its equipment, much of what you'll see will have little meaning. The good news is the volunteer docents are among the most knowledgeable folks I know when it comes to silent films and Essanay. Trust me, taking a tour will prove fascinating and even downright amazing.

Speaking of tours, what follows here is a virtual tour of the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. Call it a teaser to whet your appetite for what you'll see when you visit the museum in person.

GALLERY:

This is the view of the gallery that greets you when you enter the museum. The photos on the walls chronicle much of Essanay's history.

Photo by author

GALLERY:

Many citizens of Niles sat in these seats to watch motion pictures back in 1913. They are the only furnishings left from the Edison Theater. The items displayed on the seats are props and artifacts representative of those used by Charlie Chaplin, Broncho Billy and other Essanay players.

Photo by author

GALLERY:

Displays like this one show off memorabilia of the silent era, including reproductions of Essanay lobby posters.

Photo by author

THEATER:

You'll probably find the theater empty unless you happen to visit the museum on a Saturday night, in which case the room will be occupied by silent film fans enjoying the like of Laurel & Hardy, Harold Lloyd or Clara Bow cavorting on the screen to the accompaniment of a live pianist, just as they did in this same spot a century ago.

Photo by author

EQUIPMENT ROOM:

The equipment room contains many fascinating items including several silent era cameras of the sort that captured moving pictures of Broncho Billy and Charlie Chaplin for their Essanay films. In those days the film in these cameras was hand-cranked by camera operators to whom a sense of rhythm was as valuable as a good eye. Even minor variances in the speed at which the camera was cranked could ruin an otherwise perfect take . . . and a lot of valuable film.

Photo by author

EQUIPMENT ROOM:

In the days of silent film theaters, projectors occasionally malfunctioned and damaged the film prints being shown. When such incidents occurred, the projectionist would splice the film back together and go on with the show, discarding the damaged film. These bits and pieces of original silent film--apparently victims of projector malfunctions--were found by museum workers when the projection booth was restored.

Photo by author

EQUIPMENT ROOM:

The legend on this silent era camera case explained what was going on to curious folks who happened upon a location shoot. Such incidents were quite common in and around Niles during Essanay's time there.

Photo by author

PROJECTION BOOTH:

The first silent film projectors were hand-cranked in much the same way cameras of the era were operated. This is an example of such a projector. The crank, which unfortunately can't be seen in this photo, is on the other side of the metal-colored film box in the upper left of the picture. The large black box at the rear of the projector contained a carbon arc lamp, the projector's light source. The gold-colored lens to the right of the complex-looking film mechanism was used for projecting lantern slides. The black box containing the light source slid on rails to line up with the lantern slide lens. Lantern slides were used during intermissions to project announcements, local advertising, and the lyrics to songs for audience sing-alongs, a popular theater amusement of the day.

Photo by author

PROJECTION BOOTH:

More modern projectors driven by electric motors have replaced the old hand-crank models originally used in the Edison Niles Theater. Note the tin shielding in this view of the projection booth's front wall. Motion picture film of the era consisted of an emulsion coating on a base of clear nitrate. Since nitrate is extremely flammable there was always a danger of the film catching fire. This was such a common occurrence that all interior surfaces of the projection booth were shielded with metal to protect the audience in the event of a film fire. In later years asbestos replaced metal shielding in most theaters. It goes without saying that smoking was strictly prohibited in the projection booth. (NOTE: The silent films shown today in the museum theater are celluloid safety film duplicates of the originals.)

Photo by author

MUSEUM STORE:

The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum store contains an excellent collection of books and other media pertaining to the silent film era, along with many books about the history of the San Francisco Bay Area. You'll also find a wide variety of souvenirs to take home as remembrances of your visit to the museum.

Photo by author

RESEARCH LIBRARY:

The museum's library contains a collection of books, documents and other resources relating to Essanay and the silent film era in general. These materials are available to anyone needing them for research purposes. Contact the museum (see the information panel below) for an appointment.

THAT'S A WRAP!

While the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum is a little off the beaten path, especially if you don't live in northern California, vintage film enthusiasts will find that a visit to the museum is well worth the trip. Essanay's unique history, an outstanding collection of artifacts, and knowledgeable docents guarantee you'll come away from the museum with a good deal more than you came in with. There's a lot of fascinating motion picture history packed into this old Edison theater!

Oh, and while you're in the museum store, pick up the two-buck pamphlet entitled Historic NILES California Walking Tour. Many of the homes and buildings that were in Niles a hundred years ago are still standing, including some of the Essanay crew cottages. This handy guide shows you how to find these historic sites. Also, with a little help from a museum docent, the pamphlet will guide you to the location where the memorable closing scene of The Tramp was filmed so you can top off your museum visit with a walk in Charlie Chaplin's footsteps.

NILES ESSANAY SILENT FILM MUSEUM & EDISON THEATER INFORMATION

Location & Mail Address: 37417 Niles Boulevard, Fremont, California 94536

Information Telephone: 510.494.1411 or 510.796.1940 (9:00 am - 5:00 PM Pacific Time Mon - Sat)

Website:

• Lobby
• Niles Essanay History
• Theater & Event Information
• Museum Store
• Membership Information
• Free eNewsreel (newsletter)

Museum Hours: Noon to 4:00 PM Saturday & Sunday

Museum Admission: Free (although donations are welcome)

Edison Theater Schedule: See website Theater & Event Information for the current schedule.

Edison Theater Admission: $5.00 donation

PLEASE NOTE:
The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum is a volunteer organization. Their website is a little worn and responses to mail and telephone inquires may take some time, but your patience will be rewarded.