Clara Bow – the girl with “It” (and boy did she have it), Western star Tom Mix, comic actors Laurel & Hardy, the distinguished stage actor William Farnum and others all shine brightly on the screen this month in Niles.
And once again, the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum in Fremont has put together a big calendar of screenings and events for the film enthusiast. It’s an ambitious program featuring many seldom screened works. Heck, they are even throwing in a few “talkies.” Here’s the schedule for July.
“Saturday Night at the Movies,” with Bruce Loeb at the piano
Saturday July 3 at 7:30 pm (Suggested Donation $5.00)
In Kid Boots (1926, Paramount), Clara Bow and Eddie Cantor provide plenty of energy and humor in this clever film version of the musical comedy. Also on the bill are two shorts, Felix Gets the Can (1924, Sullivan) with Felix the Cat, and Call of the Cuckoo (1927, Roach) with Max Davidson.
“Saturday Night at the Movies,” with Jon Mirsalis at the Kurzweil
Saturday July 10 at 7:30 pm (Suggested Donation $5.00)
Western star Tom Mix stars in The Last Trail (1927, Fox). Variety described this film as “one of the fastest action pictures that he has had in a long while. It starts with a zip and bang and never leaves the pace for a minute, right up to the finish.” Also on the bill are two shorts, Felix Wins Out (1923, Sullivan) with Felix the Cat, and Mighty Like a Moose (1926, Roach) with Charley Chase.
“Laurel & Hardy Talkie Matinee: A Tribute to Dorothy de Borba”
Sunday July 11 at 4:00 pm (Suggested Donation $5.00)
This tribute to Our Gang member Dorothy de Borba includes Pups Is Pups (1931), with de Borba in her first appearance in the series, as well as Love Business (1931) and Dogs Is Dogs (1931). Also on the bill is The Midnight Patrol (1933), with Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Charley Hall.
Prior to the films, The Midnight Patrol Tent of the “Sons of the Desert,” the International Laurel & Hardy vintage comedy film appreciation society, will meet at 3:00 pm in the Edison Theater. The public is welcome to attend this informal and informative meeting.
“Comedy Short Subject Night,” with Frederick Hodges at the piano
Saturday July 24 at 7:30 pm (Suggested Donation $5.00)
This comedy short subject night includes a whole lot of fun. On the bill are The Immigrant (1917, Lone Star) with Charlie Chaplin and Edna Purviance, Now or Never (1921, Rolin) with Harold Lloyd and Mildred Davis, The Electric House (1922, Schenck) with Buster Keaton, and Angora Love (1929, Roach) with Laurel and Hardy.
“Remembering Playland”
Sunday July 25 all afternoon in Niles
Playland was a legendary San Francisco amusement part located on Ocean Beach. To celebrate it, the Niles Film Museum has created a day filled with cotton candy, snow cones, salt water taffy, and the sounds of Laffing Sal. Photos of days gone by also will be part of the nostalgic atmosphere – come early and look for tributes to Playland around town. On the screen are a couple of related films, each of which request a 50c donation.
2:00 pm A Jitney Elopement (1915)
During his Niles Essanay tenure, Charlie Chaplin filmed a crazy car chase on the unpaved Great Highway just down the street from where Chutes at the Beach and later Playland would reside. In this famous film, there are also good views of the windmills at Golden Gate Park.
3:00 pm On The Loose (1931)
Thelma Todd, ZaSu Pitts and Coney Island – what more could you want? Niles is featuring this two reel comedy because the rides and attractions featured in it are similar to those found at Playland.
“A Talkie Matinee”
Sunday July 25 at 4:00 pm (Admission $6 general, $5 members)
Written and directed by Tom Wyrsch, Remembering Playland at the Beach (2010) is a full length documentary about San Francisco’s famous 10-acre seaside amusement park, located next to Ocean Beach. The film revisits Laffing Sal, the Fun House, the Carousel, the Big Dipper, the Diving Bell, Dark Mystery, Limbo and Fun-tier Town before it was all torn down in 1972 to make way for a condominium development. The filmmaker will be available for questions after the presentation.
“Saturday Night at the Movies,” with Judy Rosenberg at the piano
Saturday July 31 at 7:30 pm (Suggested Donation $5.00)
In A Tale of Two Cities (1917, Fox), William Farnum plays a dual role as Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton in this Frank Lloyd directed film based on the Charles Dickens novel about the rich and poor caught up in the French Revolution. Also on the bill are the short films The Professional Patient (1917, Vitagraph) with Sidney Drew and Lucille Drew, Dollars and Sense (1916, Sennett) with Ora Carew (in an unusual dual role playing members of the opposite sex).
For more info: The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum is located at 37417 Niles Blvd. in Fremont, California. For further information, call (510) 494-1411 or visit the Museum’s website at www.nilesfilmmuseum.org/.
Thomas Gladysz is an arts journalist and author. Recently, he wrote the introduction to the new edition of Margarete Böhme's classic novel, The Diary of a Lost Girl (PandorasBox Press). And, his interview with Allen Ginsberg on the subject of photography was included in Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg (National Gallery of Art / Prestel). Gladysz loves reading and writing and old movies. More at www.thomasgladysz.com.
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