Noticeably Notable November in Niles

November 5, 9:12 AMSF Silent Movie ExaminerThomas Gladysz

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Constance Talmadge plays in "The Duchess of Buffalo" (1926), which shows in Niles in November.

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By Thomas Gladysz
San Francisco Silent Film Examiner

November should prove a memorable month for film lovers around the Bay Area. Every Saturday night, the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum in Fremont screens silent films often featuring some of the biggest names of the time. Interestingly, the three features screened this month were each produced by their respective stars – an indication of the popularity and power held by some actors in the 1920’s. Here’s the schedule for this month.

“Saturday Night at the Movies,” with Bruce Loeb on the piano
Saturday November 7 at 7:30 pm (Suggested Donation $5.00)

The evening’s entertainment includes a feature and two short comedies. In Sand (1920, William S. Hart Productions), the legendary cowboy star tries his hand at something a little different. Hart plays a railroad station agent out to capture a gang of train robbers. Also on the bill are the short films, It’s a Gift (1923, Roach) with Snub Pollard, and The Bakery (1921, Vitagraph), starring Larry Semon and Oliver Hardy.

“Saturday Night at the Movies,” with Judy Rosenberg on the piano
Saturday November 14 at 7:30 pm (Suggested Donation $5.00)

This evening’s entertainment also includes a feature and two shorts. Filmed in the San Fernando Valley, The Mark of Zorro (1920, Douglas Fairbanks Pictures) is a tale of old California. The Mark of Zorro is also an archetypical film; it set the pattern not only for Douglas Fairbanks’ later swashbuckling stories, but the many similarly themed films and television programs which followed over the years.

Also on the bill are The Rink (1916, Lone Star), starring Charlie Chaplin and Edna Purviance, and the D.W. Griffith directed short The Sealed Room (1909, Biograph), with Arthur V. Johnson and Henry B. Walthall. Linda Arvidson, Mary Pickford, Owen Moore and Mack Sennett also have bit parts in this Edgar Allen Poe-inspired story.

Prior to this program there will be a special pre-show tribute to Tommy Andrew. The tribute, scheduled for 6:45 PM (doors open at 6:30), is in honor of the Niles emcee who passed away last year. Home movies of Andrew’s dance/skate routines will be shown; The Rink is being shown in Andrew’s honor.

“Short Subjects Night,” with Bruce Loeb on the piano
Saturday November 21 at 7:30 pm (Suggested Donation $5.00)

“Short Subjects Night” features four comedic films, The Cure (1916, Lone Star) with Charlie Chaplin and Edna Purviance, Get Out and Get Under (1920, Rolin) with Harold Lloyd and Mildred Davis, the funny My Wife’s Relations (1922, Schenck) with Buster Keaton, and Pass the Gravy (1928, Roach) with Max Davidson.

Saturday Night at the Movies, with Frederick Hodges on the piano
Saturday November 28 at 7:30 pm (Suggested Donation $5.00)

This evening’s entertainment includes a feature and two shorts. In The Duchess of Buffalo (1926, Constance Talmadge Film Company), the charming Constance Talmadge plays an American dancer in Russia pursued by a grand duke. Will she escape his clutches? Chester Conklin plays a Hotel Manager. Also on the bill are the short films The Dumb-Bell (1922, Roach) with Snub Pollard, and Long Fliv the King (1926, Roach), with Charley Chase. Oliver Hardy plays the Prime Minister's Assistant is this humorous picture.

In their day, silent films were never silent. And today, the musicians which accompany the silent motion pictures shown at Niles and elsewhere become an integral part of the movie going experience. Some of these musicians are well known in the field, and some have developed their own following. More about silent film pianist and composer Judy Rosenberg can be found on her website at www.judyrosenbergsilent.com. More on Frederick Hodges can be found on his website at www.frederickhodges.com.

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/.

For more info: Check out the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum schedule at www.nilesfilmmuseum.org/november_09.htm