Varied selection of silent cinema at Niles

This month, the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum in Fremont has something for everyone. There is drama, comedy, fantasy and swashbuckling adventure featuring some of the biggest stars of the time. Appearing on the Niles screen will be Rudolph Valentino, Ramon Novarro, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and others. Throughout February, the film museum will also show a selection of short magical movies by Georges Méliès (the subject of Martin Scorcese's Hugo) along with each of their regular fea­ture film presentations. Here's the schedule for the month.

"Saturday Night at the Movies" with Judy Rosenberg at the piano
Saturday, February 4 at 7:30 pm (suggested donation $5.00)

In Shore Leave (1925, Inspiration Pictures), still twenty-something Richard Barthelmess surprised the critics of the day by both pro­ducing and starring in this seagoing comedy about a sailor just drifting along - drifting along, that is, until he meets lovely Dorothy Mackaill. Based on a 1922 Broadway play, scenes from the film were shot aboard an actual naval vessel, the USS Arkansas. The feature film will be preceded by three shorts, Hot Foot (1923, Arrow) with Bobby Dunn, and Georges Méliès' The Infernal Cauldron (1903, Star Films) and The Damnation of Faust (1903, Star Films).

"Valentino for Valentine’s Day" with Frederick Hodges at the piano
Saturday,  February 11 at 7:30 pm (suggested donation $5.00)

Rudolph Valentino was one of the biggest stars of the silent era. His films, like The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse and The Sheik, were not only blockbusters - they helped change popular culture. An immensely popular actor as well as a much loved sex symbol, Valentino's sudden death in 1926 made headlines around the world. His last film was Son of the Sheik (1926, Feature Productions). It was released just before Valentino's death at age 31, and was a sequel-of-a-kind to The Sheik, made 5 years earlier. Son of the Sheik is a romantic melodrama set in the desert which also features Vilma Banky, Karl Dane, Montagu Love, and Agnes Ayres. The evening's entertainment includes The Man from Tia Juana (1917, Kalem) with Marin Sais and Jack Hoxie, and three shorts by Georges Méliès, Jupiter’s Thunderbolts (1903, Star Films), The Mermaid (1904, Star Films), and The Magic Lantern (1903, Star Films).

"Laurel & Hardy Talkie Matinee"
Sunday, February 12 at 4:00 pm (suggested donation $5.00)

This month's Laurel & Hardy Talkie Matinee includes a feature and two shorts. On the bill are the full length Our Relations (1936) and the short, Our Wife (1931). Both star Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Also set to be screened is Sprucin’ Up (1935), with Our Gang. 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 in the Edison Theater of the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. The public is welcome to attend this informal get together, which is set to start at 3:00 pm.

"Comedy Short Subject Night," with Judy Rosenberg at the piano
Saturday, February 18 at 7:30 pm (Suggested Donation $5.00)

This laugh-packed comedy short subject night features some of the most famous comedians of the silent era. On the bill are The Pawnshop (1916, Lone Star) with Charlie Chaplin and Edna Purviance, The Playhouse (1921, Comique) with Buster Keaton in more than one role, His Royal Slyness (1920, Rolin) with Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, and Snub Pollard, and Wrong Again (1929, Roach) with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

"Niles Essanay Eleventh Anniversary," with Jon Mirsalis at the Kurzweil
Saturday, February 25 at 7:30 pm (suggested donation $5.00)

The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum celebrates its 11th anniversary with a screening of the classic Scaramouche (1923, Metro), an epic tale of action, adven­ture and romance. Under the direction of the Rex Ingram (one of the great directors of the silent era), the French Revolu­tion comes to life in telling the story of a law student who turns outlaw revolutionary when he sets out to avenge the unjust killing of a friend. Based on the novel by Rafael Sabatini, Scaramouche stars handsome Ramon Novarro, lovely Alice Terry, and the seemingly always serious Lewis Stone. The feature will be preceded by four short Georges Méliès films - The Melomaniac (1903), The Inn Where no Man Rests (1903), The Mysterious Box (1903), and The Bewitched Trunk (1904). Also on the bill is the recently restored Twin Peaks Tunnel (1917, 35mm), a promotional film documenting the digging of the tunnel from Market Street to West Portal in San Francisco.

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 early film buff, and the Director of the Louise Brooks Society, an internet-based archive and international fan club devoted to the legendary film star. Gladysz has contributed to books, organized exhibits, appeared on television and radio, and introduced the actress's films around the world.