Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum

This place seems to be a hidden gem not known even by the locals but it is totally worth visiting. Make sure to come for their Saturday night movie — you will get a very special experience of watching silent films where Charlie Chaplin himself used to go see movies. The gift shop has lots of cool movie-​related merchandise, the staff is very friendly and shows lots of love and passion for movies and Niles, old movie projectors and posters are fun to explore and popcorn is just $ 1 a bag. Also, they rent out the venue for special events. We had my father-in-law’s birthday party there (he is a big movie nut), and it was a blast. You can either pick some silent films they have in their collection or bring your own DVD or do both like we did. Highly recommended!

Wonderful free little historic museum with enough memorabilia and souvenirs to keep tourists happy. This entire town is a treasure in the Bay Area, tucked deep in Fremont.

This is a cute little museum with silent movies accompanied by live piano performances playing on Saturday nights.

Once again I’d like to encourage people to come to one of their showings.
They just renovated their seats. They still have cushions to add to your comfort
All refreshments are $ 1, except for ice cream novelties ($ 1.50)
Great candy and drink selection plus freshly popped popcorn!
Happy 10^th Anniversary to the fabulous Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum!!!
Since 2005 they have been showing silent movies (with live piano accompaniment)
every Saturday night! They have the mosy enthusiastic and devoted group of volunteers!
We attended the January 24^th show.
Although the prints are not always «pristine» we really appreciate seeing the films that you may not see elsewhere.
The show for the 24^th was:
UNDERWORLD (1927)
Directed by Josef Von Steinberg
Starring George Bancroft, Clive Brook and Evelyn Breht
One of the first gangster movies. Fascinating. The actors were supreme in showing their sinister manners. No high tech shoot outs or other FX effects.
LUCKY STRIKE (1915)
One of Oliver Hardy’s first roles. Hardy stars as a miner who has come into a lot of
money. When he goes to a town to meet his sweetheart (through mail) mix-​ups, rejection and happiness abounds!
HIS NEW JOB (1915)
Starring Charlie Chaplin as an actor who disguises himself as the lead actor.
Judy Rosenberg played the piano that night, She improvised the music as she watched the movie. She has so much heartfelt energy.
All of the pianists are awesome!

I came here last night for a Saturday night silent film feature. I had no clue what to expect since I’ve never gone to see a silent film before, but I must say, overall, I was pretty disappointed in my experience.
–The ticket taker couldn’t have bothered to say a single word to me.
–I second Maria B.‘s review that their talks were way too lengthy. I can remain interested for 5 – 10 minutes, but they went on for way longer than that. Cut it shorter and keep people interested?
–They had loud popcorn bags which were distracting during the talks and films. Invest in quieter bags?
–They allowed someone to bring their dog in which was the last straw for me. The dog whimpered throughout the film and shook its head so you could hear the tags banging against each other. Why would you allow a dog in during a silent movie? What a joke. I could understand if it was a service dog, but it definitely was not.
I won’t return, and unless you like a series of half hour long lectures, I suggest you stay away too.

I’m not really into silent film history and was surprised that it has such a legacy in the Bay Area. Proof that good things when you get out of your neighborhood or town once in a while and try something new.
The museum is free (donations are encouraged) and contains lots of history on the film history with lots of archived photos. The docent on hand when we were there was really passionate about the history.
What I really liked about it is that the gift shop is a great source for a unique gift for a person who is into films. Lots of great, well designed posters that are printed in sizes that are ready to frame.

I can’t say this is the most thrilling museum. I get that silent film is a huge part of the history of movies, and that the era underwent technology change unlike any before.
Still, I have a hard time relating to Charlie Chaplin and friends. The place is worth a look, but only for about 10 minutes unless you’re really into this stuff. The docent was trying to be a smartass too, which hardly helped matters.
So in summary, definitely visit for the Niles experience, but don’t stay too long.

This place is fantastic. Old silent films with a live pianist and eager film industry retirees begging to talk to you about their favorite antique cameras. It has a regular crowd of old timers sprinkled with a new or two. Well worth the drive from the city… Free parking… And only $ 5

Despite the hard seats (grab a few cushions!), I love going to see silents and hear film history in the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. Technically in Fremont, CA, the Niles area is where Charlie Chaplin began filming shorts in the early 20^th century. There’s a great gift shop and the docents speak (and speak and speak ;-) with great information. The admission is inexpensive for a program that includes a film and sundry shorts; and all come with live accompaniment. The museum is on a strip that includes antique stores, restaurants and other mom/​pop type stores. Be sure to arrive early so you can check out the whole street!

I have never heard of this place until recently.
Long drive, but for five bucks you get live piano and a chance to view silent films in what use to be an actual silent theater. My friend and I caught two of the short films. They are all funny.
Honestly, I expected more festivities given it was a special occasion there.

This is a very special place in Fremont, California. This silent film museum shows silent films at a very low cost. The museum is great for history buffs. It is location in the Niles section of Fremont.

I don’t want to ruin the tour, so I will be brief with this review.
1. This is a 501c3 non-​profit
2. They run on donations
3. Everyone who works here is a volunteer and very knowledgeable about the history of Essanay, nickelodeons, the film industry, and Fremont history.
4. I learned more about Fremont and old school Hollywood in this one hour tour.
5. On Saturday nights, they entertain you for 2 hours with a variety of short films, comedies, etc. Check their calendar to see what the theme is for the night. All of this for only a $ 5 donation!
6. Only place in the WORLD to consistently run silent films.
7. The tour guides are amazing.
8. They have a really neat gift shop.
9. If you want to come for the comedy night on Saturdays– buy your tickets in advance. I was informed that the tickets for these nights sell out fast. If you want to purchase your tickets online, make sure to buy them by Thursday afternoon. Thursday afternoon is when they take down the PayPal account to make sure they do not go over capacity.
If you love old movies, especially from the Chaplin era, you will really enjoy this place. I loved looking at all the original movie posters located in the back room. The posters in the front are replicated since the originals are sensitive to light.
I thought it was really cool how they had so many original items displayed. They even had film negatives and our tour guide explained the differences between silent film negatives, color film negatives, and films with sound negatives. I was impressed by how much I learned from the tour!
When I was walking out, I noticed an amazing painting:
The woman working told me it was made by a local Fremont artist by the name of Laura Ramie. Now let me tell you about Laura– I graduated high school with her (woo hoo c/​o 2007 WHS!). She is an amazingly talented young woman. Even in high school, her art work was absolute stunning. She is incredibly humble and her talent is immeasurable. I urge you to take a look at this mural she did in Fremont of the Essanay movie stars:
I love that this place not only has a rich film history, but also shows support for local artists like Laura Ramie! Definitely worth stopping by– it’s free (but please try to give a donation of some sort since all the people who work here are volunteers) and it is a great way to learn about Fremont and a part of film history!
Guess that wasn’t a very brief review after all… ha.

Stocking stuffer needs? Wondering what to get the kids in your life (when you weary of electronic junk that endlessly beeps)? Miss the old days of simple wooden toys and jacks? Enjoy supporting cinema preservation? Do you like flip books? Wishing the young people in your life had access to the funny movies that you (or your grandpa) loved?
If those question yield a ‘yes’ from you, I recommend the gift shop at the Niles Essanay silent Film Museum. My gift needs were for young relatives in Europe. Being as they were all in the under-​five set, toys appealing to English speakers only wouldn’t go very far. I was delighted to see a great range of flip books. Pictures require no translation! There are tons of very affordable treats, and a few nicer ones too. While I saw a lot more that I would have loved gifting, the deficits in my pocketbook stopped me.

Visited for the first time on a Saturday evening to see a Douglas Fairbanks film which featured excellent piano accompaniment. It is a great little volunteer-​run museum with a wonderful gift shop. Charlie Chaplin on spent a few months here but during that time made his most famous film, The Tramp.
Disagree with reviewer who said it is not family friendly. Two young boys about 9 or 10 were fascinated with the vintage cameras as a docent explained how they work. However it is not an experience preschoolers would enjoy, silent movies are silent, that should apply to the audience as well.

Passion shines through one’s work, and the folks at the Essanay Silent Film Museum are passionate about silent films.
You can tell that the folks here aren’t just working a 9 – 5. They’re dedicated to the works gone by, doing everything they can to make sure the spirit still burns for a time before talkies. Their shop is even well-​designed, with a secondhand shop full of well-​loved books and other random memorabilia.
Besides, Fatty Arbuckle is timeless!

I love this theater/​museum. It’s only $ 5 and each refreshment is $ 1 each. You cannot beat it!
The piano player who does the soundtrack to these films is awesome as well. The staff are great — you can tell they love what they do.
If you love old silent movies and you’re looking for some good entertainment, stop in. It’s totally worth it. People came as far as Paris to go here!
The store here also has some really cool stuff. Everything is reasonably priced. It fits only 100 people so I suggest getting here about a half hour early before a show to secure a spot. I will definitely be back.

Please note that this review is strictly for the Saturday Night Movie events.
I’ve been coming to the Saturday Night Movie (Comedy Shorts night especially) for a few years now. It was always a lot of fun.
Over the past year, however, I’ve noticed a change. A lot more talking before they actually show the films and during intermission. Excessive talking. They used to just give a short schpiel about the theater and then introduce the films they were going to show. Now, they go into uneccesary detail. I really don’t think telling the audience the entire life story and career history about Hal Roach is neccessary in order to enjoy his films. On one movie night, their PR person went on and on and on about «Save Niles Canyon,» beating us over the head about it. It was ridiculous. Movie night is not the time and place to gripe and organize a protest for highway plans, lady.
On November 19^th, they had a «book signing» event going on the same night as the comedy shorts night. So I assumed they were going to have the author (s) there, signing books before the films. Which they did, but they also had a READING of the book and 3 speakers PLUS 2 more musuem volunteers talking endlessly for over half an hour. It was painful. They started the films late that night. And that’s the films they showed that night were a huge let-​down too. No Charlie Chaplain shorts or Buster Keaton on COMEDY night?!?
Overall, movie night at the museum has become less about showing movies and more about force-​feeding the audience film history and shoving their personal agendas down your throat.
So, please, please, please, Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum: just introduce the films BRIEFLY and just SHOW them. Oh, and for the love of god, take the microphone away from Rena.
P. s. Niles is just a district of FREMONT. You people call it Niles as if it was its own seprate city with such an air of snobbery. It’s Fremont.

This is as good as it gets. You have to take your family, crush, first date, what/​whoever to any of their events. Its a relaxed atmosphere, great historical props and working machines, excellent design and storefront, all the people are cool, and they have over 9000 films they own (these are originals so they are not perfect DVD’s so you have to allow for the sound and film quality difference) but its way way cool and everyone in the audience enjoyed and laughed at the 4 films they showed.
We went on Sunday afternoon which is when they show shorts that have sound. We saw Laurel and Hardy and also Our Gang films. I know there are a little complaints here about the speeches being a little long, but even so it goes with the history and understanding of what you’re about to see. The event lasts just under 2 hours and currently donations are $ 5 a person. They have low cost candy, popcorn, and drinks too.
What a great deal and extremely memorable time. Trust me this is a gem of a place and my daughters and I will be returning for more events in the future. Across the street is Cici’s Italian Restaurant which was one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve ever been too. The price is worth the food and service. Don’t miss out on that either. Makes for a perfect evening.

Wow, this museum and theater is super rad and filled with amazing history!
I don’t watch a lot of movies in general, but I couldn’t pass up an invitation to check out what would be my first silent film screening. Not knowing what to expect, I could only hope and pray that I wouldn’t doze off and snore in the middle of the silent film. Fortunately, the comedy silent films were fantastic and the live piano accompaniment was just freakin’ awesome. During the intermission, they even offer a tour of the tiny projection room.
Like another Unilocaler mentioned, I wish the intermission was a little shorter and wasn’t as drawn out with the staff person’s speech and raffle prizes. Also, if you’re particular about movie genres, IMDB the films beforehand. I found the comedy silent films to be much more entertaining the ones that weren’t.
That said, I love the fact that there’s a historic place like this in the Bay Area that offers a one-​of-​a-​kind experience. I mean, there people came from as far as the North Bay and Southern California to check out this screening! Gotta love how there are passionate folks who are into preserving and promoting the silent film era. Check out the museum’s website for screening schedule.

Oh. so fun… wouldn’t you just to sit back. eat some 25 cent popcorn and $ 1 cokes and watch some old Charlie Chaplin?
The films here are all for the silver screen type that love silents popped off with either live organ or piano. Trust me. this place is fun. unique and if you have never seen a classic film like it used to be shown. you gotta go, you swear, you’ll feel like you are part of a laugh track.
The chairs are exactly as old school as the showing room. So remember to grab yourself a nice cushion to place behind you on the chair. Old school reel are generally short, like maybe 15 or 20 minutes short… so usually, they will show at least two movies… which in itself is quite a deal.
Inside too. there is a wonderful gift shop complete with books, dvd, post cards and various other similar interesting curios that you might want to take home.
Don’t forget that small nice well behaved pets are allowed. but please if you have a mean obnoxious dog. leave it home.