March at Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum

March at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum is not to be missed. The month will see a fine early Western with the great William S. Hart, as well as a equally fine comedy starring the wonderful Colleen Moore. And, attention ladies, there's also a seldom shown silent featuring the dashing Ronald Colman. Along with these notable programs, there is also the regular "Comedy Short Subject Night" and "Laurel & Hardy Talkie Matinee." Each silent film, it's also worth noting, is presented with musical accompaniment featuring some of the Bay Area's leading film accompanists. All together, it adds up to another fine month of early cinema in the East Bay. Here's what's playing.

"Saturday Night at the Movies" with Judy Rosenberg at the piano
Saturday March 2 at 7:30 pm

San Francisco is one of the locations featured in The Narrow Trail (1917, William S. Hart Productions), a western about an outlaw named Ice Harding (played by William S. Hart) on the path to reformation. Hart is legendary for his pioneering role in the creation of the Western genre, and The Narrow Trail is said to be one of the actor's best. This feature will be preceded by shorts Koko’s Big Sale (1929, Inkwell Studios) with Koko the Clown, and Hustlin’ Hank (1923, Hal Roach Studios) with Will Rogers.

"Saturday Night at the Movies" with Bruce Loeb at the piano
Saturday March 9 at 7:30 pm

In Paths to Paradise (1925, Paramount), Raymond Griffith and Betty Compson are rival con artists who both set their sights on a valuable jeweled necklace in a complex and clever comedy. Directed by Clarence G. Badger, the film also features Tom Santschi as the Chief of Detectives Callahan. The feature will be preceded by two shorts, Koko’s Hypnotism (1929, Inkwell Studios) with Koko the Clown, and Long Fliv the King (1926, Roach) with Charley Chase.

"Laurel & Hardy Talkie Matinee"
Sunday March 10 at 4:00 pm

This month's Laurel & Hardy Talkie Matinee is comprised of four comedies, Unaccustomed As We Are (1929) and They Go Boom (1929) with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, and Small Talk (1929) and Boxing Gloves (1929) with Our Gang. The Midnight Patrol Tent of the “Sons of the Desert,” the International Laurel & Hardy film appreciation society, will meet at the Edison Theater at 3:00 pm, prior to the films. The public is welcome to attend their informal meeting.

"Saturday Night at the Movies" with Judy Rosenberg at the piano
Saturday March 16 at 7:30 pm

In Irene (1926, First National), Colleen Moore plays a feisty Irish girl from Philadelphia who goes to New York City in search of fame and fortune. Jeff Codori, author of a recent book, Colleen Moore: A Biography of the Silent Film Star (McFarland), will introduce the film. The evening's entertainment begins with two shorts, Koko’s Magic (1928, Inkwell Studios) with Koko the Clown, and The Daredevil (1923, Mack Sennett Comedies) with Ben Turpin.

"Comedy Short Subject Night" with Judy Rosenberg at the piano
Saturday March 23 at 7:30 pm

If you love to laugh, then don't miss this monthly program of shorts featuring some of the most famous comedians of the silent film era. On the bill are The Bank (1915, Essanay) with Charlie Chaplin and Edna Purviance, Coney Island (1917, Comique) with Roscoe Arbuckle and Buster Keaton, High and Dizzy (1920, Rolin) with Harold Lloyd, and Leave ‘em Laughing (1928, Hal Roach) with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

"Saturday Night at the Movies" with Frederick Hodges at the piano
Saturday March 30 at 7:30 pm

In The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926, Goldwyn), Ronald Colman and Vilma Banky star in a western epic of an ambitious engineering project meant to bring water to the desert. This Henry King directed film features outstanding cinematography by George Barnes and Greg Toland, and is also notable as the breakthrough film for Gary Cooper. The Winning of Barbara Worth, based on a novel by the once popular Harold Bell Wright, was adapted by Frances Marion and Rupert Hughes. The feature will be preceded by two shorts, Koko’s Cure (1924, Inkwell Studios) with Koko the Clown, and Be Your Age (1926, Hal Roach) with Charley Chase.

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 a Bay Area arts and entertainment writer and early film buff, as well as the Director of the Louise Brooks Society, an internet-based archive and international fan club devoted to the silent film star. Gladysz has contributed to books on the actress, organized exhibits, appeared on television and radio, and introduced Brooks' films around the world.