Broncho Billy & The Classic Cowboy Silent Films Of Niles CA

Historic look at the early days of film that begins with scenes from the Edison Picture “The Great Train Robbery“ and then moves on to peep show kinetoscope reels and tells the story of a vaudeville bit player who rose to acclaim and became one of America’s first movie stars. This 1964 KPIX TV documentary film explores the early film career of Bronco Billy Anderson ( originally vaudeville actor Gilbert Max Aronson 1880-1971) and his role at the Essanay Film Company in Niles California. See footage of the small Bay Area town near Fremont, that prior to the emergence of Hollywood, was a leading location for westerns, comedies and other film feature productions between 1912-1916. Documentary includes extensive scenes of silent films produced at the studio (including early Charlie Chaplin features), recollections of the hard drinking casts & crews on the studio lot in Niles, and reflections on Anderson’s contribution to the western movie genre. It ends with a view of him at the Shrine Auditorium, accepting an honorary Oscar for his pioneering film work in 1958. This film includes interviews with Bronco Billy and was narrated by Don Brice, Gilbert M. Anderson and Bill Cato and written and produced by Ray Hubbard and later converted in 2011 to digital media by Alex Cherian for the San Francisco State University’s Bay Area Television Archive DIVA project .