Charlie Chaplin was well known and loved by all audiences during the early days of American Cinema. He was one of the greatest stars of the silent film and touched the art as well as the artistic creativity of millions. He developed the character of the tramp who was able to reach the sympathetic response system in most of the people who encountered this larger than life character on the larger than life screen. Well, of course, the screen wasn’t always larger than life, nor was Chaplin, though they both grew to become so. One of the points of pride for many people who live in Fremont, California is that it was one of Chaplin’s favorite film shooting locations.

The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum pays tribute to Chaplin and other greats from the silent era. This is a popular attraction for many of the guests who visit the Bay Area and stay in one of the hotels Fremont. The Museum is an excellent resource for information on the production of silent films in addition to offering viewers great pictures, artifacts and posters of the major stars and films from the area. In addition, it features the viewing of some of the films that were created by these movie making pioneers and they are viewed in the same theatre that both Chaplin and Broncho Billy Anderson sat watched their work screened.

Broncho Billy Anderson was also a star of the silent screen who chose Fremont as a filming location. He was well known for his early western films and one of his most famous was the Great Train Robbery. While Chaplin focused his themes and work on symbolic movements and an emotional connection, Anderson’s films were adventures and action packed. He starred in an amazing number of productions and was one of the nation’s favorite heroes for many decades. While their styles of performance and film genres were different, the two artists taped into identifying with some of the nations strong archetypes, which created great connections with their audiences.