It's Fremont, California now. It used to be Niles. It's a nice place. You should visit it someday.
*dun dun* [dance] Life is like a box of chocolates. ~Forrest Gump
It is a nice town, and happy 50th anniversary from across the bay!
shareI've been to Niles (across the Bay from San Francisco) and it is indeed a cute little old-fashioned community, unlike most of Fremont which is mostly boring suburban sprawl. There is a film festival in Niles every year, where they show many of the movies filmed at the local (now non-existent) Essanay Studios. There are also locals who will act as guides to many of the local sites utilized by Chaplin, Bronco Billy et al. The final scene in THE TRAMP, introducing the "bittersweet" ending that Chaplin frequently returned to over the years, is up the beautiful Niles Canyon Road, which has a great little train that traverses the canyon.
shareI've been in Frisco but never crossed the bay to visit Fremont. I hope some day to visit it just to see the place where Mr. Chaplin did some of his more remarkable shorts.
Kudos!
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The story told by people in Niles that Chaplin developed the Tramp character there is exaggerated.
Chaplin had already begun developing his Tramp character when Essanay hired him in 1914. He made 14 shorts for for Essanay in 1915, but just four in Niles.
In his autobiography, Chaplin wrote about poor living and working conditions in Niles, having to travel over an hour to San Francisco to find any women for his films. He writes, “I made four comedies at Niles, but as the studio facilities were not satisfactory, I did not feel settled or contented there,” and he returned to Los Angeles. He makes no mention of the short "The Tramp" (1915) in the chapter about his time in Niles.
Here's his films made in Niles:
A Night Out (1915)
The Champion (1915)
A Jitney Elopement (1915)
The Tramp (1915)