Essanay Studios facts for kids
The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was an early American movie studio. It was started in 1907 in Chicago. Later, it also had a film lot in Niles Canyon, California. Famous actors like Francis X. Bushman, Gloria Swanson, and Broncho Billy Anderson worked there. Broncho Billy Anderson was also one of the studio's owners. Essanay is best known today for its funny movies starring Charlie Chaplin. In the 1920s, Essanay joined with other studios and became part of Warner Bros.
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How Essanay Started
The studio began in 1907 in Chicago. It was founded by George K. Spoor and Gilbert M. Anderson. At first, it was called the Peerless Film Manufacturing Company. On August 10, 1907, they changed the name to Essanay. This new name came from the first letters of their last names: "S and A."
Essanay's first office was at 501 Wells Street in Chicago. Their first movie was "An Awful Skate, or The Hobo on Rollers" (July 1907). It starred Ben Turpin, who was the studio's janitor at the time. This movie cost only a few hundred dollars to make but earned thousands! The studio grew quickly. In 1908, they moved to a bigger, more famous building at 1333–45 W. Argyle St in Uptown, Chicago.
Stars and Talented People
Essanay made many silent films. They featured stars like George Periolat, Ben Turpin, Wallace Beery, Thomas Meighan, Colleen Moore, Francis X. Bushman, Gloria Swanson, Ann Little, Helen Dunbar, Lester Cuneo, Florence Oberle, Lewis Stone, Virginia Valli, Edward Arnold, Edmund Cobb, and Rod La Rocque.
The most important people at Essanay were studio co-owner Gilbert Anderson, who starred in popular "Broncho Billy" westerns, and Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin became the studio's biggest star for a time.
Allan Dwan started at Essanay as a writer. He later became a very famous Hollywood director. Louella Parsons also worked as a writer. She then became a well-known Hollywood gossip columnist. Both George K. Spoor and Gilbert M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson received special Oscars. Spoor got his in 1948, and Anderson in 1958. These awards honored their important early work with Essanay.
Famous Movies and Innovations
Essanay made many famous movies. These include the first American film version of A Christmas Carol (1908). They also made the first Jesse James movie, The James Boys of Missouri, in 1908. In 1916, they produced the very first American Sherlock Holmes film, starring William Gillette.
The first time a pie in the face gag was seen in a movie comedy was in Essanay's Mr. Flip (1909). It hit Essanay star Ben Turpin. Essanay also made some very early cartoons. Their most popular cartoon character was Dreamy Dud.
Because of Chicago's changing weather and the popularity of western movies, Gilbert Anderson moved part of the company west. They first went to Colorado. In 1909, he told The Denver Post that "Colorado is the finest place in the country for Wild West stuff." The western film operations then moved to California. They filmed in different places like San Rafael and Santa Barbara. In 1912, Essanay opened the Essanay-West studio in Niles, California. Many Broncho Billy westerns were filmed there. The Tramp, starring Charlie Chaplin, was also filmed there.
Both the Chicago and Niles studios kept making movies for five more years. In total, Essanay made over 1,400 films during its ten years.
Charlie Chaplin's Time at Essanay
In late 1914, Essanay hired Charlie Chaplin away from Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios. Essanay offered Chaplin more money and his own team to make movies. Chaplin made 14 short comedies for Essanay in 1915. He filmed them at both the Chicago and Niles studios. He also made a small appearance in one of the Broncho Billy westerns.
Chaplin's Essanay films were more organized than his earlier, wilder movies. They had better stories and characters. A very important film from this time was The Tramp (1915). In this movie, Chaplin's wandering character finds work on a farm. He falls in love with the farmer's daughter. Chaplin added sad or serious moments to his funny movies. For example, the tramp gets shot and is sad about love. The movie ends with a famous scene: the lonely tramp walks away with his back to the camera. He looks sad, then straightens his shoulders and looks hopeful for his next adventure. People loved how human Chaplin's character felt. Chaplin continued to mix serious feelings with funny situations.
To make more money from Chaplin's fame, the studio made a cartoon in 1915. It was called Dreamy Dud Sees Charlie Chaplin. In it, the cartoon character Dreamy Dud watches a Chaplin short film.
Chaplin's acting team at Essanay included Ben Turpin. Ben Turpin didn't like working with Chaplin because Chaplin was very careful. So, Turpin only appeared in a few films with him. Edna Purviance was a young actress who became Chaplin's girlfriend off-screen. Leo White often played a fancy bad guy. Bud Jamison and John Rand played many different authority figures.
Chaplin didn't like Chicago's unpredictable weather. He left Essanay after only one year for more money and more control over his films. His leaving caused problems between the founders, Spoor and Anderson. Chaplin was the studio's biggest earner. Essanay tried to make "new" Chaplin comedies using old film clips and unused scenes. After Chaplin was gone for good, Essanay hired French comedian Max Linder. Linder's clever acting was often compared to Chaplin's. However, he never became as popular as Chaplin in America.
Later Years
In 1915, Essanay joined with three other film studios: Vitagraph Studios, Lubin Manufacturing Company, and Selig Polyscope Company. They formed a group called V-L-S-E, Incorporated to share and distribute their movies. This was an attempt to save the studio. Only the Vitagraph name continued into the 1920s. It was then bought by Warner Brothers in 1925.
George K. Spoor kept working in the movie business. He tried to introduce a 3-D film system in 1923, but it wasn't successful. He also created a widescreen film format in 1930. He passed away in Chicago in 1953. G. M. Anderson became an independent movie producer. He helped Stan Laurel make a series of silent comedies. Anderson died in Los Angeles in 1971.
The old Essanay building in Chicago was later used by Norman Wilding. He made industrial films there for many years. Today, the Essanay building is home to St. Augustine's College. Its main meeting hall is now called the Charlie Chaplin Auditorium.
Images for kids
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The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company building in Chicago. It is now a Chicago Landmark.
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A group photo of Essanay actors and staff in Chicago, 1911.
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Essanay's stars in 1915: Francis X. Bushman, Charlie Chaplin, and Broncho Billy Anderson.
See also
In Spanish: Essanay Studios para niños
