Scene 6; And Now a Word from Our Sponsor!

Welcome back! On today's studio tour, we are going to "shoot" a commercial. Our sponsors are needed In order to keep a huge operation going like this one. Ok, stand back, please keep off the wires and don't bump into the equipment!

Now I have a big surprise for you! Today, you will take part in this commercial by being in our live studio audience! All you have to do is clap and yell wildly when you see the "APPLAUSE!" sign. Now, please follow me to the taping room and find yourself a seat. On with the show. Oh, I forgot to mention I was able to get Don Pardo, you know.....the guy who announces "Saturday Night Live!" to do our voice overs (off stage announcing).

Quiet on the set!..Standby.....Places everyone! Where's that script writer? Tell him to stop fooling around back stage with those chorus girls from Set #2 and get back here! Time is money, you know!

Lights!.......Camera!......Action!

3 ,2, 1! Don, you're on the airrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Queue announcer! (thanks to simulcast, of course!)

"Live from "The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum", located at 3747 Niles Boulevard in the beautiful downtown Niles District of Fremont, California....... I'd like to present the host of our infomercial.....Maurice Lieberman......and now MAURICE LIEBERMANNNNNN!!!!!!

(APPLAUSE!) Lots of applause!! MORE!!! OK, now go crazy!!!...That's enough! Sit down!

Queue Maurice....Quick, sound man.....turn up his microphone!

"Thanks Don. It's great to be here at "The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum" and host this show on behalf of Colossal Blog Productions and of course our sponsor, "The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum". (APPLAUSE!)

Today, exploring this great museum. The longer we spend looking around, it becomes apparent there is more to this place than simply displaying items and events of the past. They also have a purpose as to what they do and why this museum is here. So, are we ready to experience something very different? (APPLAUSE!)

Looking through their store you can browse through informative books, fascinating artifacts, see colorful posters and (black and white) photographs of the silent film era. Their extensive library and book store covers many aspects of silent movie making, planning and production. There are books about the early film stars that became famous and brought the movie industry to life here in Niles. It was renown film stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Ben Turpin, Fatty Arbuckle, Greta Garbo and of course the founder of the essanay Studio, Broncho Billy! You will rediscover these early pioneers of film by watching early silent movies in "The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum's very own theater! Now, you too can take part in keeping the spirit of these films with us. Here's how..........(APPLAUSE!)

There is an even higher purpose as to why this museum is here. We already know "The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum" is committed to preserving the rich history of silent film making. However, more importantly they wish to preserve the actual films directly themselves.

("APPLAUSE!") Leonard Maltin is a nationally known historian of movie making and states," in his article "Leonard Maltin IN Focus 1996, published in the museum website, "Too many films are biting the dust, literally". See MOVIE CRAZY at http://www.leanardmaltin.com/ for more details

Maltin details on how films were made. Up to the 1950's nitrate cellulose was used in the constructing reels of film. It was a very dangerous and highly flammable material that would catch on fire from prolonged use of movie projectors, because of the high heat they generated as film would stream through them. Many theaters known as "nickelodeons" where lost from the turn of the twentieth century well into the 1930's. This happened due to explosive fires caused by excessive heat generated by projectors in the confines of a very small projection room. Lives were lost because patrons could not escape the flames that engulfed the theater do to the prevalent use of nitrate cellulose film.

Later, theaters implemented the use of fire retardant materials to line the projection rooms. Many were eventually lined with lead or tin to prevent the spread of fires to the main theater areas. You can see examples of this construction at "The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum" in the upstairs projection room. Some of the old films have been preserved and locked away in specially temperature controlled sealed vaults in Hollywood movie studios, like Warner Bros, Paramount, and Universal Studios.

"The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum" is raising public awareness by preserving and restoring these precious and irreplaceable works of Chaplin, Broncho Billy and the old Westerns of the Snakeville series. These works and many others continue to capture our hearts and give us a feeling of "old" California. They tell the stories in an epic way about an earlier time in America as well. That is what the "The Niles Essanay Film Museum" is contributing to the local area in addition to California's film making history in a much larger sense. (APPLAUSE!)

Now, they need your help to continue to make this happen for you as well as future generations of movie goers that will only experience media through special effects and computer graphics!

Please vist "The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum" today and make the magic happen for yourself. You will be making a contribution to a very worthy cause while preserving a piece of history that is in danger of being lost forever. See it today! Back to you Don!" (APPLAUSE!)

Fade out.....cue the announcer!

"I'm Don Pardo, thanking you for spending time with us to explore "The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum" through this infomercial. This program was brought to you by our sponsor, "The Niles Essanay Film Museum" in the making of this program possible. This has been a Collossal Blog Production in association with our source of scripted materials, (last time!) "The Niles Essanay Film Museum" . This is Don Pardo, signing off and wishing you a pleasant tomorrow!"

(APPLAUSE!)

CUT! PRINT! That's a wrap. Strike the set!

You were a wonderful studio audience. Please watch your step on the way out and be sure to pick up your brochure at http://www.nilesfilmmuseum.org/ for more information of coming events. See you next time!