April 22, 2009 > Niles Essanay Events Niles Essanay Events The Lost Squadron Friday, April 24 7:30 pm $5 Suggested Donation Directed by George Archainbaud. Starring: Robert Armstrong, Mary Astor, Richard Dix, Dorothy Jordan, Joel McCrea, Erich Von Stroheim. Unable to find steady work after WWI, three former flying aces -- Gibson (Richard Dix), Woody (Robert Armstrong) and Red (Joel McCrea) -- hire themselves out as stunt flyers for the movies. They find themselves employed by tyrannical director Von Furst (Erich Von Stroheim, playing what amounts to a self-caricature), who has no qualms about sending men to their deaths for the sake of "realism." Developing an esprit de corps with their fellow stunt pilots, our heroes regularly converge at the local watering hole to honor the latest casualties, wiping their names from a blackboard just as they'd done back in the Great War. When Von Furst, driven to insane jealousy by his much-abused wife Follette (Mary Astor), murders one of the pilots in cold blood, the others take a grim but thoroughly justifiable revenge. Boasting several first-rate aviation sequences, The Lost Squadron was scripted by real-life Hollywood stunt flyer Dick Grace (who also appears in the film); it was also the first RKO Radio production to carry the screen credit "executive producer, David O. Selznick." Broncho Billy's Tea Dance Sunday, April 26 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Suggested donation is $30 for adults, $20 for students and seniors (62+) Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum is holding its third annual Broncho Billy's Tea Dance on Sunday, April 26, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. This festive event will feature authentic dance music of the teens, twenties, and thirties presented by Don Neely's Royal Society Five: Don Neely, clarinet and sax; Frederick Hodges, piano; Andrew Storar, trumpet; Steve Apple, drums; and Steve Hansen, bass. Dance coach Cynthia Glinka will be on hand with inspiration to put you at ease on the dance floor. Enticing edibles and beverages are included, concluding with tea and cake. Vintage attire is encouraged. The event is a fundraiser for the museum, which is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. Tickets for either event can be purchased at the museum, by phone at (510) 494-1411, or online at www.nilesfilmmuseum.org. Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum 37417 Niles Blvd., Fremont Saturday and Sunday Noon to 4 p.m.