​Lights, Camera, Fort Lee: Film’s Origins and Future In NJ

Film today is synonymous with Hollywood, the glitter of award shows, and blockbusters. But around a hundred years ago, most films were being made in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Three tours were hosted by Tom Meyers, the executive director of the Fort Lee Film Commission, on Oct 28. The first stop on one of those tours was the Fort Lee Film Museum, where there were vintage photographs of film stars of the day and memorabilia adorning the rooms.

One of those actresses was Theda Barra, born Theodosia Goodman, who was crafted a Gothic persona by filmmakers. “Over a decade before the inaugural Oscars ceremony was ever staged,” according to The Daily Beast “Theda Bara, the woman now considered the very first “vamp,” hit Hollywood with the speed and ferocity of a meteor shower.”

Roles in films such as “Cleopatra” and “A Fool There Was” solidified the image of her as a sex symbol of the era. Her actual life was much different. She would tell her friends according to Meyers, that she was “just a nice Jewish girl from Cincinnati.” Barra supported her mother and sister with her filmmaking, and she retired in 1925. She ended up befriending a girl who lived next door to her and her husband in the 1940’s. This girl was left Barra’s costumes, some of which the Fort Lee Film Commission is attempting to acquire.

The tour then delved into the future of Fort Lee and film. Ground was broken on The Barrymore Film Center on October 3, with a planned opening in 2019. Films of all genres will be shown at the center, in addition to film festivals and programs that would teach filmmaking.

The connection between filmmaking and Fort Lee runs deep. “As early as 1907, movies were being made in Fort Lee,” according to NorthJersey.com “the borough is where the movie term "cliffhanger" was coined. The movie that created the term was part of a series filmed there on the Palisades cliffs.” The Barrymore family made their first films in Fort Lee, with Maurice Barrymore being a Fort Lee resident.

Meyers’ tour highlighted what has been lost due to new developments. The former Champion film studio was shown near Carl Laemmle Way. What’s left of it is rocks and a lone ‘Private Property’ sign. Meyers spoke of his and others fight to keep the building standing, but it was torn down in 2013. The Barrymore House, where John Barrymore once lived, was also destroyed in 2001. Rambo’s was the exception. The former hotel, built in 1876, was used as a backdrop for silent films and was where actor Milton Berle got his start as a child.

The tour ended after the group stopped at Constitution Park, where signs note that film studios once populated the area. While Hollywood now lays claim to be the center of filmmaking, Fort Lee once held that title proudly. All that remains are streets, plaques, signs, pictures, snippets of film, and houses. The movie stars of the day are gone from this Earth. But tours such as the one Meyers conducted brought the history of film in Fort Lee to life. With the Barrymore Center’s completion, cameras will once again be rolling in the city once more.