tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post3142122658930404431..comments2023-11-27T00:05:29.054-05:00Comments on Medfly Quarantine: Fort Hollywood, My Home TownRyan Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18054550377681273142noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-40314908042051985832010-02-25T14:39:24.106-05:002010-02-25T14:39:24.106-05:00Adam, until fairly recently Fort Lee's film hi...Adam, until fairly recently Fort Lee's film history has been washed over, though Tom Meyers and the good folks on The Fort Lee Film Commission are trying to change this. But it's an uphill battle. Like you and Marilyn, I can't wait to see the documentary on PBS. I'll be sure to keep my eye's peeled.<br /><br />And I don't believe the Marx Bros. were born here, just worked here in the early days of the medium.Ryan Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18054550377681273142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-4191447565261535432010-02-24T13:48:54.735-05:002010-02-24T13:48:54.735-05:00I didn't know any of this, Ryan. And I mean an...I didn't know any of this, Ryan. And I mean <i>any</i> of this. Including that Griffith once appeared in a movie shot by Thomas Edison. That screencap made my day! But so did the rest of it... I know precious little about Fort Lee (well, actually the entire northeast; I've only been as far as Illinois in that direction of the country). Can't wait to see Mr. Meyers' documentary on PBS so that I can learn more about it.<br /><br />Oh, and did you say the Marx Bros. were born there, too? So that explains the Marxism ;)Adam Zanziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14524618281515322239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-49235914238697329472010-02-23T10:50:44.627-05:002010-02-23T10:50:44.627-05:00The documentary sounds fabulous. I hope it is show...The documentary sounds fabulous. I hope it is shown in Chicago. I'd love to see it.Marilynhttp://www.ferdyonfilms.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-5386877457588127932010-02-23T08:51:07.498-05:002010-02-23T08:51:07.498-05:00Tom, it's a real honor having you stop in here...Tom, it's a real honor having you stop in here, thank you for sharing with my readers the valuable service The Fort Lee Film Commission contributes to the area. I would also like to encourage anyone with an interest in film history to check out the Commission's excellent website; it's full of information and you get an insight into the people who are all working to keep what's left of Fort Lee's film history alive.<br /><br />If there's anything I can do for you or the commission, Tom, please let me know. Preserving our artistic history is something of deep importance to me. You can email me at medflyquarantine@gmail.com if you would like to pursue this further. Once again, thank you for commenting, and thank you for all your hard work.Ryan Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18054550377681273142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-12279467201358828742010-02-22T20:45:25.158-05:002010-02-22T20:45:25.158-05:00I am the Executive Director and founder of the For...I am the Executive Director and founder of the Fort Lee Film Commission. I am 49 and a third generation resident of this borough. Myg grandmother, born inFort Lee in 1902, was an extra in silent films as a child and spent her life working in the film labs of Fort Lee. I was the third generation to work in the old studio buildings in Fort Lee having worked for NBC News archivesin the historic Brulatour building on John Street.<br /><br />Please visit our website www.fortleefilm.org to learn of our work which includes restoration / preservation of the first American film version of Robin Hood produced by Eclair Studio in Fort Lee n 1912. Currently we are producing a documentary on the first woman director in cinema history Alice Guy Blache whobuilt Solax Studion on Lemoine Avenue in Fort Lee (present day site of A@P - the entrance is the only histrioc market in the USA dedicated to Madam Blache. The documentary we are working on will air on PBS.<br /><br />We also run a twice a year historic jitney tour of the many surviving sites of the movie industry in Fort Lee including the Champion Studio on Fifth Street in the Coytesville section of Fort Lee which is the oldest standing studio building in the USA.<br /><br />Tom MeyersFortleefilmhttp://www.fortleefilm.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-29043887179449621332010-02-22T13:10:59.154-05:002010-02-22T13:10:59.154-05:00Marilyn, in all the time that I've been readin...Marilyn, in all the time that I've been reading and participating in the film blogosphere, this is the most valuable cause I've seen them take up. A display of solidarity that is extremely touching. I'm grateful to have been a part of it.Ryan Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18054550377681273142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-56468493386128523702010-02-22T00:24:12.993-05:002010-02-22T00:24:12.993-05:00Ryan, flattery will get you everywhere. Except Chi...Ryan, flattery will get you everywhere. Except Chicago is the birthplace of films. OK, maybe not, but we had a big studio, Essanay, and Chaplin did a lot of work here. And they used to shoot movies a couple of blocks from where I live. <br /><br />Seriously, this is a fun and useful entry, one that really does remind us of what is at stake. Thanks for being a part of our own little corner of movie history - the blogathon that saved a film!Marilynhttp://www.ferdyonfilms.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-55679292726742748272010-02-21T20:22:31.162-05:002010-02-21T20:22:31.162-05:00Not Roger Ebert, do you recall what street Barrymo...Not Roger Ebert, do you recall what street Barrymore's house was on? The really old houses in the town are so lovely, it's a shame they tore them all down (even the historically significant ones like the Casa-de-Barrymore) to make way for those 2 family atrocities.<br /><br />And, no, with the exception of naming some streets after silent film stars and a few pictures here and there, Fort Lee does virtually nothing to preserve its cinematic history. A shame, and it's honestly too late to rectify it.Ryan Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18054550377681273142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-1201521047046263272010-02-21T16:12:24.418-05:002010-02-21T16:12:24.418-05:00I remember walking to and from school in the town ...I remember walking to and from school in the town of Fort Lee and always passing a decrepit house, I don't remember if anyone lived there but anyway it was John Barrymore's old house. Nobody told me this until they were about to knock it down. I didn't know much about the dead fella at the time but his name was one I heard about from time to time.<br /><br />I don't really know of any film sites of any significance in the town now that I think about it. Do you?Roger Eberthttp://rogerebert.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-48883996980680818312010-02-21T14:47:48.349-05:002010-02-21T14:47:48.349-05:00Thank you kindly, Sam!Thank you kindly, Sam!Ryan Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18054550377681273142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-51387023987880933202010-02-21T10:44:21.694-05:002010-02-21T10:44:21.694-05:00Ryan, the most essential DVD I own is the Image ti...Ryan, the most essential DVD I own is the Image title "Before Hollywood There Was Fort Lee, N.J.: Epic Moviemaking in New Jersey" which includes the complete feature "The Wishing Ring" which was produced by David Sheppard in cooperation with the Fort Lee Film Commission.<br /> Also, historian Richard Kosarski, founding editor of the journal Film History, member of the Fort Lee Film Commission and author of several important books on early cinema, contributed "New Jersey and the Early Motion Picture Industry."<br /><br />Here is a link to the Sheppard DVD:<br />http://www.amazon.com/Before-Hollywood-There-Fort-N-J/dp/B00008RGZP/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1266766966&sr=1-2Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-73325211016158902332010-02-20T21:52:02.382-05:002010-02-20T21:52:02.382-05:00Tinky, hope you won't be disappointed, as ther...Tinky, hope you won't be disappointed, as there are very few landmarks around the town commemorating its rich history (though the good folks on The Fort Lee Film Commission are trying to change this), and outside of that there isn't too terribly much to do around here... the best thing about it, for me, is its proximity to NYC (a stone's throw, literally).<br /><br />And I wasn't trying to imply that Americans invented movies before the French or anything like that. Cinema as we think of it was developed throughout the world through the late 1800s into the 1900s, and most of these developments were made largely independent of one another.<br /><br />Thanks for reading!Ryan Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18054550377681273142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-69831697094218382372010-02-20T20:36:07.344-05:002010-02-20T20:36:07.344-05:00Very fun and absorbing! I particularly liked the &...Very fun and absorbing! I particularly liked the "cliffhanger" story. I spend a fair amount of time in NJ and will have to visit Fort Lee next time I'm there just to pay homage.<br /><br />P.S. Don't tell the French you said Edison's guys invented the film industry........Tinkyhttp://www.ourgrandmotherskitchens.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-48189223948961529742010-02-20T19:31:41.729-05:002010-02-20T19:31:41.729-05:00Joe, it was my pleasure, thank you for reading! I&...Joe, it was my pleasure, thank you for reading! I'll have to try to dig up Griffith's wife's memoirs, as that sounds like an interesting read, especially if she discusses her memories of being in the town. Thank you for calling it to my attention.Ryan Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18054550377681273142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-745950665641785492010-02-20T19:24:59.797-05:002010-02-20T19:24:59.797-05:00Ryan: Thanks for the great post about your home t...Ryan: Thanks for the great post about your home town. I first heard of Fort Lee when I found a copy of the memoirs of Linda Griffith (DW's wife) in our local library. She talks about the Biograph company taking the ferry to Fort Lee.Joe Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14165780971886135575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-41639830538573799192010-02-20T19:06:46.479-05:002010-02-20T19:06:46.479-05:00Brian, you 'aint kidding when you say you'...Brian, you 'aint kidding when you say you're behind! The restoration is complete, it was just live streamed over the internet about a week ago and is making a theatrical debut next month, I believe. Hopefully it'll make its way to New York sometime soon, as I've always wanted to see that movie on the big screen, especially the restored one.Ryan Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18054550377681273142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-76145038932063123582010-02-20T19:05:01.483-05:002010-02-20T19:05:01.483-05:00Great piece, Ryan. I've always felt a little g...Great piece, Ryan. I've always felt a little guilty that I didn't know much about our town's rich film history, and this made for a great primer. In regards to Metropolis, I read an article about a year and a half ago saying that they found a couple reels that filled in a majority of the film's continuity breaks. I haven't kept up with news of the restoration process since, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll be hearing about a newly restored edition in a few years.Homiebrainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04642237344615886965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-90165675708267859492010-02-20T18:10:06.826-05:002010-02-20T18:10:06.826-05:00Sam, between New York City and the part of New Jer...Sam, between New York City and the part of New Jersey where you and I reside, this area is extremely rich in movie history. Which DVDs have you collected on this subject? My primary source for this piece was "Fort Lee: The Film Town", which is where I got those gorgeous pictures (except the Edison screencap). Be interested in pursuing the subject further as, until fairly recently, Fort Lee didn't do much to acknowledge its own history.Ryan Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18054550377681273142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569705696893575981.post-55985032639255036542010-02-20T18:05:37.724-05:002010-02-20T18:05:37.724-05:00As you know Ryan I live within minutes of your tow...As you know Ryan I live within minutes of your town (and I have lived here my entire life) and have passed though it more times in my 55 years than I could ever record in numbers. And I know all about the history, and own volumes and DVDs broaching the very subject you do a terrific job here with. What a tremendous contribution to Marilyn and Greg's venture here! Fort Lee was the capital!!!Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.com