Take our Surveys Gateway to the Northeast Reserve Now! Fort Lee area hotels Crisis Management Fort Lee Real Estate Classic Realty Group   Add your business Hollywood 1906 Fort Lee became the nations first Hollywood. The dense forest of Fort Lee and the uniqueness of the Palisades Cliffs provided rustic backdrops for movies like "The Barnstormer" and the "Lone Highwayman Rescued from the Eagles Nest". During this short time, from 1910 to the 1920's, Hollywood on the Palisades provided for a bustling and thriving movie industry. Movie directors would involve the whole community in developing films. The movie industry was important to the local economy. At times when extras were needed, assistants would go to local schools to elicit the assistance of children. Fort Lee's first studio, Champion Studio was established in 1910 in the north section of Fort Lee, in Englewood Cliffs off of 5th Street, otherwise known as the Coytesville section. Today this building still stands and is currently being used by a printing company. Following Champion Studios were other studios scattered about the town. Some of which were near the center of town right on Main Street. Due to the numerous studios and crowds that they drew, hotels started to grow to meet the demands of this new industry. As this important era came to an end, some of the studios had vanished through fire or had been taken down and replaced with business or residential structures. As the movie industry grew and large productions were in the making, movie personnel searched for areas that promoted unlimited growth and a better climate for year round productions, thus the migration of Hollywood to California. All of the films produced in Fort Lee were of the silent variety. Some of the famous people who first got their start in Fort Lee were Babe Ruth, Harry Houdini and Will Rodges. To this day an occasional scene or two are shot in Fort Lee. Fort Lee also has a warehouse in town, (Bonded Film Storage), that stores films. However the effect that the movie industry has on Fort Lee today is far less then what it was back in the early 1900's. I would like to thank Rita Ecke Altomara and Garland Publishing Inc. New York & London 1983 for providing information in this section through her book. "Hollywood Comes to Fort Lee". For more information go to Fort Lee's Film Commission. Pre-Revolution Incorporated Palisades Amusement Park Bridge Hollywood The Bourdettes Fort Lee Museum Fire Department Police Schools More History Contact Us Disclaimer ©2000-2008 FortLee.com L.L.C.