Re: Carl Laemmle and Universal Studios -- The Music of Universal Horror and Drama Films

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 09:06:33 08/17/12 Fri
Author: Officer Torch
Subject:

Re: Carl Laemmle and Universal Studios
In reply to: Tim 's message, "Carl Laemmle and Universal Studios" on 21:40:33 08/16/12 Thu

Interesting info Tim. Perhaps what follows may be of additional interest; I saved an article from a New Jersey Paper ref...The Sunday Star Ledger, April 29, 2012, Page 17(and 18)...article entitled "Before Hollywood Went West"..by a Lisa Rose of Star Ledger staff. A lengthy, informative write-up.

It goes on to say that the New Jersey town of Fort Lee, on NJ side where GW bridge presently spans to NY, was the center of the cinematic universe. According to the article, the Garden State had a huge back lot with dozens of silent movies made from 1909. Laemmle's first company was called IMP Studios (aka Independent Motion Pictures) with first movie being "Hiawatha"...according to the article.

By 1912, it said he consolidated IMP with some other independents to create The Universal Film Manufacturing Co. A huge backlot was formed, and big name stars were ferried across the Hudson from NY to NJ. Things went well for awhile. But the depression, the advent of "talkies" (making it expensive to convert facilities for sound), eventually made the studios head for new backlots in California. (I imagine weather was also a factor.)

I saved this article for several months in a Universal book in case this subject would ever come up. The article also mentioned that scores of prints were later destroyed in blazes, and in 1937, many Jersey movies were consumed in a fire at "Fox's Little Ferry film vault."

Well, hope this may contain some useful/informative material, which may yet be on line or elsewhere to those interested.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> Re: Carl Laemmle and Universal Studios -- Tim, 12:18:37 08/17/12 Fri [1]

Thank you for the additional information, Officer Torch! The Investor's Business Daily piece mentions that many in the movie industry scoffed at Carl Laemmle, dubbing Universal City as "Laemmle's Folly". I assume most of the movie pioneers were still based in New Jersey and the northeast, and thought Laemmle was crazy for moving way out west.

The Wikipedia entry for Fort Lee, New Jersey includes a section detailing the area's rich movie history. It notes that Fort Lee was once the "motion picture capital of America".

Tim

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]