Mary Pickford Films Taken in and Around Fort Lee, NJ

Mary Pickford and Lionel Barrymore along Main Street in Fort Lee, NJ.
From D.W. Griffith's The New York Hat   (1912, Biograph)
Photo courtesy of AMPAS.

Note: This is a work in progress that will be periodically updated.

It can be said that Mary Pickford shared a a sort of symbiotic relationship with the Fort Lee, NJ, which, being located just across the Hudson from NYC, set the backdrop for a number of her earliest films. This not only helped her grow into the star she soon became, but for Fort Lee itself, Mary's films, along with the many others produced there, contributed to its becoming a major studio hub during the burgeoning days of American film. Surprisingly, some of the locations seen in Mary's films remain today but sadly, even more do not.

The information contained here is essentially a non-definitive list of Mary’s films taken in and around Fort Lee, NJ. There are four classifications:

Confirmed - Confirmed to have been filmed, in whole or in part, in Fort Lee.
Reported - Reported to have been filmed in Fort Lee, but no precise locations have been identified.
Suspected - Suspected to have been filmed in Fort Lee, but no proof has yet been uncovered. Ultimately, these films may have been produced elsewhere.
Nearby - Perhaps not filmed in Fort Lee proper, but generally right on the cusp.

BIOGRAPH

All on Account of the Milk (1909) [Confirmed]
The Awakening (1909) [Nearby - Edgewater, NJ]
The Broken Locket (1909) [Nearby - Edgewater, NJ]

Friends (1912) [Reported, but some exteriors are Confirmed elsewhere]
Getting Even (1909) [Nearby - Edgewater, NJ]
His Duty (1909) [Nearby - Edgewater, NJ]
In the Watches of the Night (1909) [Nearby - Edgewater, NJ]
The Informer (1912) [Confirmed and Nearby - Englewood Cliffs, NJ]
The Inner Circle (1912) [Confirmed]
The Italian Barber (1911) [Confirmed]
Lonely Villa (1909) [Confirmed]

Muggsy Becomes a Hero (1910) [Reported, but unlikely as most exteriors are Confirmed elsewhere]
My Baby (1912) [Suspected]
The Narrow Road (1912) [Confirmed]
The New York Hat (1912) [Confirmed]
The One She Loved (1912) [Confirmed and Nearby - Englewood Cliffs, NJ]
The Peachbasket Hat (1912) [Confirmed]
The Renunciation (1909) [Nearby - Edgewater, NJ]
Simple Charity (1910) [Confirmed]
Tender Hearts (1909) [Suspected]
The Son’s Return (1909) [Reported and Nearby - Leonia, NJ]
The Test (1909) [Reported]
Through the Breakers (1909) [Nearby - Edgewater, NJ]
To Save Her Soul (1909) [Confirmed]
So Near, Yet So Far (1912) [Confirmed and Nearby - Englewood Cliffs, NJ]
The Way of Man (1909) [Nearby - Edgewater, NJ]
What’s Your Hurry? (1909) [Confirmed]
When We We Were in Our Teens (1910) [Reported]
White Roses (1910) [Reported]

D.W. Griffith utilized Fort Lee for not only many of Mary's earliest films, but a whole slew of his Biograph short subjects from the time—predominantly, though not exclusively along Main Street in the heart of town as well as the more bucolic Coytesville section to the north. 

 

IMP

As a Boy Dreams (1911) [Suspected or Nearby]

The Mirror (1911) [Confirmed]

Their First Misunderstanding (1911) [Nearby - Leonia, NJ]

When the Cat's Away (1911) [Reported]

It is worth noting, that because IMP did film in and around Fort Lee, and Mary was in no less than 41 IMPs, we can assume that others than those listed above might have likewise been taken in the area. Of course, those IMPs that were produced in Vedado / Havana, Cuba can be ruled out, but that still leaves a number of potential candidates. Unfortunately, most of Mary's IMPs are now considered lost and, in all probability, any clues to where they were filmed are lost with them.

 

MAJESTIC

Mary's short stint with Majestic presents a mystery but deserves some attention. While the exteriors in at least one of her Majestic shorts were conclusively taken in Greenwich, CT, and others reportedly in Glen Cove, NY, where were the interiors taken? The October 7, 1911 issue of Motion Picture News contains a single clue that may answer that question. There it was reported, "The use of the Eclair Studio, of which we have heard a lot, should be a lot to [Majestic's] subjects, as should the acquisition of 'Little Mary,' properly Miss Pickford, one of the most popular of moving picture actresses." The Eclair studio being referenced was presumably the brand new Eclair Studio on Linwood Ave. in Fort Lee. If the article is correct, that settles it. If it's wrong, then the whole idea outlined here is simply out the window.

A week later, according to an ad in the October 14, 1911 issue of Moving Picture News, Majestic claimed to have completed a "half dozen quality pictures," apparently four of which with Mary. A week after that, they claimed to have completed two more and sent the first batch of films to London for distribution. In the November 4, 1911 issue of Moving Picture News it was reported that Little Red Riding Hood—the only surviving Majestic featuring Mary—was in the works, but notably by November 11, Majestic, along with Mary and Owen, were heading west. It is unclear what exactly happened but apparently by December 23, presumably when Majestic was still in Chicago, Mary severed ties with the company and by January of 1912, she was already back with Biograph (Majestic noted it "was an inevitable loss, and possibly not a permanent one." Though as history shows, it was permanent.) Incidentally, while Majestic was out west, they set up a studio for another troupe at Coney Island in NY, but by that time, Mary was no longer with the company. 

What is the point of noting all of this? It seems to indicate that most, if not all of Mary's Majestic shorts were completed on the east coast with four of the five by October 14th—only about a month or so after Majestic's incorporation.

With all of that said, there is a potential problem. An article about the new Eclair Studio in the October 7, 1911 issue of Moving Picture World noted that "one [studio out of two] is about nearly completed." Majestic was claiming to have a handful of films finished just a week after that article. How could Majestic be using a studio that was still under construction? A simple answer is that by the time the Moving Picture World article was printed, construction was in fact complete or the writer simply visited some time before. Indeed, the October 7, 1911 Billboard contradicts the Moving Picture World article, noting in an article dated September 30, "The American [Eclair] stock companies are at work at the new plant." It stands to reason that construction had to have been completed at some point around that time considering Hands Across the Sea in '76, Eclair's first release to be produced there, was released on November 21, 1911 (though it did questionably have an initial release date of November 7, with Eclair noting the delay was "to allow for enlargement of production and to make certain a more perfect film.") Majestic's first release, The Courting of Mary, directed by Mary's then-husband Owen Moore, was released on Sunday, November 26.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to uncover any additional information on the subject. So, were the interiors for Mary's Majestic shorts taken in Fort Lee? Based on the evidence, it seems that way... maybe? Maybe not? I don't have what I would consider a definitive answer, because simply put, one source just isn't enough and the evidence is inconclusive.

MARY PICKFORD FILM CORPORATION / ARTCRAFT

The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917) [Confirmed]
The Pride of the Clan (1917) [Confirmed]

Maurice Tourneur filmed the interiors of his two Pickford film's at the Paragon Studio on John St., some of which survives today, albeit with a new life. Furthermore, there is one lone exterior in The Pride of the Clan taken along the cliffs of the Hudson Palisades. While the location is unidentified, we can assume it was in the immediate area due to its non-descript nature and proximity to the studio, if not in Fort Lee itself.