E.K. Lincoln Studio
Famous actor comes to Fort Lee
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aka Grantwood Studio
Bergen Blvd. and Ray Ave., Grantwood
Active 1915- date unknown
A fire on June 18, 1914, destroyed the studio of Life Photo Play Company of New York. Fortunately for them, they had already bought a piece of land in Grantwood, New Jersey, and construction of their new studio was nearly finished. They bought the land, which consisted of 12 lots, was most recently the location of Blake Brothers Animal Training Shcool. They built an outdoor stage alongside the film lab they were already operating, and it wasn't long before the property was ready to use. In 1915 they completed a large glass-enclosed stage and produced ten movies before going out of business that same year.
Popular actor E. K. Lincoln (not to be confused with Elmo Lincoln) took over the studio in 1915 as his private studio. However, he found it more profitable to use as a rental studio and never actually made a film there. Instead, he rented it out to others including Enterprise Film Co. (1915), Fox Film (1916-1917), The United States Film Corp. (1920).
Since then the studio was always known as the E.K. Lincoln Studio in spite of the fact than many tenants and owners occupied the lot.
Edward Kline Lincoln was born on August 8, 1884, and did January 9, 1958. He was a silent film actor and director who appeared in over 65 silent films and was best known for movies like For the Freedom of the World (1917), The Light in the Dark (1922), and Man of Courage (1922).
In 1918 the studio was taken over and transformed into Palisade Film Lab, the largest lab in the area. The lab processed film for many of the local studios. Even though it continued to offer stage rentals well into the sound era, it was continuously operated as a popular and successful film lab.
In 1931 the studio had been rebuilt to accommodate sound and reopened to the production of shorts and independents. in 1933 was taken over by Bud Pollard and renamed Royal Studios.
In 1932 Harry Langdon, a very popular silent film star, attempted a comeback at this studio. He made a short two-reeler which was converted to a feature. However, the studio ran into financial trouble and the film disappeared, never to be seen.
In 1935 the facility was acquired by J. Burgi Contner and renamed Producers Service Studio who made industrial films.
The studio burned down in 1960.