Newspaper - Florida's Hollywood

I grew up in Virginia surrounded by colonial architecture, a far cry from the typical Florida neighborhood I now call home. While red brick is the hallmark of the colonies, stucco, vibrant colors, and Disney come to mind when you hear Florida. If you’ve read my articles on the Indian mounds or the Windover bog bodies, you know Florida is rich in culture and heritage. However, as a kid in Virginia, only one thing came to mind: Disney. No, this isn’t an article about Disney but about the idea of Florida as Hollywood. In elementary school, my best friend would return from Florida every summer and share stories of this amazing place. She showed me pictures of Disney, beautiful beaches, and alligators, convincing me that Florida was full of movie stars. I thought it must be where Disney movies were filmed, with animators and all. I dreamed of going there. Now that I live here, I’ve seen my share of Disney, alligators, rockets, and beaches, yet I remain fascinated by Florida’s rich, unique history.

A few years ago, my research uncovered that Florida, not California, was the first Hollywood. Jacksonville, Florida, founded in 1822, was growing rapidly by the turn of the century. All of Florida was expanding at breakneck speed, catching the nation’s attention. By the 1900s, Florida was in its Gilded Age. Flagler’s railroad enabled the rich and famous to travel along the East Coast. America’s wealthiest escaped the bitter winters of Chicago, New York, and Boston, and young actors and actresses, finding it difficult to work in northern winters, followed suit. Harsh northern storms often halted filming, but Florida’s sunny climate allowed production to continue year-round. By 1902, people began to see the potential for filming in Florida. Jacksonville became a prime location for movie studios, and by 1916, the Jacksonville phone directory listed over 30 film companies in the state. In 1910, far to the west in California, Hollywood, a once-unincorporated town, merged with Los Angeles. Hollywood acquired its first film studio in 1911, and the clock was ticking on Florida’s reign as America’s Hollywood. By the 1920s, Hollywood, California, took center stage, drawing aspiring stars from the East to its film studios.

Florida boasted many notable film studios at the turn of the century and made significant contributions to film, including the first Technicolor film, shot in Florida. Eagle Studios, founded in 1916 by Richard Norman, purchased a complex of five buildings in unincorporated Arlington, which was later incorporated. Norman specialized in motion pictures, talking picture equipment, and films that broke racial barriers. Just 50 years after the Civil War, Norman, dissatisfied with race relations, produced The Green-Eyed Monster, starring an all-Black-American cast. It was a huge success. He followed it with dozens of films featuring all-Black casts, promoting healthy relationships in a struggling culture. Unfortunately, the West Coast soon drew all the attention, and Hollywood, California, became the mecca of film production.

In the last 15 years or so, interest in Florida history has grown. People are engaging with the state’s community and culture. The history of Florida’s star-studded origins came to light through local Jacksonville citizens.

You can read about efforts to restore Richard Norman’s Eagle Studios to its historic past at the link below:https://normanstudios.org/about/history/

For further reading:https://www.floridamemory.com/learn/exhibits/photo_exhibits/movies/https://shop.booksandbooks.com/book/9780813081045