Florida History: Jacksonville's role in the silent film industry (2024)
In the first quarter of the 20th century, Jacksonville was reputed to be the “Winter Film Capital of the World!” As early as 1908, the motion picture industry, concentrated in New Jersey and New York, looked to Florida for its warm, sunny climate and cheap labor, and to Jacksonville, in particular, because it was the easiest city in Florida to reach by rail from New York City. Beginning in ’08 with Kalem Studios, and continuing over the next decade, 30 movie studios opened in Jacksonville.
The most notable of them was the Norman Film Manufacturing Company, established in 1920 on the Eagle Film City property in Jacksonville’s rural Arlington section. Richard Norman purchased the bankrupt Eagle Film studios in order to make “race films”—movies for African American audiences. Until Norman, films depicted African Americans only in supporting and demeaning roles, but Norman saw the potential profitability of making films produced by and starring African Americans. According to his son, Richard Norman, “My father was disheartened about the state of race relations at the time, both in real life and in the movies, so, he set out to help give the Black community a stronger place on film, behind the cameras and in the theatres.”
The most significant, and the only film Norman made in the 1920s to survive in its entirety, is "The Flying Ace," shot in 1926 in Mayport and Arlington. Credited as the boyhood inspiration of many of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, "The Flying Ace" is currently housed in the Library of Congress.
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As early as 1911, the motion picture industry had begun its migration to southern California. The movie makers in Jacksonville gradually deserted the city for principally two reasons. The first was the election, in 1917, of conservative John W. Martin, as mayor. His predecessor, J.E.T. Bowden, had been an avid supporter of the movie-making in Jacksonville, but Martin solicited the vote of the conservative residents who, according to Film historianDr. Nadia Ramoutar (quoted here from, “’Lights, Camera, Action!’ The Role of Jacksonville in the Silent Film Era,” in Smith, Gambrell, & Russell’s Trust the Leaders magazine), had “had enough of the disruption of their daily lives by the never-ending film crews…and the far too risqué nature of the filmmakers and their stars.
“For example, some filmmakers pulled fire alarms so they could capture speeding fire trucks on film. One advertised a parachute jump from a tall building so he could draw the large crowd he needed. Another drove a car into the river, not letting on that it was just a movie. And on Sundays, when everyone was at church and the streets were empty, that’s when they could shoot the shootout at the O.K. Corral. There was no air-conditioning then, church windows were open, and the mayhem could clearly be heard from the pews. The women wore pants and they all frequented bars, and their mob scenes would routinely get out of hand. It was more than the good citizens of Jacksonville could stomach.”
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Filmmakers deserted the east for the west coast also because Thomas Edison’s “Edison Trust” had a monopoly on every aspect of movie making. In California, filmmakers hoped to evade the Edison Trust’s stranglehold on their industry.
It ain’t over ‘til it’s over
Norman Studios is Jacksonville’s only surviving silent film studio. As funds allow, four of the original five buildings are being renovated to create Jacksonville’s Silent Film Museum. Tours of the complex are by appointment only. For more information, please visit normanstudios.org.
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Other relics of Jax’s heyday in film production are the Florida Theatre, built in 1927 as the largest movie palace in Jacksonville and one of only four remaining grand movie palaces of the era in the state, and theSan Marco Theater, an Art Deco masterpiece built in 1938. Both theaters are still running silent and cult classic films.
Jacksonville today is much more, however, than a mecca for silent-film enthusiasts. Jacksonville is once again (after California and New York) the third largest film production center in the United States. For the past three decades, it has been the location for many blockbuster films and Emmy-award-winning television productions. (Filmjax.com is your best of information about the film industry in Jacksonville today.)
So, it seems that if you are a film lover, the next best place to visit after Hollywood, California, is Jacksonville, Florida.
More than anything, Hollywood just had too many advantages over Jacksonville. The West Coast's glamour and momentum became unstoppable. While Jacksonville's loss of the silent-film industry was Hollywood's gain, according to Dr. Ramoutar, the real loss lay in the demise of the silent-film industry altogether.
In the early years of the 20th century, Jacksonville earned the title of “Winter Film Capital of the World.” The warm climate, striking natural surroundings, diversity of architecture, inexpensive labor and easy rail access attracted more than 30 movie studios.
The area was originally inhabited by the Timucua people before being colonized by the Spanish in the 16th century. In 1822, Jacksonville became part of the United States when Florida was acquired from Spain. During the Civil War, Jacksonville played an important role as a supply center for Confederate troops.
Some of the movies made in Jacksonville include: "G.I.Jane," "Devil's Advocate," "Lonely Hearts," "Basic," "Recount" and "The Year of Getting to Know Us." For a highlight reel, check out, “We've Got the Pictures."
Healthcare: Jacksonville boasts a strong healthcare industry with major players like Mayo Clinic (8,450 employees), Baptist Health (12,000 employees), and Florida Blue (5,700 employees) leading the way.
In May 2018, the City of Jacksonville informed Jacksonville Landing Investments, LLC, a subsidiary of Sleiman Enterprises, that the Jacksonville Landing had defaulted on the lease by not curing a breach of contract within the 30 days of notification.
Boasting 22 miles of beaches, Jacksonville, on Florida's northeast coast, is a city of diverse neighborhoods with a top-notch arts and culture scene, unbeatable food, and a wide variety of family-friendly attractions, parks, and nature preserves.
In 2022, the county with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Jacksonville, FL was St.Johns County, FL with a value of $100,020, followed by Santa Rosa County, FL and Nassau County, FL, with respective values of $84,715 and $84,085.
Slavery was well-established in the city before the Civil War. The 1860 census, he said, showed that 43 percent of Jacksonville's population was enslaved. That figure would have been far higher, Buettinger believes, if the census had included areas outside the small city limits of what was then Jacksonville.
Before there ever was a Hollywood, Jacksonville was where the motion picture industry filmed during the winter months. The city gained the nickname the “Winter Film Capital of the World” because the ideal weather climate attracted over 30 movie studios to set up shop.
Lights, Camera, Action! In The Truman Show, Jim Carrey portrays the unknowing star of a reality show. Scenes from this film were shot in Northwest Florida, including Deer Point Dam, St.Andrews State Park, Destin and Panama City - areas that are known for sugar-white sands and emerald-green waters.
Production activity has been generally concentrated in two regions, South Florida and Central Florida (Orlando and Tampa). The South Florida region is famous for large projects like Jerry Bruckheimer's Bad Boys film series and Neal Moritz's 2 Fast 2 Furious.
Believe it or not, American film making saw its beginnings in New York at the tail end of the 19th century. But soon enough (in the 1910s) productions started moving West and Hollywood became synonymous with American film. The reason? Patent law restrictions!
Originally, the movie industry was driven to the West Coast by the strict limitations placed on filmmakers by Thomas Edison's monopoly known as "the Trust." The physical distance between California and the East Coast-based Trust allowed filmmakers freedom they wouldn't have had otherwise.
The Main Street Bridge in Downtown Jacksonville as viewed from Riverfront Plaza, the former Jacksonville Landing site. The next phase, Phase 1B, will include work on the overall infrastructure, the bulkhead and the Riverwalk, along with the construction of a café, a children's playground, and a large green space.
Beginning in 1908, however, a growing number of filmmakers located in southern California, drawn by cheap land and labor, the ready accessibility of varied scenery, and a climate ideal for year-round outdoor filming.
Introduction: My name is Arline Emard IV, I am a cheerful, gorgeous, colorful, joyous, excited, super, inquisitive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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