List of Figures

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Opening Credits: "The Sun of Florida's Destiny"

1. "This Venture Was Epoch-Making": Florida's Early Twentieth-Century Movie Boom, 1898-1925

2. "Of Course They Please the Southern People": Florida Becomes Home to the Cinematic "Lost Cause" and Race Film Industry, 1908-1928

3. "Motion Pictures at a Great Saving!": Florida Attempts to Build a "Second Los Angeles," 1922-1945

4. "The Business Can Kill You Anyway": Hollywood Comes to Florida, 1938-1971

5. "Assurances of Full Cooperation": Florida Becomes a National Film and Television Capital, 1971-2005

End Credits: "The Flip of a Switch"; The Sun Sets on Florida's Motion Picture Industry (Can it Rise Again?), 2006-Present

Notes

Index

Index to Films and Television Shows

This book is a sweeping story of filmmaking in Florida, chronicling the state's importance to producers throughout 125 years by looking at the many iconic films and television shows made across the peninsula.

Highlighting Florida's essential, often overlooked role in shaping American film and television

Motion Picture Paradise is a sweeping story of filmmaking in Florida, featuring the activities of studios and filmmakers across the peninsula by looking at the many iconic films and television shows shot in the state. In the early years of the American film industry, Florida was a favorite location for pioneer movie makers, and David Morton chronicles the state's importance to producers throughout the next 125 years.

Often overshadowed by the well-known entertainment industries of Hollywood and New York, Florida has over time had several major film production centers. Morton follows the rise and fall of filmmaking destinations across the state, including Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Tampa Bay, Orlando, and Miami, as well as pioneering underwater and location-based films shot at Florida's unique natural springs. He argues that conflicting policies set by Florida politicians have, at various times, enticed or pushed away movie and television companies, a pattern that has hampered serious investment.

Using a wealth of source materials, Morton offers a comprehensive history that demonstrates how films and television shows made in Florida have influenced the state's sense of identity, drawing attention to Florida's underacknowledged role as the "third coast" in American film history. Motion Picture Paradise adds new insights into the state's dramatic social and economic transformations during the twentieth century.

David Morton is a lecturer in film and history at the University of Central Florida.