When Jacksonville, Florida Was Hollywood

Jacksonville, Florida. Today I've got something quite unusual, something a majority of the world have no idea about. The movie-making capital of the world, as we know, is Hollywood, located in California, and it's become a reference point for the American film industry. And the people associated with it.

TIMELINE
1914: In 1914, Oliver Babe Hardy, a character who later became a part of the comedic film duo Laurel and Hardy, started his motion picture career in Jacksonville.
1917: Later, in 1917, the very first feature-length movie made in Technicolor, called The Golf Between, was filmed in Jacksonville.
1926: The most iconic movie to come out of Norman Studios was probably The Flying Ace, made in 1926.
1979: Later, in 1979, the governor of Florida, Bob Graham, created a politically favorable environment for the development of film and TV production.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Jacksonville is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know.

Episode 128 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 154 (Homestead, Florida)

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

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