Image Gallery

A selection of images from THE FIRST HOLLYWOOD:

“… It was a hot, swift cancer. Rooftop photographs taken in the days that followed make it seem like a vicious tide reached into the city, uprooted homes and businesses, and left a dusty line separating the Jacksonville that was–green grass, intact structures–from the Jacksonville that wasn’t–bare, spindly trees and scorched, ashy earth…”

“… Filling the bustling street corner of East Forsyth Street and Main Street, next to the Florida Metropolis headquarters, the Savoy Theater was a white structure with text wrapping its façade like a news crawl: ‘Continuous Performances from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,’ ‘5 Cent Admissions,’ ‘Motion Pictures.’ Promo cards and penny arcades speckled the sidewalk. Strings of lights dangled like clotheslines in the every direction…”

“… On January 4, 1916, the Florida Times-Union ran the headline: ‘Mob Destroys Building On Davis Street And Then Wrecks A Saloon.’ The structure was toppled, the windows shattered, and the saloon ‘was deprived of. . . a good quantity of choice liquors.’ The Equitable Film Company paid the bill: $2,000…”

“… The Flying Ace was the ultimate hybrid action flick: fist fights, dog fights, chases on bicycles and horse-drawn carriages, and cameo appearances by all of the seven deadly sins…”

“… The restoration of the Norman Studios, slated for completed in 2008, is multi-faceted. Part of it will be a silent film museum, exhibiting the organization’s current holdings (such as framed Norman movie posters, old film equipment, promotional materials, props, and a Keystone Kops helmet). There will also be a live production facility where local filmmakers can screen their movies and host acting and directing workshops…”