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Florida city almost became 'movie capital' with 15 companies setting up shop
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Thursday, Jun 04, 2009
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag . . .
Q: I've been told by my elders that Jacksonville, Fla., was on the road to being our ''movie capital'' until they all shoved off for California. Why? I would enjoy some facts concerning this.
A: You may want to look for the book The First Hollywood: Florida and the Golden Age of Silent Filmmaking by Shawn C. Bean. It notes that by 1914, 15 major companies — including Fox and Metro Pictures, the precursor to MGM — had set up shop in Jacksonville.
Blessed with lots of sunshine and with diverse architecture suitable for different kinds of movies, Jacksonville played host to hundreds of movies, says the University Press of Florida, publisher of Bean's book. Director D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford and the Barrymores all made movies in Florida. But the publisher says competition from California and ''political upheaval, simmering racial tensions, disease, and World War I'' led to the decline of Jacksonville as a movie center.
Q: I became a big fan of the TV show ''Eleventh Hour.'' It suddenly went off the air in early April. As it was noted as the second most-watched new series (behind ''The Mentalist''), I fail to understand if it was canceled. Can you tell me if it will be returning?
A: CBS did not pick up Eleventh Hour, the Americanized version of a British series, for a second season. Although its ratings looked impressive, it had the benefit of a huge lead-in from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. And millions of CSI fans did not stick around for the other show.
But if you're looking for something in the manner of Eleventh Hour, the British series — starring Patrick Stewart — is available on DVD.
Q: There was a TV show in the mid-1960s called ''Coronet Blue,'' where the blond leading actor had amnesia and was being chased by people, though he couldn't remember why. I think he passed away. Do you know his name and what happened to him?
A: Frank Converse played Michael Alden, the main character in the drama which aired on CBS in 1967. (''Coronet Blue'' was a phrase that appeared to offer a clue to his pre-amnesia past.) Now in his 70s, he is still alive. His acting credits at the Internet Movie Database extend into 2008, when he guest-starred on both Law & Order and Lipstick Jungle.
Q: I saw on TCM a movie Van Johnson made years ago. He was a band leader and one of the first scenes was Van leading the band on a train. I wonder if you can tell me the name of this movie and if it's available on DVD?
A: It appears to be The Duchess of Idaho, an Esther Williams film with Johnson as a bandleader; the trailer includes a musical number set on a train.
In her autobiography, The Million Dollar Mermaid, Williams notes that it was a formulaic film. ''Hadn't I already made this movie at least once?'' she wondered. ''At one point I turned to Van and said, 'Didn't we do this scene before in an elevator?'
'' 'He laughed. 'Esther, this is our fourth picture together. We've done this scene in an elevator, at the side of the pool, and we've even done it swimming in the pool together,' '' Williams said.
Unfortunately, I could not find an authorized DVD release.
Q: I am looking for the name of a movie starring (or co-starring) a younger Burt Reynolds, where he and his fellow explorers (or archaeologists) discover a lost tribe of Indians or perhaps Polynesians — I don't remember for certain.
A: You are trying to find Skullduggery, a movie from 1970. Reynolds, then in his early 20s, was mainly known as a TV actor, and this particular film did nothing to advance his career.
Do you have a question or comment about movies, TV and other popular culture? Write to rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com or the Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44309. Please mark the note for Mailbag and do not phone in questions.
Letters may be edited. Individual replies cannot be guaranteed.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com and on Twitter.
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag . . .
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Vancouver, WA
Posted 01:30 PM, 06/04/2009
Eleventh Hour's ratings were very good- far better than many shows that were renewed on other networks. It had 12 million viewers a week and won nearly all its Thursday night time slots. The dismal choice CBS made not to renew it was based on other factors. Hopefully another network will be smart and grab it up quickly.
