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



Motion Picture Paradiseis a sweeping story of filmmaking in Florida, featuring the activitiesof studios and filmmakers across the peninsula by looking at the manyiconic films and television shows shot in the state. In the early yearsof the American film industry, Florida was a favorite location forpioneer movie makers, and David Morton chronicles the state's importanceto producers throughout the next 125 years.



Oftenovershadowed by the well-known entertainment industries of Hollywood andNew York, Florida has over time had several major film productioncenters. Morton follows the rise and fall of filmmaking destinationsacross the state, including Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Tampa Bay,Orlando, and Miami, as well as pioneering underwater and location-basedfilms shot at Florida's unique natural springs. He argues thatconflicting policies set by Florida politicians have, at various times,enticed or pushed away movie and television companies, a pattern thathas hampered serious investment.



Using a wealth of sourcematerials, Morton offers a comprehensive history that demonstrates howfilms and television shows made in Florida have influenced the state'ssense of identity, drawing attention to Florida's underacknowledged roleas 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.