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Growing up in Jacksonville, I had occasion to visit the Gloria Norman dance studio in the city's Arlington section, where my sister took tap and ballet lessons for a short time. The school consisted of several large old, whitewashed barn-like structures that I learned had been movie studios in the silent film era.
Those studios now figure in an exhibit at the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee, "Sunshine and the Silver Screen: A Century of Florida Films.'' Included are costumes, posters, props and other memorabilia from 50 movies filmed in Florida, including "Tarzan's Secret Treasure,'' "The Greatest Show on Earth,'' and "Creature from the Black Lagoon'' - parts of "Creature'' were filmed in Jacksonville at a since-demolished riverfront restaurant. Cypress Gardens sent a swimsuit worn by Esther Williams in 1953's "Easy to Love''; Jacksonville's Museum of History and Science contributed a Keystone Kops-style hat from Norman Studios. The exhibit runs through August. For more information, call 904/488-1484.
As a child, I wondered why the movies hadn't stayed in Jacksonville in the 1920s. At least some of the reasons, I later learned, had to do with what is now called business climate. California had better weather, but there were also cultural issues: Film crews sometimes worked on Sundays and film stars' morals were sometimes suspect. In the Bible Belt Deep South of the 1920s, that made the locals uneasy, and Southern hospitality has always had its limits.
Interestingly, the movies have returned to Jacksonville. The city's Film and Television Commission claims the film industry injected more than $60 million into the economy in 1996, and the city has hosted an HBO movie, a Showtime movie and a Cinemax movie since January alone. Times, it seems, do change.
- Mark R. Howard
CONTRACT MORALITY
Trash Yes, Smut No?
One arm of Wayne Huizenga's Republic Industries makes money hauling trash; another is squeamish about advertising things it considers, well, trash. Mordecai Benowitz, who runs Adult Video Warehouses I and II in Pompano Beach and north Palm Beach, is suing Republic Media Inc., Huizenga's new billboard company, for breach of contract. He says Republic signed a deal with him, but didn't put his ads on billboards. Republic Media has said it wants a good, clean image. Benowitz thinks morality extends to signed contracts as well: The ads are "very bland," according to his attorney, and include only text with the name of the business, address and phone number. Benowitz wants his ads up and possible compensatory damages.
Meanwhile, the billboard company has the same ravenous appetite of other Huizenga offspring: In 13 months, it has acquired 21 billboard companies and has about 1,000 signs statewide.
BEACH CASTLY
The $12 Million Manse
beach castle The $12 Million Manse Talk about your niche markets. Frank McKinney, CEO and president of Venture Concepts International Inc., is building a spec home that only a few thousand people in the U.S. can afford. If it sells for its $12 million asking price, the 23,000-square-foot mansion on two acres of oceanfront in Delray Beach will be the most expensive speculative home ever built in the U.S., according to McKinney. Designed as a French-style castle and named La Marceaux, it features a 4,500-square-foot, two-story master suite, seven other bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, a movie theatre with an 84-inch screen, a scaled-down replica of the White House's Oval Office and a dining hall with seating for 18. To own it, you'll need a net worth of about $55 million, the minimum required to purchase and run the house and pay the estimated annual $140,000 property tax bill. "I'm more than comfortable with the numbers," says McKinney.
- Susan Brown
NEW VENTURES
Concrete Lite
Next month, a German firm will fire up a $35 million, 100,000-square-foot plant it's building in Haines City and begin selling a lightweight construction material called Ytong. The substance, popular in residential and commercial construction in Europe and Asia, is a mixture of sand, lime and water that's aerated and formed into blocks. It's four times lighter than concrete, just as strong and only about 5% more expensive, according to the Munich-based company, Ytong International GmbH. Spokeswoman Carola Albert in Haines City explains that Ytong Florida Ltd. is marketing Ytong first in a 300-mile radius around Orlando; the company is running training classes for masons and will sell the product directly to builders from the factory. Why Florida? The state's booming housing market, Albert says, and of course the availability of a key ingredient - sand.
Dueling Banjos?
Not to be left out of the consolidation frenzy are stores selling musical instruments and equipment. At least three competitors doing business in Florida are applying the superstore concept to selling music equipment, a $5 billion-plus nationwide business that's dominated by 8,100 independent retailers.
In Tampa, entrepreneur Mark Begelman has opened the first of a planned 50 superstores, called Mars, the Musician's Planet. Begelman has done this before: He founded Office Club, which merged into Office Depot, where he was president and CEO. But he's not playing solo: Sam Ash Music, based on Long Island, and the Guitar Center chain, based in Los Angeles, already have stores in south Florida.
MORE THAN 100 SERVED?
Want A Burger With That Vow?
Call it the inverse of the quickie Mexican divorce. Vows A Wedding Establishment opened recently in Davie, a small town near Fort Lauderdale, in a building that once housed a fast food restaurant. The business, which offers a chapel and wedding-related services from tuxedo rental to arranging for disk jockeys, created a niche for itself by offering drive-through weddings from the restaurant's old take-out window. "That's drive-through weddings, not drive-by,'' says Mort Wolfman, who works with Vows' proprietor, Karen Ann Emery. In its first two weeks, the chapel did "about 30 to 35 weddings,'' about half of which were drive-throughs, according to Wolfman. One couple drove up on a Harley; another came in a boat (on a trailer). Cost of the 10-minute ceremony: $75.
UPDATES
Making Tracks:
Florida's high-speed rail project, The Florida Overland eXpress (FOX), has gotten a boost from the Clinton administration, which has proposed a federal program that could help fund the billion-dollar venture. The measure would create the Transportation Infrastructure Credit Program, which would loan funds from the federal government to "nationally significant projects." Meanwhile, a ridership survey is underway for the fast train. Travelers are being queried at rest areas, truck stops and airports to find out their travel patterns and how likely they'd be to use a speedy train - and how much they'd pay to ride it.
Trade:
Enterprise Florida reports that Florida's international trade activity totaled $56.4 billion for 1996 - an increase of 7.6% over 1995. Office machine parts, accessories and computers surpassed fertilizer as the state's number one export category, and Brazil remained as the state's top trading partner. Florida moved ahead of Ohio to rank seventh in state-produced exports.
Tobacco Wars:
As a settlement was announced between the Liggett Group Inc. and 22 states that had been suing the tobacco company, Florida was receiving its second payment from Liggett - a $92,000 check - as part of a settlement the state reached with the cigarette maker last year. The more recent settlement extends the terms of the earlier settlement to more states.