Florida Movie Poster Collection

By Janice Gorin

In 1998 Florida's film industry will be more than 100 years old. To commemorate this milestone, the Museum of Florida History began a collection of memorabilia related to movies that were filmed in Florida. Today, nearly 250 artifacts comprise this collection. A few are props, but most are colorful posters, lobby cards, and other advertising memorabilia.

History

Film actress in a Jacksonville silent film, 1916

Florida films are nearly as old as movie making itself. The state's sunny climate and scenic beauty made Florida a natural destination for early film producers. In fact, the earliest Florida films are 1898 "newsreels" of U.S. troops in Tampa during the Spanish-American War. Before World War I, Jacksonville rivaled Hollywood with more than thirty studios and 1,000 actors and extras. However, unfavorable state and local policies soon discouraged the booming industry, and the studios moved to California.

Florida continued to be used for many of Hollywood's best movies. The state offered scenic jungles for Tarzan, beautiful beaches for Esther Williams, tropical islands for South Pacific themes, and deep, mysterious springs for the Creature From the Black Lagoon.

Johnny Weismuller and the film crew of Tarzan's Secret Treasure at Wakulla Springs, 1941

Filming Airport '77 in Wakulla Springs

When Florida actively began to attract and assist movie companies, the film industry began to grow. Major studios such as Universal, Disney, and MGM moved to the state, boosting production, and by 1995 Florida had become the third largest film-making state in the country. Today, Floridians continue to reap the benefits of this creative and lucrative industry.

Movie Advertising Memorabilia

Film advertising was designed to catch moviegoers' imagination and ensure their interest in seeing the production. Depending on the film, images were dramatic, romantic, heroic, funny, and colorful enough to catch the eye. Often a movie had several poster images to appeal to different audiences; some moviegoers were drawn in by an action scene, and others were influenced by a romantic theme.

State Theater, Miami, 1930

By the 1920s, a standard set of promotional materials was produced to advertise films. These included posters of several sizes, sets of lobby cards, and photographic movie "stills." The most common poster size was a one-sheet poster, 41 inches high by 27 inches wide. Others were larger, such as a three-sheet poster, comprised of three separate pieces, that was 81 inches by 41 inches. Smaller insert posters were tall and narrow-36 inches by 14 inches; and half sheets were just that-half the size of a one-sheet poster. Lobby cards, usually in sets of eight, six, or four, measured 11 inches high by 14 inches wide.

The Museum's Movie Poster Collection