Our guest is David Morton, author of "Motion Picture Paradise: A History of Florida's Film and Television Industry." Florida was an epicenter of film and television production in the early 20th century, and again in the '50s and '60s, but politics has often derailed efforts in the state to create an East Coast Hollywood.
Diver Ricou Browning “played” the Gill-man in “Creature From the Black Lagoon.” Image: Wikipedia.
Craig Pittman is the award-winning author of Oh, Florida!: How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country, The Scent of Scandal, Cat Tale, Manatee Insanity and The State You’re In, and co-author of Paving Paradise. Born in Pensacola, he graduated from Troy State University in Alabama, where his muckraking work for the student paper prompted an agitated dean to label him “the most destructive force on campus.” Since then he has covered a variety of newspaper beats and quite a few natural disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires and the Florida Legislature.
