Jacksonville and Pop Culture

Jacksonville is Florida’s largest city. It sits in the northeast corner of the state, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a long history as a cultural center and mixing ground for diverse people, which makes it a major contributor to the cultural tapestry of the nation. Once a home to the early motion picture industry, Jacksonville has also played a strong role in the music scene. It has been the source of inspiration to writers like Stephen Crane, musicians like Pat Boone, and artists of all kinds. Jacksonville has certainly made its share of cultural contributions.

Film and TV

Before Hollywood, there was Jacksonville. As the center of filmmaking in the silent film era, it has earned its place in the annals of the film industry. Those days are gone now, but that doesn’t mean Jacksonville doesn’t play a new part in movies and TV shows. It has appeared in episodes of Antiques Roadshow, Criminal Minds, House Hunters, and many more. The hit NBC sitcom, “The Good Place,” has Jacksonville as the hometown of one of its main characters, Jason Mendoza (Manny Jacinto), who often references his shenanigans in the city and his pride for his home team, the Jaguars.

Jacksonville is the filming location for a list of movies, including the sequel to “Creature from the Black Lagoon” called “Revenge of the Creature.” Most of this classic creature movie is shot in Florida, and the Jacksonville locations included the Lobster House, a restaurant that once stood near the southern end of Jacksonville’s Acosta Bridge. This site is now occupied by the River City Brewery. The Lobster House is clearly visible in the movie, as is the Jacksonville night skyline. Other movies filmed here include “G.I. Jane,” “The Devil’s Advocate,” and “The Manchurian Candidate” (2004).

Music and Bands

The most famous band to come out of Jacksonville — Lynyrd Skynyrd — created such widely recognized classic hits as “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama.” They originally formed in 1964 under another name, but after five years and several lineup changes, they emerged as Lynyrd Skynyrd. In 1977, the lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, and several other members of the band tragically died when their chartered plane ran out of fuel. Ten years later, the band reformed with some of its surviving members. Ronnie’s brother Johnny stepped in as lead vocalist and primary songwriter.

Other bands from Jacksonville include the Burch Sisters, a country music group of three sisters: Cathy, Charlene, and Cindy Burch. Their hit debut single, “Everytime You Go Outside I Hope It Rains,” reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart in 1988. It was the only one of their songs to do so, and they were a short-lived trio. A newer group out of the area is Black Kids, an indie rock band formed in 2006. Their second album, Partie Traumatic, debuted at number five on the UK Albums Chart in 2008.

Famous People

Jacksonville has its share of notable names, not least of which is Pat Boone. Born here on June 1st, 1934, he’s an award-winning singer and actor. A highly popular pop singer in the 1950s and early 1960s, he has sold more than 45 million albums throughout his career. He had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in over a dozen Hollywood movies. Another Jacksonville-born entertainer is Barbie Blank, a model, actress, and former professional wrestler known by the ring name Kelly Kelly. She’s an overall two-time champion in WWE and is on the reality television series WAGS.

Also born in Jacksonville is Diana Eng, a Chinese-American fashion designer and technologist, who is best known as a contestant on season 2 of Project Runway. She was eliminated in the sixth episode but was chosen to help with a garment at the finale by the contestant who went on to win the season.

A familiar face from Jacksonville is Ashley Greene, an actress, and model, who you might recognize as Alice Cullen in the Twilight Saga film series. She has also appeared in “A Warrior’s Heart,” “Summer’s Blood,” and “The Apparition.” She received The Style Icon Award in 2010.

Art and Literature

Author of the beloved book “A Wrinkle in Time,” Madeleine L’Engle spent part of her youth near Jacksonville. She moved there with the rest of her family in1933 to take care of her ill grandmother. L’Engle is a widely respected writer of imaginative young adult fiction as well as fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She passed away in 2007.

Stephen Crane spent some time in Jacksonville in 1896. Here, he met Cora Taylor who became his common-law wife. Crane was working undercover on a steamship when it sank off the coast of Daytona Beach, which was the basis for his short story, The Open Boat.

The Impressionist painter Frederick Carl Frieseke lived with an uncle in Jacksonville as a child. It was decades later in Giverny, the village made famous by Claude Monet, that he painted “Hunting Alligators, Pink Sea” and “Fishing, Jacksonville,” from memory. He spent much of his life in France, but always regarded his time in Florida fondly. Not only painters have been inspired by the beauty of northern Florida; architect and author Robert C. Broward also lived in Jacksonville, Florida. A student of Frank Lloyd Wright, he designed over 500 buildings and spaces, specializing in water features and incorporating the work of local artists.

Music, art, film, architecture, and writing all make Jacksonville the marvelous place it is today. There’s a reason it keeps popping up in TV shows and is frequently used as the location or setting in films, art, and books. From the pioneers of the silent film industry to the talents of Lynyrd Skynyrd, this city has seen it all. What’s your favorite piece of pop culture trivia about Jacksonville? At Keith Pierson Toyota we’d love to hear which cultural aspects you love the most about the great city of Jacksonville. Drop us a line and give us your thoughts.

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