Houses can be movie stars, too

By Cristin Wilson, Florida Times Union, Originally November 8, 2013.

It didn’t take long before Erica Lee realized that the neighbors were talking about her. Well, her house, actually.

Before she received the keys and took possession of her home, the previous owners agreed to have the house featured in the 2008 film “The Year of Getting To Know Us.”

Sharon Stone, Jimmy Fallon and Tom Arnold starred in the film. Even though this all happened before Lee moved in, she said she heard stories about how folks camped out across the street hoping to get a glimpse of the stars who were inside.

There were Sharon Stone sightings in the East Arlington neighborhood as the star took morning walks throughout the subdivision.

“My neighbors reported that she didn’t wave back, or even meet any of her fans, which was upsetting to one particular neighbor who said that Ms. Stone would be a lot prettier if she smiled more,” Lee said.

Lee’s home is one of a dozen sites that have been used in film and television productions in the Jacksonville area, according to the Jacksonville Film and Television Commission. No stranger to the film industry, Jacksonville’s starring role as the winter film capital of the world from the early 1900s to the late 1920s has been well-chronicled. Jacksonville-based Ring Productions, which is no longer active, helped bring the modern era full-length motion picture to the area.

Ring Productions produced two full-length motion pictures before 2012 — “The Year of Getting to Know Us” and a Tim Allen comedy, “The Six Wives of Henry Lefay,” shot in Connecticut. Attorney Lawrence Najem, who was the vice president of Ring Productions, said even though Jacksonville has been successful with getting film projects, it could definitely rival other states known for their booming film industry if the state amended its laws.

“Jacksonville can once again be the winter film capital of the world with a little help from the state Legislature. Adopting tax credit legislation similar to Georgia and Louisiana would go a long way for the industry. Movie producers and studios in Hollywood would opt for Florida over all other states if we were on even par with the benefits offered by competing states,” Najem said. Najem himself has added to Jacksonville’s movie locale history.

His San Marco office on Prudential Drive was used in the filming of the 2008 HBO movie “Recount” starring Kevin Spacey, which chronicled Florida’s voting problems in the 2000 presidential election. Najem’s office was a stand-in for the Democratic headquarters in the film.

In between takes, the attorney’s staff got a chance to chat it up with Spacey. The movie wrapped production years ago, but office members still have a few reminders from that week of filming, including the chairs that were used in a Supreme Court scene. They’re in the building’s conference room now.

Spacey isn’t the only big name Najem’s firm has encountered. It also served as John Travolta’s legal counsel for eight years.

GREAT REPUTATION

Monica Landeros, a spokeswoman for the city of Jacksonville, said Jacksonville in particular has a great reputation when it comes to working with film and television crews. Despite Najem’s concern that more needs to be done in the way of incentives, Landeros said that Jacksonville usually comes up as less expensive for production companies.

Jacksonville is “very film-friendly,” she said. “[There are] businesses and [a] community who embrace the film and television industry.” Since January, 40 permits have been received for independent films, commercials, TV shows, film shorts and stock photo productions.

Independent filmmaker Gerald Jackson Jr., a native of Jacksonville, said incentive grants and the versatility of the First Coast influenced his decision to film 2010’s “Truly Everlasting,” in which a boy wishes for a daddy for Christmas.

The home where the main character lived was a house in Springfield. And when he needed to shoot a scene about a wealthy California family, he went no farther than Ponte Vedra Beach.

“Any part of the world can pretty much be replicated here in Jacksonville,” Jackson said. “The script called for a Southern California-style mansion, and luckily we have quite a few in Ponte Vedra. The owners were good friends with one of the crew members and allowed us to film in it. Residents are always pleasant in allowing us to use their homes/businesses for little to no cost. In contrast, to use the same location in a city such as Los Angeles or New York would probably have cost a large amount of our budget.”

A CAMERA FAVORITE

Wayne Wood’s 100-year-old Riverside house was never on the big screen, but it’s no stranger to cameras. HGTV featured it on a segment called “Homes Across America,” which focused on some of the country’s best homes. Wood, a retired optometrist and founding member of Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP) who has written several books on the area’s architecture, said tour buses commonly stop in front of his home.

“People just marvel at the house,” he said. “It’s so beautiful, yet so different.”

Wood said the house is a representation of the Prairie Style of architecture. His research shows the home is one of the top three Prairie Style representations in the state. “It’s not only living in a bit of history, but it’s living in a work of art,” he said.

Known as Strawberry Hill because of the strawberries that were grown nearby in the late 1800s, his 5,000-square-foot home has also been written about in various magazines, including two airline magazines.

Wood said one thing most people may not know is that in 1946 the home was actually turned into a hospital. He bought the property in 1999 after it had been turned back into a residence.

EPPING FOREST

Jacksonville’s Epping Forest — now the Epping Forest Yacht Club — is well-known as the 58-acre former estate of Alfred I. and Jessie Ball duPont. The clubhouse has been used in many movies, but that’s not why the property is in the history books. The world turned its attention there in November 1975 for a meeting between President Gerald Ford and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

Raymond Mason, who bought the riverfront estate in 1972, was CEO of The Charter Co., a Jacksonville-based company with interests in oil, insurance and publishing. Mason and Ford were good friends, so when the president arranged to meet with Sadat in Florida, Mason opened his home. Sadat and his family stayed at the mansion.

Francis Kinne was the president of Jacksonville University at the time of the Ford-Sadat meeting. She said she entertained Sadat’s wife while the summit took place. Kinne, who is now retired, said she believes Ford and Mason first met when the former president was in Congress and his son Jack attended JU.

Mason told the Times-Union that the estate was a good site for visiting dignitaries because of its location across the St. Johns River from the Jacksonville Naval Air Station. Visitors could fly into NAS and travel with security by boat to Epping Forest. Mason sold the estate in 1984.

According to Ford’s presidential diary of the day, the president and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger attended a two-hour working lunch hosted by Sadat on Sunday, Nov. 2, at the Mason home. Ford then met with Sadat again, this time at the Deerwood home of William and JoAnn Drennon that Ford had borrowed for the occasion. First Lady Betty Ford stayed next door at the home of Luther Coggin, CEO of Coggin Automotive.

All the principals then sat down for dinner at the San Jose Country Club. The Drennon family returned to their home late Sunday night. According to an article in Trend magazine, all the equipment used for the meeting was removed except for coasters and napkins with the presidential seal. JoAnn Drennon collected some as mementos, along with photographs and news articles, and put them in a scrapbook so the family would always remember the historic visit.

The 4,326-square-foot house on the Deerwood Country Club golf course had been listed for sale at $629,000 since June, but the listing was removed in mid-October. But Lee has decided to put her notable home on the market so she can move closer to the beach. Her real estate agent makes mention of the home’s renown in his online ad, in which the 2,438-square-foot house is listed at $190,000. They’re both betting that there’s a family out there that would love to be the new talk of the neighborhood.

Some movies, tv movies and series and their locations that were shot locally in Jacksonville:

MOTION PICTURES, TV MOVIES & SERIES

FILMED IN JACKSONVILLE
MOTION PICTURES

“Veer!” (2012)
Location: Downtown Jacksonville

“Thespians” (2010)
Locations: Riverside, Springfield, St. Nicholas

“Recount” (2008)
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Denis Leary, Laura Dern, Tom Hutchinson, John Hurt, Bob Balaban
Locations: Downtown, Jacksonville Beach City Hall, Ed Ball Building, Riverplace Tower, Duval County Courthouse, San Marco restaurant, Cecil Commerce Center, Ortega and Empire Point homes, Gateway Town Center, Hyatt Regency, Prime Osborn Convention Center

“Like Dandelion Dust” (2009)
Cast: Mira Sorvino, Barry Pepper, Cole Hauser
Locations: Courthouse, Jacksonville International Airport, Jarboe Park, Springfield, Ponte Vedra Beach

“The Year of Getting To Know Us” (formerly titled “Rocket”) 2008
Cast: Sharon Stone, Jimmy Fallon, Lucy Liu, Tom Arnold, Illeana Douglas
Locations: Hidden Hills home, Heckscher Drive, Huguenot Memorial Park, Empire Point, Cecil Commerce Center, JIA

“Who’s Your Monkey” (formerly titled “Throwing Stars”) 2007
Locations: St. Johns River, Riverside, 5 Points, Main Street bridge, Dames Point bridge, Ortega Bridge, Downtown Jacksonville

“Cocaine Angel” 2006
Locations: Downtown, Atlantic Beach, North Main Street

“South of Heaven” (2008)
Location: Jacksonville Production Studio

“Things That Hang from Trees” (2006)
Location: St. Augustine

“Lonely Hearts” (2006)
Cast: John Travolta, James Gandolfini, Salma Hayek, Laura Dern
Locations: Downtown, Springfield, Riverside, Cecil Commerce Center

“Love Trap” (2005)
Location: Jacksonville area

“Manchurian Candidate” (2004)
Cast: Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight
Locations: Huguenot Memorial Park, St. George Episcopal Church on Fort George Island

“Basic” (2003)
Cast: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Connie Nielsen, Giovanni Ribisi, Harry Connick Jr.
Locations: Cecil Commerce Center, Herlong Airport, Club Continental

“Sunshine State” (2002)
Cast: Angela Bassett, Edie Falco, Timothy Hutton
Locations: Regency Square mall, Atlantic Boulevard (median in-front of the mall), American Beach on Amelia Island, Centre Street in Fernandina Beach, Orange Park Kennel Club

“Mule Skinner Blues” (2001)
Location: Mayport

“Tigerland” (2000)
Cast: Colin Ferrell, Matthew Davis II
Locations: Camp Blanding, alley behind Florida Theatre

“Ride” (1998)
Cast: John Witherspoon, Cedric the Entertainer
Location: Jacksonville

“Why Do Fools Fall in Love” (1998)
Cast: Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox, Lela Rochon
Location: North Main Street

“The Devil’s Advocate” (1997)
Cast: Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron
Locations: Jacksonville Courthouse, Herschel Street

“G.I. Jane” (1997)
Cast: Demi Moore, Viggo Mortensen, Anne Bancroft
Locations: Huguenot Park, Craig field, Camp Blanding

“The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking” (1998)
Locations: WJCT soundstage, Centre Street in Fernandina Beach

“Brenda Starr” (1989)
Cast: Brooke Shields, Timothy Dalton, Tony Peck, Diana Scarwid, Charles Durning, Eddie Albert, Henry Gibson
Locations: Black Creek, Hanna Park, Florida Times-Union

“Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954)
Cast: Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning
Location: River City Brewing Co.