By Lynn Jones | A century after an all-Black cast made movie history in Jacksonville, one of the city’s most significant contributions to early Black cinema will return to the spotlight – this time accompanied by the Jacksonville Symphony.
The Symphony will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the silent The Flying Ace on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m., with a screening of the 1926 silent film accompanied by the world premier of a newly commissioned orchestral score performed live.
Produced by Richard E. Norman’s Norman Studios in Jacksonville, “The Flying Ace,” was a ground breaking production for its era. The black-and-white silent film featured an all-Black cast at a time when African Americans were largely excluded from leading and heroic roles in mainstream Hollywood films.
Filmed at Norman Studios in Arlington and in the Mayport community, the movie starred Laurence Criner as Capt. Billy Stokes, a World War I fighter pilot who returns home to his former job as a railroad detective. Stokes investigates the disappearance of a railroad paymaster and a $25,000 payroll, launching a story of mystery, aviation, romance and adventure.
“The Flying Ace” emerged during the era of “race films,” movies made primarily for Black audiences and featuring Black performers in substantive roles. Norman Studios became notable for presenting Black characters as professionals, heroes and central figures in their own stories rather than relying on the racial stereotypes common in American cinema at that time.
The film was inspired in part by pioneering aviator Bessie Coleman, according to Norman Studios. Its historical importance received national recognition in 2021 when the Library of Congress selected “The Flying Ace,’ for preservation in the National Film Registry for its cultural, historical or aesthetic significance.
Now 100 year after the film was made in Jacksonville, its silent images will receive a new musical voice.
Six contemporary composers collaborated on the newly commissioned score: lead composer Carlos Simon, along with Jongnic Bontemps, Kathryn Bostic, Nathalie Joachim, Allison Loggins-Hull and Levi Taylor. Jacksonvillle Music Director Courtney Lewis will conduct the orchestra as the score is synchronized with the film.
The Symphony has also hosted the composers for score readings, as part of preparations for the world premier, allowing the musicians and creative team to refine the relationship between the new music and the century old images.
The centennial performance will connect two chapters of Jacksonville’s cultural history – the city’s largely overlooked role on the early American film industry and its present-day performing arts community.
More than a movie screening, the anniversary offers a new generation an opportunity to experience a piece of Black cinema history that was created right here in Jacksonville.
“The Flying Ace,” 100th Anniversary Live Orchestral Premiere will be presented Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. by the Jacksonville Symphony.
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