You may not realize it, but Hollywood has a long history of making movies right here on the Emerald Coast.

Earlier today the heritage museum in Valparaiso hosted an event called "Eglin in the Movies".

Historians showed featured scenes from some of the best known productions.

Experts told stories and gossip about the making of these feature films and even dispelled several rumors.

Florida. Palm trees. Alligators. Amazing beauty.

Throughout the decades movie crews have flocked to northwest Florida in search of the perfect backdrop for their major motion picture.

During the World War II era, Eglin Air Force Base became a popular fixture in aviation movies.

Clay T. McCutchan, a historian, says, "In 1949 this was the only area, or air force base, that had a large number of b-17 bombers and they needed that particular bomber for the movie."

Movie lovers filled the lecture hall at the heritage museum listening to historians reveal trivia about the famous films: Thirty Seconds over Tokyo, Twelve O'clock High, Dr. Strangelove, and the Green Berets.

These cousins say they remember the excitement around town when Gregory Peck started filming Twelve O'clock High.

“He was very pleasant. He spoke to us. It wasn't like he was some far away person. Everybody was on the lookout at all times to find out where Gregory Peck was because he visited many areas."

According to the historians, in the movie Dr. Strangelove, producers used this shot of the Destin Harbor and passed it off as a snowy river bank on the Russian coast.

In the movie 30 Seconds over Tokyo you can clearly see the Choctawhatchee Bay and the bridge into Freeport.

Other pieces of information dispelled rumors.

"I was always told the Doolittle Raids trained at Hurlburt. Well that's impossible. The Dolittle Raid was in March or April of ‘42 and the records show they didn't start construction on Hurlburt until 1943."

Some locals say they'll never forget the feeling they had watching movie crews roll into town.

"Everybody had electricity in the air about what was being filmed in our hometown."

Topic for the next lecture series is Florida holiday celebrations which will take place on December 3rd.