Pine Bluff’s Cinematic Legacy
Pine Bluff boasts a rich history of numerous film and television shows created, starred in, developed and/or inspired by Pine Bluff residents and natives. With popular works like Incredible Hulk, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Wizard of Oz, Good Times, Different Strokes, Dolemite, Batman and Robin, The Green Hornet, The Three Musketeers, The Bionic Woman, Gentle Ben, Star Trek, Dick Tracey, Frankenstein's Daughter , Annie Oakley, Cobra Kai, The Blob, The Adventures of Brer Rabbit, and Hairspray, Pine Bluff’s rich film legacy is entrenched in popular culture. Image Credit: www.open-stand.org Cinema History Past During Pine Bluff’s heyday, Second Avenue was the local theater district, attracting hundreds of movie patrons and theatergoers. Residents and visitors alike could stroll down Second Avenue and visit one of the many outstanding theaters, including the Community Theatre, the Saenger Theatre, and the Vester Theatre. The most well-known of all Pine Bluff’s theaters was the Saenger Theater. In 1924, the Saenger Theater was dubbed “The Showplace of the South” as it drew patrons from towns across southeast Arkansas. It was a “motion picture palace” that cost almost $200,000 (almost $3.6 million in today’s market), seated over 1,500 patrons on its lower floor and segregated balcony (“crow’s nest”). It featured Italian marble floors, ornate plasterwork, and a crystal prism chandelier. During its prime, the Saenger Theater’s full-sized Broadway stage featured famous acts like magician Harry Houdini, humorist Will Rogers, composer John Phillips Sousa, and Western star Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger. The Ziegfeld Follies musical revue, Al G. Fields Minstrels, and other traveling theatrical groups performed at the Saenger Theater. The Theater also catered to the Pine Bluff community children by hosting school plays, high school graduations, and dance recitals. Unfortunately, the Saenger Theater closed in 1975, and the Second Avenue theater district era ended. Cinema History Present Fortunately, Pine Bluff natives and residents traveled far and wide entrenching the city’s rich film legacy within popular culture. Pine Bluff boasts numerous films and television shows created, starred in, and/or developed by Pine Bluff residents and natives. These works include: Incredible Hulk, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Wizard of Oz, Good Times, Different Strokes, The Tramp, Dolemite, Batman and Robin, The Green Hornet, The Three Musketeers, The Bionic Woman, Gentle Ben, Star Trek, Dick Tracey, Frankenstein's Daughter, Annie Oakley, Hard Shootin', Hard Fightin', Cobra Kai, The Blob, Posse, Cotton Comes to Harlem, A Rage in Harlem, The Color Purple, Panther, The Adventures of Brer Rabbit, Hairspray, True Grit, and the list goes on and on. Pine Bluff creatives known for their work in cinema include Helen Seamon, Louis Natheaux, Kate Phillips, Beth Brickell, John Donley, Kenneth Culvey Johnson, Byron Vaughn, and Mary Mouser. These Pine Bluff artists have run the gamut in their cinema involvement, ranging from actors, dancers, editors, directors, producers, scriptwriters, and the inspiration for popular musicals that live on to influence generations. Here are some of these Pine Bluff artists and creatives and their respective film and cinema contributions. Helen Seamon - Actress, Dancer, Singer Cinema Contribution: Folies Bergère de Paris, Hearts in Bondage, Star for a Night, The Singing Marine, Comet Over Broadway, Broadway Serenade, Strike Up The Band, Balls of Fire (1942), and The Wizard of Oz. Helen Seamon was a talented dancer, singer, and actress on the chorus line in more than 15 MGM films from 1935 to 1945. Seamon danced and sang, serving as a chorus girl in numerous films, including Folies Bergère de Paris (1935), Hearts in Bondage (1936), Strike Me Pink (1936), Star for a Night (1936), Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936), The Singing Marine (1937), Comet Over Broadway (1938), Broadway Serenade (1939), Strike Up The Band (1940), Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case (1941), Balls of Fire (1942), and Diamond Horseshoe (1945). Seamon’s most memorable role came in 1939 when she landed a part in The Wizard of Oz, a musical fantasy starring Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, and Jack Haley. Seamon played an Emerald City citizen whose role was pivotal to the film's climax where Dorothy accidentally gets left behind by the Wizard after Toto jumps out in response to a cat that Seamon's character was holding. Soon after a tearful farewell, Dorothy utters the now-famous lines, "There's no place like home," and is transported back to Kansas, waking up safely in bed. Louis Natheaux - Actor Cinema Contribution: Kitty Foyle, Citizen Kane, Kid Galahad, It’s a Wonderful World, Why Be Good?, Go-Get-'Em, Haines, and Broadway Babies. Louis Natheaux was a Hollywood actor who appeared in over 150 films. Throughout his career, Natheaux appeared in films alongside many of Hollywood’s elite like Humphrey Bogart (Brother Orchid -1940), Ginger Rogers (Kitty Foyle -1940), Spencer Tracy (Edison, The Man - 1940), Orson Welles (Citizen Kane - 1941), Bette Davis (Kid Galahad - 1937), and James Stewart (It’s a Wonderful World - 1939), just name a few. His best-known films include Why Be Good? (1929), Go-Get-'Em, Haines (1936), and Broadway Babies (1929). Kate Phillips - Actress & Scriptwriter Cinema Contribution: The Murder of Dr. Harrigan, The Girl from Mandalay, Kitty Foyle, and The Blob. In 1936, Kate Phillips (then known as Kate Linaker) debuted in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan. Later that year, she was cast in her first leading role opposite Conrad Nagel in The Girl from Mandalay. I n 1940, she played her most notable role in Ginger Rogers’ film Kitty Foyle. From the 1930s to 1940s, Linaker played supporting roles in over 50 movies, including five Charlie Chan films. In 1956, Phillips and Theodore Simonson were hired to finish a monster movie script for Irvine H. Milligate and Jack H. Harris, who were pursuing their dream of producing films. The film was originally entitled “The Molten Meteor”, but after the producers overheard Phillips refer to the giant jellylike monster as “the blob”, they changed the film's name. In 1958, The Blob, featuring Steve McQueen in his first starring role was released, becoming a cult classic horror film. Buddy Deane - TV Show Host Cinema Contribution: The Buddy Dean Show, inspiration for Hairspray movie. In 1957, Deane was chosen by former WITH associate Joel Chaseman to host “The Buddy Deane Show,” a dance show for teenagers on WJZ-TV Channel 13. The show's format mirrored Philadelphia’s American Bandstand. It was broadcast for two hours a day, six days a week. It featured local teenagers dancing to their favorite music played by live bands. Over the next several years, Deane’s show became the top-rated local TV show in Baltimore and the highest-rated local show in the United States. In fact, “American Bandstand” was not shown on television in Baltimore because Deane’s show was so popular. John Waters, a Baltimore filmmaker, and Dean Show fan, loosely based "The Corny Collins' Show" in his movie, Hairspray on Deane's show. Deane even played a small role in the movie which premiered to moderate success but became a cult classic. The movie was eventually turned into a musical by the same name. In 2003, Hairspray swept the 57th Annual Tony Awards, winning eight awards. Harold E. Wooley - Film Editor Cinema Contribution: Annie Oakley, Batman, The Green Hornet, Frankenstein's Daughter, Missile to the Moon, and Brian’s Song. Pine Bluff native Harold E. Wooley, worked tirelessly for over 20 years on numerous popular television movies, animated series, and television shows, including Annie Oakley (1956-1957), Batman (1966), The Green Hornet (1966), Frankenstein's Daughter (1958), and Missile to the Moon (1958). He is best remembered for his outstanding film editing on the cult classic football film Brian’s Song. He was also nominated for two other Emmy Awards while working for ABC, for Individual Achievement in Sound Editing for the Batman animated television series in 1966, and Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing for the television movie, The Legend of Lizzie Borden in 1975. During his career, Wooley edited almost 250 episodes of various popular television shows and more than 10 feature films and television movies. Beth Brickell- Actress Cinema Contribution: Marcus Welby, M.D., Gunsmoke, Emergency!, Bonanza, Hawaii Five-O, and Fantasy Island, Hawaii Five-O and Bonanza. Throughout the 1970s, Beth Brickell racked up numerous appearances on episodic television shows like Marcus Welby, M.D., Gunsmoke, Emergency!, Bonanza, Hawaii Five-O, and Fantasy Island. She also appeared in several feature films, including The Only Way Home, The Posse, and Death Game. All in all, Brickell starred in more than 100 television episodes, television movies, and motion pictures. She even received Emmy nominations for her roles in Hawaii Five-O and Bonanza. John Donley - Scriptwriter Cinema Contribution: Good Times, Diff’rent Strokes, Who’s the Boss, Benson, Sanford and Son, and The Jeffersons. In the 1970s and 1980s, John Donley wrote almost 100 episodes for popular television shows like Good Times, Diff’rent Strokes, Who’s the Boss, Benson, Sanford and Son, and The Jeffersons. In the many scripts, Donley made his audience laugh and think deeply. This balanced writing style paid off when he won a NAACP Image Award for the Best Situation Comedy Episode of 1984 for a Diff’rent Strokes episode entitled “Roots.” Donley also worked with industry superstars like Bill Cosby, Sinbad, and Curtis Mayfield. Kenneth Culver Johnson - Scriptwriter and Producer Cinema Contribution: The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk, Bride of the Incredible Hulk, JAG, Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, and V. In 1973, the sci-fi television show, The Six Million Dollar Man was out of scripts during its first season. Kenneth Culver Johnson quickly came up with a show idea and wrote the script for The Bionic Woman episode in three weeks. The episode was a big success, so Johnson was hired as one of the show’s producers. In 1976, Johnson’s creation took on a life of its own as The Bionic Woman became a separate series. In 1978, Johnson brought The Incredible Hulk to television. The show starred Bill Bixby as David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as his green-clad alter-ego, The Incredible Hulk. The show ran for five seasons, and Johnson produced 81 episodes. In 1983, inspired by Sinclair Lewis’s novel It Can’t Happen Here, he created V., a miniseries about an alien race that seeks to take over Earth under the guise of friendship. The two-part miniseries garnered more than 80 million viewers and was the number-one show in America for the two nights it was on the air. Johnson later produced five Alien Nation movies that ran on Fox from 1994 to 1997. Johnson also produced Bride of the Incredible Hulk (1978), Steel (1997), An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (1970), Senior Trip (1981), Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999), and episodes of the television show JAG (2004-2005). Johnson is revered in the sci-fi genre because he is the only creator and producer with three shows (The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, and V.) on “TV Guide’s 25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends.” Byron Vaughns - Storyboard Artist, Cartoonist, Animation Director, and Producer Cinema Contribution: Johnny Bravo, Tom & Jerry, Berenstein Bears, Tiny Toon Adventures, The Adventures of Brer Rabbit. Image Credit: www.arkansasonline.com Byron Vaughns is an Emmy award-winning illustrator with a massive animated film catalog with work on shows ranging from Steven Spielberg's Tiny Toons to Tom and Jerry to the Berenstein Bears. In the 1980s and 1990s, Vaughn made a name for himself working on animated television shows like Johnny Bravo and Tom & Jerry. Vaughns even won an Emmy award for his work on the animated television show Tiny Toon Adventures. Vaughns worked for Warner Bros.TV Animation, MGM Animation, Nickelodeon, Disney, and many other studios. He drew sketches for animated characters like Buster Bunny, Alvin & the Chipmunks, and The Smurfs. Though Vaughn started as a storyboard artist, he moved on to directing and producing animated films of his own including the 2006 animated comedy, The Adventures of Brer Rabbit, featuring the voices of Nick Cannon, Wanda Sykes, D.L. Hughley, and Danny Glover. Mary Mouser - Actress Cinema Contribution: NCIS, Body of Proof, Scandal, Frenemies, Alexander and Terrible, Horrible, No Good, and Very Bad Day, and Cobra Kai. In 2001, Pine Bluff native, actress Mary Mouser began acting as a hobby, serving as Abigail Breslin’s photo double in Signs, a sci-fi horror film starring Mel Gibson. Since pursuing acting as a career, Mouser has starred in numerous popular films and television shows including NCIS, Body of Proof, Scandal, Frenemies, Alexander and Terrible, Horrible, No Good, and Very Bad Day, and the popular Netflix series Cobra Kai. For more information about these Pine Bluff creatives, their contributions to cinema history, and much more peruse our catalog of weekly blog articles at: www.ExplorePineBluff.com/blog .
