Lights! Camera! Arkansas!

Arkansas’s varied background in film is captured in the Old State House Museum’s new exhibit Lights! Camera! Arkansas! The exhibit features the state’s ties to Hollywood through both movies and television. Nearly three years of planning and research went into the endeavor.

At the exhibit, visitors can take in five galleries of costumes, scripts, film footage,awards, photographs, theater posters, and more. Visitors can also experience the exhibit through documentary videos.

The exhibit features famous Arkansans such as Mary Steenburgen, Harry Thomason, Ray McKinnon, Lisa Blount, Johnny Cash, Gail Davis, Gil Gerard, Levon Helm, James Bridges, Jeff Nichols,  Joey Lauren Adams and many others.

Some highlights include:

Twelve original paintings of Arkansas stars: Broncho Billy Anderson, Dick Powell, Alan Ladd, Gail Davis ( star of the Annie Oakley series from the 1950s) , Julie Adams ( star of Creature from the Black Lagoon) , William Warfield, Levon Helm (The Last Waltz), Glen Campbell (True Grit),Mary Steenburgen, Billy Bob Thornton, Lisa Blount and Jeff Nichols ( director of Mud).

A Broncho Billy Anderson poster from the 1914 movie Broncho Billy’s Fatal Joke.

Alan Ladd’s costume from the The Iron Mistress.

A Nudie suit, boots and hat belonging to Gail Davis.

Johnny Cash’s hat and coat from the movie A Gunfight.

Lisa Blount’s Oscar.

The exhibit will remain on view at Little Rock’s Old State House Museum, located at 300 W. Markham,  through February 2015.