In the 1970s, when most movies were made in Hollywood, Earl Owensby decided to build a studio — and create his own independent movies — in North Carolina. Earl Owensby Studios, in Shelby, opened in 1973 and proved that feature films could be produced east of California. In addition to directing and producing, Owensby played leading roles in several of his movies, such as “Death Driver” and “Living Legend: The King of Rock and Roll.”
Topics Related to Lectures
Outer Banks historian, author and public speaker James Charlet will give a free lecture about the forgotten heroes of the United States Life-Saving Service at Tryon Palace’s North Carolina History Center from 1-2 p.m., Saturday, July 18.
Francisco de Miranda, the Spanish explorer and father of Venezuelan independence, will be the subject of Tryon Palace’s July Lunch and Learn lecture held at noon Friday, July 17, at the North Carolina History Center.
On Saturday, August 1, at 2 p.m. the Museum of the Cape Fear will host four authors who collaborated on the book, The Brightest Day: A Juneteenth Historical Romance Anthology. They will hold a panel discussion about the observance of Juneteenth. Juneteenth has been celebrated as the final emancipation for all slaves after the Civil War.
Special guests ranging from Earl Owensby, a Tar Heel film legend, to Tyrone Jefferson, who served several stints as music director for entertainer James Brown, will present August programs at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh.
Tryon Palace research historian Siobhan Fitzpatrick will explore the early history of Tryon Palace and New Bern during a Lunch and Learn lecture held at the North Carolina History Center in downtown New Bern on Friday, June 19. The lecture, entitled “The History of Tryon Palace,” will begin at noon.
Take advantage of July programs for all ages at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. Plan an evening out on Friday, July 3, to see the blockbuster exhibit Starring North Carolina! about the state’s film industry. In fact, the exhibit, which runs through Monday, Sept.
"Fresh Face” will celebrate the work of Levonia P. Frazier, one of the first African American models for Pepsi and a longtime New Bern resident, during a special program held in Cullman Performance Hall at the North Carolina History Center. This free event will take place from 7-9 p.m. on June 18 as part of Tryon Palace’s monthly African American Lecture Series.
As the N.C. Civil War Sesquicentennial nears an end in April, the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh will present a series of lectures through April. Two January programs will focus on forts in North Carolina. Admission is free.
The halls of the North Carolina History Center in historic downtown New Bern will echo with the sounds of jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller beginning at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 21.