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.”
Owensby and Noel T. Manning, a professor at Gardner-Webb University, radio host and filmmaker, will be at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh to present the program Earl Owensby: Tar Heel Film Legend on Friday, Aug. 7, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Highlights of the evening will include clips from some of Owensby’s classic films. Admission is free. The program is part of a First Friday event, and the museum will be open until 9 p.m.
In 1997 Manning produced, wrote, directed and edited the award-winning documentary “Earl Owensby: The Man, the Myth.” The film focuses on the life of the independent filmmaker who grew up in Shelby.
And what a story it is.
Owensby produced low-budget films (six in 3-D) in the 1970s and early 1980s. He released his first movie, “Challenge,” in 1974 and a number of films followed, including “Wolfman,” “Dogs of Hell” (also known as “Rottweiler”) and “Hyperspace.”
Owensby’s movies range from horror-comedy stories in “Tales of the Third Dimension” to the “Star Wars” spoof “Hyperspace,” featuring Chris Elliott and Paula Poundstone. In “Living Legend: The King of Rock and Roll,” Owensby played the role of country-rock star Eli Canfield. The story was loosely based on the life of Elvis Presley and even starred Ginger Alden, who was engaged to Elvis at the time of his death.
Owensby had the leading role of Rex Randolph in “Death Driver,” and he played the main character, Sheriff Hank Wills, in “Dogs of Hell.”
The success of Owensby’s studio, then the largest facility of its kind outside of Hollywood, helped inspire other filmmakers, like Dino De Laurentiis and Frank Capra Jr., to come to North Carolina.
Ownesby Movie Props, Costume and More Featured in Exhibit Starring North Carolina!
Items from Owensby movies are showcased in the exhibit Starring North Carolina!, which will be open until 9 p.m. on Aug.7. See the rhinestone-studded outfit Owensby wore while playing the role of Eli Canfield in the “Living Legend: The King of Rock and Roll.” Nearby, you can’t miss the prop dog — a large rottweiler baring his teeth —used throughout the film “Dogs of Hell.” Imagine this leaping toward you in the 3-D film! The exhibit features other objects related to Owensby’s films.
Starring North Carolina! will run through Monday, Sept. 7. It is the first major exhibition about North Carolina’s movies, television shows, cast members and crews. View costumes and props from other movies, such as “Bull Durham,” “Iron Man 3,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Blue Velvet,” “Sleepy Hollow,”
Learn about North Carolina’s role in the film industry for more than 100 years.
Major sponsors of Starring North Carolina! are the News & Observer, the N.C. Museum of History Associates, and the N.C. News Network.
For details about the N.C. Museum of History, a Smithsonian-affiliated museum, call 919-807-7900 or access www.ncmuseumofhistory.org or follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ or YouTube.