Author: awelky - Starting with O

Oscars for Arkansas?

The recent Academy Awards celebration put me in mind of the many movies filmed in—or made about—Arkansas, if only because while the state has sent forth a number of talented people who have been nominated for—and won—Oscars, the state itself has generally not been significantly represented on Oscar night. Billy Bob Thornton received an Oscar for Sling Blade, filmed and set in central Arkansas, and John Wayne received one in 1970 for his role in 1969’s True Grit, a film that at least started out in Fort Smith, even if it went west from there. Also worth noting: Newport (Jackson County) native Mary Steenburgen won an Academy Award for her supporting role in the 1980 comedy Melvin and Howard, and Max Aronson of Pine …

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