Dudley Double Feature

The Auglaize County Historical Society will present the Dudley Double Feature, a screening of two films by Dudley Nichols, Stagecoach and The Bells of St. Mary’s, on Sunday November 5, in the Wapakoneta Middle School auditorium, West Harrison Street. Stagecoach will screen at 1:30 pm, while The Bells of St. Mary’s will screen at 3:30 pm. The public is welcome to attend one or both of the free films, and is invited to bring a nonperishable food item (please check expiration dates) as a donation to the Middle School’s annual food drive. The event is presented in conjunction with Fall into the Arts, a celebration of artists native to Auglaize County.

Dudley Nichols was born in Wapakoneta in 1895, the son of Dr. Grant and Mary Means Nichols. He spent his childhood in a home at Blackhoof and Main streets (since demolished) and graduated from Blume High School before leaving Ohio. He served in the US Navy in World War I.  After working as a journalist in New York, he relocated to Hollywood to become a highly-respected screenwriter for dozens of films. In 1936 Nichols won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. He refused recognition for his work on The Informer because of strained relations with the Hollywood establishment. Nichols was the first person ever to refuse the prestigious award saying, “As one of the founders of the Screen Writers’ Guild, which was conceived in revolt against the Academy, and born out of disappointment with the way it functioned against employed talent, I deeply regret I am unable to accept the award.” Nichols eventually accepted the Oscar statuette, which remains with his family.

States Historical Society director Rachel Barber, “We’re pleased to present the important and entertaining work of Wapakoneta’s Dudley Nichols as part of the anniversary’s Fall into the Arts initiative and hope that many will come out to enjoy the films.”

1:30 pm–Stagecoach (1939) is John Ford’s landmark Western about an assorted group of colorful passengers aboard the Overland stagecoach bound for Lordsburg, New Mexico, in the 1880s. Its stars include John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, and John Carradine.

3:30 pm— The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945) is a comedy-drama, produced and directed by Leo McCarey, and starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. The film is about a priest and a nun who, despite their good-natured rivalry, try to save their school from being shut down. Crosby had previously portrayed Father O’Malley in the film Going My Way.