WAPAKONETA, Ohio (WLIO) — Ohio’s impact on the film industry is being highlighted as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration.
As part of the “Ohio Goes to the Movies” series, a free screening of the 1938 comedy Bringing Up Baby was held Monday night in Wapakoneta, honoring hometown native Dudley Nichols, who co-wrote the film.
Nichols, an Academy Award-winning screenwriter, earned an Oscar in 1935 for The Informer. He made history as the first person to refuse an Academy Award, later accepting the honor three years afterward. While best known for his writing, Nichols also worked as a director and producer during his Hollywood career.
Local leaders say his success continues to inspire residents in his hometown.
“If someone like Dudley, just a small name from a small town in Ohio, Wapakoneta, can go all the way to Hollywood and make it with the big names and make something big of themselves, anybody can do anything,” said Harrison Sorensen, manager of the Wapa Theatre.
The event also recognized the historic Wapa Theatre, which has served as an entertainment venue for more than a century. Built in 1904, the theater has been showing films since the 1930s and remains a centerpiece of the local arts community.
“The great Wapa Theatre was built in 1904, and we’ve been showing moving pictures since the 1930s,” Sorensen said. “To be able to represent the United States, Ohio and our amazing community here in Wapakoneta, I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
The celebration will continue in August when the Wapa Theatre hosts a screening of a documentary about Wapakoneta’s other notable native, astronaut Neil
