WHITE LIGHTNING MOVIE MOVIE
WHITE LIGHTNING MOVIE SERIES

While somewhat tamer than other 'hixploitation' movies of the time (it's rated PG), it does feature fist fights, gunplay, and a classic car chase that ends in the Arkansas River. His real intention, of course, is seeking revenge for his brother's death. When Gator discovers that his brother was killed by a small town sheriff (Ned Beatty), he agrees to go undercover for the Feds and expose the sheriff's connection to a moonshine ring. In White Lightning, Reynolds plays Gator McCluskey, a bootlegger serving time in an Arkansas prison. Reynolds would later contend that the reason he didn't win the Oscar was because of his controversial centerfold. The same year Reynolds became a cultural icon when he posed nude in Cosmopolitan. Reynolds, who had appeared on television since 1959, was just reaching a cinematic zenith with his Academy award-nominated performance in Deliverance (1972).

In 1973, Arkansas became the setting for a true 'hixploitation' masterpiece, White Lightning, starring Burt Reynolds. Corman returned two years later as producer for the film Boxcar Bertha (1972), directed by a then-relatively-unknown Martin Scorsese.

The trend began in 1969 with the filming of Roger Corman's Bloody Mama (released in 1970), which featured Shelley Winters and Robert De Niro in one of his earliest roles. Most of these films could be described as 'hixploitation' flicks - exploitation movies featuring rural settings and characters and often targeted toward rural audiences. The result was that more than 20 films were shot in Arkansas during the 1970s. Winthrop Rockefeller in the late 1960s, the state government began heavily promoting Arkansas as a good site for film production. For more information, contact the Old State House Museum at (501) 324-9685 or a handful of movies were shot in Arkansas prior to 1970. Second Friday Cinema presents a screening of White Lightning (1973) on Friday, Apr. 'Second Friday Cinema' is presented in cooperation with the Old State House's exhibit ' Lights! Camera! Arkansas!' The screenings will take place the second Friday of each month at the Old State House Museum.

WHITE LIGHTNING MOVIE MOVIE

KUAR General Manager Ben Fry, who also teaches courses in film history and criticism at UALR, will introduce each movie and lead a discussion after the screening.

WHITE LIGHTNING MOVIE SERIES

KUAR is partnering with the Old State House Museum to screen a series of Arkansas-related movies each month on Second Friday Art Night.

White lightning movie