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Project Details
Now Showing explores the connection between film and culture by examining how major historical events impacted what types of movies were made. This exhibit highlights the Arkansas Amusement Corporation (AAC) and its movie theaters in Little Rock, Arkansas. Using a database of movie information compiled from the AAC managers ledgers, it analyzes genre trends in the movies shown by the AAC and compares them to national trends.
Subjects or Themes
Motion pictures, Motion picture theaters Arkansas--History, Great Depression, World War II, Cold War--21st century
Project Language(s)
English
Time Period
Geographic Location
Project Categories
Content Type
Text, Images, Video, Mapping, Timeline, Statistics
Target Audience(s)
Creators
Emily Summers
Year(s)
2020-2021
Host Institution / Affiliation / Project Location
Wix
Software Employed
Labor and Support
This is my thesis project for a Master of Arts degree in Public History at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Over the course of fifteen months, I drafted the proposal for the project, transcribed seven ledgers from the Arkansas Amusement Corporation Collection, wrote a thesis process paper, gathered photograph and audiovisual materials, and made the virtual exhibit. I received support from my committee members, Dr. Jim Ross, Dr. Andrew Amstutz, and Dr. Kathryn King. All three provided feedback on the process paper, and Dr. King ran the chi-squared tests. I also received research help and archival materials from the Center for Arkansas History and Culture, Ottenheimer Library, the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, and the Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History.