“( Cagney ) invited him out to California to give acting a try . So that ’ s what he did . He almost gave up on acting because he wasn ’ t getting any parts . He was living on Cagney ’ s couch ,” said Lanning .
About ready to call it quits , Murphy decided to give it a couple more months . His perseverance was rewarded when a studio offered him his first part in the movie “ Beyond Glory .” He then landed another role in the comedy “ Texas , Brooklyn and Heaven ,” where he portrayed a newspaper copyboy .
He finally was cast in a starring role in the movie “ Bad Boy ,” in which he played a juvenile delinquent .
But it was the 1949 movie “ To Hell and Back ,” an autobiographic depiction of the events that led to his Medal of Honor , that became Murphy ’ s signature film . The movie would become the most viewed Universal Studios film ever released , until “ Jaws ” came out in 1975 , according to Lanning .
Murphy reportedly suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder . He dealt with bouts of depression and nightmares stemming from his numerous battles , according to biographies .
Of portraying himself in “ To Hell and Back ” Lanning said , “ It still amazes me to this day that he ever did that . I kind of wonder if it was a form of therapy for him to relive all that .”
In the 1950s and 1960s , Murphy was chiefly cast in Westerns , though he did star in “ The Red Badge of Courage ” in 1951 .
His last movie appearance was as the outlaw Jesse James in “ A Time for Dying ” in 1969 .
Murphy died in a plane crash in the Virginia mountains in 1971 . a glimpse of old Greenville with an exhibit featuring African- American owned beauty shops , salons and barbershops . The exhibit is expected to be unveiled in February .
“ We ’ ve interviewed several local people , but we ’ re also expanding that to include Black people who have invented things in the beauty world or who have had a significant effect on the beauty world ,” says Lanning .
The exhibit will feature contributions from Madam C . J . Walker , a beauty and cosmetic pioneer recognized as America ’ s first self-made female millionaire . Born Sarah Beedlove and orphaned at age 7 in Louisiana , she made her fortune by developing and marketing a line of cosmetics and hair care products for Black women through the Madam C . J . Walker Manufacturing Company .
“ We actually have one person in town who is still alive who went to one of her beauty colleges in Dallas ,” Lanning says . “ It ’ s been really interesting doing research on that and talking to people .”
Exhibits will combine interviews of people from Hunt County and Greenville with photographs , pictures and materials loaned to the museum , Lanning explains .
Later this year , the museum intends to conduct another Audie Day , it ’ s 27th . Also , look for Easter After Dark , an adultsonly Easter egg hunt staged at night . The museum also will offer throughout 2022 ongoing educational programs for local kids .
Keeping history fresh is a year-round endeavor at the museum .
Says Lanning : “ Pretty much every month there ’ s something .”
Audie Murphy / American Cotton Museum
ESTABLISHED : 1987 |
WHERE : |
600 I-30 E . Frontage Rd ., Greenville |
HOURS : |
Tuesday-Saturday 10 a . m . -5 p . m . |
ADMISSION : |
Adults $ 6 , Seniors and Veterans $ 4 , |
Children 6-18 $ 2 |
WEBSITE : |
www . amacmuseum . com |
WINTER 2022 Greenville Life 11