In his 1996 preface to “The Genius of the System” by Thomas Schatz (University of Minnesota Press, 2010) Steven Bach, the late senior vice-president and head of worldwide productions for United Artists Studios, said:

It’s always All About Money, which is ignoble and all that, but movies simply can’t be made without it. Ask any filmmaker. [Filmmaking] is an art that is also an industry.

And so it was with the Hollywood B-Western.

Did you know the B-Western was a contributor in the making of some of the greatest films of all time? How? The profits generated from the public’s love affair with the B-Western often allowed the studios to finance the less-profitable, but more “artistic” projects from the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s.

This is just one aspect of the B-Western film genre that most of us don’t think about. You will learn much more in the upcoming class led by the Old Cowpoke, Nikki Ellerbe, and Dr. Victor Medina. The class is offered through the Encore Program for Lifelong Enrichment at NCSU’s McKimmon Center.

Here’s the syllabus:

• The Primary B-Western Film Studios (PRC, Monogram and Republic)
• The Most (Financially) Successful B-Western Stars
• Classic Movie Posters
• Film Locations and more

Don’t miss it! Sign up today!