Abstract:
Shelby, not Wilmington, is actually the birthplace of the state's movie industry. The industry began in Shelby during the 1970s and 1980s, when self-made millionaire Earl Owensby made thirty-five low-budget, high-action films on his sound stages. Owensby starred in most of his own B-grade movies, and though the critics panned them, the films grossed millions of dollars.