Local News: Behind-the-Scenes Hollywood Photo Exhibition Designed by Willoughby Opens at Crisp Museum (11/7/23)

A scene from the filming of “The Great Race” photographed by Bob Willoughby. An exhibition of Willoughby’s photographs, showing behind-the-scenes views of films and movie stars from the 1950s and 1960s, will open Friday, Nov. 10, at the Crisp Museum on the River Campus in Cape Girardeau.

Bob Willoughby via semo.edu

An exhibition of Bob Willoughby’s behind-the-scenes photographs of films and movie stars from the 1950s and 1960s will open Friday, Nov. 10, at the Crisp Museum on the River Campus in Cape Girardeau.

According to www.willoughbyphotos.com, the photographer’s career began in 1954 when he was asked by Warner Bros. studios to film. Filming Judy Garland’s final scene on the set of “A Star is Born.” He continued to chronicle the most famous actors and directors of the day, on and off the set, in moments of comfort, vulnerability and high drama. Willoughby died in 2009.

There will be more than 100 photographs of Willoughby in the exhibit, said Jim Phillips, director and curator of the Crisp Museum. The exhibit is part of a national tour through the Central American Arts Alliance, he said.

The photos include behind-the-scenes footage of films such as “The Great Race,” “The Graduate” and “Black Orchid,” as well as candid shots of Hollywood icons such as Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Garland, Phillips said.

The exhibit will open with a reception at 4 p.m. Friday and runs through Sunday, January 27 at the Crisp Museum, 518 S. Fountain St. Entry is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact the Crisp Museum at (573) 651-2660 or online at museum@semo.edu.