With an exploration of “Redeeming Messala,” Dr. Howard Miller, professor emeritus from the University of Texas at Austin, joined us for one more lecture in 2018. Ben-Hur Adaptations It’s possible that more adaptions of Ben-Hur have appeared in the past thirty years than in the previous eighty. And their variety […]
Adult Lecture Series
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Dr. Thomas Slater of Indiana University of Pennsylvania spoke last night about June Mathis and her involvement with the 1925 silent film of Ben-Hur. Dr. Slater discussed June Mathis’ life and glass-ceiling-breaking career in Hollywood. In addition, he focused on Mathis’ script for Ben-Hur, which ultimately was not used. Dr. Slater […]
MGM’s 1959 Ben-Hur has been called “the most honored film of all time.” The winner of an unprecedented eleven Academy Awards, director William Wyler’s epic won virtually every international “best picture” award, was seen by millions around the globe, and earned MGM tens of millions of dollars. On Thursday, July […]
The 1925 Ben-Hur cinematic adaptation marked the end of two eras. MGM’s colossal production epitomized and culminated the tradition of spectacular silent epics. Additionally, the film came at the end of almost six decades in which Wallace’s “Tale of the Christ” was never far from the center of American religious […]
Dr. Howard Miller joined us from Austin, Texas, this week to deliver a presentation on the traveling Ben-Hur stage play developed by Klaw and Erlanger. He graciously allowed us to stream “The ‘Sacred Circus’: Ben-Hur on the Stage and on the Rails” on Facebook Live. We are reposting the video here […]
We had a great crowd last night for Dr. Howard Miller’s lecture “Religious Conversion in Ben-Hur and in the Life of Lew Wallace.” We also streamed the lecture on Facebook Live, which was a popular option for those who couldn’t be with us in person. If you were unable to […]
Indiana Poet Laureate Shari Wagner visited us as part of our 2016 Lew Wallace Festival of Words and gave a fascinating reading of several of her poems inspired by Indiana history. Shari Wagner, Indiana’s fifth Poet Laureate, is the author of two books of poetry: The Harmonist at Nightfall: Poems […]
Carol Wallace, Lew Wallace’s great-great-granddaughter, visited Crawfordsville on September 8. She drew a record crowd for her discussion of Ben-Hur and growing up with the Wallace family legacy of writing. Carol graciously allowed us to broadcast her talk on Facebook Live, and we are posting the video here for future […]
On the evening of April 14, 1865, a single bullet fired by assassin John Wilkes Booth had killed President Lincoln and sent shockwaves through the fabric of the nation. Booth and several others attempted to implement a plan that would have plunged the federal government into chaos. Other targets included […]
Our final Civil War lecture of 2014 will be held in conjunction with Wabash College on Thursday, November 6 at 7:30 pm. Unlike our other lectures, this one will be located on the Wabash College campus, in Baxter 101. We will have far greater seating capacity there, as we are expecting a crowd. […]