Harold Bell Wright
by George Bailey
Branson pays yearly tribute to Harold Bell Wright, the first American novelist (according to some accounts) to sell a million copies of a book as well as the first to make a million dollars as a writer of fiction. The book for which he is most famous is “The Shepherd of the Hillsâ€, published in 1907. Set in Branson, “The Shepherd of the Hills†depicts the difficulties of prairie life, both as they are wrought by natural obstacles and by bushwhackers. John Wayne adapted the book in 1941, making its presence known on the silver screen. Wright is often scorned by literary critics as having been a talentless hack. Wright himself never appeared to be phased by these attacks, as, according to those who knew him, he cared only about writing stories for ordinary people, not scholars. Throughout his life, Wright continued to explore in his fiction the American values that make Branson what it is, living in one or another small, western or mid-western town for the length of a book, then moving on. Wright succumbed to lung disease in 1944. But thanks to the lavish stage production of “The Shepherd of the Hills†performed in Branson, his spirit lives on. "The Shepherd of the Hills" is the perfect show to see on your Branson vacation!