GREENVILLE — Award-winning actress Dale Dickey traveled from Hollywood to Annie Oakley’s hometown this week, helping launch Annie Oakley Festival celebrations with two sold-out screenings of the documentary North Star at the Wayne Theatre.
The Monday, July 20, and Tuesday, July 21 double features paired the 1935 classic Annie Oakley with the recently released documentary North Star, celebrating the life and legacy of Darke County’s legendary sharpshooter while highlighting the local historians working to preserve her story.
The event was presented through a partnership between the Wayne Theatre, the Fort GreeneVille Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the National Annie Oakley Center Foundation as part of Ohio’s America 250 celebration and the statewide “Ohio Goes to the Movies” initiative.
Dickey, a Knoxville, Tennessee, native who now lives in Hollywood, is one of America’s most recognizable character actresses. She won the Independent Spirit Award for her performance in Winter’s Bone and has appeared in more than 60 film and television productions, including recurring roles in My Name Is Earl and Breaking Bad, as well as feature films Hell or High Water, Iron Man 3 and the 2022 independent drama A Love Song.
Despite her extensive résumé, Dickey laughed when introduced as a Hollywood movie star.
“I have worked in film and television for a very long time, and I’m one of those character actresses that pops in and out of a lot of things, so people kind of know my face, but not my name, which is okay with me,” Dickey said. “I started off in theater. I grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the university had a fine theater program, so I started there.
“I live in Hollywood. I get out as much as I can, and I’m loving being in this little town. I think we got the tour of the Garst Museum today. It’s so overwhelming. I wanted to look at everything and stay. I’m going to come back.”
North Star was directed by Bryn Silverman and produced by Naveen Chaubal. The documentary premiered earlier this year at the Cleveland International Film Festival and has since been accepted into film festivals around the country in the Documentary Short category.
The film features Dickey as the voice of Annie Oakley and spotlights Garst Museum researchers Nancy Stump, Brenda Arnett and Karen Besecker, whose years of research have helped preserve Oakley’s history. The National Annie Oakley Center Foundation provided financial support for the project and continues to promote Oakley’s legacy through educational initiatives.
Because no recordings of Oakley’s voice exist, Dickey used Oakley’s own written words to portray the famed sharpshooter.
“There are no recordings of Annie’s voice, but there are a lot of quotes from Annie,” Dickey said. “So I’m a small part. I portray Annie’s voice with some of her real quotes and lines, which is a beautiful thing to do. I’m really excited and thankful that Bryn asked me to be a part of it, and I get to come here and be in Annie Oakley’s hometown.”
Dickey also shared that her appreciation for military service comes from her own family. Her father, David Dale Dickey, served in the U.S. military near the end of World War II before continuing in the reserves.
“My dad was at the end of World War II,” Dickey said. “He was in the reserves.”
For Dickey, the visit to Greenville offered more than a film screening. It was an opportunity to connect with the community that continues to preserve the history of one of America’s most celebrated women, bringing Oakley’s words back to life for audiences nearly a century after her death.
