Cast for Hannibal film festival grows to 14

HANNIBAL, Mo. -- Four more names have been added to the guest list for the inaugural Mark Twain Nostalgic Film Festival, scheduled for Sept. 13-15 at Hannibal-LaGrange University.

Hannibal native Mike Marx, who for 30 years was a talent agent in Hollywood before returning to his Northeast Missouri roots in 1999, said Lisa Loring, Alison Arngrim, Michael Dante and Victoria Price have agreed to appear.

Loring is best known for her role of Wednesday Addams on "The Addams Family," while Angrim played Nellie Oleson during the original seven-year run of "Little House on the Prairie."

Dante is a well-known character who co-starred with numerous western legends such as Randolph Scott and Audie Murphy. Price is the daughter of former horror film star Vincent Price.

That swells the festival cast to 14.

"I think we'll probably be at about 20 when all is said and done," Marx said. "We're getting close to finalizing some of the last names."

Earlier commitments included George Lazenby, who played James Bond in the 1969 film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," plus Ed Asner ("Mary Tyler Moore Show"), Kim Langford ("Knots Landing"), Buck Taylor ("Gunsmoke"), Lana Wood ("Diamonds Are Forever"), Lynda Day George ("Mission: Impossible"), Darby Hinton ("Daniel Boone"), Judith Chapman ("The Young and the Restless") and singer/songwriter Roy Head.

"It's nice to be able to bring an event like this to a town like Hannibal," Marx said. "It will give people a chance to meet some of their favorite stars they grew up watching."

Marx, 74, helped coordinate a similar film festival for 38 years in Winston-Salem, N.C., before deciding to move it to his hometown. During its stay in North Carolina, which ended in 2017, the event was primarily known as the Western Film Festival and Nostalgia Convention.

Admission prices for the event are $20 for a daily pass and $45 for a weekend ticket. Details on times, sites and ticket prices will be released in the near future.

Vintage films and assorted nostalgia vendors will be among the other attractions at the festival. Question-and-answer panels are also planned, plus autograph sessions and photo opportunities.

Possibly the crown jewel of the film festival will be the presentation of its lifetime achievement award. The recipient's name will be revealed several weeks prior to the event.