James Bridges ’06 was a student at Arkansas State Teachers College, now the University of Central Arkansas, in the 1950s. Bridges was drum major with the marching band and was involved with the performing arts while a student.
Bridges enjoyed an illustrious career in Hollywood as a writer and director of numerous motion pictures.
He began by finding small parts as an actor in such television shows as “Dragnet” and “Matinee Theater.” After becoming stage manager for John Houseman’s Professional Theatre Group in Los Angeles, he was recruited by producer-director Norman Lloyd to write television scripts for programs such as “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” For that series, Bridges wrote 18 episodes and received an Emmy nomination in 1963 for his adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s short story “The Jar.”
In 1966, Bridges’ first movie screenplay, a western with Marlon Brando called “The Appaloosa,” was produced and based on the original novel by Robert MacLeod. Bridges co-wrote “The Appaloosa” with Roland Kibbee. For his first film as writer and director, Bridges chose “The Baby Maker,” which marked the screen debut of actor Scott Glenn, who later starred in the television movie of John Grisham’s “A Painted House,” filmed in northeast Arkansas.
In 1973, Bridges wrote the screenplay for and directed the major motion picture “The Paper Chase,” for which he received an Academy Award nomination. The movie also received high critical acclaim, and John Houseman, who Bridges discovered, won an Academy Award for supporting actor.
Bridges directed other important films, including “Urban Cowboy,” “The China Syndrome” and “Bright Lights, Big City.” He directed many illustrious movie stars in film, including Jack Lemmon, Jane Fonda, John Travolta, Michael J. Fox and Debra Winger.
Along with some of the most popular films of the era, his Arkansas legacy includes the James Bridges Performing Arts Scholarship at UCA and the James Bridges Collection in the UCA Archives, which includes manuscripts, memorabilia, photographs and videos.
Bridges was recognized by UCA as a Distinguished Alumni Award recipient in 2012.
The honorary Doctor of Fine Arts was conferred Feb. 17, 2006.