Orson Welles and Dick Tracy Tributes

Woodstock, Illinois

The town of Woodstock, which became famous for being the film location of the movie "Groundhog Day," wanted the world to know that its pop culture bona-fides ran deeper than that. So in 2017 the town created a mural in an alley next to its movie theater, calling attention to the fact that Woodstock was also the home of Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould (Tracy has another mural in Gould's Oklahoma birthplace). And in 2018 Woodstock placed a bronze statue in the alley of famous Hollywood film director Orson Welles.

Welles came to Woodstock when he was 11 to attend boarding school, and directed his first play at age 19 at the Woodstock Opera House. The bust, however depicts Welles as he looked later in life, complete with a beard and a cigar.

And just to reaffirm the Groundhog Day connection, next to Welles stands a 600-pound wood carving of Woodstock Willie, the central character in the city's annual Groundhog Days festival.