Editing Branson, Missouri (section)

===Growth as a cultural attraction===
[[Harold Bell Wright]] published his novel about the Ozarks, ''[[The Shepherd of the Hills (novel)|The Shepherd of the Hills]]'', in 1907. The novel became an international best seller, making Wright the first millionaire author and established Branson and Southwest Missouri as a tourist destination. The Old Mill Theater began its first outdoor production based on the novel in 1960. The show, known as ''The Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Drama'', continued in its 61st season for 2021. The historic farm is also the home of Inspiration Tower, the Shepherd of the Hills Adventure Park as well as numerous other shows and attractions.

The Harold Bell Wright Museum is located within The World's Largest Toy Museum complex. Mayor of Branson for 12 years and entrepreneur [[James Mason Owen|Jim Owen]] built the first theater in 1934 on Commercial Street, originally called "The Hillbilly Theater", which began to attract people from far and wide to tour the area. 1959 saw the completion of Table Rock Dam on the White River, which created [[Table Rock Lake]]. In 1959, the Mabe Brothers started a band that, in 1961, would become the first music show in Branson. Taking their name from the parts they played in the Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Drama, they became known as the Baldknobber Hillbilly Jamboree.

In 1962, [[Paul Henning]], inspired by a [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scout]] camping trip to the Ozarks, created ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]'', which ran as a CBS television [[sitcom]] until 1971. Henning later donated {{convert|1534|acre|km2}} for the Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area near Branson. He also donated the modified 1921 [[Oldsmobile]] truck used as the vehicle in the series to the [[College of the Ozarks]], where it is on display in the [[Ralph Foster Museum]].

The Presley family became the first to move their show (Presleys' Country Jubilee) to [[Missouri Route 76|Highway 76]] in 1967, followed a year later by the Baldknobbers. Eventually Branson would have more than 50 theaters, most of them located on Highway 76.

Also in 1983, the 7,500-seat Swiss Villa Amphitheatre opened in [[Lampe, Missouri|Lampe]], southwest of Branson. The outdoor amphitheater brought in acts like [[Def Leppard]], [[Lynyrd Skynyrd]], [[REO Speedwagon]], [[Steppenwolf (band)|Steppenwolf]], and [[Ozzy Osbourne]]. Closing in the early 2000s, it reopened in 2010 as the Black Oak Mountain Amphitheater. Closing suddenly in 2013, it went unused until relaunching live music events in 2021.

In 1987, [[Boxcar Willie]] became the first internationally known entertainer to purchase a theater in Branson and have a permanent performance schedule there.

In 1989, [[Shoji Tabuchi]] opened his first theater in Branson (converting the Ozarks Auto Museum on West 76 Highway into a theater). He then built a new theater on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway in 1990, while [[Mel Tillis]] moved into Shoji's old theater. In 1990-1991 several nationally known stars such as [[Jim Stafford]], [[Ray Stevens]], [[Mickey Gilley]], and [[Moe Bandy]] opened their own theaters. Along with these national stars, many home-grown shows also had theaters. The Lowe Family featured their show and hosted nationally known stars like [[Conway Twitty]], [[Loretta Lynn]], [[Vern Gosdin]], [[Waylon Jennings]], and others. 76 Music Hall (now known as the Grand Country Music Hall) became the first theater to have three different shows a day performing in different time slots. In 1991, local producer and entertainer Bob Nichols opened the first morning show and the following year, [[Buck Trent]] became the first nationally known star to star in a morning show.

The increasing number of theaters and other attractions opening in Branson drew the attention of ''[[60 Minutes]]'', which aired an episode about Branson on December 8, 1991, and called it the "live music capital of the entire universe".<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.explorebranson.com/about/branson-history#1990| title=History of the Branson Entertainment Phenomenon| access-date=10 August 2012}}</ref>

[[Andy Williams]] built his theater in Branson, opening on May 1, 1992, calling it the Moon River Theatre. The [[Glen Campbell]] Goodtime Theatre opened in 1994, starring Glen along with his "Goodtime Band", daughter Debbie Campbell, the Matthew Dickens Dancers, and comedian ventriloquist [[Jim Barber (ventriloquist)|Jim Barber]]. Also headlining their own theaters were [[Tony Orlando]] (Yellow Ribbon Theater) and [[Bobby Vinton]] (Blue Velvet Theater). In 1998, the Acrobats of China arrived in Branson, making them one of the first international shows to call Branson home. They opened their theatre, the New Shanghai Theatre, in 2005. In 2006, [[Dick Clark]]'s American Bandstand Theatre opened and is the most recent new theater to be built on Route 76. Branson has continued to add theaters (the most recent being the Sight & Sound Theatres) and shows; it refers to itself as "the live music show capital of the world".<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.explorebranson.com/about/branson-history#1980| title=History of the Branson Entertainment Phenomenon| access-date=10 August 2012}}</ref>