"Kidnappers Foil"
Online ExhibitIn February 1937 Melton Barker came to Northwest Arkansas to film three separate movie “shorts” styled after the popular “Our Gang” comedies (a.k.a. “Little Rascals”) of the 1930s. Barker was an itinerant filmmaker from Dallas who shot the same movie, Kidnappers Foil, dozens of times from the 1930s into the early 1970s, primarily in towns throughout the Southeast and Midwest. The plot was simple. A young girl is kidnapped after her birthday party. Her father offers a reward for her return. A group of children search for her, eventually rescuing her from her captors. Then a small talent show is staged, featuring the kids singing and dancing. To make the movies, Melton Barker Juvenile Productions teamed up with local theater mogul William Sonneman. After casting calls were placed in area newspapers, would-be actors auditioned for various roles. Those who made the cut received training for a “small fee.” It took about a week to shoot all three movies in Fayetteville, Springdale, and Bentonville plus the talent shows, which were filmed in Rogers. A few weeks later, Barker delivered the completed movies to Sonneman who showed them at his Palace (Fayetteville), Concord (Springdale), and Plaza (Bentonville) theaters.
Once they were shown, the movie reels were placed inside a film carrier box and forgotten for decades. In 2016 they were found in Springdale and placed on eBay where Todd Terpening spotted them. He bought the films and donated them to the Library of Congress, where he volunteers. Then he contacted the Shiloh Museum for help with identifying the people and places in the films. Below is a list of 170 actors (with married names, if known) and the town in which they were filmed. Also included are images of the folks in the movie whom we have positively identified or feel fairly certain of their identification. But our work is not done. We need help in identifying more children and getting in touch with them or their descendants. If you can help, please email our photo archivist Marie Demeroukas or call 479-750-8165.
You can watch the Northwest Arkansas films on our YouTube channel, as well as videos from the movie “premiere” we hosted in November 2017:
Actors
Below is a list of 172 actors (with married names, if known, in square brackets)
Dan Charles Allen
Film: Fayetteville
Jack Ames
Film: Springdale
Rhea Ash [Segraves Dunegan]
Film: Fayetteville
Mildred Atkinson [Poirier]
Film: Springdale
Wilbur Dean Atkinson
Film: Springdale
Annabelle Aumick [Howarth]
Film: Fayetteville
Roberta Lee Aumick
Film: Fayetteville
Betty Austin [Terry]
Film: Bentonville
Earlene Austin [Funk]
Film: Bentonville
Donny Bay Baker
Film: Fayetteville
Jack Baker
Film: Fayetteville
Martha Lee Barton [Sullivan]
Film: Fayetteville
Mary Ann Barton [Neilson]
Film: Fayetteville
Nancy Bautts [Sagely]
Film: Bentonville
John Howard Bayless
Film: Fayetteville
Wanda Bean
Film: Fayetteville
Emma Ruth Beasley [Raggio]
Film: Bentonville
Mary Ann Begley [Lockwood]
Film: Springdale
Larry Bird
Film: Fayetteville
Patty Bone [Hargis]
Film: Springdale
Wanda Boone [Cram]
Film: Springdale
Ellen Frances Bradshaw [McNutt]
Film: Fayetteville
Vivian Bradshaw [Noel]
Film: Fayetteville
Harriett Brandford
Film: Bentonville
Mary Braun/Brown
Film: Springdale
I. W. Brewer Jr.
Film: Fayetteville
Madelyn Brogdon [Curry]
Film: Springdale
Edward Brooks
Film: Fayetteville
Earlene Brown [Henry]
Film: Fayetteville
Hugh Browne
Film: Fayetteville
Dorothy Burt
Film: Fayetteville
June Buttery [Martin]
Film: Fayetteville
Jeannine Campbell [McMurtrey Presley]
Film: Fayetteville
William Morris Campbell
Film: Fayetteville
Jo Ellen Carlisle [Zembsch]
Film: Fayetteville
Alma Chaney
Film: Fayetteville
Russell Charlesworth
Film: Springdale
Catherine Coleman [Younkin]
Film: Fayetteville
Donna Coleman [Wilson]
Film: Fayetteville
Billy Compton
Film: Fayetteville
Ira Allen Comstock
Film: Fayetteville
Edward Wise Cone
Film: Fayetteville
Jimmy Craig
Film: Bentonville
Betty Sue Curtis
Film: Springdale
Marguerite Curtis
Film: Springdale
Burl Davidson
Film: Fayetteville
Wilma Jean Davidson [Taylor]
Film: Fayetteville
Frank DeLauis
Film: Bentonville
Martha Ellen Dellinger
Film: Fayetteville
A. D. Downer
Film: Fayetteville
Bobby Eads
Film: Fayetteville
Dorine Ediston
Film: Fayetteville
Tommy Emanuel
Film: Bentonville
Doris Mae Ericson [Newberry]
Film: Bentonville
Clifton Fitchner
Film: Fayetteville
Harry Portis Fletcher
Film: Fayetteville
Eugene Furlow
Film: Fayetteville
Ann Gartside [Jackson]
Film: Bentonville
Stella Maris Gary [Ruschmeyer]
Film: Fayetteville
Mary Bryce Grace
Film: Fayetteville
Alene Green
Film: Fayetteville
Robert Harris
Film: Fayetteville
Dorothy Louise Haxton [Gorum Scoggins]
Film: Bentonville
Helen Ruth Haxton [Hawkins]
Film: Bentonville
Clyde Allen Hazlett
Film: Fayetteville
Arthur Heagler
Film: Springdale
Jean Heagler [McMillan]
Film: Springdale
Betty Sue Heerwagen [Wood]
Film: Springdale
Joseph “Jo” Henman
Film: Bentonville
Laura Hill [Baxter]
Film: Fayetteville
Jim Holder
Film: Fayetteville
Mary Margaret Hooper [Plonsky]
Film: Fayetteville
Barbara Jean Horton
Film: Bentonville
Hartman Hotz
Film: Fayetteville
Albert Hough
Film: Springdale
Dorothy “Dottie” Howell [Woods]
Film: Bentonville
Bob Hunt
Film: Fayetteville
Bobby Huntington
Film: Fayetteville
Forrest Kay Huntington
Film: Fayetteville
Mary Kathleen Huntington
Film: Fayetteville
George Anna Hurst [Tow]
Film: Fayetteville
Craig Jackson
Film: Bentonville
Doris Jane Jackson [Spruell?]
Film: Fayetteville
Edwin Jackson
Film: Bentonville
Frank Jackson
Film: Fayetteville
Janice Jacobson
Film: Fayetteville
Betty Sue Johnson
Film: Springdale
Glen David Johnson
Film: Springdale
Bettie Jo Jones [Halsell]
Film: Bentonville
Catherina Kik [Taylor]
Film: Fayetteville
Alyce Jane Knight [Baker]
Film: Bentonville
Earlene Land [Stevens/Stephens]
Film: Fayetteville
Christine Lansford McGaha
Film: Fayetteville
Kyle Eugene Lemons
Film: Fayetteville
Wanda Sue Lucas [Gregory?]
Film: Springdale
Link Luckett
Film: Springdale
Margaret R. Luke [Dowden]
Film: Fayetteville
Treva Mae Luther
Film: Fayetteville
Cleo Madison
Film: Bentonville
Naomi Jean Madison
Film: Bentonville
Martha Martin [Hileman Westberg]
Film: Bentonville
James Mashburn
Film: Fayetteville
William Mashburn
Film: Fayetteville
Connee May [Norton Waddell]
Film: Bentonville
Glenn Mayer
Film: Fayetteville
Billie Jane McCray [Hunt]
Film: Fayetteville
Gloria Mae McCray [Briggs]
Film: Fayetteville
Dorothy Mae McDaniel [Horchen?]
Film: Bentonville
Billy Metcalf
Film: Springdale
Dorothy Mills
Film: Springdale
Ellis Mills
Film: Fayetteville
Glenn Mills
Film: Fayetteville
Johnny Mincher
Film: Springdale
Monette Mincher [Wooten]
Film: Springdale
Bob Morse
Film: Fayetteville
Carmen Morse [Reid]
Film: Fayetteville
Billy Murphy
Film: Fayetteville
Howard Overton
Film: Springdale
Maxine Overton
Film: Springdale
Barbara Parrish [Woods]
Film: Fayetteville
Gwyn Parrott [Gray]
Film: Springdale
William Patton
All films
Tommy Pearson
Film: Fayetteville
Anna Jean Peterson
Film: Fayetteville
Martha Jim Pettigrew [Waterman]
Film: Fayetteville
Gayle Marie Phillips
Film: Fayetteville
Daniel Pickens
Film: Bentonville
Dorothy Pinks? (or Pickens?)
Film: Bentonville
Faye Poole
Film: Fayetteville
Billy Porter [Chesser?]
Film: Fayetteville
Cedric Glenn Pratt
Film: Fayetteville
Phillip Pyeatt
Film: Fayetteville
Betty Sue Rich [Armstrong]
Film: Fayetteville
James Riddle
Film: Bentonville
Millie Lou Riggs [Brown]
Film: Fayetteville
Danny Roberts
Film: Fayetteville
Joe Allen Roberts
Film: Fayetteville
Monte Mae Roberts [McChristian]
Film: Fayetteville
Dora Bernadene Rothman [Reith]
Film: Fayetteville
Lucretia Ann Schwartz
Film: Fayetteville
Betty Dean Scoggins [Capps]
Film: Fayetteville
Freddie Jean Shafer [Coleman?]
Film: Fayetteville
Kenneth Sisco
Film: Springdale
Ada Lee Smith [Shook]
Film: Fayetteville
Bill Sonneman
Film: Fayetteville
Raymond Troy Stansbury
Film: Fayetteville
Bill E. Steele
Film: Fayetteville
Pat Steele
Film: Fayetteville
Junior Sturdivant
Film: Springdale
Annabelle Sullins [Bolain]
Film: Fayetteville
Yvonne Swain
Film: Fayetteville
Billy Sweetser
Film: Fayetteville
Clifford Leroy “Half Pint” Thompson
Film: Fayetteville
Gloria Olga Trail [Exall]
Film: Fayetteville
Charlene Troutman
Film: Fayetteville
Geraldine Trowbridge [Jones]
Film: Springdale
Don Tyson
Film: Springdale
Roma Jean Vinson [Graco]
Film: Bentonville
Espen Walters
Film: Springdale
Margaret Walters [Patton]
Film: Springdale
Lawanna Warren
Film: Fayetteville
Madelyn Brogon [Curry]
Film: Springdale
Lucille Welch
Film: Fayetteville
Barbara Louise Wester [Hope]
Film: Fayetteville
Barbara Lee Wheeler [Weiche]
Film: Fayetteville
Billy White
Film: Bentonville
Jimmie White
Film: Bentonville
LeRoy Williams
Film: Springdale
Margaret Wilson
Film: Fayetteville
Margaret Ruth Wobbe [Goodart]
Film: Springdale
Mary Lou Wobbe [Johnson]
Film: Springdale