The Legend of Boggy Creek
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| The Legend of Boggy Creek | |
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 Promotional Movie Poster |
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| Directed by | Charles B. Pierce |
| Produced by | Charles B. Pierce |
| Written by | Earl E. Smith |
| Starring | William Stumpp Chuck Pierce, Jr. Vern Stierman Willie E. Smith |
| Music by | Jaime Mendoza-Nava |
| Cinematography | Charles B. Pierce |
| Editing by | Tom Boutross |
| Distributed by | Howco International Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 6, 1972 |
| Running time | 90 min |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Legend of Boggy Creek is a 1972 documentary-style film dealing with an alleged creature known as the "Fouke Monster", a Bigfoot-like being seen in and around Fouke, Arkansas since the 1940s. The film mixes interviews with local residents who claim to have had encountered the creature with dramatic/fictitious reenactments of said encounters. Charles B. Pierce, an ad salesman from Texarkana on the Arkansas/Texas border, borrowed $160,000 from a local trucking company, used an old movie camera, and hired locals, mainly high school and college students, to make the 87 minute long film in 1972. It generated $20 million in revenue, and is now on DVD.[1]
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[edit] Synopsis
The film sets out to question the existence of the Fouke Monster, a creature that is reportedly seen mainly by hunters and ranchers. It is over 8 feet tall with a slender build and long legs and arms. It is completely covered in hair and has three toes on its feet, as indicated by tracks seen in a creek bank.
Several locals from the small town of Fouke, Arkansas recall their stories, often appearing as themselves. In one scene, a police officer states that it crossed a road in front of him at 30-35 mph, in another, the creature attacks some people in a house; they fire on it, but it sends one of them to the hospital. In another scene, hunters attempt to chase the creature with dogs, but the dogs refuse to go after it. In the end, the creature escapes all attempts to hunt it, and locals debate over whether it is dead, or still out there.
[edit] Cast
- Vern Stierman as Narrator
- Chuck Pierce, Jr. as Young Jim
- William Stumpp as Adult Jim
- Willie E. Smith as Willie
- Buddy Crabtree as James Crabtree
- Jeff Crabtree as Fred Crabtree
- Judy Baltom as Mary Beth Searcy
- Mary B. Johnson as Mary Beth's sister
- George Dobson as George
- Dave Ball as Dave
- Jim Nicklus as Jim
- Flo Pierce as Bessie Smith
- Glenn Carruth as Bobby Ford
- Bunny Dees as Mrs. Ford
- John Wallis as Mr. Ford
- Sarah Coble as Mrs. Carter
- Dave O'Brien as Mr. Turner
- Billy Crawford as Corky Bill
- Dennis Lamb as Mr. Kennedy
- Loraine Lamb as Mrs. Kennedy
- Lloyd Bowen as Himself
- B.R. Barrington as Himself
- J.E. 'Smokey' Crabtree as Himself
- Travis Crabtree as Himself
- John P. Hixon as Himself
- John W. Oates as Himself
- Herb Jones as Himself
[edit] Sequels
[edit] Return to Boggy Creek
A sequel, Return to Boggy Creek, came out in 1977, but the original director, Charles B. Pierce, was not involved and the new film carries over none of the docudrama elements. It starred Dawn Wells of Gilligan's Island fame and Dana Plato. Welles portrayed a mother of three children who gets lost in the swamp with two other men until the "monster" comes to their aid.[2]
[edit] The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II
A third film, this one involving Pierce, was made with the title The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II. This movie follows the adventures of a University of Arkansas professor (Pierce) and his students (one of which is Pierce's son) on their trip to Fouke, Arkansas to find and study the monster. A few scenes in the beginning of the movie were shot at the university, including an Arkansas Razorbacks football game.[3] The movie was lampooned in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 under the title Boggy Creek II: And The Legend Continues.[4]
[edit] DVD release
In 2002, Sterling Entertainment released The Legend of Boggy Creek on Region 1 DVD.[5]
In 2005, Elite Entertainment released the sequel, Boggy Creek II: And The Legend Continues, on Region 1 DVD.[6]Additionally, the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode that lampooned the film was released on DVD by Rhino Entertainment.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Dark Destinations
- ^ Return to Boggy Creek at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Mystery Science Theater 3000 at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Amazon.com, Legend of Boggy Creek DVD info
- ^ Amazon.com, Boggy Creek II: And The Legend Continues DVD info
- ^ Amazon.com, The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 5 (Boggy Creek II/Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders/Time Chasers/The Touch of Satan) DVD info
