Meet the Texan who made the same movie 300 times
When Melton Barker blew into Childress, Texas, in 1948 to film a movie called “Kidnappers Foil” featuring local residents in the starring roles, it was the second time he’d come to town to shoot a motion picture.
The first time was in 1936, and the movie was “Kidnappers Foil,” also starring lots of locals. He used the exact same script, and mostly the same shots.
In fact, Barker — an itinerant filmmaker based in Dallas — roamed the United States from the 1930s through the 1970s, shooting “Kidnappers Foil” more than 300 times. Sadly, very few of the reels still exist, but Caroline Frick, executive director and founder of the Texas Archive of the Moving Image, is forever on the hunt.
“There about 25 that I know of,” says Frick. There are 22 available to watch on the Texas Archive website, for those brave enough to sit through them. “They’re pretty painful to sit through.”
Still, in terms of the history of motion pictures and the art of film preservation, they’re important. “Kidnappers Foil” was added in 2012 to the National Film Registry by the National Film Preservation Board at the Library of Congress.
Rosebud?
The films are also the subject of an exhibit at the University of Houston’s Blaffer Art Museum through March 14.
Finding Barker’s films has been Frick’s personal obsession for years. She has created a website devoted to the filmmaker, meltonbarker.org, tracking the known locations where he shot “Kidnappers Foil.”
“We wouldn’t have learned as much as we have if it wasn’t for newspapers opening up their archives,” Frick says. “For a long time you couldn’t find anything about him online, then suddenly his name started popping up.”
Barker made money by charging parents for their kids to be in the movies, and then again when he screened the films in the towns where they were made. Houston appears to have been a gold mine for him.
Barker made “Kidnappers Foil” films on three different visits to Houston. He first shot here in late 1937, based on a flyer announcing a screening of the movie at the North Main Theatre on Oct. 19-20, 1937. The advertisement survived, even if the film did not.
According to stories in the Houston Chronicle and Houston Post archives, Barker shot five different “Kidnappers Foil” films concurrently during the 1937 visit, working with 700 children. Originally, he’d planned only three films, but so many auditioned — 1,500, according to the Chronicle — that he expanded the number. Each was shown at different movie houses owned by the Interstate Neighborhood Theaters chain, which no longer exists.
He returned to Houston in 1942 to shoot another set of four “Kidnappers Foil” films, then came back once more in 1948 to film five more.
Deja vu?
No matter the location or when it was filmed, the plot of “Kidnappers Foil” never varied.
A young child named Betty Davis is kidnapped and held for ransom. Several groups of competing kids try to find her, inspired by a $1,000 ransom offered by her father. Eventually the groups come together to collaborate, rescue Betty and turn the kidnappers over to the police. They all celebrate with an ice cream party and a talent show.
Barker’s modus operandi was similar for each shoot. He or his advance team would seek publicity for the filming in local newspapers, asking for children to come to an audition. Their parents would pay a small audition fee, for which their kids would get some training on how to work in front of a camera. Not all those who paid were cast for the films.
As part of his publicity, Barker claimed to have discovered George “Spanky” McFarland, the star of the “Our Gang” children’s films. (McFarland was from Barker’s home base of Dallas, so Frick believes there is validity to the claim.) The news stories touting the upcoming auditions said Barker was looking for “the next Spanky McFarland.” The films were described as “Our Gang” comedies, though they were not associated with that series.
The shoots would take a few days, using a small crew — Barker, a cameraman, sound man and an assistant. Barker would sometimes play the role of Betty Davis’ father. A screening of the resulting film would take place in a local theater a few weeks later.
Final remake
One of the reasons why few of the films exist is that Barker apparently didn’t keep a copy for himself, Frick says. Most of the reels were left with the theater. Some made their way into private hands, while others were acquired by local film societies.
Frick says Barker was something of a film pioneer. He initially shot in 35 millimeter, then moved to 16 millimeter film, which was more portable and cost-efficient. He also learned early on how to sync sound, becoming one of the first itinerant filmmakers to do so.
Barker died in 1977, doing what he loved. His body was found in a Meridian, Miss., hotel room, where he was working on yet another filming of “Kidnappers Foil.”
Frick expresses admiration for Barker’s tenacity and his ability to wrangle dozens of children during the shoots. As part of her project, she tried to shoot a modern-day version of “Kidnappers Foil” using his script.
“It was the worst decision of my life,” she says.