Traditionally when we talk about movies made inside the state of Arkansas we harken back to productions like Biloxi Blues, A Soldier's Story, Sling Blade, and various other films.
The state has a long tradition in hosting movie companies that wanted to utilize the diverse scenic backgrounds and the unique features of the Ozarks in their movies. As far back is 1939, when the movie Jesse James starring Henry Fonda shot railroad scenes in Benton County, Arkansas has seen its share of television and movie productions.
One movie shot in Arkansas in 1951, thought to have been the first production to be made entirely in the state, had a diverse cast of Hollywood names and aspiring local actors. But as intriguing as the plotline of the movie sounds, the chances of any of us ever actually get into see the film run slim to none.
Wonder Valley, shot in principal in Northwest Arkansas with some scenes from in and around Little Rock and Hot Springs, was an independently produced trope set against the backdrop of a part of the state that was striving to become modernized by building better roads and providing citizens with electricity.
The concept of the movie sprung from the imagination of a Russellville resident by the name of Viva Ruth Liles.
The convoluted plot revolved around an elderly writer who came up on a young brother and sister rehearsing a melodrama and thinking that the girl was in danger, executed a rescue. When he discovered the error of his ways, he noted the rule aspect of the region and convinced the brother to go to the state capitol and ask for the governor to invest in the area so new roads and electrical power could be installed.
While the movie didn't exactly have star power, several recognizable names to movie fanatics did play a part. Former child actress Gloria Jean, who starred in a number of movies with Donald O'Connor in her late teens, as well did John Fontaine, Taylor Holmes, and others. Arkansas then- Governor Sid McMath even had a cameo role in the film.
The rest of the cast was filled up with regional actors and actresses, most notably the brother and sister team of Mirna Liles and Gary Kent Liles, the children of producer Viva Ruth Liles. In fact, according to reports the entire reason for the film being made was to try to further possible Hollywood careers for those children.
Another Arkansas born and bred actor by the name of Dwight Lin recorded his only IMBd credit in a small role in the movie. The mention of Lin here is notable because he was born in Mulberry.
Viva Ruth Liles, who is worthy of and will receive her own story in the near future, was considered a successful, but eccentric, entrepreneur.
She had made a fortune dabbling in the old business and municipal construction in the 40's before moving to Arkansas. Wonder Valley was the one and only movie made by her company Wonder State Motion Pictures Inc.
All of the filming was done in 1951. Liles' was rumored to have "spent every penny she ever had" on the production of the film and some of the cast and crew claim they never got paid. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1952. The movie wasn't released until 1953 when it debuted on November 24th of that year in the Nabor Theatre in Little Rock.
A short run at that venue, as well as a few other sporadic showings here and there in an effort to help the film "get legs", was unsuccessful and the movie was basically a box office disaster.
Soon, Wonder Valley, was a forgotten film. Now it's considered a lost film.
Although the late actress from the movie, Gloria Jean, spent a considerable amount of time and money in an effort to find a copy of the movie before her death on August 31, 2018 at the age of 92, not a single copy has ever been found. The last known copy was in the estate of Viva Ruth Liles but when the film canister was opened after her death the images on the celluloid had faded.
While they're still a few people alive who remember seeing the movie, and the filming and eventual premiere drew a lot of attention at the time, Wonder Valley basically faded into obscurity, just another footnote in the annals of Arkansas filmmaking.
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