Title: Barefoot Boy
Year: 1938
Genres: Action; Adventure; Family; Mystery
Director: Karl Brown

Cast:

• Jackie Moran as Billy Whittaker
• Marcia Mae Jones as Pige Blaine
• Bradley Metcalfe as Kenneth Hale
• Johnnie Morris as Jeff Blaine
• Marilyn Knowlden as Julia Blaine
• Terry as herself
• Ralph Morgan as John Hale
• Claire Windsor as Valerie Hale
• Helen MacKellar as Martha Whittaker
• Matty Fain as Blake
• Frank Puglia as Hank
• J. Farrell MacDonald as Warden
• Charles D. Brown as Calvin Whittaker
• Roger Gray as Dutch
• Earle Hodgins as Sheriff
• Henry Roquemore as Benjamin Blaine
• Hal Cooke as Parker

Synopsis:

Pampered city boy Kenneth Hale is sent by his father—recently exonerated of a wrongful conviction—to spend a summer on Calvin Whittaker’s rural farm. There he meets barefoot country lad Billy Whittaker and his spirited friend Pige Blaine. When Kenneth’s arrogance leads the trio into a supposedly haunted house and the schemes of a local crook gang, Billy’s down-to-earth courage and kindness teach Kenneth the value of honesty, friendship, and hard work.

Trivia:

• The film was inspired by John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem “The Barefoot Boy,” excerpts of which are recited after the opening titles.
• Produced and released by Monogram Pictures, it has a brisk 63-minute runtime typical of “Poverty Row” children’s adventures.
• Barefoot Boy lapsed into the public domain due to non-renewal of its copyright, making it widely available for restoration and streaming.
• Cinematographer Gilbert Warrenton and editor Finn Ulback helped give the film its brisk pacing and rustic visual charm.