Barefoot Boy

"Barefoot Boy" is a film that clearly demonstrates why it's in the public domain. Simply put, the film is annoying...very, very annoying. Unless you love films that star annoying pre-teens, then my advice is to avoid this one like the plague.

The film stars two boys--one a spoiled little $&!% who is simply too obviously awful to be believed. No child is that obnoxious and yet so adored by a parent!! Instead of a reasonable portrayal, it's all black & white--like a comic book. And, when this kid does horrible things, people either cover for him or resist the urge to bust him in the mouth--something I truly was hoping to see. And, it's a bad film that makes me root for child abuse!!! As far as the plot goes, it's a ridiculous mess involving the jerk kid going to live with a nice country boy, some stolen bonds, a father coming out of prison and some crooks pretending that they are ghosts. Believe me that the average Bowery Boys film is 1000% better! Bad acting, bad writing and bad direction...this one is just BAD!

Other than using the same title this film has no connection to nor is there any film credit linking it to the poem by John Greenleaf Whittier.

In this film, Kenneth Hale, a pampered, snobbish young boy is sent by his father, John Hale, who has served time in prison for a crime he did not commit, down to the country farm of an old friend, Calvin Whittaker.

The barefooted, honest and plucky Billy Whittaker, his girlfriend, Pige Bennett, and punky Kenneth get involved with a "haunted" house and a gang of crooks, while Billy helps make a "better man" out of Kenneth.

Filmed well, acted well, just a ridiculously slow, tedious, bland story.

It's mindless.

I enjoyed this movie, because it showed children growing up in the same time period as my parents grew up in. It was like "Leave It To Beaver" (20 years earlier), Billy was Wally, Kenneth was Eddie and the sisters could have been a number of girls who liked Wally and were momentarily fooled by Eddie.

I liked seeing Billy stand up to Kenneth, but never really hurting him. Pige was one tough girl and little sister Julia the sweetie who didn't participate in any of the ruff stuff. Billy's mother was a worry wart and his Dad the calming influence, which reminds me of my parents.

The movie starts out with John Greenleaf Whittier's poem being recited, which brought back my Grade School days of having to memorize the poem and then write a parody of it.

If you only watch the all time great movies skip this one, but if you want to see a nice dumb movie you can sit back, relax and enjoy; Don't miss it!

Rural teenager Jackie Moran (as Billy Whittaker) likes to play with his dog and climb trees with no shoes on, as suggested in John Greenleaf Whittier's poem "Barefoot Boy". Mr. Moran also likes cute neighbor Marilyn Knowlden (as Julia Blaine) and writes her a love note. The potential for puppy love is threatened however, by the arrival of spoiled military schoolboy Bradley Metcalfe (as Kenneth Hale). He teases Moran about going barefoot, wrestles with him, and pledges to steal his girlfriend. Their parents have Mr. Metcalfe staying with Moran when the former's father Ralph Morgan (as John Hale) gets out of prison...

Meanwhile, Matty Fain (as Blake) and Frank Puglia (as Hank), two crooks who committed the crime for which Mr. Morgan served time, hide out in the local haunted house. After Metcalfe is declared a hero for saving her sister from drowning, jealous Marcia Mae Jones (as Pige Blaine), who has a crush on Moran, takes the teenagers to the haunted house, hoping to expose Metcalfe as a coward. Mixing it up with criminals puts the youngsters and Moran's dog ("Toto" from "The Wizard of Oz") in grave danger… Director Karl Brown moves this teen fare well, but it looks like some omissions or edits have garbled parts of the story.

***** Barefoot Boy (8/3/38) Karl Brown ~ Jackie Moran, Bradley Metcalfe, Marcia Mae Jones, Ralph Morgan

This is an absolutely charming movie! I think it should be shown in schools so kids can enjoy it and soak up some nostalgia from the 1930s era. Full of adventure and friendship, it doesn't have a dull moment. It's extremely entertaining and the actors, young and old, do a fine job. What's not to like? Captures the exuberance of youth in a way that very few movies today do. Low budget, schmo budget - this movie gets the cars, the clothes, elements of country life, moral values of America, and the perspective of young teens down to a tee and it is just plain fun! You couldn't replicate this movie today for millions of dollars and get the props, the atmosphere, and the acting correct to match the period of time on display in this vintage movie! It's in the public domain, so why not watch it for free on your smart phone or better yet use screen sharing and see it on your large screen smart TV?