THE BEAST OF BOGGY CREEK: The True Story of the Fouke Monster by Lyle Blackburn
Authors: Lyle Blackburn
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more emotional. She recalls being frightened nearly to death as she was shooting the scene in the movie. The fear she had on screen was real that night, back in 1971, in that old frame house out in Fouke. When she spoke to me about her father, her emotional ties to him were evident, along with the respect she has for his accomplishments, not just with The Legend of Boggy Creek , but throughout his life.
Charles Bryant Pierce grew up in Hampton, Arkansas. From a very early age he was involved with film. As a kid, he and his lifelong friend, Harry Thomason, who would go on to create popular television shows such as Designing Women and Evening Shade , used an old 8mm camera to make their movies. It must have been here that the cinematic seed was planted, although as a young man he set his sights on a career in graphic design. By his mid-twenties, he was working as the art director for KTAL-TV in Shreveport, Louisiana, but his do-it-all spirit would eventually land him in other positions, including weatherman and host of a children’s cartoon program for the station.
In 1969, Pierce moved to Texarkana where he opened a small advertising agency, while at the same time, played a character called Mayor Chuckles on a local television show. Although he was popular in his role as Mayor Chuckles, it was the advertising work that gave him the opportunity to use all of his combined talents, and thus set the stage for his imminent jump to filmmaking. Using a basic 16mm handheld camera, he began producing commercials for local businesses, one of which was Ledwell & Son Enterprises, a builder of 18-wheel trailers and other farming equipment. Ledwell commissioned a series of commercials that gave Pierce the opportunity to film heavy trucks on the highways and other machinery in the fields. This was an important step, since it was Ledwell who would later put up the money to film The Legend of Boggy Creek .
Like all the residents of Texarkana in the early 1970s, Pierce had been following the sensational newspaper reports describing a hairy, ape-like creature which haunted the creeks near Fouke. As a result of his interest in the stories, he conceived an idea for doing a regional film based on the phenomenon. Seeing an opportunity to capitalize on the frenzy, he approached his wealthy client, Mr. Ledwell, and presented the idea. But Ledwell did not respond with much confidence in Pierce’s ability to make a film. He was also doubtful of the subject matter. In a 1997 interview with the popular horror magazine, Fangoria , Pierce recounted his first proposal to Ledwell. When asked what kind of movie he wanted to make, Pierce told Ledwell: “I want to do one about that booger that’s jumpin’ on folks down the road there. It was in the papers every morning, you know, about the Fouke Monster and how it’d jumped on somebody else.”
When asked at the time if he believed in the monster, Pierce simply replied, “I don’t know if I believe it or not—but it sure will make a good movie!” Ledwell finally agreed and signed on to back Pierce.
With Ledwell on board, Pierce then needed to enlist the cooperation of the Fouke residents. This would prove to be even more difficult than convincing the stodgy old business man to bankroll a Bigfoot movie. When Pierce made his first scouting mission down to Fouke, he asked some of the locals what they thought of the idea. On the whole, the folks of the little town did not take kindly to the notion. Pierce remembers: “They didn’t want to make a movie. They didn’t ask for money. They didn’t want anything. They wanted to be left alone, in fact.”
That would later become a huge problem for Pierce, but it did not deter him one bit. The story was too good, and if the people of Fouke did not want to help propel their namesake monster to the big screen, then Pierce would have to work around that. And he did.
Pierce continued to interview locals until he found some who didn’t mind sharing their
Charles Bryant Pierce grew up in Hampton, Arkansas. From a very early age he was involved with film. As a kid, he and his lifelong friend, Harry Thomason, who would go on to create popular television shows such as Designing Women and Evening Shade , used an old 8mm camera to make their movies. It must have been here that the cinematic seed was planted, although as a young man he set his sights on a career in graphic design. By his mid-twenties, he was working as the art director for KTAL-TV in Shreveport, Louisiana, but his do-it-all spirit would eventually land him in other positions, including weatherman and host of a children’s cartoon program for the station.
In 1969, Pierce moved to Texarkana where he opened a small advertising agency, while at the same time, played a character called Mayor Chuckles on a local television show. Although he was popular in his role as Mayor Chuckles, it was the advertising work that gave him the opportunity to use all of his combined talents, and thus set the stage for his imminent jump to filmmaking. Using a basic 16mm handheld camera, he began producing commercials for local businesses, one of which was Ledwell & Son Enterprises, a builder of 18-wheel trailers and other farming equipment. Ledwell commissioned a series of commercials that gave Pierce the opportunity to film heavy trucks on the highways and other machinery in the fields. This was an important step, since it was Ledwell who would later put up the money to film The Legend of Boggy Creek .
Like all the residents of Texarkana in the early 1970s, Pierce had been following the sensational newspaper reports describing a hairy, ape-like creature which haunted the creeks near Fouke. As a result of his interest in the stories, he conceived an idea for doing a regional film based on the phenomenon. Seeing an opportunity to capitalize on the frenzy, he approached his wealthy client, Mr. Ledwell, and presented the idea. But Ledwell did not respond with much confidence in Pierce’s ability to make a film. He was also doubtful of the subject matter. In a 1997 interview with the popular horror magazine, Fangoria , Pierce recounted his first proposal to Ledwell. When asked what kind of movie he wanted to make, Pierce told Ledwell: “I want to do one about that booger that’s jumpin’ on folks down the road there. It was in the papers every morning, you know, about the Fouke Monster and how it’d jumped on somebody else.”
When asked at the time if he believed in the monster, Pierce simply replied, “I don’t know if I believe it or not—but it sure will make a good movie!” Ledwell finally agreed and signed on to back Pierce.
With Ledwell on board, Pierce then needed to enlist the cooperation of the Fouke residents. This would prove to be even more difficult than convincing the stodgy old business man to bankroll a Bigfoot movie. When Pierce made his first scouting mission down to Fouke, he asked some of the locals what they thought of the idea. On the whole, the folks of the little town did not take kindly to the notion. Pierce remembers: “They didn’t want to make a movie. They didn’t ask for money. They didn’t want anything. They wanted to be left alone, in fact.”
That would later become a huge problem for Pierce, but it did not deter him one bit. The story was too good, and if the people of Fouke did not want to help propel their namesake monster to the big screen, then Pierce would have to work around that. And he did.
Pierce continued to interview locals until he found some who didn’t mind sharing their
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