What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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12 WHAT'S UP! MARCH 13-19, 2022 It's A Wonder(land) Filmmaker tells story of posh cave, hard times RACHEL DICKERSON NWA Democrat-Gazette B ella Vista resident Krista Bradley is making a film about Wonderland Cave's first year as a nightclub in 1930. Bradley lived with her grandparents in her developmental years, along with her mother and brother, following her father's death when she was 4 years old. Her grandparents had a business in Goshen that was part grocery store, part movie rental store. In this place, at an early age, she developed a love for film. "From my earliest memory I don't remember a point in time when I wasn't acting or sharing stories in some way," she says. "I've always had a sincere love for stories. I saw how movies affect people. They're not just a form of distraction; they are comfort. Going to work with my grandpa and seeing how people would check out the same movie over and over again — a James Cameron film or a Disney film — people would rent that not only once but many times," Bradley recalls. "From a young age, movies were a source of comfort for me, and I got a front row seat to how they're a source of comfort for others. "I think that movies are one of the most significant ways that we keep generational history alive." Bradley attended the University of Arkansas, then moved to Colorado in 2012 to get into the film industry. In 2017 she went into acting full time and has added several films to her resume, including "The Penitent Thief," a faith-based film starring Kevin Sorbo and written by Arkansas resident Don Willis. She acted and was assistant director in that film. She also had a small part in Margot Robbie's "Dreamland," which was the film that inspired her to become a producer. In 2019 she added producing to her resume with Ironsmith Films. She was also in the 2019 Netflix Film "Walk. Ride. Rodeo.," in which she played a rodeo star, and last year she wrote, produced and directed a film called "Testify," which was about child sexual abuse. "It was really rewarding, but I'm not going to lie, it was really hard," she says. "I'm glad people are learning about the subject. I'm glad this next project is a fun 1930s film that is fun to watch." Bradley and husband Jared returned to Northwest Arkansas in 2020 because covid shut down the production of TV shows, commercials, and so forth, she says, and she soon opened her own production company. According to a plot summary provided by Bradley, her film "'Wonderland Cave' explores life after World War I — right in the midst of Prohibition and The Great Depression, intertwining the stories of the original owner of Wonderland Cave, a bootlegging jazz singer and her gang of brothers, and an FBI detective sent to stop the fun during the cave's first year of business." "It's so much fun," she continues. "The script is incredible. … Every single scene is true or based on reality. There are some things that are off the wall. You think it couldn't be real." C.A. Linebarger, who opened the nightclub at Wonderland Cave in 1930, is a character in the film, along with bootlegging jazz signer Faye Chambers and FBI detective John Calderon. "We've changed some of the names because families have requested us to, [but] they're all based on real people," she says. The film reflects the Great Depression, as Faye Chambers' brothers, who have just returned from World War I, are struggling to survive by bootlegging. Bradley notes Wonderland Cave did not sell alcohol, but everyone brought their own flask, and in the film the brothers infiltrate the cave and start making money. "We see what life is like for Bella Vista," Bradley says. "It's a really hard time period for locals. If you're visiting, it's a whole other world. It shows the stark contrast for people who didn't have money and people who did. The Sunset (Hotel) had powerful, rich people staying there and visiting the cave. We're talking pet peacocks. People are going to see a new type of Arkansas in this film." Bradley says she is in discussions about actually filming in the cave. Also, there are other sites in Bella Vista where she will be filming. She says she has received support from the community. "Xyta Lucas [co-president of the Bella Vista Historical Society] allowed me to borrow all her records on Wonderland Cave. There's so much more of the story that's unfolding," she says. She added she has met C.A. Linebarger's granddaughters, Carole Harter and Ann Boyd, and they have been supportive. "I think we're doing something really special here," Bradley says. The film is set to premier in October at the Fayetteville Film Festival. Northwest Arkansas filmmaker Krista Bradley is making the movie "Wonderland Cave" based on the nightclub inside Bella Vista's Wonderland Cave in its first year, 1930. (Courtesy Photo) BELLA VISTA