A feature film about Wonderland Cave in the 1930s is moving ahead and writer/director/actress Krista Bradley of Bella Vista is holding a red carpet gala next week to raise funds for the project and give supporters a better idea of what the movie is all about.
“I want to try to transport people back to 1930 in Wonderland Cave the best I can,” Bradley said about the event, dubbed “A Glamorous Night to Remember,” set for Thursday, Oct. 24 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Meteor Guitar Gallery in downtown Bentonville.
“Aesthetically, it isn’t not going to be exact, but I want to create that vibe,” she said. “I want to create that community, and also that sense of — whenever you walk in and hear that music — that energy just takes over you.”
Three musical groups are scheduled to perform, including the Patti Steel Swing Band, Bradley pointed out with enthusiasm. Steel is a well-known clarinetist, singer and band leader from Northwest Arkansas who is featured in the film’s concept trailer.
Also featured in the concept trailer is Bradley herself playing the lead role of Faye Chambers, a bootlegging jazz singer hired by Bella Vista Summer Resort owner C.A. Linebarger to perform at the Wonderland Cave Night Club.
Linebarger will be portrayed in the film along with other significant historical characters including Clarence Love — the jazz musician who performed at the club on its opening night in May of 1930.
Historical accuracy is important to Bradley and her team, she said, and it’s been a work in progress getting the script just right. Dale Phillips and Xyta Lucas, co-presidents of the Bella Vista Historical Society, are serving as advisors for the film and are scheduled to speak at the red carpet gala.
“What I’m hoping for is a fantastic night of celebrating Arkansas’ history, as well as its exciting future,” she said, noting the team plans to shoot the entire full-length film within the state of Arkansas.
Bradley said the guest of honor will be Constance May Waddell, daughter of the original manager and operator of Wonderland Cave and the Sunset Hotel, Whitey T. May, along with his wife Gladys May.
“Constance is one of the most fascinating people I’ve ever met,” she said. “I can’t wait to honor her parents. Her mom was known as the Gene Harlow of Bella Vista in her time, and her father was beloved by all.”
Bradley added, “While C.A. Linebarger had the idea for Wonderland Cave in the fall of 1929, it was Constance’s father who really put in the elbow grease to make it happen.”
A limited number of general admission tickets are available for $100 each. Tables are available for those making contributions of $500 or more, which will be tax-deductible through Women in Film Arkansas. Bradley said 10% of donations that night will benefit this nonprofit organization.
Tickets are available at wonderlandcavefilm.com/redcarpetgala or by scanning the QR code included with the web story.
Attendees are encouraged to “dress to impress in formal/cocktail or your best 1930s attire,” Bradley said.
The event will also feature red carpet photo ops and exclusive updates from the filmmakers, she added.
Background
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 in that film and also worked as assistant director.
Bradley had a small part in Margot Robbie’s “Dreamland,” a film that inspired her to become a producer, she said. In 2019 she added producing to her resume with Ironsmith Films. Bradley also acted in the 2019 Netflix film “Walk. Ride. Rodeo.,” in which she played a rodeo star. In 2021 she wrote, produced and directed a film called “Testify,” which is about child sexual abuse.
She and husband Jared returned to Northwest Arkansas in 2020 because covid shut down the production of TV shows and commercials, she said, but she soon opened her own production company.
Bradley pointed out she started writing the script for “Wonderland Cave” while spending time with and care taking for her grandfather, Ronald Alderson, a historian and lover of the region. He really enjoyed being part of the project, she said, and the film is being dedicated to his memory.
Storyline
According to a plot summary provided by Bradley, “Wonderland Cave” explores life after World War I — right in the midst of Prohibition and The Great Depression, intertwining the stories of the owner of Wonderland Cave (Linebarger), a bootlegging jazz singer (Chambers) and her gang of brothers, and an FBI detective sent to stop them during the cave’s first year of business.
“It’s so much fun,” Bradley said. “Every single scene is true or based on reality … We’ve changed some of the names because families have requested us to, but they’re all based on real people.”
Among the accolades received thus far, “Wonderland Cave” won the 2021 Fayetteville Film Festival Pitch Contest; won the 2023 Palm Springs International Screenplay Awards’ Sizzle Reel Contest, also earning a finalist spot in its Pitch Desk Contest; and was a semifinalist in the Filmmatic Drama Screenplay Awards Season 5 (Short) and Season 8 (Feature), with the concept trailer played at a networking event at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
“Wonderland Cave” has earned accolades at each stage of its development, Bradley pointed out, and is projected to earn further critical and commercial success with a script that scores 9.5/10 and ranks in the 100th percentile, making it eligible for major awards contention in several categories, she said.
“When you support our film, you’re helping celebrate Northwest Arkansas on the big screen with a beautiful story that honors the region’s history,” she said. “Supporting our film also means supporting Arkansas tourism.”
Rachel Dickerson contributed to this story.
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