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Smokey and the Fouke Monster |
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Written by Mark Banta
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Monday, 06 February 2006 |
Smokey and the Fouke Monster
By J.E. “Smokey” Crabtree/Days Creek Production, 142 pp.
You won’t find very many bigfoot enthusiasts who are not intimately familiar with the classic movie, The Legend of Boggy Creek (1975). Although the creature featured in this film does not fit the classic description of a sasquatch, it has nevertheless captured the imagination of many within the field. It appears there is more to this movie than meets the eye. Although it was represented as a “true story,” you might be left with a different opinion after reading Smokey Crabtree’s behind the scenes book, Smokey and the Fouke Monster. Smokey claims his book is the “true story.” His interpretations of the events that led to the making of The Legend of Boggy Creek differ greatly from its creator and director, Charles Pierce. For those hoping to read a book about bigfoot, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a fiction by a great writer, this is not the book for you. What you will get is a book that tells the life story of Smokey Crabtree and how he got involved in the making of The Legend of Boggy Creek. You will learn about how Smokey grew up in the bottomlands around Fouke, Arkansas, as well as his opinions on how movie creator Charles Pierce conned the small town of Fouke. You will also learn a great deal about Smokey Crabtree’s views on life, honor and integrity. Furthermore, you will learn about how the movie came to be and the lawsuits that followed. I found this book enlightening and came away from it with a fresh view on the events that led up to the making of The Legend of Boggy Creek. I also found the content very entertaining as I read it aloud to my wife, and we both got many good laughs from it. Quite simply, Smokey is quite a unique character. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Smokey at the 2005 Jefferson Bigfoot Conference.  Smokey is a pleasant man in person and has dedicated a lot of time and money into telling his side of the story. He is also a very good salesman, which is evidenced by my purchasing all three of his books. If you do purchase this book and enjoy it, you will be glad to know that Smokey has written two other books: Too Close to the Mirror, and The Man Behind the Legend. These books were written several years after the fact, and serve to inform the reader about the results of Smokey’s legal battles, as well as give you further insight into the man. You will also learn about a strange skeleton found in the northeast corner of Texas, which is now in Smokey’s possession. However, don’t get too excited, as this information takes up a very small percentage of the pages. Mostly, the latter two books educate you further about Smokey’s life, which has been quite eventful.Format: Book (Illustrated), 142 pages
Publication Date: January 1974
ISBN: 0970163207
Available at Smokey Crabtree’s Souvenir ShopDAYS CREEK PRODUCTION CORP.
414 MILLER COUNTY 26
FOUKE AR 71837
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Smokey is a pleasant man in person and has dedicated a lot of time and money into telling his side of the story. He is also a very good salesman, which is evidenced by my purchasing all three of his books. If you do purchase this book and enjoy it, you will be glad to know that Smokey has written two other books: Too Close to the Mirror, and The Man Behind the Legend. These books were written several years after the fact, and serve to inform the reader about the results of Smokey’s legal battles, as well as give you further insight into the man. You will also learn about a strange skeleton found in the northeast corner of Texas, which is now in Smokey’s possession. However, don’t get too excited, as this information takes up a very small percentage of the pages. Mostly, the latter two books educate you further about Smokey’s life, which has been quite eventful.Format: Book (Illustrated), 142 pages
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