The 1954 CBS / University of Arkansas produced documentary “The Search for Yokum Creek,” depicted the search for the origins of an Elizabethan ballad, “The Two Sisters.” The film begins with an exterior shot of the University of Arkansas Fine Arts Center building where the presenter/narrator, Charles Romine begins by providing a few details about the upcoming investigation they are about to set out on (:42). Mary Celestia Parler, the founder of the Arkansas Folklore Society, an English professor at University of Arkansas and the wife of distinguished Ozark folklore collector Vance Randolph is seen listening to a hauntingly beautiful song on an old (1:00).
Mary and Charles set out visit a longtime informant of Mary’s at his mountain home where he’s seen drawing water (4:14). He sings them a cheerful sounding folksong called ‘Dick German the Cobbler.’ Mary asks him if he can tell them anything about the folklore song they’re searching for but he’s not familiar the words to the song and instead directs them to another townsperson, Miss Briscoe / Sister Sookie (6:38). They stop by the Yokum Creek convenience store first to ask for directions to her house (7:00). Unfortunately, Miss Briscoe also did not know about “The Two Sisters”, but she took time to sing the duo another old song, “Kissing on the Sly,” before they went on their way (9:59). She suggests that her brother Fred Hyde might know the song. He’s shown singing on his front porch singing an old folk song when they arrive to his house (12:44), but he doesn’t know the song they’re looking for either. Fred tells them that he does know a man in a hospital who may know the song they sought. An elderly man is seen lying on his hospital bed, singing on his guitar (14:45). He also did not know “The Two Sisters.” He entertained them for a bit until they left to continue searching for the elusive song. Finally at a “Play Party,” a popular get together that took place in in parts of rural United States from middle 1800s to the 1940’s, they spotted Mary Jo Davis, a pretty young girl singing “The Two Sisters,” drawing their investigation to a close (20:13).
Mary Celestia Perler established and implemented the most comprehensive folklore research in Arkansas history. With the assistance of her field assistant, Merlin Mitchell, Mary traveled throughout the Ozarks between the years 1949 and 1965 compiling field recordings of Ozark folksongs. Together they compiled 442 reel-to-reel audio tapes (137,400 feet) with full transcriptions making it the largest collection of its kind today.
For more on Mary Celestia Parler visit http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net…
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
