Time Machine: The first movie made in Iowa

When you think of movies filmed in Iowa, you likely come up with “Field of Dreams” or “Bridges of Madison County.”

But in summer 1965, Russell S. Doughten Jr., president of the new Heartland Productions of Des Moines, decided to turn author Henry Farrell’s novel, “The Hostage,” into the first feature-length movie made entirely in Iowa.

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Ferrell had written two thrillers that had been made into movies, “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” in 1962 and “Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte” in 1964.

About 1,500 Iowans invested in the venture that was shot entirely within a 12-mile radius of Des Moines, beginning Oct. 18. Doughten was the movie’s producer and director.

“Movies are being made everywhere these days, and Iowa has had an industrial and artistic awakening recently, so why shouldn’t movies be made here?” Doughten told a Gazette interviewer.

Making movies

Doughten, a native of Iowa Falls, earned a fine arts degree from Drake University before heading off to Yale University Graduate School of Drama. He formed his company to make good, low-budget films.

“There are two ways of making movies these days,” he said. “Either expensive blockbusters or low-budget pictures. Since we obviously could not make ‘Ben-Hur,’ the low-budgeters seemed the answer. We concentrate not on stars but on good stories and good production.”

“The Hostage” cast included John Carradine, Harry Dean Stanton and a 6-year-old from Davenport, Danny Martins, who played the lead. About 100 Iowans worked on the film as extras or in technical slots.

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Even before its premiere in Des Moines Oct. 26, the World Theater in Cedar Rapids had booked “The Hostage.” Cast members were in Cedar Rapids Oct. 27 for a promotional lunch at the Roosevelt Hotel. The movie opened at the World Theatre on Friday, Nov. 4.

“It is the story of a little boy who climbs into a moving van driven by a hard-drinking bully who has committed murder the night before,” Gazette reviewer Nadine Subotnik wrote. “When the boy is discovered in the van, which also is being used to transport the murder victim, he is inevitably in great danger. This is a simple and good suspense story. … There are some roughnesses around the edges, but the mood of quiet suspense builds and holds steadily.”

Author Ferrell said, “When people started talking about forming Heartland in Iowa and making movies here, Hollywood said it couldn’t be done. When the company WAS formed, Hollywood said OK, but they’d never make a movie. When the movie WAS made, Hollywood said OK, but it wouldn’t be a good one. Now that the reviews have come out, Hollywood isn’t saying ANYTHING.”

The young Danny, whose dad taught at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, thought making a movie was fun. His only acting experience had come in kindergarten and in first-grade show, where he played a kangaroo.

The film was released by Crown International Pictures of Hollywood.

‘Fever Heart’

Doughten’s next film was “Fever Heat” in 1968. It was shot in Dexter, in Dallas County in central Iowa, and focused on the danger and romance of stock car racing. It was distributed by Paramount Pictures and opened at the Cedar Rapids Drive-In on May 15, 1968.

Both films shared an odd legacy.

Don O’Kelly, who played the brutal truck driver in “Hostage,” died shortly after the movie was completed. Nick Adams, the star of “Fever Heat,” was died in his Hollywood home a few months after shooting was done.

Although both of Doughten’s films received favorable reviews, they lost money. Heartland took out a loan from the Small Business Administration, and the loan’s terms prohibited Doughten from making movies. So the company turned to acquiring and managing theaters.

Christian films

When the SBA loan was paid off in 1973, Heartland changed direction, joining with Mark IV Pictures to produce Christian films for use in churches.

Mark IV was a privately held Des Moines company whose only directors were Doughten, its vice president, and Donald Thompson, its president.

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Doughten had made religious movies earlier in his career, when he worked for Valley Forge Films in Pennsylvania after he’d graduated from Yale.

By using limited partnerships, Heartland broke even by 1977 and showed a profit after that. Doughten moved into the presidency of both Heartland and Mark IV.

Heartland also found film distribution through Mid-America Films of West Des Moines. But it took a back seat to films by other producers, so Heartland began promoting and distributing its own films.

By 1982, Heartland-Mark IV had made 18 Christian films, including four films that showed life on Earth after the rapture, or end of times, and the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Heartland Productions dissolved in 1992, and Doughten began Russ Doughten Films in Urbandale. In September 2007, an ad appeared in the Des Moines Register about an auction of the company’s assets.

Doughten died in August 2013 at age 86 at his home in Carlisle.

The Iowa Film Office’s first manager, Wendol Jarvis, credited Doughten for making Iowa a “filmmaking destination.”

“A lot of people learned their trade from Russ Doughten,” Jarvis said. “He was a man who believed in his message and loved his trade.”

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