Movie Hall of Fame welcomes two films, three individuals

May 6—Cobey Soap had trouble holding back the tears when honoring his father.

The younger Soap was paying tribute to his father and Wilma Mankiller, the first female principal chief of Cherokee Nation, whose pursuit for clean and safe drinking for residents on the Cherokee Nation reservation was the story told in the movie "Cherokee Word for Water."

The films "Cherokee Word for Water" and "Sherwood Forest: Top Secret" were inducted into the Oklahoma Movie Hall of Fame on Saturday at the Roxy Theater, along with screenwriter, producer and director George "Fritz" Kiersch, actor and director Ryan Merriman and the late actor Cleavon Little.

"Cherokee Word for Water" portrays the efforts of Mankiller and Soap to create a stable water supply for residents in the small town of Bell, located in Adair County, where many houses laced running water. Cobey Soap said his father's initiative to strengthen the vast Cherokee communities in Northeast Oklahoma should be an inspiration to all.

"My expertise in this comes from sitting in the truck my father as we drove around on the back roads as we looked at the communities and developments he was spearheading in the communities — stuff like that," he said. "I was really excited when Oscar Ray called — we were talking about the Spelling Bee first of all — and that led into the "Cherokee Word for Water" being inducted into the Oklahoma Movie Hall of Fame. When Oscar first asked me 'Would you do the induction,' I was like 'First of all, that's awesome,' but I'm super excited about it."

Charlie Soap, who lives in Tahlequah and was a producer and director of the film, accepted the award on behalf of all involved with the project.

"It was Kristina Kiehl and Wilma that pushed to get the film made," Charlie said. "Before she died, Wilma asked me if I would make sure to help Kristina raise money and make sure the movie got done. To me, I didn't realize the impact it would have on the community and across Indian Country, but it has benefitted a lot of organizations."

Little was born in Chickasha on June 1, 1939. He graduate from San Diego State College in 1965 with a degree in speech therapy and received a scholarship to Julliard Academy in New York. By 1970, Little had established himself as a Broadway actor received a Tony Award for his performance in "Purlie."

After moving to California, Little received parts in movies and television show with his first major role as Dr. Jerry Noland in the ABC sitcom "Temperature Rising." It was during the filming of that series that he was cast in his most famous role as Sheriff Bart in Mel Brooks' comedy "Blazing Saddles."

Little's daughter Adia Millett accepted the honor on her father's behalf. An accomplished artist using different mediums, Millett said her father, who died on Oct. 22, 1992, would be very proud of the path she has chosen.

"The funny thing is he painted," she said. "He was a visual artist as well. He did it for himself and I think the creativity definitely runs in the family."

Kiersch not only accepted the award for "Sherwood Forest: Top Secret" but was an inductee this year for his work as a writer, producer and director in film and television.

Having started in television directing commercials Kiersch crossed over into feature films in 1983 directing Stephen king's "Children of the Corn," considered one of the most visually entertaining horror films of all time.

Kiersch said while there are differences between and television and movie project, there are a lot of similarities, especially behind the camera.

"Making television commercials are an assembly line of predetermined ideas," he said. "So you're given story boards, you're given almost the exact image to photograph — the input creatively is minimized. So when you jump over to making a free-formed film, you are against, first of all, a very long schedule that's unpredictable and you have to think on your feet.

"So you have to invent and innovate and it gives you more of a challenge, plus it's a longer story to tell. So you learn a tremendous amount of technique."

Merriman was born in Choctaw and also began his work in commercials in Oklahoma when he was eight years old. His first major role in television was on the television series "The Mommies" followed by several recurring roles including "The Pretender," "Veritas: The Quest" and playing Ian Thomas in "Pretty Little Liars."

Merriman also starred in television moves — Disney's "Ring of Endless Light." Hallmark Channel's "The Colt" and "Taken" directed by Stephen Spielberg.

"It's an honor to be in the same company as some of the fellow inductees here," he said. "I mean to hear the stories and story-telling. I was very blessed with a blessed career and an amazing family to help back me up. That's the root of most of our success is family."