FAYETTEVILLE — A documentary film will premiere Monday that focuses on the history of Arkansas' radio play-by-play announcers, including current the current voice of the Razorbacks, Chuck Barrett.
The 23-minute documentary, The Voice of the Razorbacks, was made as part of a graduate-level documentary film class in the University of Arkansas' journalism school. It will be shown with two other films beginning at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Gearhart Hall on the UA campus.
Cassie Schirm and Jared Endsley made the film - an adaptation of the 2013 book "Voices of the Razorbacks: A history of Arkansas' Iconic Sports Broadcasters," which was written by Stanley Sharp and former UA journalism professor Hoyt Purvis.
Schirm said she was inspired to do a film on Barrett when her father commented about the radio network during a football game her senior year.
"Chuck is a passionate man about what he does and he does it to the fullest," said Schirm, now a reporter for the ABC affiliate in Bozeman, Mont. "I've never seen a man more determined. He makes sure every game is quality work and I think that speaks about his character and his love for the people who are listening."
The filmmakers were given access to Barrett in the radio booth for an Arkansas football against Mississippi State last fall and also shot scenes during basketball games at Bud Walton Arena. Barrett's radio colleagues Rick Schaeffer and Keith Jackson were interviewed for the film, as were Arkansas football coach Bret Bielema and Purvis.
Barrett has been the Razorbacks' football radio announcer since 2007 and basketball announcer since 2010. He was Arkansas' baseball voice from 1992-2014.
"It's a story about Chuck, but it's also an overview of what this position means," said Endsley, who is still a UA student.
"I had a great time on this project. I'm from Texas and didn't know much about the history and am not that big of a sports fan. To get the chance to see how this works and see his interaction with the fans - I saw fans come up and get his autograph - I was kind of blown away with how much this position meant to a lot of people."
Schirm said the documentary will be entered into some film festivals in the next year. She said she has spoken with Walmart representatives about distributing the documentary, but no deal is in place.