The Barefoot Boy was inspired by the poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, and was meant to evoke the simple joys and motivations of all-American country folk to an audience of families. The title character, Billy Whittaker, is just such a person, with just such a girlfriend, in the beginning of the film. Soon, however, his life gets a lot less simple with the introduction of Kenneth Hale, a haughty, over-educated bad-boy who comes to town one day. He gets into some trouble with a group of con-men who come through town, makes fun of Billy’s simple country values, and tries to steal Billy’s girl. Billy teaches him a lesson with his fists and Kenneth has to learn to change his ways.
