Ark. Town Gunning for James Gang : Movies: The citizens of Van Buren claim that the producers of ‘Frank and Jesse’ stiffed them. ‘Nobody is going to be shabbily treated,’ its co-producer says.

As far as the people of Van Buren, Ark., are concerned, the outlaws Frank and Jesse James should never have ridden again.

Calls to Hollywood from disgruntled citizens of this historic town complain they were run roughshod over by the producers of the Western “Frank and Jesse,” starring Rob Lowe and Bill Paxton.

Bills are still unpaid or partially paid. Some contracts have not been honored. And, some say what’s worse, the small-town spirit of cooperation and trust has been violated.

Not a big deal if this were big, bad Los Angeles, they said, but a crushing experience for those who once were excited at the prospect of seeing Van Buren (pop. 7,000) set-dressed back to the late 1800s--not to mention having a few movie stars around. Van Buren actually stands in for Northfield, Minn.

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“I don’t have very gracious feelings right now,” said Marjorie Armstrong, president of the Van Buren Chamber of Commerce, who said she is taking all the heat from local merchants left holding the bag when independent Lone Rider Prods., producers Elliott Kastner and Cassian Elwes (Kastner’s stepson) and co-producer Lowe departed the scene in late January, leaving Trimark Pictures, the movie’s distributor, to try to make good on the unpaid claims.

“As far as I’m concerned, L.A. can stay in L.A. and not rip off Arkansans,” said Cecilia Foye, who said that her family’s business, Advance Protection Services, has been offered, like many others owed money, about 50 cents on the dollar for an outstanding bill of $2,000 for providing security on the set in Van Buren.

“We’re not taking nothing if we don’t get paid (in full),” said Joy Daily, whose car leasing company, Lewis Co. Inc., is owed around $19,000.

This wasn’t the way it was when “Biloxi Blues” or “The Blue and the Grey” were shot there, Armstrong recalled. Those were the not-so-long-ago days when the visiting production company paid in good faith and on time, when the local crew hired weren’t told the first day of filming their per diem would be less than first offered. And, when it came to shooting on picturesque Main Street, chockablock with antiques stores and quaint cafes, the production company would do the honorable thing by verbally agreeing to donate a few thousand dollars to community projects at the request of retail shop and restaurant owners who otherwise would be paid some compensation for loss of business when closed for filming.

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Not so Lone Rider. Because the low-budget picture ($3.5 million) went a reported $1.5 million in the red, 23 businesses, 11 individuals and assorted others from Fayetteville, Ft. Smith and Van Buren have filed complaints with the Arkansas Motion Picture Development Office. Inclement weather forced the production to go over schedule and caused many unexpected problems, like how the dirt brought in to cover the paved main drag turned hard as cement during sleet storms and delayed filming. (Larry Gordon, the dirt purveyor, also claims to be out about $14,000.)

“This is the first time we’ve had a film company come through that does not seem to care,” said film office director William Buck, whose department actively solicits location filming in the state. On average, two movies or miniseries shoot a year in Arkansas, adding about $2 million to the state’s economy--a pittance by California standards but nothing to sneeze at in a state where the annual per capita income hovers around $10,500.

Buck said that some of the problems stemmed from confusion for who to go after for payment after Lone Rider closed its Arkansas production office, especially since this was an independent picture made by one company and distributed by another.

For several weeks, he said, Elwes wouldn’t return calls and, when finally reached, claimed that the final bills were Trimark’s responsibility.

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Elwes, brother of actor Cary Elwes, told The Times that “things don’t always go as smoothly as planned” and that “nobody is going to be shabbily treated in this situation.”

“Let me reiterate that Trimark has acknowledged the responsibility toward this picture,” he said. “Frank and Jesse” is due to be released later this year.

Trimark, in fact, has hired an accountant to go over unpaid claims and settle up, both Trimark and some of those owed confirmed. Some also say they’ll have to take half payment because suing to recover the rest wouldn’t be worth the expense. Cami Winikoff, director of production at Trimark, responded by promising that “no one would be left high and dry . . . there is every intention in paying the people of Arkansas.”

But beyond monetary concerns, there are hurt feelings and a sense of betrayal.

The Chamber of Commerce’s Armstrong is almost as distressed that she was thrown off the set the days filming took place inside the beloved King Opera House, a local landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, where she later discovered that nails had been driven into the lobby’s wood paneled walls and carvings.

“Needless to say, this has left a very bad taste in almost everybody’s mouth,” she said.