 Writer, director and co-producer Steve Balderson based "Firecracker" on a real-life murder that occurred in Wamego in the 1950s, three blocks from the house where Balderson grew up.According to Balderson, a traveling carnival visited the town each year on July 4.The murder victim disappeared on the morning of July 5, as the carnival was leaving town, and was later found to have been killed by his brother.