The Buddy Holly Story

Columbia Pictures, 1978

Starring Gary Busey, Don Stroud, Charles Martin Smith, and Maria Richwine

Directed by Steve Rash

Music and Lyrics by Buddy Holly and others

Jim Morrison was hardly the first or last rock star to die young. Buddy Holly was one of the seminal rock pioneers. His songs were international hits in the late 50's, including classics like "Peggy Sue," "Rave On," and "That'll Be the Day." He pushed for more control over his music, including writing and producing his own songs. He might have done more, if it wasn't for his death during that fateful and poorly-organized Winter Party Tour. I reviewed a later version of that fateful night, La Bamba, last September. How does this slightly more upbeat take on Holly's side of the story look now? Let's begin with teens roller skating at a rink in Lubbock, Texas and find out...

The Story: Buddy Holly (Busey) and his friends drummer Jesse Charles (Stroud) and bassist Ray Bob Simmons (Smith) play at the skating rink and for a local radio station as the Crickets. Buddy's been experimenting with that brash, jangly new sound known as rock. The teens at the rink love it, and Riley, the manager at the station (William Jordan), is interested enough to recommend them to Coral Records. 

The Crickets don't last long with Coral after they learn they're expected to play country music, not rock. Fortunately, Riley also sent a tape of their skating rink performance to producer Ross Hunter (Conrad Janis) in New York. He's so impressed, he releases the tape without knowing the Crickets aren't under contract. After it's a hit, Holly convinces Hunter to sign them up and let him produce their output. 

That gets them up and running. They're so popular, they even become the first white act to play the Apollo Theater in Harlem after someone mistakes them for a black band. Buddy's more interested in Turner's secretary Maria Elena Santiago (Richwine). He convinces her aunt to let them go out, then marries her after their first date. 

Buddy's now writing hit after hit, but Jesse is feeling in his shadow and resents the time he spends with Maria. After an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, he and Ray Bob quit the band and return to Texas. Buddy wonders how he can make music without them. Maria encourages him to go on the Winter Party Tour to bring his confidence level back up again. She and the Crickets even plan on seeing him in the next stop after Clear Lake...or would, if he hadn't chartered a plane to get them there in a snowstorm...

The Song and Dance: This has some things in common with La Bamba and The Doors. They're all anchored by terrific performances from actors who threw themselves into the lead roles, beautifully recreating the performing styles of the singer in question. Gary Busey was so perfect as Buddy Holly, he landed a Best Actor nomination. He looks as gangly as he did in real life and does his own singing and playing so well, you'd think that was Buddy Holly there. Smith and Stroud also do well as his band mates who eventually feel overshadowed by his success. The low budget and decision to film all musical numbers right on the soundtrack actually works to the film's advantage, giving it a slightly gritty, raw warts-and-all feel that's very welcome in a biopic.

The Numbers: We open with Buddy and the Crickets performing the country ballad "Mockin' Bird Hill" at the skating rink before switching to the far more upbeat "Rock Around With Ollie Vee" and "That'll Be the Day." He's not as happy when their attempt to record "Day" for Coral Records comes out sounding a lot more country than he wants. Paul Mooney makes a not-bad Sam Cooke singing "You Send Me" at the Apollo before Buddy and the Crickets come out and tear up the place with "Everyday," "Oh Boy!" and "It's So Easy." The audience has so much fun, they end up dancing in the orchestra pit.

"Words of Love" and "I'm Gonna Love You Too" show us the Crickets in the studio. "Love You Too" almost ends with fisticuffs between Buddy and Jesse when the latter makes a racial comment about Maria. "Rave On" and "Listen To Me" go better, until Buddy gets so into his duet with Eddie Cochran (Jerry Zaremba) on "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," he makes the other two Crickets feel unappreciated. "Well...All Right" and "Maybe Baby" are their numbers at The Ed Sullivan Show, but the damage has been done. After the Big Bopper (Gailord Sartain) performs "Chantilly Lace" at Clear Lake, Buddy proves he still has it, even on his own, with a final medley of That'll Be the Day," "True Love's Ways," and "Not Fade Away."

Trivia: This wasn't the first attempt at a Buddy Holly movie. Gary Busey actually played the drummer for the Crickets in another biography made for 20th Century Fox, Three-Sided Coin, that was ultimately canceled. 

What I Don't Like: While more accurate than The Doors, this is still full of cliches. The original Crickets had already sold the rights to their names for another biopic, which is why fictional names are used and the band is reduced from three to two. "Peggy Sue" was named for the girlfriend of original Cricket Jerry Allison, not Buddy's girlfriend. Buddy's time recording country songs in Nashville went far smoother than what we see here and didn't end with him punching anyone. 

I'm also not a fan of the film's too-pat ending. They allude to the fatal crash in a quick paragraph after the Clear Lake Finale medley, but we don't see it. It wasn't until La Bamba debuted almost a decade later that someone finally detailed the events leading up to that tragedy on the big screen.

The Big Finale: Though not as dynamic as The Doors, it's still worth checking out for Busey's terrific performance as the title musician and the sensational numbers, especially if you're a fan of early rock. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming in the US.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Fox and the Hound 2

Disney, 2006

Voices of Patrick Swayze, Reba McEntire, Jonah Bobo, and Harrison Fahn

Directed by Jim Kammerud

Music and Lyrics by various

Even Fox and the Hound got a sequel during the late 90's and 2000's, when Disney was obsessed with giving every movie in its back catalog a direct-to-home-media follow-up. Critics complained that they were cheapening the brand, but they were consistent money-makers. This one came out during the tail-end of that era, when the quality had started to improve slightly. Was it enough to help this tale of Tod and Copper's adventures with a country band at the local carnival? Let's begin with Tod and Copper playing together on a summer's day, chasing crickets, and find out...

The Story: Tod and Copper are excited when the fair comes to town, especially with a group of dogs known as the Singing Strays. Copper gets a chance to join the group after diva dog Dixie (McEntire) refuses to go on. He's such a hit, head dog Cash (Swayze) fires her and hires Copper on the spot after Tod lies and says he's a stray. Tod's so disappointed when his friend spends the whole day with Cash and the Strays, including the fireworks, he tells Dixie Copper has an owner. 

Dixie thinks this is a way to get back with the band, but Tod's attempt to bring Copper's owner Amos Slade (Jeff Bennet) to the performance ends up driving off the Grand Ol' Opry talent scout (Stephen Root) who was supposed to come see them sing. After Tod ends up with the scout's hat, he gets Copper to use his tracking skills and bring Dixie and Cash back together...and make them understand that their relationship and love of singing is more important than any fame.

The Animation: Lovely, warm fall colors almost make up for a distinct lack of detail. In fact, in some ways, this looks a bit better than the rough animation from the original. They were just starting to phase out the Xerox process when they made the 1981 movie. This came long after that had been retired, and it doesn't look half-bad for one of these cheap transfers. The characters look decent and move pretty well, though you do miss the lovely woodsy backgrounds of the original.

The Song and Dance: This wound up being a lot more fun than I expected. As I mentioned last week, The Fox and the Hound was never my favorite Disney movie to begin with, and this does correct some of my problems with that film. Dixie, Cash,  and the Singing Strays are far more interesting characters in the side plot than the two birds chasing a caterpillar in the first film. The country music fits the rural milieu better than Pearl Bailey and her languid ballads did, too. Frankly, the music always did seem a bit out of place in the first film. Tod and Copper have slightly more to do, especially Copper, and Bobo and Fahn are adorable. Swayze and McEntire are the stand-outs as the two dogs who get so caught up in chasing fame, they forget that their true loves are performing and each other.

The Numbers: We open with "Friends for Life," performed by country group One Flew South as Tod and Copper romp and play with the cricket in the beginning. Copper breaks into "We're In Harmony" and becomes an instant sensation. Swayze and the chorus sing about him being a "Hound Dude" at the fair. Frustrated Dixie tells Tod how she's been constantly told "Good Doggie, No Bone!" and that life as a musical act is no bed of dog bones. Trisha Yearwood sings the dark "Blue Beyond" as Dixie realizes all the trouble she's caused and Tod realizes he's ready to make up with Copper. "We're In Harmony" is heard twice in the ending, when Dixie and Cash get together and the group shows the talent scout how good they are, and in the finale as Tod and Copper hear them over the radio. The movie ends with Lucas Grabeel singing "You Know I Will" over the credits.

Trivia: This would be the last Disney film to feature the blue and white castle logo they'd used for over twenty years.

What I Don't Like: At times, it's a lot more apparent that this is a direct-to-DVD sequel to a movie that wasn't all that great to begin with. While it is nice to see Tod and Copper having fun before their break-up, you barely see Amos Slade or the Widow Tweed, Slade's older dog Chief has maybe two lines, and Big Mama and her two bird friends are gone all together. It's hard to see how this upbeat little romp fits into the original dour, dark story. It feels more like a stand-alone movie than any kind of sequel. 

The country music may suit the setting, but it still isn't all that great. Dixie and Cash can be unbearably self-centered, especially Dixie, and their quest for fame seems petty and cliched. The remaining three strays aren't nearly as fleshed out, though Vicki Lawrence has her moments as the eldest member Granny Rose. 

The Big Finale: I consider this to be less of a sequel and more of a stand-alone story that happens to feature Tod and Copper. If you have country fans or younger kids who will enjoy the music and Tod and Copper's antics, this is mildly worth checking out once for the cast and decent numbers. 

Home Media: Easily found on disc packaged with the original and on Disney Plus with a subscription.

DVD

Blu-Ray - The Fox and the Hound/The Fox and the Hound 2

Disney Plus

Hillbillys In a Haunted House

Woolner Brothers Pictures, 1967

Starring Ferlin Husky, Joi Lansing, Don Bowman, and John Carradine

Directed by Jean Yarbrough

Music and Lyrics by Merle Haggard and others

Teenagers weren't the only audiences targeted by independent studios in the 1960's. B movie makers also created films for drive-in theaters in small towns and rural areas. They weren't the only ones handling that market, either. Sitcoms made for rural audiences flourished in the 60's. The Beverly Hillbillies ran for 9 years on CBS, Petticoat Junction ran for 7 years, and The Andy Griffith Show went 8 years. These goofy, folksy shows clearly had a market. Country music also held popularity in these years, even as rock and folk began to dominate the airwaves. How did one company manage to blend country musicals, rural comedy, and another genre that was big in the mid-60's, the James Bond-esque spy caper, into the story of three country singers who run afoul of spies in an old house? Let's start on the road, as three country performers sing about the show in Nashville they're heading to, and find out...

The Story: Woody Weatherby (Husky), Boots Malone (Lansing), and Jeepers (Bowman) are on their way to a show in Nashville when they're caught in a shootout between local authorities and spies. They take refuge in an old house nearby. It soon becomes apparent that not only is the house haunted, but it's run by another group of spies...and they don't take kindly to intruders! The trio have to rescue Boots and dodge the gorilla one spy (Lon Chaney Jr.) keeps in the basement.

The Song and Dance: If you're a country fan, you may enjoy some of the music, including an early appearance by Merle Haggard. We also get some of the last film appearances of Basil Rathbone and Lon Chaney Jr. as members of the spy ring, along with John Carradine having fun chewing the scenery as the demented mad scientist. Chaney even gets a few surprisingly dark moments for a B-musical when shoots the traitorous government agent. 

Favorite Number: We open on the road with Lansing, Husky, and Bowman singing about how they're on their way to "Jamboree Time." Husky sings about how they're "Living In a Trance" after they arrive. Sonny James and His Southern Gentlemen randomly turn up to sing "The Cat Came Back" and "The Minute You're Gone." Lansing dreams of "Gowns" when she sees a gorgeously appointed room full of antiques in the mansion and wonders what it would have been like to live then. Husky switches on the TV in time to hear Haggard perform "Someone Told My Story" and Jim Kent talking about those "Tell Me Shoes." 

The last ten or so minutes of the film is devoted to that Nashville Jamboree they were so desperate to get to. Marcella Wright admits "Now We're Strangers." Haggard returns with "Swinging Doors," while Molly Bee wonders about that "Heartbreak U.S.A." Husky wonders about "The Bridge I've Never Crossed," while Lansing contemplates her "Part-Time Lover" and Bowman finishes with "Wrong House."

Trivia: The second movie in this series after The Las Vegas Hillbillys. Mamie Van Doren played Boots Malone there.

Rifftrax did a version of this a few years ago.

The last of many times Chaney Jr. and Carradine appeared together. 

Final film of director Jean Yarbrough.

What I Don't Like: Yeah, it's pretty obvious this is a B country musical. None of the leads can act. Other than the opening "Jamboree Time" on the road and Lansing's "Gowns" dream sequence, the music is shoehorned awkwardly into the plot. In fact, the plot devolves into a series of country acts by the end. All those great character actors are wasted in thankless comic spy roles, and Linda Ho as the Dragon Lady doesn't have much to do. The cardboard sets and horribly cheese dialogue belies the film's low budget. And how do they manage to react to suddenly seeing spies and cops killing each other in the middle of nowhere with total indifference? 

The Big Finale: This one is for country music fans, major fans of the character actors involved, or those who are like Rifftrax and prefer their musicals on the cheesy side.

Home Media: Both the Rifftrax and original version can be easily found streaming for free. The original is on DVD as well.

DVD

Tubi - Original

Amazon Prime - Rifftrax

Election Day Special - Nashville (1975)

Paramount, 1975

Starring Ronee Blakley, Keith Carradine, Lily Tomlin, Henry Gibson, and many others

Directed by Robert Altman

Music and Lyrics by Richard Baskin and the cast

While you wait for the election results to come in, here's a unique slice of life comedy-drama. This may be the definitive Altman movie. He specialized in large casts with often improvised sequences, musical numbers performed by the casts, overlapping dialogue, set (and frequently filmed) in real-life locations. Many of the situations in the film were inspired by screenwriter Joan Tewksbury's experiences as an outsider in the Music City; others were improvised on the set by Altman. How does this commentary on American life in the mid-70's look now, during an even more tumultuous time? Let's begin in the recording studio with country star Haven Hamilton (Gibson) recording a big patriotic number for America's bicentennial and find out...

The Story: The lives of Music City residents entwine during a five-day period leading up to a big political rally for an ultra-conservative independent party candidate. Superstar Barbara Jean (Blakely) returns to Nashville in a fragile state. Her abusive manager husband Barnett (Allen Garfield) told everyone she's recovering from burn accidents, but that proves to be far from the case. Even when she's out of the hospital after collapsing on her arrival, she's far from stable. Connie Blake (Karen Black) is her rival and former friend. 

Gospel singer Linnea Reece (Tomlin) has an affair with folk performer Tom Frank (Carradine), but she won't leave her deaf children. Frank's making love with almost every other woman in the cast as well, including newly arrived groupie "L.A Joan" (Shelley Duvall), BBC reporter Opal (Geraldine Chaplin), and his married band mate Mary (Cristina Raines). Joan's uncle Mr. Green (Keenan Wynn) can't get her to his late wife's funeral and ends up bonding with a Vietnam vet (Scott Glenn) who came to see Barbara Jean.

Former housewife Albuquerque (Barbara Harris) and waitress Sueleen (Gwen Welles) are singing hopefuls, but only one has actual talent. And then there's Kenny (David Hayward), the young man with the guitar case who rents a room from Mr. Green and seems to be on the fringes of everything...

The Song and Dance: The cast alone makes this worth seeing. Everyone not only did their own singing, but most of them wrote or collaborated on their songs as well. Stand-outs include Tomlin's precious moments signing with her children and tearing up the floor with the gospel choir, Blakely's emotionally lost Barbara Jean, Harris' adorable scrappy wanna-be singer, Gibson as the fussy old-style country star, and Duvall's saucy, barely-clothed vamp. Chaplin gets a few hilarious monologues as the Brit who wants to know everything about this wild American music. Some of the set pieces, like the car pile-up and the tragic finale, are especially effective at showing how music and life converge.  

Favorite Number: The big one here is the Oscar-winning ballad "I'm Easy," written and performed twice by Carradine. It's a perfect reflection of Frank's laid-back attitude towards life and his relationships. Blakley also does well by her own material, with "My Idaho Home" and "Tapedeck In His Tractor" at the aborted Opry Belle concert and "Down to the River" the standouts. Gibson's big song is the ultra-patriotic American history number "200 Years" in the opening, along with the intentionally cheesy "For the Sake of the Children" and the bouncy "Keep A' Goin'."  

Karen Black isn't in much of the movie, but she still manages to make an  impression with her Grand Ol' Opry numbers "Memphis," "Rolling Stone," and "I Don't Know But I Found It In You." Tomlin really gets the gospel group going in the opening credits with "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," and gets the rousing "Yes, I Do" later. The movie ends with "It Don't Worry Me," written by Carradine and lauded to the literal skies by Harris during the tragic finale. The cast continues it during the end credits. 

Trivia: The nifty opening credits are based after the TV commercials for the rock and country compilation records that were popular in the 70's and 80's. 

Much of the film was improvised, with the actors and actresses adding their own dialogue and staying in character during breaks. 

Elliot Gould and Julie Christie only have cameos because they were passing through Nashville at the time. 

Filmed in and around the real Nashville, including the actual Grand Ol' Opry, the Nashville International Airport, a cabin where Altman lived during filming, and the Exit/In, a still-existing night club. Apparently, a lot of real Nashville musicians weren't thrilled with it at the time - they wanted their music to be used. 

All of the musical performances are live concert stagings. 

What I Don't Like: Like his later Popeye, this is not for those who aren't into Altman's epic ensemble films. Nor is it for those who prefer less complicated, more linear films with stronger plots. Many people may see it as much ado about nothing, especially those who aren't fans of politics or country music. It also seems to go on forever, particularly in the second half when the emphasis is more on the affairs and romances. 

The Big Finale: Possibly Altman's best movie, and one of the best movies of the 1970's. Highly recommended for fans of country music, Altman, epic ensemble pieces, or any of the stars involved. 

Home Media: Easily available on disc and streaming. (The Blu-Ray is a special edition from the Criterion Collection.) 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime (Buy Only) 

Animation Celebration Saturday - Tom Sawyer (2000)

MGM, 2000

Voices of Rhett Atkins, Mark Willis, Hynden Walch, Clea Lewis

Directed by Paul Sabella and Phil Mendez

Music and Lyrics by Mark Watters

The beloved Mark Twain novels about carefree Tom, his girlfriend Becky, best buddy Huckleberry Finn, and their adventures have been adopted to film as far back as 1907. Considering their enduring popularity, it's a bit of a surprise that this is the first American animated version, though there were two Japanese cartoons based around the books in 1976 and 1980. This one switches things up by going the Disney Robin Hood route of making the cast all animals and using country music to tell its rustic tale. How well does this classic work as an animated musical? Let's begin at Tom's church, just as it's attacked by the nasty bear Injurin' Joe (Hank Williams Jr and Kevin Michael Richardson), and find out...

The Story: Mischievous Tom Sawyer (Atkins) never stops getting into trouble. He only goes to school at all because he has a crush on sweet newcomer Becky Thatcher (Walch), which infuriates the girl he previously claimed to like, Amy Lawrence (Lewis). His Aunt Polly (Betty White) is tired of his shenanigans, but no matter how often he gets into a pickle, he and his best friend Huckleberry Finn (Willis) always seem to get out of it. They may be in over their heads when they first witness a murder, and then Tom and Becky get lost in a cave and find treasure...and Injurin' Joe. 

The Animation: About on the level with higher-end animated TV shows from this era. It's bright and colorful and the characters move fairly well, but lacks some of the detail Disney and other large studios put into their work. There's a small amount of CGI, mainly the steamboats in the beginning and the end, and they stick out like sore thumbs.

The Song and Dance: Far better than I anticipated for a direct-to-video animated film from the early 2000's. Other than consolidating a few characters and changing one, it actually did a good job adapting the book. It not only included darker sequences like the murder, it actually plays them for suspense and does a good job of it. Atkins is a charming Tom, Lewis is hilarious playing Amy and her crush, and White was apparently thrilled to play not only a well-endowed character, but an animal - she was a well-known animal activist. Don Knotts has a great time as Joe's dim-witted mutt helper who almost takes the rap for him, too. 

Favorite Number: We open with the rousing gospel "Leave Your Love Light On," as the pig Reverend and his all-porcine choir preach to the heavens to bring in money for the poor. Tom's "Can't Keep a Country Boy Down" has him fantasizing he's a pirate or a sultan as he dreams of finding great wealth and adventure. He admits he's fallen "Hook, Line, and Sinker" for Becky Thatcher in another dream sequence, including them actually turning up as fish evading a hook. He convinces his buddies to paint a houseboat in this version with "The Houseboat Painting Song." Becky and Amy admit they share "One Dream" of being Tom Sawyer's only favorite girl. Huck and Tom are "Friends for Life" in a colorful, surreal dream sequence that has them frolicking among sentient lily pads and neon tree leaves that lift them into the air. 

What I Don't Like: Allow me to repeat that this is a low-budget direct-to-home-media release from 2000. The animation is just so-so, and not only are the songs forgettable, but most of them are part of weird dream sequences that have nothing to do with the plot. This probably didn't need to be a musical. Most of the cast will probably mean something only to fans of country music from this time period. There's the changes from the book, too. Some characters were eliminated, others were changed, and while it's pretty dark for a kids' movie from this era, it's still toned down from the originals. 

The Big Finale: This wound up being a pleasant surprise. While not perfect, it's certainly better than it has any right to be, probably one of the better direct-to-home-media animated movies of the early 2000's. Recommended for country fans, animation fans, and those who want to introduce their 8 to 12-year-olds to these classic stories. 

Home Media: Out of print on DVD, but not that expensive when it does appear. You may be better off streaming this one; it can be found for free with ads on Tubi.

DVD

Tubi

Sweet Dreams

Columbia, 1985

Starring Jessica Lange, Ed Harris, Ann Wedgeworth, and David Clennon

Directed by Karel Reisz

Music and Lyrics by various

Coal Miner's Daughter was well-received enough for Patsy Cline to get her own full-on biopic five years later. Even more than twenty years after her tragic death, Cline's albums continued to be big sellers. Several country singers (including Lynn) made their own tribute albums to her. No wonder she and Lynn became friends. They had similar lives, including turbulent marriages to abusive men who didn't like their success. To find out just how turbulent it was, let's begin at a bar in Virginia, where tough guy Charlie Dick (Harris) catches her act for the first time...

The Story: Patsy (Lange) is unhappily married to Gerald Cline (James Staley) when she catches free-wheeling Charlie's eye. They're crazy about each other from the moment he sees her, and they get married shortly after her divorce. Patsy makes waves with the bouncy "Walkin' After Midnight" on the TV talent program Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, but is devastated when Charlie's drafted. Her subsequent tour is cut short when she learns she's pregnant. Six weeks later, she's back in the recording studio. Nothing can stop Patsy from achieving her dreams of stardom, even a nasty car crash. Charlie wishes she'd stay at home more and takes to seeing other women to make her jealous. He regrets his behavior when Patsy goes on one more tour...and never comes home...

The Song and Dance: This one is all about the performances. Lange earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination as the fiery singer who is determined for her music to be heard one way or another. Harris nearly matches her with his strutting rooster of a husband who loves his wife, but wishes she'd pay more attention to him. Ann Wedgeworth is also excellent as Lange's feisty and caring mother, who is her biggest support and greatest confidante. Lange is lip-synching to Cline's recordings, but she does so well imitating her mannerisms and voice, you mostly do believe it's her singing.

(And kudos for Patsy for being the only lady we've seen this month who actually called the cops on their abusive spouse!)

Favorite Number: We kick off with Cline's intentionally cheesy "San Antonio Rose" at the bar where her lively performance catches Charlie's eye. Their dance to the Sam Cooke standard "You Send Me" outside of the bar is what makes them realize they're deeply in love. She records the old Hank Williams standard "Your Cheatin' Heart" right after mentioning she wants to be Hank Williams...and realizing Charlie's not exactly being faithful. We get to see "Walkin' After Midnight" partially in blurry black-and-white on Charlie's TV and realize just how much of a hit Cline was. She's not crazy about "Crazy," her first song after her big car crash, until she encourages the musicians to rearrange it in a slower tempo. "Sweet Dreams" shows Patsy's hit the big time. She's backed by a full orchestra and clad in an elegant sequined suit. 

What I Don't Like: Even more than Coal Miner's Daughter, this is your standard soap opera that hits all the usual up-and-down beats of musical biopics and adds nothing new to the table. They don't even mention Loretta Lynn or her strong friendship with Patsy, probably to avoid comparisons to the previous film. In fact, I really wish we spent more time with Patsy and her music and her super-cool mom and less with Charlie and their off-and-on marriage. Charlie is an abrasive jerk who got what he deserved with that jail time. We get to know him better than Patsy and her ambitions.

There's problems with historical accuracy, too. Neither of the accidents are shown as they happened. Patsy was getting her mother fabric to make her costumes before the car crash, not beer, and she was thrown from the windshield. The plane made an emergency landing in the woods and was torn apart by trees, not a mountainside. Also, it's obvious this was a cheaper production. It lacks the gorgeous location shooting of Coal Miner's Daughter and frankly looks like a mid-80's TV movie. 

The Big Finale: Fans of Cline, Lange, Harris, or vintage country music may find a lot more in this one than I did, if they can handle the melodrama. 

Home Media: Easy to find on DVD and streaming. HBO Max has it for free with a subscription, and it runs on the cable channel as well. The DVD can frequently be found for under $10. 

DVD

HBO Max

Coal Miner's Daughter

Universal, 1980

Starring Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Levon Helm, and Beverly D'Angelo

Directed by Michael Apted

Music and Lyrics by Loretta Lynn and others

This week, we dive in to the world of honky-tonks and heart-felt ballads as we cover biographies of two of the most influential women in country music. Loretta Lynn had been the "First Lady of Country Music" for two decades when she penned her autobiography Coal Miner's Daughter in 1976 with George Vecsey. She personally chose Sissy Spacek, known for her portrayals of delicate-yet-strong women in movies like Carrie and Badlands, to play her. The two even became friends, and Spacek recorded her and studied her mannerisms and vocal patterns. How well did she do? Let's begin in the coal mines of Butcher Hallow, Kentucky, as Lorretta Webb helps her father Ted (Helm) with digging, and find out...

The Story: Loretta is only 13 when she falls for and marries returning soldier Oliver "Doolittle" Lynn (Jones), despite him being almost a decade older. She's pregnant with their first child when he moves the family to a logging community in Washington state. By 19, she has four children, whom she sings to while Doo is at the logging camp. He buys her a guitar and encourages her to sing at local bars. She goes over so well there, he gets her radio appearances, and they cut the single "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl" for a small Canadian record company.

Loretta is devastated when her father dies, but her fortunes increase significantly when "Honky-Tonk Girl" becomes a surprise hit. She's even called to play at the Grand Ol' Opry and the Ernest Tubb Record Shop Midnite Jamboree. It's at the latter when she plays one of Patsy Cline's (DiAngelo) newest hits, "I Fall to Pieces." Cline is so impressed, the two become best friends and even do a show together. Their friendship ends tragically when Cline dies in a plane crash, but by that point, Lynn is already a sensation. Her success, however, is taking its toll on her and her already-strained marriage with Doo. Doo is the one who finally takes her their new ranch after a breakdown onstage...and encourages her to return to touring with fresh material.

The Song and Dance: Lynn was absolutely right to want Spacek to play her. She nailed a deserved Oscar as the sweet young hillbilly who goes from being too timid to sing for anyone but her children to strong enough to play on tour and stand up to her husband. Speaking of, Jones does nearly as well with Doo, the roguish former soldier who pushes his wife towards greater success, then has trouble dealing with it when she becomes famous without him. DiAngelo is also excellent in her brief but memorable role as fellow country legend Patsy Cline, who becomes Loretta's best friend and mentor. The movie was filmed on location at real locations in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennesee, and it looks gorgeous, with the black coal hills against the glowing greens of the mid-south woodlands. 

Favorite Number: Helm gets "Blue Moon of Kentucky" for his family while Loretta tries to decide how much she really loves her new, older beau. "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl" is performed several times, notably at the recording studio when it's about to become her first hit. Her "I Fall to Pieces" at the Midnight Jamboree is so heartfelt, it moves even its originator Patsy Cline. Wish we could have seen more of Patsy and Loretta's charming "Back In Baby's Arms," performed together under umbrellas at a local fair. After Patsy's death, she admits on tour that "One's On the Way"...or two, as she ends up having twins. 

We also hear two of Lynn's bigger hits, "You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man" and "You're Lookin' at Country" during the montage of her late 60's success. She finally performs the title song in the finale for a sell-out crowd that spills over into the credits, were it plays against scenes from the movie. 

Trivia: Spacek and DiAngelo are excellent singers in their own right and did their own singing. 

Leon Helm was originally a drummer with The Band; this was his first acting role.

What I Don't Like: While it's more realistic than most of its brethren, this is still a biopic and does hit all the standard beats of the genre. As well as she does later in the film, Spacek is obviously not a teenager in the first half when Lynn is supposed to be between 13 and 19. What's with all the makeup on Jones? He wears more than Spacek does. Harrison Ford was apparently the original choice for his role, and he is made up to look a lot like him. 

The Big Finale: This is a truly touching biopic and is highly recommended for fans of either leading lady, Jones, Lynn, Cline, or the country music of the mid-20th century. 

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming, often for under 10 dollars. 

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Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Musicals On TV - Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carol

NBC, 1979

Starring Hoyt Axton, Mel Tillis, Lynn Anderson, and Larry Gatlin

Directed by Marc Daniels

Music and Lyrics by Norman Sacks and Aaron Schroder

Country music was big business in the 70's and early 80's. It's down-home flavor made a refreshing contrast to more urban musical genres at the time like jazz, disco, and funk. Stars like Tillis, Axton, Barbara Mandrell, and The Statler Brothers were everywhere, from the Grand Ole Opry and Hee Haw to The Lawrence Welk Show and American Bandstand. This country-fried version of A Christmas Carol is a reflection of the genre's popularity at the time...but how does it look nowadays? Let's start in a small town in Tennessee as the residents gear up for the holidays and find out...

The Story: Flint City is more-or-less owned by Cyrus Flint (Axton), who owns and runs the town's largest bank. His assistant Dennis Pritchitt (Tillis) has a sick son TJ (Steven Lutz) who needs to see a doctor in Dallas, but he and his wife Laura (Anderson) don't have the money for the trip. Laura's hoping to win a big songwriting contest that'll be just enough to send him. Hoyt doesn't care about that, or that his nephew Roger (Gatlin) asks him over for Christmas dinner every year. He only cares about money...until the ghost of his former partner Jacob Burley (Tom T. Hall) and the Ghosts of Christmas Past (Martha Raye), Present (Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass) and Future (David Bond) show what made him the way he is, and what will happen if he doesn't change his ways.

The Story: If you love the country music from this time, this will be a major treat for you. Axton's certainly having fun as the meanest miser in Tennessee. He's especially cute with the kids in the end, when Flint realizes the error of his ways. Raye is an odd choice for the Ghost of Christmas Past, but she does so well with her number and playing against Axton's gruffness, it's hard to complain. 

For all that they add, I'm impressed with how equally well this sticks to the original Christmas Carol. Some lines are lifted directly from the actual Dickens text, especially during the Past and Present sequence. 

Favorite Number: We open with the cast's faces superimposed over the townspeople's holiday activities as they introduce us to what we're about to see with "A Country Christmas Carol." The Pritchitts and Larry and his wife Joan (Julie Gregg) each sing about how "Christmas Is Just Around the Corner" and there's so much to do. Axton sings the title number to explain why he prefers to keep his money in the bank and not spread it around at Christmas. 

"Honey In the Hive" is the big square dance for Flint's former employer Mr. Abbey (Bryan Webster), his wife (Carol Swarbrick), and their employees. It takes pretty Emmy (Barbara Mandrell) to drag him in with the rest of the festivities.  Emmy's not as happy with him later, telling him "You're Free to Go" when she explains how much he's changed. The Ghost of Christmas Past scolds Flint for giving up on Emmy by reminding "Sonny, You're a Dummy." 

"Over the River" is the spiritual number for Roger and his family at their home during his Christmas dinner. Tillis sadly performs about his son's "Empty Chair" after he's died in the future segment. "A Dilly of a World" is the other big dance routine in the finale, as Flint joins the town in celebrating the holidays dressed in colorful sweaters and scarves.

What I Don't Like: Obviously, if you're not into country music from the late 70's, forget it. Raye's number is the only non-country song in the bunch...and as funny as she is, it and her performance do stand out like sore thumbs among the actual country stars. Speaking of, most of them are singers first and don't do nearly as well when they're called on to actually act. Mandrell is lifeless in a thankless role, Davis makes a dull Ghost of Christmas Present, and Tillis and Anderson have trouble handling the darker side-plot with the Pritchitts and their ailing son. 

While the copy currently on YouTube is in better shape than Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood or Evening Primrose (and still exists in color), it's still obvious this is a cheap made-for-TV production. The sets are cardboard and look like they're leftover from whatever soap opera was being filmed earlier in the day and the costumes were probably pulled off the rack at Grand Ol' Opry. 

The Big Finale: Sweet but unspectacular, this is only recommended for really big fans of 70's-80's country music, Raye, or those with fond memories of its sole broadcast in December 1979. 

Home Media: This can only be found on YouTube at press time, with some of its original commercials. 

YouTube

Animation Celebration Saturday - Home on the Range

Disney, 2004

Voices of Rosanne Barr, Dame Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, and Randy Quaid

Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Glenn Slater

Directed by Will Finn and John Sanford

By the mid-2000's, Disney was in the middle of a slump. They had overwhelming success with their historical and fairy-tale musicals the decade before...but then the animated film market became saturated with imitation musical fantasies. Their attempts to follow other paths were frequently ambitious, but with the exception of Dinosaur and Lilo and Stitch, largely unsuccessful. Home on the Range combines the "animals make a comic rescue" story of 101 Dalmatians and The Rescuers with the Alan Menken songs of Beauty and the Beast and sets the entire thing in the Wild West. How does the story of three cows who hope to turn in a cattle rustling gang look now? Let's begin with cowboys and settlers heading towards the farm A Little Patch of Heaven and find out...

The Story: Maggie (Barr) is the newest arrival at A Little Patch of Heaven, a "showcow" whose farm was sold after rustler Alameda Slim (Quaid) and his gang stole the cattle. Heaven is also in trouble. If it's owner Pearl Gesner (Carole Cook) doesn't come up with $750 in three days, she'll also lose her farm at auction. Maggie recruits Pearl's cows Grace (Tilly) and Mrs. Calloway (Dench) to find out about the local county fair. 

While in town, Maggie notices that the reward for capturing Alameda Slim is exactly what they need to pay off the farm. She suggests they capture Slim themselves and turn him in. Sweet Grace is game for anything, but proper Mrs. Calloway is less keen on the idea. They're also in competition with Buck (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a horse who is thrilled to partner with his hero, bounty hunter Rico (Charles Dennis). It'll take a full farm's worth of critters (including an ornery jackrabbit named Lucky Jack and steers with crushes on Maggie and Grace) to reveal this yodeling bandit for the phony he is.

The Animation: About as cartoony as you'd expect a movie about cows trying to rustle a yodeling bandit would be. At times, the sharp edges and bright desert greens and dusty tans makes it more closely resemble a Disney animated short of the 50's and 60's than one of their more recent films. Some of the action sequences, especially when the cows are in town and towards the end with the train, are very well-done...but the mine cart chase towards the middle of the film is definitely done in CGI and clashes badly with the hand-drawn animation. 

The Song and Dance: This was a lot better - and funnier - than I expected. A decent script and nice songs really give this one life. There's also that all-star cast, with Tilly the stand-out as peaceful Grace, who hates violence and just wants everyone to get along. Not to mention, the plot is one of the more original I've seen in a western. How many westerns have been made from the cow's point of view and features a yodeling cattle rustler? 

Favorite Number: "A Little Patch of Heaven" introduces Maggie - and us - to Pearl's farm and the animals who live there. Bonnie Raitt performs the touching country-flavored ballad "Will the Sun Ever Shine Again?" as Pearl sadly packs up to leave the farm and the animals wonder what happened to the cows. 

What I Don't Like: This is not one of Disney's grand fantasy adventures. It's a goofy western action musical about three cows who want to catch a yodeling outlaw and save their farm, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. The wacky slapstick and modern references may annoy people who prefer their westerns and Disney movies to be a tad darker or more romantic. 

The Big Finale: Too silly and short for older kids, but younger guys who can handle some scary or sad moments and adults who enjoy westerns and the leading ladies may get a big cow kick out of this.

Home Media: Easy to find in all formats, often for under five dollars. Disney Plus has it for streaming with a subscription.

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Disney Plus

Animation Celebration Saturday - Trolls World Tour

Dreamworks/Universal, 2020

Voices of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, and James Corden

Directed by Walt Dohm

Music and Lyrics by various

Trolls was a huge hit with kids, especially once the show Trolls: The Beat Goes On began on Netflix in 2018. The merchandise was everywhere, and "Can't Fight This Feeling!" was a number 1 hit around the world. With success like that, a sequel was inevitable. How does the story of Queen Poppy (Kendrick) attempting to bring together the various Troll music tribes come together? Let's head back to Troll Village, where Poppy putting together her latest party, and find out...

The Story: Once, all trolls lived in harmony, with six magical strings that gave them their music. Eventually, they all fought over which types of music was best. The trolls finally broke into six tribes, representing six different genres of music - rock, techno, pop, funk, classical, and country - and split into six different lands of the Troll Kingdom. Queen Barb of the Hard Rock tribe (Rachel Bloom) seeks to steal the strings and unite the trolls under rock, and rock alone.

Hoping to make friends and show there's more than one type of music, Queen Poppy accepts her invitation against her father King Peppy's (Walt Dohm) wishes. Hoping to tell Poppy how he feels about her, Branch (Timberlake) follows her. Meanwhile, Cooper (Ron Fuentes), the only four-legged Pop Troll, goes on his own quest to find other trolls who look like him.

The Animation: Just as gorgeous and textured as in the previous film. They really do manage to give each kingdom their own distinctive style. Love the homey quilts and buttons used for the Country Troll Kingdom desert and the glittering sequins and neon onboard the Funk Kingdom's ship, not to mention the surreal fantasy sequence during the Smooth Jazz Troll's number. 

The Song and Dance: And once again, there's lots of it. Bloom is the stand-out among the newcomers as the loud, tough young queen who thinks getting everyone to listen to one music is the answer to bringing them together; listen for Ozzy Osbourne in a couple of brief but funny bits as her father King Thrash. As mentioned, the animation is just gorgeous, colorful and distinctive. Branch's attempts to tell Poppy how he feels are funny, as are how he's constantly interrupted.

Favorite Number: The hit here was "The Other Side," the number performed by pop singer SZA and Timberlake introducing the back story of the strings and the troll kingdoms. "Trolls Just Want to Have Good Times" is the opening montage, with Poppy and the others singing a medley of disco and pop hits as they celebrate Poppy becoming queen. Sheriff Delta Dawn (Kelly Clarkson) introduces us to the bluesy world of Country with the twangy and depressing "Born to Die." Mary J. Bilge and George Clinton as the King and Queen of Funk show their side of history in "It's All Love (History of Funk)." 

Trivia: Thanks to the current pandemic, Trolls World Tour was released direct to digital on April 10th, as well as a smattering of theaters. Many theater chains claimed they'd boycott Universal for taking their business. For all that, the movie did do well in streaming, coming in at number one after its release. 

What I Don't Like: I don't think Dreamworks or Universal knew what message they wanted to send. The first half talks about the importance of a group mentality and everyone working together, but the second half emphasizes individualism and culture. There's also the Hard Rock Trolls, whose scary looks may have been the result of critics complaining about the first movie being too cutesy. It can come off as too preachy and trying too hard to be "epic" and "big," especially for a children's franchise. 

The Big Finale: Slightly darker and more action-packed than the first film. The muddled message doesn't get in the way of an enjoyable story with stunning animation and some great music. 

Home Media: As the most recent film I've reviewed on my blog, this is easily available in all formats. It's currently streaming for free with a subscription on Hulu. 

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Hulu

The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas

Universal, 1982
Starring Dolly Pardon, Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLouise, and Jim Nabors
Directed by Colin Higgins
Music By Carol Hall and Dolly Pardon

This was not the musical I originally planned on reviewing tonight...but then Burt Reynolds passed away. It might seem a little strange that this was a favorite in my family in the early-mid 80's. None of us were country music fans, and my sisters and I were really too young to understand almost anything that went on in this film. We just loved Reynolds and Pardon, the energetic dance numbers, and the colorful costumes. So does this ribald western tale live up to it's scandalous reputation? Lets dance a little side step over to the Chicken Ranch and see for ourselves...

The Story: The Chicken Ranch is a beloved brothel that's an institution in the town it's in and the state of Texas. The head madam, Miss Mona (Pardon), keeps everything clean and upscale, thanks to the protection of her lover Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd (Reynolds). They're pretty happy with the situation, until nosy TV reporter Melvin P. Thorpe (DeLouise) decries the Chicken Ranch and what it stands for on live TV. Dodd losing his temper and cursing at him in front of his cameras when he films in town only makes things worse, especially given he wants to get into politics. He convinces Mona to shut down for two months, but Mona makes an exception for the winners of a big Thanksgiving Day college football game. The party's a success, but Thorpe catches wind and raids the Ranch. Now Mona is facing having to shut down for good, unless Dodd can shuck his good-old-boy image and convince the conniving Governor (Charles Durning) to keep her open.

The Song and Dance: Pardon and Reynolds may have had trouble with each other during filming, but they make well-matched pair on-screen, especially in their sparring matches later in the movie after the Chicken Ranch is threatened. DeLouise is appropriately slimy as Thorpe, the kind of moralistic creep who would probably thrive on the Internet nowadays, and Nabors basically carries his aw-shucks persona over from TV. It's Durning, despite his small role, who walks away with the film (and got a supporting actor Oscar nod) as the politician whose only loyalty lies with the polls.

Favorite Number: Speaking of Durning, he gets a great song during the end of the film, probably the movie's single best song, "Dance a Little Side Step," which pretty much describes how he manages to avoid making a statement about anything to the press. "The Aggies Song" before and during the party is a terrific chorus number with some nifty choreography, especially in the locker rooms. Reynolds and Pardon have a cute duet early on where they describe their relationship and themselves, "Sneaking Around."

The only standards from this movie (and the show) are two slower ballads from the finale. "Hard Candy Christmas" has become a popular country holiday song (Pardon did an excellent recording of it on her own that year) since the late 70's. Pardon added her own 1974 hit "I Will Always Love You," making it a smash all over again. (It would be an even bigger hit for Whitney Houston in 1992.)

What I Don't Like: This is another movie that I wish had kept more of the songs from the original show, including two good ones for Miss Mona's girls and one for Dodd's other girlfriend Doatsie Mae (Lois Nettleton), instead of only letting the leads (and Charles Durning) sing. It also shares another problem with Grease: the last-minute ending feels tacked-on here, too, mainly to give a bittersweet story an obvious happy ending. (And it's not for people who don't like country music, Texas, modern westerns, or Pardon in general.)

The Big Finale: This was a big hit in 1982, one of the biggest hit musicals of the 1980's, and I can mostly understand why. For teen and adult fans of country music, Pardon, or dance, this spirited sex romp is definitely worth checking out.

Home Media: DVD
Blu Ray 
Amazon Prime