Customer Reviews

Road to Nashville

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

History is not supposed to be this much fun!! ROAD TO NASHVILLE (1967) was one of the last of about two dozen low-budget country music "musicals" made during the 1960's which played mainly in drive-ins and in the South. These movies seem to have existed for a chance for fans to see their favorites in color - few people had color TV during the early and mid 60's, certainly very few among the middle-class and poor that made up country music's prime audience during these years. When the prices for color sets went down and more country music programs began being broadcast in color during the late 60's, these movies all but disappeared, I believe only two were released after this movie. ROAD TO NASHVILLE is a very honorable swan song for the genre, unlike most of the other movies which had very lame and long storylines usually involving "D" level actors and plots that took up half the screen time that should have gone to the singers, the "story" here is very slight (mercifully) and thus this movie packs in 38 performances by a far larger cast of singers than any of the other country films.

Marty Robbins co-produced this film (he apparently very much wanted to be a movie star producing and starring in several low-budget films including a dragstrip melodrama and a western) and I guess he can be forgiven for giving himself sole above the title billing and a full five numbers, more than twice as many as most of the superstars on display here, after all it is his movie! The Stonemans (also known as the Stoneman Family, amusingly billed each way here on different chapters) come in second with three numbers. One of the true comets of the country music industry, The Stoneman Family seemed on the brink of bigtime superstardom when this movie came out with their unique mix of bluegrass, folk, and old-timey country with a pop sensibility (note Donna Stoneman gives a go-go girl swing to her rhythm movements and their avante-garde bluegrass/rock indstrumental). They were a huge concert act and had even crossed over to the then flourishing folk market and in 1967 won the CMA's first Top Country Vocal Group award but as early as 1970 their major career was over probably due to the quick death of the folk scene at the end of the sixties and the limited audience for bluegrass. (You'll probably recognize the other Stoneman girl, Roni, who a decade later became a regular on HEE HAW playing the harridan housewife in comic skits.)

Webb Pierce, Faron Young, Connie Smith, Bill Anderson, Dottie West, Hank Snow, the Osborne Brothers, and Porter Wagoner each have two songs, Kitty Wells has a solo and a number with husband Johnny Wright, Johnny Cash and the Carter Family each have single numbers and then do the gospel song "Were You There" together. Waylon Jennings, Lefty Frizzell, Bill Phillips, Norma Jean, and Margie Singleton each have solo numbers as do the very obscure acts Don Winters, Bobby Sykes, and the comic team Quinine Gumstump & Buck none of whom I had ever heard of before (I suspect they were all part of Marty Robbins' road show at the time.)

As others have mentioned, this DVD has a lackluster sound, you will undoubtably play your television at full blast to enjoy it as much as possible and still wish the volume could be higher. The packaging is less than desirable with Rhino failing to give any real indication on the front and back cover of all the music gems on this DVD (a full list of the 38 tracks is on the inside cover). At least one can be grateful for a very generous chapter index for each number making it very easy to play one's favorite performances again and again.

The singing is of course sensational and at least half of the performances were recorded for the movie are not just lip-synching to records. My favorite two tracks are two suprises to me, the Stoneman Family's sensational rocking remake of "Tupelo County Jail" (often called "Write Me A Letter" and strangely called "Send Me A Letter" on the DVD); with their yellow sweaters, black ties, and 60's haircuts, the Stoneman men totally bring back the era as do the girls with their Shindigish swinging to the beat. The other showstopper is Bill Phillips singing his hit "Put it Off Until Tomorrow". Phillips had a rather short career at the top although he had several top tens; this song was the very first Nashville success of 20-year-old Dolly Parton who wrote the song and sang distinctive chorus harmony on the record. I was hoping maybe this DVD would give a surprise and have the then unknown Dolly appearing along with Bill uncredited recreating the performance. Instead, the harmony is sung by Kitty Wells' daughter Ruby Wright, who never really went after a solo career herself. Ruby proves to be a sensational harmony singer, blending better with Bill's voice than even Dolly did on the record!! Mama Kitty performs one of her late career gems herself, a blunt stunner called "A Woman Half My Age" that was a top 15 hit in 1966. This kind of honest, outspoken country song you are not going to hear on the radio today that's for sure although it's as timely as ever. It's great to see Webb Pierce and Lefty Frizzell and the still quite young Faron Young still in there pitching and scoring on the country scene a good decade after the apexs of their careers (a Faron would remain a top level country star well into the 1970's) and it's easy to see why gorgeous, big-voiced Connie Smith was pretty much the top female singer in country music at this time. Also singing magificiently is Dottie West, who appears quite modest and conservative here, scarcely resembling the sexed-up glamour girl image she rode to the top of the charts in the early 1980's when she was deep into middle age. The Carter Family do a lovely feminine spin on "I Walk the Line".

Despite it's lacklustre sound, this is one DVD you will play over and over and get your money's worth (even if it weren't so cheap in the first place!) Marty, Webb, Faron, Dottie, Lefty, Hank, and all of the Carter ladies are now all gone and only a few of the surviving cast are still in there pitching at the Grand Ole Opry now so this little cheapie film is one to be cherished.

A non-movie movie if there ever was one, ROAD TO NASHVILLE is a mid-60's `musical' that features a host of then popular country-western songsters and about three dozen musical numbers. Doodles Weaver carries what little plot this film contains as a Hollywood talent scout who needs to sign a passel of country-western stars for an upcoming movie. Doodles Weaver, comedian, is an acquired taste, but since his between-song scenes last all of thirty to forty-five seconds his ability to wear out his welcome is effectively neutralized.

The big stars include Marty Robbins (who produced the movie,) Kitty Wells, Faron Young, Porter Wagoner, Hank Snow, Webb Pierce, and many others. Save for Bill Anderson (I Love You Drops) and Robbins (El Paso), not many top ten hits are performed. If you're like me and a lukewarm fan of country music circa 1967 this will be a hit and miss affair. I've never been that much of a fan of Webb Pierce or Faron Young, for instance, and sitting through their performances of songs I'd never heard of wasn't a great treat. And, for anyone who's been irredeemably spoiled by CMT and MTV style videos, this heads on, singer-and-guitar-leaning-against-a-prop-fence presentation is going to come across as extremely static and uninteresting.

On the other hand, the young Waylon Jennings in on hand, singing his Bob Dylan's `Ramona'-esque `Anita.' The song was pretty forgettable, but it was cool to see the skinny, beardless Jennings before he went outlaw. And Waylon, along with everyone else, is NOT lip synching, a nice touch even though it might explain the rather poor audio quality. Hank Snow's `I've Been Everywhere" was fun. The show-stoppers, though, were the three songs performed by the traditional country Stoneman Family (where have they been all my life?) and the Carter Family alone (I Walk the Line) and the perfect, incendiary Johnny Cash/Carter Family rendition of `Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)?'

So, four stars for the stuff I like, a tolerable passing three for the rest of it. If Rhino keeps ROAD TO NASHVILLE bargain priced I'd strongly recommend it to everyone.

A treasure trove of late 'Sixties classic country! Although the film itself is lamentably rickety and shoddily produced, the wealth of talent, drawn from several major labels, is truly astounding: Webb Pierce, Johnny Cash, Porter Wagoner, Dottie West, Norma Jean, The Osborne Brothers, Bill Anderson and Bill Phillips all appear, just to mention a few. Co-producer Marty Robbins bankrolled part of this film and sings a few tunes (as well as racing his stock car at the track!)... Several fading 'Fifties stars are also seen, including Hank Snow, Lefty Frizzell, Faron Young, Kitty Wells, and the reconstituted folk-era edition of the Carter Family. Whew! Lemme catch my breath a minute and I'll tell you more... A clean-shaven, wolfish young Waylon Jennings has a great cameo; country cutie Connie Smith not only sings two numbers, she also has an extensive speaking role. There are also several noteworthy also-rans involved: Margie Singleton, Bobby Sykes, the Stoneman Family in full New Main Street Singers bluegrass-pop mode, and Don Winters as well -- one of the most underrated singers of the rock-to-countrypolitan era. The flimsy plot involves the savagely unfunny Doodles Weaver as a bumbling idiot sent (inexplicably) by his grouchy Hollywood boss to organize a country music extravaganza; not only does Weaver appear in the between-song interludes, he also is frequently cut into the the performances themselves, doing unfunny things and staring in a vacant, unfunny way. The sound is poor; the video transfer cropped out a lot of the shots... but hey, this film ROCKS. Any devoted county fan will want to pick a copy as soon as they can. It's a doozy!

Judged by any objective aesthetic criteria this is an awful movie but its parade of the great and the good from country music of its era makes it a pure joy for lovers of the music ; for those who dislike country music and demand movies which are dripping with "sophistication " it will be purgatorial to sit through .

The plot is not so much thin as anorexic -a movie executive of unbelievable stupidity is despatched by his boss to Nshville to sign up acts for a musical about country music .In the process he sees a number of performers and the overwhelming bulk of the picture is of concert footage of these acts .As befits his executive produceer stautus on the movie Marty Robbins gets the bulk of the action ,performing five numbers including Devil Woman and El Paso ,not to mention some dialogue scenes .He is as always an unalloyed pleasure to witness being in fine voice .The star is undoubtedly Johnny Cash .Lokking gaunt and emaciated ,even somewhat scary he performs ,with the Carter Family ,a spartan arrangement of Were You There When They Crucified My Lord in a sepulchral voice that is chilling in its passion ,intensity and conviction .The follow up song ,a novelty ballad called The One on The Right ,while fun ,seems out of place after that highpoint in proceedings .
Good turns from now grievously negelected greats like Lefty Frizzell,Hank Snow and Web Pierce make sure we do not stray too far away from honk tonk heaven .Factor in Connie Smith , Faron Young ,Waylon Jennings (looking almost impossibly young) and some lively modern bluegrass from the Stoneman Family and this is an irresistible package for country music fans who feel this was a great era for the music ,in an age a long way away from the polished "Nashvegas " sound of much modern country .The numbers are unimaginatively shot and the colur is watery but the music is what matters and it is largely excellent

A treat for the ears if not the eyes

The quality of the film would normally rate a lower score, but I actually remember seeing this same sort of film quality on the silver screen at movie theaters.

Believe it or not, it wasn't that long ago that we went to theaters which actually charged admission to watch first run motion pictures that were not in digital quality nor in full-surround high fidelity sound.

The main shortcoming of this DVD is that there was no information about the cast and the performers.

The film could have been renamed Road to Nashville History.

Great intro to 1965-era country.

Agree with the other reviews. At least half is poorly lip-synced -- including the many Marty Robbins pieces (he set up the movie.) Director and cameraman can be counted on to not show all members of the backup band -- especially not the steel guitar. Some upstaging by backup band members behind stars. If there is a nice instrumental break, the director splices video in of Doodles Weaver clowning.

My favorites: "Anita" by Waylon, yodelling by Don Winters, a couple of fine Connie Smith numbers, "Here Comes My Baby" by Dottie West, "Begging to You" by Robbins without upstaging backup singers, Hank Snow and he introduces his band -- including the ones the camera refuses to show, "The One on the Right" by a deathly drug-wasted Cash (not a foot of film of the Tennessee Three), two fine performances by the Osbourne Brothers, three over-the-top performances by the Stoneman Family.

Well worth the [money].

This is a great video of all the perfomers that are mentioned in the sleeve. But, the audio really doesn't meet the mark as far as I am concerned. It is good, though. I recommend this video for anyone who is really interested in any of these stars. Just remember that the audio is a bit less than you might expect from a DVD.

I watch this DVD over and over, a lot of good music and good performers.
A great DVD for any country music fan.

Watching this reasonable attempt at a movie begs the viewer to reflect just how far Nashville has come with it's entry into mainstream America. First the good news....no make that the GREAT news. The Stoneman family. I never knew Ronnie Stoneman and her luscious sister (is her name Donna) were so talented! They are the surprise of the movie and clearly the most entertaining segments even considering how dated their dance moves may seem. Then there's super hip Connie Smith in a Gold Spandex outfit years before anybody else contrasted by a very unhip Dottie West. Dottie must have seen Connie on the set and said "hot dam....now I get it"! Ralph Emory somewhere near the middle of the movie saves us from Doodles Weaver. In reflection you can see that the days of acts like Faron Young, Hank Snow, and some others presented here complete with covered wagon western motif outfits and insipid lyrics are numbered. Marty Robbins who uses this movie mainly as a vehicle for his crossover career does fairly well. Then there's a scary looking Johnny Cash. I say scary because at this time in his career he still exhibits that explosive volatile musical genius that almost seems caged in this movie. Let's say I would be afraid to take a parking space away from him at Wal-Mart and see him get out of his car and head towards me. Waylon looks and sounds great, Kitty Wells (surprisingly not so great) and most of the other acts are...well....sorry to say only fair at best. So why 5 stars? Because of the historical value of looking back in time for what passed as country music and the precursor of what was to come. It's all captured in this technically inferior but fascinating "Hootenanny" style extravaganza! Be prepared to do a lot of scanning with your remote!

For classic country fans this is a must,the voice over singing
is a little trite but it's good to see the real country stars that made this music what it should be. Ignor the acting because there isn't any worth watching, but when you hear lefty frizzel sing i love you a thousand ways,it will make it worth the watch.