Road to Nashville

Starring:Marty Robbins, Webb Pierce, Doodles Weaver, Waylon Jennings, June Carter Cash, Johnny Wright, Ruby Wright, Buck, Lefty Frizzell, Anita Carter (II), Bill Phillips (IV), Hank Snow (II), Richard Arlen, Bobby Osborne, Mother Maybelle Carter, Norma Jean Beasler, Margie Singleton, Roni Stoneman Hemrick, Don Winters, Donna Stoneman
Director: Will Zens
Studio: Rhino / Wea
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

A little strange but far from unpleasant, Road to Nashville is a glorified gimmick held together by a lengthy parade of country & western hitmakers from 1967. The story, such as it is, finds comic actor Doodles Weaver reprising his popular character, Colonel Beedlebaum, as a bumbling movie producer sent to Nashville in search of talent for a film. While the colonel roams cluelessly through recording studios and rehearsal sessions, we enjoy the smooth artistry of Marty Robbins ("Devil Woman"), the grit of a young, clean-shaven Waylon Jennings ("Anita"), the hillbilly high jinks of Quinine Gumstump & Buck ("Cutting Room Floor"), the robust balladeering of Connie Smith ("Never Get Over Loving You"), and Johnny Cash singing with the Carter Family ("Were You There"). A few other Nashville royals are in fine form: Hank Snow, Porter Wagoner, and Lefty Frizzell, among them. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

the road to nashville.......2006-07-16

a,1,,,,one hundred percent recomended;;;;;a brillent dvd i play this dvd every night,it is full with all my favourit country music,i just think it is a,a,1 plus,,,,,,,,

Send more Stoneman Family!.......2005-11-10

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.

Wonderful musical history lesson.......2005-07-07

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

"Road to Nashville".......2005-06-11

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.

The "Bumpy" Road To Nashville........2005-04-18

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!

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