Outlaw Blues

This is definitely a drive-in flick, and I saw it at the drive-in here in Houston in the late 70's.

I've been listening to the soundtrack of "The Harder They Come" and it occurred to me that there are similarities in this drive-flick and the reggae cult classic. The heroes are on the run, and are recording artists (talented in Jimmy Cliff's case, supposedly "talented" in Fonda's case).

Well, I had my say.

This is a little-seen movie, which is too bad. It may not be great, but it's worth showing now and then. CMT should show it. Maybe they do. Outlaw Blues is a good title for this movie. Austin, Texas, is the Texas Nashville, and was a stomping grounds of Waylon and Willie, who were on the 1976 album Wanted!: The Outlaws. I never saw the beginning of the movie, but it seems that Bobby Ogden is released from prison, a country music star (Garland Dupree, I guess) steals a song that Bobby wrote and makes it a hit without compensation, and Tina Waters becomes Bobby's manager. Ogden and Waters seek vengeance. It seems they were being chased, and they rode a motorcycle through a wedding reception. And a truck carrying watermelons swerves and dumps watermelons on the street. Bobby is a wanted man. He is to record an album, so he and Waters record it in a Purina Feeds store. But someone tells the cops, and they have to break away in a feed truck. Then they're in a Glastron boat (Glastron boats were made in Austin, Texas) on a lake heading for a dam. Will Bobby get killed here? Will he and Waters sneak off to Mexico? Will Bobby go back to prison? Will his album be a success?

When recently released convict Peter Fonda shoots James T. Callahan for stealing his song, Susan St. James sees a chance to make a buck. No one will pay her a dime, so she teams up with Fonda to go on a crime-publicity spree.

It's a very 1970s movie, with Fonda playing his counter-culture shtick to the hilt. There are lots of banjos in the score, corrupt sheriffs up for re-election, as well as the usual Football nationalism that made up the movies' post-1960s ideas of Texas. Fonda May have begun his career in beach movies and being a young doctor, but after EASY RIDER, Fonda had a star persona he didn't shake until the 1990s.

Everybody likes singing troubadour prisoner Bobby Ogden (Peter Fonda). When performer Garland Dupree (James T. Callahan) comes to sing in the prison, Bobby is invited to sing his song. Soon after, Garland had stolen the song and it becomes a big hit. Bobby is released from prison and confronts Garland. Garland is accidentally shot with the police chief's gun. Bobby goes on the run. A film crew captures the incident. Backup singer Tina Waters (Susan Saint James) happens to have proof of Garland stealing the song.

It's terribly convenient for Bobby to be hiding out in Tina's boathouse. It needs to somehow figure out that part of the plot. A little rearranging could make it make more sense. Peter Fonda is pretty good and the chemistry with Susan Saint James is great. I really love the record store scene. It follows that up with the solid country bar scene. Instead of the simple fugitive chase action, it does run into a muddle. It needs to end in a different way. Nevertheless, it's a fun little movie.

A cool convict country singer Bobby Ogden (Peter Fonda) wrote a gorgeous song at Huntsville prison, when the kitschy country star Garland Dupree (James T. Callahan), reaches for a concert for the convicts, Bobby asking to Warden an opportunity to display his song at sound check stage whereof played marvelous the song titled Outlaw Blues, about to get a parole after serving six years Bobby is warned by the inmates that Garland Dupree stolen his song and it's broadcasting on radio, baffled over it Bobby finally release and headed to Austin to solve this matter, finding him at studio recording, Bobby requires a fair explanation over Garland stolen his song, prompt denied by the haughty and bad tempered singer, they start a fight where the wimp Garland draw your gun hitting his own foot, all this have been recorded live and then broadcasting on TV, Bobby gets out of there with the policemen at your neck.

He enters randomly in Tina's car (Susan Saint James) stashes in the trunk he gets rid of the police, hidden later at Tina's house without her notice, meanwhile she seeing on TV all about the matter at studio recording, then Tina envisages a chance to manage Bobby due she was on Huntsville when he played his song, he looking the owner of record label Hatch (Michael Lerner), sadly no deal back on the house Tina is surprised by Bobby living there, soon they sealed a deal and both starting a campaign on the local radios and record stores as well, gathering a massive public support, thus the show-off Sheriff Buzz Cavenaugh (John Crawford) a closest friend of Garland and running for mayor on Austin he puts all police force on the heels of Bobby wherever he stays chasing him by cars, motorcycles or even by speedboats.

Intense chase actions and strongly humor oriented the movie is a fine entertainment for all ages, also greatest country songs spreading along the picture, the highlight goes into the two funny characters the unlucky Garland hitting his foot twice and the Sheriff always been overtaken by Booby, said that the plot is a slight contrived and disjointed.

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 1983 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.5.