Uphill All the Way

This is a movie, which by any standard - whether the top rating is 4 or 5 stars, or 10 stars, or even 100 stars, rates a score of "1."

Both leads - Tillis and Clark - have had their own theaters in Branson, and both are extremely talented and engaging performers. Having lived in that area for several years, I had occasions to see both performing in their theaters, and to meet both at civic/charity events in Branson. In-person, both are also friendly, affable men - not always the case with prominent performers.

However, watching them act in a full-length movie, is akin to having to watch and listen to, say, Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman deliver a full-length concert singing 10 or 15 songs each. It would be enjoyable to see Mel and Roy "acting," or Robert and Dustin "singing," say, in a 10-minute SNL or MAD TV skit, or some similar venue, for the pure humor - but not for an hour-and-a-half or more.

Boost this one from its deserved single star to three - one additional for each of the leads, based on their career histories, and at least an affable approach to the on-screen proceedings.

My review was written in July 1986 after watching the film on New World video cassette.

"Uphill All the Way" is a flop Western self-tailored to expose the nonmusical talents of singers Roy Clark and Mel Tillis. Pic was made in Texas in 1984 during the brief resurgence in Western production (New World video cassette opens with a trailer for "Lust in the Dust", another Western dud made at that time) and received a few theatrical playdates in the South and Southwest commencing in January 1986.

Set in the early 1900s, picture has Clark and Tillis as incompetent conmen, so stupid they go into a bank seeking a loan but brandishing a shotgun, causing them to be mistaken for bank robbers. Stealing a car, they are the subject of a manhunt (which takes up the rest of the picture) led, reluctantly, by local sheriff Burl Ives. Joining the chase later is an army captain played by Glen Campbell (a kindred singer whose own Western screen career remained stillborn after "True Grit").

Writer-director Frank Q. Dobbs (no relation to Bogie's Fred C. Dobbs) seems to be aiming here for a bawdy comedy similar to Sam Peckinpah's "The Ballad of Cable Hogue", but film is tame, unfunny and meaningless. The would-be Laurel & Hardy team has slapstick misadventures that amount to mere filler and supporting cast is wasted.

Of the stars, Clark makes the best screen impression, delivering witless lines as if they meant something, while Tillis is a blank, downplaying his stuttering routine. Elaine Joyce is fun in the Stella Stevens role from Peckinpah's picture. Burt Reynolds contributes an effective cameo as a poker player who skins the heroes early on.

Tech credits are fine and film has several unmemorable songs sung over by Tillis, Clark, Campbell and Waylon Jennings.

This takes place in the South Texas-Mexican border area in about the World War I era. Country stars Roy Clark and Mel Tillis play the two main characters, Ben Hooker and Booger Skaggs. Glen Campbell plays a nasty-talking U.S. Army Captain with a stuck Army truck. There's a Pancho Villa-type character. Yeah, this was the era of Pancho Villa, and the U.S. General John J. Pershing commanded the U.S. pursuit of Villa in Mexico. The Clark and Tillis characters are accused of being desperadoes. In the beginning, they are messing with some women in a saloon or a whorehouse. The comedy is kind of goofy. The title song goes "Life is uphill all the way, for those who choose to play, the desperado." Hooker and Skaggs are so stupid that life would be uphill all the way for them no matter what they did.

I'm not going to be too mean about this movie because it only cost £1.99 on DVD and because it was such a bargain I knew at the time it wasn't going to be "Citizen Kane". The thing is though, I've spent £12.99 before on films like "Date Movie" and "Epic Movie" and not enjoyed either as much as I did this film, so pound for pound and minute for minute, the two pounds I spent on this film was much better spent than the £12 on either of those "Movie" films.

It's almost a who's who of country stars and legends including Roy Clark and Mel Tillis in the leads, with Burl Ives and Glen Campbell as co-stars. No surprises then as to who sings the country and western title song. This is a comedy western set sometime circa 1916 in a sleepy Texas town. Clark and Tillis are two small-time con men and good ol' boys who lose all their money to a mysterious gambler (a scene-stealing uncredited performance by Burt Reynolds) and get thrown out of the local saloon for not paying their bill and then get mistaken for bank robbers which then leads in a long chase scene across the desert with a posse in pursuit. Acting is not the strong suit of most of those involved in this production, but like I said before, for a £1.99 title in the bargain basement bin, this comedy was actually quite amusing in places and did manage to hold my attention for the entire duration which is something that several other movies (including those named above) have failed to do.

I award two marks out of ten just for the cameo by Burt Reynolds, another one mark for the sheer number of saloon girls in corsets on display which was good to look at - even the very voluptuous and plump Jacque Lynn Colton as 'Lucinda'. The other two marks out of ten are for the rest of the acting and story in general. It's not especially original, nor will writer/director Frank Q. Dobbs ever be up for an Oscar, but it's nowhere down near the other end of the scale. No razzies here folks, just your average garden-variety comedy western film. Westerns aren't my favourite genre, but I did quite enjoy this film. As I said in my one sentence summary above - I have seen a lot worse. If it came down to a choice of having a root canal or watching this film again, I would definitely give the dentist a miss and put the DVD on again. 5/10

"We are doing a movie called "Uphill All the Way" So, Go ahead and check it out. There's a DVD about it and if you want, Call my phone number 928-300-1854. Thank You" After Kailyn Loveless had said that, She had passed away from Overine Cancer like her mom did. Kailyn was 76 years old when she died and it was in her sleep along with Singer/Songwriter/Muisican/Actor Buck Owens and Roy Clark.