The Pride of Jesse Hallam

Illliterate and looking for work in Cincinnatti, Johnny Cash's struggles are many. His Daughter is in the hospital for a back operation, his Son is having problems adjusting to school, and Cash cannot read, so finding a job is a tremendous challenge. Eventually, Eli Wallach gives Cash a chance to work, and also encourages him to seek help for his illiteracy. The performance by Cash is both heartfelt and heartbreaking. This certainly is not a big movie. This certainly is not an often explored subject, but for those looking for strong character development, along with some good acting, "The Pride of Jesse Hallam" will reward. - MERK

This movie is on Amazon Prime for those who want to watch it. I only gave it an 8 because of the dated production and poor sound. As far as the storyline, you won't find many in its class. Inspirational and wholesome family movie.

I was much moved by The Pride Of Jesse Hallam and with the performance of Johnny Cash as the prtagonist. Having known at least one illiterate person in m life I know what a trap that is to the mind.

Cash who didn't need reading skill to work in the coal mines of Kentucky's Mecklenburg County is a fish out of water when he moves to Cincinnati because his crippled daughter Chrystal Smith needs an operation on her spine. Just about every cent he's earned goes to pay for surgery and he has to find work.

An assistant principal at his son Ben Marley's new school played by Brenda Vaccaro hekps considerably even with getting him a job at her father's produce warehouse. Eli Wallach as the immigrant owner from Italy and Cash the man from the Kentucky hills form quite a friendship. Cash and Wallach have some great scenes together.

Whether you are a Puerto Rican kid raised in a group home whom I knew or a miner from rural Kentucky illiteracy is a terrible affliction. Roy Gomez whom I knew loved comic books and a very sharp woman who worked at an attorney's office was the first one who observed he loved those comics because the pictures told the story for him. I only wish he had lived long enough to remedy the situation as Johnny Cash does in The Pride Of Jesse Hallam.

The last scene is an unforgettable one. This is one really good film and a soundtrack with some Johnny Cash songs don't hurt either.

I was 22 when this movie came out. I really enjoyed it. This was the first movie that I really ever saw Johnny Cash act in. He was truly as gifted as an actor as he was a singer. He did a good job portraying people from the area he is supposed to be from. I'm from Kentucky and on a side note, contrary to popular belief, not everybody from Kentucky is illiterate. Also, while there are plenty of coal mines in western Kentucky, there are way more in the Eastern part of the state and probably a lot more illiteracy problems too. Not sure why the writers of the movie chose for Jesse Hallam to be western Kentucky instead of eastern.

Watching at old TV movie is sometimes like digging through a dead relative's closet. There's some air of familiarity to it, memories coming to the surface, and this odd feeling of discovery. Through the 70s and 80s, countless TV movies were filmed and aired in much the same way as early cinema - watched once, then forgotten forever. "The Pride of Jesse Hallam" is like something you might find in the back of a dusty drawer. But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing.

I've always liked Johnny Cash as an actor. He was never really given the chance to pursue it on a deeper level, just a handful of televised roles - most of which went widely unseen. But he's always had a very dark and mysterious persona, and makes you believe every word he says. Here, he sings several songs for the soundtrack as well - one of which (Moving Up) he wrote. It's fascinating to see Eli Wallach, playing an elderly man here (he was only 66). Interesting to note that he is still alive over thirty years later (!), nearly a decade after the death of Johnny Cash.

The storyline of "The Pride of Jesse Hallam" is fairly standard TV movie fare. There's the sick child, the troubled youth, the awkward love interest, and so forth. But it's the main issue of illiteracy that makes things somewhat more unusual. The interplay of the characters is believable, especially between Cash and Wallach. They're the backbone of this story, and everything that holds it together. As far as I know, the only edition out there is a really dirty, unrestored film transfer. Hopefully it will be released in a higher quality edition at some point. It's not a great film, but it's worth the time.