Wild Guitar

At times the marriage between the Arch Halls and Ray Dennis Steckler seems to have been a bit rocky. This movie may rank as Ray's most `coherent,' (or least experimental) because of the heavy hand of Arch Sr. as producer, or because of Steckler's insecurity, or Arch Jr.'s need for more guidance, or some combination of all three. Arch Jr.'s frustration shows through in certain scenes, such as the one in which he plays opposite the criminal `lemon grove kids' and seems to be asking `what, am I supposed to direct this thing myself?' It's too bad, because everyone here does some of their best work, but never in unison with what anyone else is doing.

Arch Jr. never wanted to be in show biz – that was his dad's idea. It turned out that, while he didn't sing or write music especially well, he actually did have a talent for acting (as proven in `the Sadist'), but the roles his dad lined up for him were a poor school for a young actor. `Wild Guitar' may have been one of his best opportunities – he plays a young kid who winds up manipulated into being a star by a devious producer played by: his dad! One of the reasons this movie manages to ring true in spite of its campiness and naivete (and typical Steckler ad-libbing) is because Arch Jr. as Bud is truly playing himself. The fact that the world in which he moves is bizarre and unreal just makes the real part of the story – Arch himself – seem that much more compelling.

Ray Dennis Steckler, who later went on to direct such classics of surrealism as `Rat Fink a Boo Boo' and `The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Died and Became Mixed-Up Zombies' was obviously kept on a leash for this film, but not so much that he didn't manage to sap it of the kind of drive-in sensibility that characterized `Eegah' and `The Choppers.' He plays a typically Steckleresque character in `Steak:' a psychopathic thug employed by the villainous producer who only eats Steak. Steckler sneers so much in this film his face must've hurt at the end of each shooting day. I'm still not sure whether Harvey Keitel's character in `Mean Streets' was consciously imitating him with the `match trick' or not, but Steckler did it first. Other Steckler influences include the above-mentioned criminals, whose grasp of English and crime are equally weak, the extended Carolyn Brandt dance-sequence and the leggy `Daisy,' brought in by Steak to help Bud forget his girl troubles.

Less easy to place is the responsibility for the quite convincingly sweet (and noticeably cross-eyed) love-interest, Vickie Wills, portrayed by the obscure Nancy Czar. Nancy must have been an Olympic skater, because the main `love scene' of the movie is an extended skating sequence, with Arch Jr. hobbling helplessly along as Nancy literally skates circles around him. Nancy never worked for Steckler again, but was in the painful `What's Up Front' with Arch Sr., so may have been a friend of the Halls. I think the young couple manages more chemistry than we see in any other Arch Hall film, with the possible exception of the demented `Sadist' and his gal.

`Wild Guitar' is a must-see for fans of classic low-budget `naïve cinema.' While it never plumbs the incoherent depths of Steckler's later work, nor soars to the heights of the best films of the period, it manages to hold interest, to entertain, and at times to surprise with its fresh and honest approach to filmmaking. It manages to flip back and forth from startlingly `bad' to rather `good' and doesn't make the mistake of laughing at its audience when it should be laughing at itself. On the whole, a very enjoyable film – for the right people.

Incredible-looking drive-in item with Arch Hall Jr. playing a singer-songwriter-guitarist from South Dakota who comes to Hollywood hoping for his show business break. The story is naïve, the continuity and writing have problems, a sub-plot involving three stooges who hang out at a coffee shop is dire, and yet this generally unpolished picture really does look fantastic. The assured black-and-white cinematography is by Joseph C. Mascelli, who even gets a wistful teenage moment out of an ice-skating sequence wherein the rink's spotlights are shining directly into the camera lens. Arch Hall Jr.'s notorious father co-wrote the screenplay under a pseudonym, but Arch Sr. doesn't have a good ear for give-and-take dialogue, nor does the sluggish direction by Ray Dennis Steckler (a.k.a. Cash Flagg) ease up on the awkward hesitations. However, one can almost believe a kid like Arch Jr. could be a star; with his bottle-blonde pompadour and dimply semi-smile, he looks like Michael J. Pollard's kid brother. Arch has a not-bad singing style patterned after the teen idols of the day (such as Ricky Nelson) and he downplays the goofy general handling for a winning effect. The plot attempts to give the woeful a-star-is-born formula a modern spin--and it surprises by being not half-bad, especially for fans of 1960s underground cinema. ** from ****

Wild Guitar has great economic story telling. It only takes Arch Hall Jr an afternoon to become a singing sensation. He arrives in Hollywood and before he has a chance to even tune his guitar he's making his TV debut. By nightfall he's hooked up with a crooked manager and is well on his way to becoming an overnight sensation. Personally I think the cherub faced Hal Jr has more talent in his left pinkie than all the American Idol winners combined. He doesn't really play a wild guitar however. The skating scene nicely showcases Nancy Czar's talents on blades. It also reveals why Arch Hall Jr would never be up for the lead part in The Bobby Orr Story. Unless of course, his dad produced it.

Well OK, maybe not the best movie ever, but definitely the best rock 'n' roll movie ever. Or at least the best r'n'r movie of 1962. How about the best 1962 r'n'r movie that has an Olympic figure skating scene? Settled.

This is one of those films that's so bad it wraps around the scale back to the good side. IMDb voters must have a collective colon blockage if they can't appreciate the magnificence of this picture. It truly breaks all the laws (and I suspect deliberately so, knowing the bizarre, tongue in cheek humour of director/co-star Steckler).

First you have an anti-antihero: a punk who comes motoring into town looking like Brando on a bad hair day, but as it turns out, he's about as square as a boyscout, polite as a busboy and has babyface cheeks you just want to pinch and say oogyboogyboo.

Next you have a bunch of felonious thugs who are so endearing & hilarious you want to make them the best man at your wedding. We have a goofy chick who suddenly breaks into a world class ice skating routine. And finally--here's the clincher--totally out of left field we have director Steckler himself playing the role of "Steak", a psychopathic headcase who would make Jeffrey Dahmer turn in his meat cleaver. This movie has it all!!

The story itself gives us a hyper-cynical satire of the filthy entertainment industry, but it's packaged in a neat, wholesome, early-Elvis type show. Still, there are indeed some moments of dark lucidity, especially in a particular scene where a drunk Willem Dafoe-looking fellow gives us a powerful prophecy of how all rock sensations die in LA. Throughout the film, we get camera shots from bizarre angles & creepy closeups, again giving us the impression of a bad acid trip. But somehow the film manages to stay squarely in the realm of campy fun.

So I can't make up my mind... Is this film so bad that it's good? Or is it so groundbreakingly good that it's bad? In either case you need to check it out. If nothing else, you will remember it forever.

Your typical 'wannabe rock star finds fame, gets his ethics tested, but finds his heart too' story.

Arch Hall Jr. was very likable in the lead. Supposedly, he was a musician first and only made films because his father talked him into it. I think he's a retired cargo pilot in Colorado now.

Arch Hall Sr. 's role as the manager was basically a sleazier version of himself.

Steckler (aka Cash Flagg) as Steak was fun to watch too. Because he and Hall Jr. were supposed to fight in the end, and Hall Jr. was visibly larger, he played the Steak character as an evil sleaze too. This way no one felt sympathy for this little guy getting beat up by a big guy. R.D.S is a professional even if it's all low budget.

Nancy Czar looked great too. She was also the lone survivor of that plane crash that killed most of a figure skating team a few years before.

Classic 60's rock movie. It belongs in a time capsule.