Wild Guitar

This fun filled romp about overnight sensation Bud Eagle, played not too well by Arch Hall Jr, is another contribution from Fairway International. The movie tries to be a musical comedy; I repeat "tries". Steak, played by Ray Dennis Steckler, does his role so serious that his loathsome presence made him the most interesting to watch. Mr. McCauley....I mean Mike, plays the unscrupulous typical agent. Ironically, this was probably an attempt to launch Arch Hall Jr's music/movie career by his dad, but it really didn't pan out as planned. Ah, Arch's song "Vickie" is here and makes more sense as opposed to being in Eegah where Arch's gal is named Roxie. Was anyone else holding their lunch down in the sappy rink scene. Too much Arch Hall face there! There are 3 Stooges wannabes and I cringe at every scene on how phonetic and unfeeling their delivery is. Have you ever seen a holdup with a branch? You will. I really wanted Steak to pistol whip these dolts.

Arch Hall Jr goes to town lip-synching at least 4 numbers here. There's "Twist Fever" where Arch embarrasses himself with in that white suit and some song with the words "I'm gonna be a big boy" which had me laughing with those kooky camera angles and the band and gals trying to pretend to be interested (watch the girl singing silently to the song – so FUNNY!). And why did this song make me start singing "You keep on knocking but you can't come in"? More fun with Vickie's obsession over Bud and her glassy eyed, maniacal, stalker-like stare. When she watches Bud from home in her more than formal dress, notice her completely different outfit during her running scene. I guess the living room attire wasn't good enough for him. Don't miss the exciting fight climax which involves an empty truck which looks similar to the PDS truck from "The Choppers"! Also, those really lame mummies from "Eegah" show up for no apparent reason in a run down shack. All in all, a typical Halls production, but it's a hoot to watch.

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.

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 ****

I'm worried. You see, after seeing this movie, I've just decided that Arch Hall, Jr. is my role model, and frankly I don't think that's a very healthy thing.

The thing is that I've never been known for my looks and personality. But Arch Hall, Jr. is as ugly as a canker sore, and has a personality (at least in this film) that grates like a table saw cutting through a nail. But he gets to play the teen idol singing star (even though he plays guitar like a gibbon wearing boxing gloves and sings like he's just stubbed his toe) and _he gets all the chicks_! Wow! Maybe there's hope for me yet.

Of course, it didn't hurt that his daddy was the producer and screenwriter, and that he acted under the sure and steady hand of director Ray Dennis Steckler (of TISCWSLABMUZ fame). Nor did it hurt that he was surrounded by actors so insanely moronic as to render young Arch suave and sophisticated-looking.

Aww, who am I kidding? I'm many things, but I'm no Arch Hall, Jr.

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.