Las Vegas Hillbillys

"Las Vegas Hillbillys" (1966) is quite the movie. It features about twenty minutes of plot and sixty minutes of country singin'. I guess in the days before "Hee Haw," rednecks had to have some way to get their country music fix.

The movie is actually somewhat entertaining if you overlook the atrocious acting (with a hilarious scene featuring Jayne Mansfield talking on the phone), inane story, and thoroughly unimaginative camera-work. If you really enjoy classic country music, you may enjoy this film. If you generally enjoy cult films, you'll probably find this film fun and even somewhat endearing. But if you're not a fan of either of those two genres, steer clear, pardner!

I'm a huge fan of both country music and Jayne Mansfield, so I really looked forward to seeing this one. And yet I really wasn't all that impressed with it. The main criticism is that there was WAY too much of the music, and way too little of Jayne, if that's possible. For the most part the music was decent enough, with a couple of clunkers thrown in for good measure. After a few songs this starts playing like a kind of American Idol of the mid-60s country music scene. I got the feeling they were trying to pad the length of the film, because if you cut the music sequences it would run about 17 minutes. The whole thing looks improvised because there probably wasn't much of a script. The pie fight sequence at the end is just plain lame. The performers do an 0k job, and can't really be faulted. All are well-cast. I'm neither hot nor cold on Mamie VanDoren but I liked her in this. The biggest let-down is Jayne, who for all her star billing doesn't really do a lot here. She only has a handful of scenes and could easily have phoned her part in. If she were edited out completely it would have changed nothing of the overall story. Not her fault tho, it's not like she had much help from the script. Her performance in the Big Bopper spoof is a hoot and easily the movie's bright spot. Too bad she couldn't have had a couple more numbers, or maybe even been in a couple more scenes. I don't dislike this movie, but I'd only recommend it for country music fanatics, and fans of Jayne and Mamie. 0therwise beware!

This film begins in the backwoods of Tennessee with a hillbilly by the name of "Woody Wetherby" (Ferlin Husky) receiving word that his uncle in Las Vegas has passed away and has bequeathed him full ownership of a local casino. Considering that Woody aspires to make it big as a country-western singer, he quickly decides to drive to Las Vegas in his beat-up pickup truck to lay claim to it. Also riding with him is his friend "Jeepers" (Don Bowman) who considers himself to be Woody's manager. What neither of them realize is that the casino has fallen upon hard times and that some debts have accumulated rather quickly--and one of these debts belongs to a gangster who wants to be repaid immediately. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film was basically an early version of the musical-comedy show "Hee Haw" which appeared on American television screens about 3 or 4 years later. The problem with this particular film, however, is that the comedy was almost negligible compared to the musical numbers--which crowded everything else out. Throw in an extremely thin plot and some rather weak acting, and the end result wasn't something that was all that entertaining. At least, I didn't think so. As a matter of fact, about the only thing that caught my eye was the performance of Mamie Van Doren (as "Bootsy Malone") who, along with Jayne Mansfield ("Tawny") and Arlene Charles ("Julie May"), at least added some nice scenery to what turned out to be an otherwise drab picture.

In THE LAS VEGAS HILLBILLIES the great Connie Smith sings close to the camera and she looks very beautiful, but her physical beauty is surpassed by her voice and singing abilities which are the best ever recorded by any female singer. She is not very famous today because she quit show biz in 1980 to raise her kids.

The other singers in THE LAS VEGAS HILLBILLIES are very good especially Del Revees when he sings "Women Do Funny Things to Me." This is an honest movie because it delivers what its name implies: good sixties real country music inside of a silly movie.

The music in THE LAS VEGAS HILLBILLIES is wonderful because the music from the sixties came from the people through DJs who could play the music that they liked. In contrast to today where the situation is inverted. Almost all the radio stations are owned by a few giant corporations, and every song aired must be approved by corporate managers. Today singers are selected by the corporations for airplay for their looks and youth and not their ability to sing. At least female country singers back then sang without showing off their belly buttons.

Some of the singers in THE LAS VEGAS HILLBILLIES such as Connie Smith who still retain fully their singing abilities are now trying to get their songs aired and are foiled by the corporate monopoly ownership of radio. Back in the sixties country singers, songs, and fans were for real. They did not put on airs, pretend to be somebody else, or take themselves too seriously. They were even humorous. In stark contrast to most of today's singers who are just corporate products that produce horrible music.

One of the worst movies ever made and released. The best redeeming quality of this movie is Mamie Van Doren who has admitted she only did it for the money which was well earned for having to play the love interest to Ferlin Husky (I think I'm about to lose my lunch). Speaking of Ferlin, having to watch him croaking out the same song from the side of his contorted mouth and for no reason kicking his leg up while performing is just unwatchable. Jayne Mansfield looks like a bloated drag queen who raided Mae Wests' boudoir. I also wonder who let her behind the wheel of a car even to operate for 10 or so feet. She was already a trainwreck looking for a place to happen, fortunately that wreck was confined to her performance. Billie Bird, What an immediately endearing character NOT. She looks like a pot belly pig and squeals like one. The sets, sound, scenery and songs also start with "s". The country songs and performers are alright except for Del Reeves who with all his mugging and pseudo yodeling comes in second to Ferlin Husky in the unwatchable category. Oh, and that biker gang. I guess they left their Bigwheels at home. The taxi that drops Aunt Clem off turned in a good performance, I believed it was a taxi. Does this review contain any spoilers? No. You can't spoil something that is already rotten.