Pure Country
Pure Country | |
---|---|
Directed by | Christopher Cain |
Written by | Rex McGee |
Produced by | Jerry Weintraub |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Richard Bowen |
Edited by | Jack Hofstra |
Music by | Steve Dorff |
Production company | Jerry Weintraub Productions |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $10 million[1] |
Box office | $15.2 million[2] |
Pure Country is a 1992 American drama, musical, and western film directed by Christopher Cain. It stars George Strait in his first acting role, along with Lesley Ann Warren, Isabel Glasser, and Kyle Chandler. The film was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on October 23, 1992, and marked Rory Calhoun's last acting role before his death in 1999. This was the first film in the Pure Country trilogy. The "Pure Country" soundtrack album was released on September 15, 1992, and became George Strait's best-selling album. The film had its premiere in Nashville on October 20, 1992. On November 18, 1992, the "Pure Country" soundtrack was certified gold and platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and earned a double-platinum album from the RIAA on February 3, 1993. On May 11, 1993, during the telecast of the 28th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on NBC, "Pure Country" received the Tex Ritter Award as top country film. On July 3, 1993, Warner Bros. Home Video released "Pure Country" on VHS, and on January 24, 1994, the "Pure Country" soundtrack earned a triple-platinum album from the RIAA. On September 14, 2004, "Pure Country" was released on DVD by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
Plot
[edit]The film opens with an audience chanting "Dusty!" as the band begins to play. The concert is full of smoke and lights, and Wyatt "Dusty" Chandler enters the stage sporting a beard and ponytail. He performs songs such as "Heartland," "Baby Your Baby," and "Where the Sidewalk Ends," but omits several bars when a suspicion is confirmed one night. Inside the tour bus, Dusty has a conversation with manager Lula Rogers about his elaborate stage show. He tells her that he was tired, but he couldn't see her for the smoke and lights when the music was loud, so he stopped singing for three bars. He doesn't like the sets, the lights, sneaking his boyfriend in his bus, or cramming his songs down his throat. Dusty tells Lula about his new single, "Overnight Male," and tells her that Buddy Jackson is a member of the road crew. Dusty is on the road, wearing sunglasses, and performing "Overnight Male." He talks with his road crew member Buddy Jackson about bringing the strings, horns, and accordion to the performance. Buddy doesn't bring the accordion, and after the conversation Dusty and his band begin performing the song. Lula tells Buddy not to do it again, which doesn't last long because the band continues performing the song. Back at the Shreveport concert, Dusty and his band perform "Where the Sidewalk Ends," which is a blur. After the concert, Dusty and his fans sign autographs for the bodyguards. Dusty talks with his drummer and best friend, Earl Blackstock, about reminiscing about being kids. Dusty decides to take a walk but doesn't say where he is going or for how long. Dusty waits for his truck and hitches a ride. After shaving off his beard and cutting off his ponytail, Dusty heads for the small farm town where he grew up to visit his grandmother. Later, he visits a bar where Dusty and Earl played before they made it big.
That evening, Dusty's band members wonder where he is, since the concert wasn't cancelled. They are aware that 25,000 fans are out there expecting a show, some of whom have driven hundreds of miles to see him. When Dusty doesn't return to Shreveport to perform, road crew member Buddy Jackson takes his place on stage, lip-syncing to a recording of Dusty's voice. Lights and smoke cover the deception, and the ruse is successful. The band, however, is not happy that Lula let Buddy impersonate Dusty instead of canceling the concert. Meanwhile, in a down-home bar, Dusty is relaxing when he sees Harley Tucker dancing and smiling at him. Meanwhile, Al and Harley are drunk and arguing in the parking lot in the pouring rain. Al tells Dusty to back off and punches him. Dusty then comes to Harley's aid and tries to stop Al from punching and bothering Harley. Al punches Dusty, knocking him to the ground. Meanwhile, back at the Shreveport concert, Buddy is still posing as Dusty and lip-syncing to Dusty's music. Lula asks the members of Dusty's band what Buddy was doing, such as canceling the concert or raincheck or something. The band members respond that they couldn't play with a guy who's lip-syncing, so they speed up and slow down the music so the audience won't know. Earl then punches Buddy, knocking him to the ground. The next morning, Dusty has a conversation with Harley about changing his name to Wyatt. They have breakfast with the Tucker family, and Dusty talks with Harley's father, Ernest Tucker. Outside the ranch, Harley tells Dusty and Al that they were all drunk the night before. Harley tells Dusty to go back in the house, but Dusty punches Al, and Harley steps on Al's hand. Dusty takes roping lessons and pays his board by selling pieces of the ranch.
Buddy confronts Lula after his performance, demanding $100,000 and a recording contract. Buddy then lies to the press that Lula paid him to pose as Dusty. Lula reaches out to Earl to find Dusty. She then follows him to Dusty's location, where she learns that Dusty has feelings for Harley and will not leave. Lula tells Harley that Dusty is married to her, and Harley dumps Dusty. Lula then waits to scoop him up to return to his band and career. Dusty is back with his band and demands that his stage show be toned down, without all the smoke and elaborate lighting. He also wants Buddy to disappear. Buddy tells Dusty to hold on, but Dusty tells Buddy that if he ever makes another comment to the press or shows his face around country music again, he'll be threatened with a lawsuit so fast it'll make his head spin. Dusty gets mad at Buddy for telling the press about Lula offering Buddy money and a recording contract to pose as Dusty. Dusty tells Buddy to get out of here, but Buddy tells Dusty that this isn't over yet. Dusty replies "yeah it is," and Buddy leaves surrounded by bodyguards, because Buddy is no longer with Dusty's fans. Dusty's band left Shreveport and headed to Las Vegas, where Harley Tucker was competing in the rodeo. Lula arranged for Harley and her family to attend Dusty's concert. During the concert, Dusty performs "I Cross My Heart," a love song that wins Harley's forgiveness. At the end of the film, the two hug at the edge of the stage.
Cast and characters
[edit]- George Strait as Wyatt "Dusty" Chandler
- Lesley Ann Warren as Lula Rogers
- Isabel Glasser as Harley Tucker
- Kyle Chandler as Buddy Jackson
- John Doe as Earl Blackstock
- Rory Calhoun as Ernest Tucker
- Molly McClure as Grandma Ivy Chandler
- James Terry McIlvain as Tim Tucker
- Toby Metcalf as J.W. Tucker
- Mark Walters as Al
- Tom Christopher as Dave, Dusty's bodyguard
- Jeffrey R. Fontana as Eddie, Dusty's bodyguard
- Jeff Prettyman as Bobby Louis
- David Anthony, Mike Daly, Gene Elders, Terry Hale, Rondel Huckaby, Mike Kennedy, Benny McArthur, and Rick McRae as Dusty's Band
- Sharon Thomas as Monique James
- Gil Glasgow as Bartender
- Julie Johnson as Waitress
- Fred Ellis as Private Detective
- Fred Fontana as Courier
- Kristen Michaels as Hostess
- Evelyn Furtak as Assistant
- Eric Randall, Loretta Holloway, and Roy Kieffer as Reporters
- Bob Tallman as Rodeo Announcer
- Bobby Foxworth, Dennis Deveaugh, and Marguerite Happy as Stunts
Production
[edit]Pure Country was filmed in 1991 throughout Texas, but mostly in Maypearl. The graveyard scene was shot at Cresson Cemetery in Cresson, Texas, and the concert sequences were filmed at concert venues in Fort Worth, including North Side Coliseum and Will Rogers Coliseum. The bar scenes where Dusty meets Harley were filmed at Western Kountry Klub, located between Midlothian and Mansfield Tx.
Box office
[edit]Despite Strait's popularity in the music world, Pure Country only grossed $15 million at the box office. Although the expectations had been higher for Strait's first major film role, this did not stop the soundtrack album from becoming the best-selling album of Strait's career to date.[3]
Critical reception
[edit]Rolling Stone stating that the film was "lambasted by most reviewers".[4] It has a score of 41% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 10.[5]
Chicago film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both praised Strait's performance, feeling that he was a convincing actor in the lead and they both enjoyed Glasser's performance, but felt the film was undermined by a hokey story, and no moments for satire which would have made the film better.[6][7] In Movie and Video Guide, a review summarized that the film was "mostly pure tedium, though the film picks up some in hour two with the appearance of Glasser, and Rory Calhoun as her father".[citation needed]
Legacy
[edit]Sequels
[edit]Pure Country had two sequels: Pure Country 2: The Gift (2010) and Pure Country: Pure Heart (2017).[8][9] Screenwriter Rex McGee spoke of the two follow-ups saying he was not involved with those films and that their scripts existed for a long time. McGee continued that when the scripts were picked up by Warner Bros., the studio "just slapped the "Pure Country" title on."[9]
Musical
[edit]Plans for the musical were announced in the mid to late 2000s. John Bettis and Steve Dorf were brought on to create new lyrics and music for the musical, respectively, and Rex McGee was brought on to write the book for Pure Country.[10][11] A staged reading was performed on May 7, 2007, at New World Stages and featured Will Chase, Carlin Glynn, Cady Huffman, James Moye, and Danny Rutigliano in unspecified role.[12]
The musical was originally slated to premiere on Broadway during Spring 2009 and a workshop casting call was placed in March 2008.[12] The Broadway production was set to feature Joe Nichols and Lorrie Morgan in starring roles.[13][14] This version did not come to fruition and the stage musical did not release until 2017, when it premiered on June 9 at the Irving Arts Center's Carpenter Performance Hall outside of Dallas, using the book and songs written for the Broadway release.[10] This release coincided with a 25 year anniversary celebration for the film, in order for the celebration to serve as a lead up to the musical's premiere.[15] Harley Jay was brought on to portray the leading role.[16] The Dallas Morning News gave the 2017 production a favorable review.[17]
A new production of the musical was planned by the Houston-based theater company Theatre Under The Stars for their 2019-2020 season, however this production was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[18] If it had not been cancelled, the production would have featured Levi Kreis in the lead role, accompanied by Sally Mayes, Stephanie Gibson, and Felicia Finley.[19]
Soundtrack
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Hollywood Country: 'Pure Country'". The Boot. 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
- ^ "Pure Country (1992)". Box Office Mojo. 1992-12-22. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
- ^ "George Strait Music Videos, Pictures and Photos including Farewell Tour, All My Ex's Live In Texas, Making the Album - Troubadour Music Videos on Yallwire". Yallwire.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
- ^ Zaleski, Annie (October 23, 2017). "George Strait's 'Pure Country' at 25: Inside the Guilty Pleasure Movie". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ "Pure Country". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (1992). "Pure Country". Chicago Sun-Times. RogerEbert.com.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (October 23, 1992). "'PURE COUNTRY' IS PURE HOOEY-SOMETIMES - Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2018-10-04.
- ^ CMT News. "George Strait Will Have Limited Role in New Film, A Pure Country Gift". MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 2010-03-23. Retrieved 2010-03-15.
- ^ a b Garcia, Brayden (February 2, 2024). "'Get Him Back in the Spotlight': How George Strait Got to Star in his Only Hollywood Movie". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Guerra, Joey (January 25, 2019). "George Strait's 'Pure Country' is now a musical and premiering in Houston". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ Clement, Olivia (February 25, 2020). "Tony Winner Levi Kreis to Star in New Musical Pure Country at TUTS". Playbill.
- ^ a b Gan, Andrew (March 15, 2008). "Workshop of New Musical Pure Country Scheduled for Spring". Playbill.
- ^ Cox, Gordon (2009-08-04). "Thrush lands in 'Pure Country' nest". Variety. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (April 10, 2008). "Pure Country, the Musical, Will Open on Broadway in Spring 2009". Playbill.
- ^ Zaleski, Annie (2017-10-23). "George Strait's 'Pure Country' at 25: Inside the Guilty Pleasure Movie". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
- ^ CONNOR, DEBORAH (2017-05-27). "McGee takes 'Pure Country' to the stage". The Business Press. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
- ^ "'Pure Country' world premiere an old-fashioned tale with catchy songs and tasty Texas twang from Lyric Stage". Dallas News. 2017-06-11. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
- ^ "TUTS's George Strait-Inspired Show Is No Fool-Hearted Memory". Houstonia Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
- ^ Clement, Olivia (February 25, 2020). "Tony Winner Levi Kreis to Star in New Musical Pure Country at TUTS". Playbill.
External links
[edit]- 1992 films
- 1992 romantic drama films
- 1992 Western (genre) films
- 1990s American films
- 1990s English-language films
- American romantic drama films
- American Western (genre) films
- Country music films
- English-language Western (genre) films
- Films directed by Christopher Cain
- Films produced by Jerry Weintraub
- Films scored by Steve Dorff
- Films set in Fort Worth, Texas
- Films shot in Texas
- Warner Bros. films
- English-language romantic drama films