The Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966)

A Hillbilly hits the big time in Las Vegas.

Director:

Arthur C. Pierce

Writer:

Larry Jackson

Stars:

Ferlin Husky, Jayne Mansfield, Mamie Van Doren

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ferlin Husky	...	Woody Wetherby
Jayne Mansfield	...	Tawny
Mamie Van Doren	...	Boots Malone
Sonny James	...	Sonny James
Roy Drusky	...	Roy Drusky
Del Reeves	...	Del Reeves
Bill Anderson	...	Bill Anderson
Connie Smith	...	Connie Smith
Wilma Burgess	...	Wilma Burgess
Whitey Ford	...	The Duke of Paducah (as The Duke of Paducah)
Jr. Carolina Cloggers	...	Cloggers (as Junior Carolina Cloggers)
The Jordanaires	...	Singing Group (as The Jordanaires)
Don Bowman	...	Don Bowman
Louis Quinn	...	Louis Quinn
Billie Bird	...	Aunt Clem

Storyline

When Woodrow Wilson Weatherby, a Tennessee wood hauler, inherits a Las Vegas casino from his uncle, he goes to investigate the property, only to find that it comes with a $38,000 debt and a couple of persistent creditors. But Woody's Aunt Clementine has some ideas they hope can turn the business around.

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Plot Keywords:

las vegas nevada | independent film

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Taglines:

It's the wildest when the country-music stars go Vegas!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Country Music, U.S.A.

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Woolner Brothers Pictures Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Followed by Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967)

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Soundtracks

"BABY, SWEET SWEET BABY"
Performed by Wilma Burgess

User Reviews

Hee Haw Goes West

Las Vegas Hillbillys is a low-budget B-minus movie in all respects. Of importance to film buffs is the fact that Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren, two rival big blonde bombshells, both star in this movie. Reportedly, the gals disliked each other so much that scenes in which they were both to appear together were shot with doubles so that they would not have to meet on the set.

The plot, if one could call it that, centers around a country-western singer (Ferlin Husky) from Tennessee who inherits a run-down Las Vegas nightclub. Mamie plays Boots Malone, the club manager and Jayne plays Tawny Downs, a Las Vegas entertainer and the dead uncle's "protege", a term used in 1950's movies for a mistress.

My sole intent in watching this battle-of-the-bosoms was to judge for myself, in head-to-head competition, which of the two blonde bombshells was 1.) the better actress, and 2.) the sexier on screen. My task was complicated by the fact that neither of the goddesses were showcased in particularly steamy roles, despite their reputations as among the hottest female stars of their era.

The results of my admittedly unscientific experiment: Jayne sweeps both categories. She wins the better actress category largely by default because Ms Van Doren is so horribly, horribly bad in this film. And in the sex appeal category, Jayne wins by a narrower margin not because of greater attributes, but rather because she simply struts her stuff more effectively. Even us gals who are not blessed with movie star quality looks can learn a lot from Jayne.

A word of warning - I bought this cheapo video as part of a two-pack set of Mamie Van Doren films distributed by Entertainment Programs International (EPI) in Marina Del Ray, California. The video quality was so poor as to almost make the movie unwatchable. They even misspell the film title on the box, which gives you an idea of their dedication to producing a quality product. You get what you pay for.

Claudia's Bottom Line: Painful to watch, but worth it if you care to catch a glimpse of two of Hollywood's biggest sex symbols of the 1950's and 1960's.