Uphill All the Way (1986)

Two unemployed good ol' boys are mistaken for a pair of notorious bank robbers.

Director:

Frank Q. Dobbs

Writer:

Frank Q. Dobbs

Stars:

Roy Clark, Mel Tillis, Burl Ives

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roy Clark	...	Ben Hooker
Mel Tillis	...	Booger Skaggs
Burl Ives	...	Sheriff John Catledge
Glen Campbell	...	Captain Hazeltojn
Trish Van Devere	...	The Widow Quinn
Richard Paul	...	Thaddeus Dillman
Elaine Joyce	...	Miss Jesse
Jacque Lynn Colton	...	Lucinda
Frank Gorshin	...	Pike
Sheb Wooley	...	Anson Sudro
Burton Gilliam	...	Corporal
Gailard Sartain	...	Private
Rockne Tarkington	...	Leon
Jack DeLeon	...	Sam Osmond (as Christopher Weeks)
Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez	...	Chicken Carlos

Storyline

Two unemployed good ol' boys are mistaken for a pair of notorious bank robbers.

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Plot Keywords:

bank robber | independent film | 

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Taglines:

A side of the west never seen before!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Elaine Joyce plugged this movie while she was a panelist on Super Password in 1984.

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Goofs

On the train at the end, Ben claims that his and Booger's tickets are in the baggage car. But in exterior shots of the train, it clearly has no baggage car.

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Soundtracks

Stonin' Around
Words and Music by Mel Tillis
Performed by Roy Clark and Mel Tillis

User Reviews

I've seen a lot worse.

I'm not going to be too mean about this movie because it only cost £1.99 on DVD and because it was such a bargain I knew at the time it wasn't going to be "Citizen Kane". The thing is though, I've spent £12.99 before on films like "Date Movie" and "Epic Movie" and not enjoyed either as much as I did this film, so pound for pound and minute for minute, the two pounds I spent on this film was much better spent than the £12 on either of those "Movie" films.

It's almost a who's who of country stars and legends including Roy Clark and Mel Tillis in the leads, with Burl Ives and Glen Campbell as co-stars. No surprises then as to who sings the country and western title song. This is a comedy western set sometime circa 1916 in a sleepy Texas town. Clark and Tillis are two small-time con men and good ol' boys who lose all their money to a mysterious gambler (a scene-stealing uncredited performance by Burt Reynolds) and get thrown out of the local saloon for not paying their bill and then get mistaken for bank robbers which then leads in a long chase scene across the desert with a posse in pursuit. Acting is not the strong suit of most of those involved in this production, but like I said before, for a £1.99 title in the bargain basement bin, this comedy was actually quite amusing in places and did manage to hold my attention for the entire duration which is something that several other movies (including those named above) have failed to do.

I award two marks out of ten just for the cameo by Burt Reynolds, another one mark for the sheer number of saloon girls in corsets on display which was good to look at - even the very voluptuous and plump Jacque Lynn Colton as 'Lucinda'. The other two marks out of ten are for the rest of the acting and story in general. It's not especially original, nor will writer/director Frank Q. Dobbs ever be up for an Oscar, but it's nowhere down near the other end of the scale. No razzies here folks, just your average garden-variety comedy western film. Westerns aren't my favourite genre, but I did quite enjoy this film. As I said in my one sentence summary above - I have seen a lot worse. If it came down to a choice of having a root canal or watching this film again, I would definitely give the dentist a miss and put the DVD on again. 5/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Uphill All the Way

Filming Locations:

Lajitas, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Melroy, Guardian

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color