Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave (1980)

Besides movies another passion of mine is country music. Like many country music fans I think the heart of the genre rests in the work of Hank Williams. As such it is no wonder I was attracted to a movie like Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave. The film exceeded all of my expectations though and remains one of my favorite country music movies.

For those who are unaware of the life of Hank Williams, on New Year’s Eve, 1952 Hank was traveling to put on a show in West Virginia. However he became gravely ill and passed away the next day. This film takes place during that ill-fated drive. Hank (Sneezy Waters) is lonely traveling in the back seat of the car and imagines himself putting on a show at one of the local bars he passes by. In this day dream, he imagines himself performing many of his most popular songs including Honkey Tonking, I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, Cold Cold Heart, Kaw-Liga, I Saw the Light, Alone and Forsaken, Your Cheating Heart, Jambalaya, Rootie-Tootie, Hey Good Looking and You Win Again. He also imagines himself almost falling apart on stage due to his alcoholism.

This film successeds on every level. The music is fantastic and Hank’s songs remain just as powerful today as when they were first released. Sneezy Waters does an incredible job performing these songs as he comes as close as anyone but Hank himself can to capturing the power of Hank’s performances. These song performances would have been more than enough to make this film worth watching but there is so much more here. This film is an incredibly powerful look at a man who seems to have everything but constantly drives himself towards destruction due to his loneliness and alcoholism. Even in the film’s happiest moments (the funniest songs and the humor), there is still a lingering touch of sadness to the movie. Waters’ dramatic performance is just as incredible as his musical one, and it is hard not to believe every second of this film. Much of the music is brilliantly woven into the drama. Despite that in this film Hank is putting on a concert and one expects to hear his biggest hits, each of these hits is brilliantly woven into the emotion of where it takes place in the movie. The uses of I Saw the Light and I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry for instance are extremely powerful and heartbreaking in the context in which they are used.

Why country music fans don’t talk more about this movie is a mystery to me. It is a brilliant and moving film, with great performances of some of the best country songs ever written. Simply put this film is a must see.        

-Michael J. Ruhland