Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave
Encyclopedia
"Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave
" (1980) is a color movie from Canada that runs 86 minutes. It was released by Simcom Limited and made by the production company the Film Consortium Of Canada.
The movie stars Sneezy Waters
as Hank Williams Sr. It also stars Dixie Seatle, Sean McCann
, Jackie Washington
, Joel Zifkin
, Sean Hewitt, and (in an uncredited cameo) Richard H. Campbell.
The film was produced by Henk Van Der Kolk and William T. Marshall. Helga Stephenson was the executive producer. It was directed by David Acomba
. Maynard Collins wrote it, and it was based on his stage play. The budget was $CAD578,000.
The movie was nominated for "The Tex Ritter Award" at "The Country Music 1983 Awards Show". It lost to "Tender Mercies
". It played at the Toronto Film Festival, The London Film Festival, and at FILMEX in Los Angeles, California.
Sneezy Waters
sings 23 Hank Williams songs. "Tennessee Waltz", sung by Patti Page
, is heard on a jukebox.
The movie is set on December 31, 1952, and has country western singer Hank Williams being driven to a concert in Ohio. As he sits in the back seat of the car, he imagines a show in his mind that he wishes he was giving. In this fantasy show, set in a bar, Hank sings many songs and talks about his personal life and religious philosophies. The movie cuts back and forth from the fictional show to Hank in the car. At the end, Hank sings the song "Men With Broken Hearts
" to the crowd. He asks them to pray for him and wishes them a happy new year, then he walks out of the bar as bells toll. Back in the car, the real Hank dies. He was only 29 years old.
Unable to secure music rights for a theatrical release, the movie only played on television. This has caused contradictions for the movie's release date. Many sources list it as being from 1981 or 1982. In fact, the movie was filmed between December 17, 1980 - December 23, 1980. It first appeared on Canadian television on December 31, 1980. This date was chosen because the film is set on New Years Eve. The film was quickly "finished" during the 1980 holiday season to meet the air date.
On EW.COM, "Entertainment Weekly" gave the movie a "B+" when it was reviewed on November 27, 1992. Ken Tucker wrote that the film "still fascinates because it taps into the deep melancholy power of its subject" and noted "dark, eerie and atmospheric, this 'Show' is a heartfelt work".
"The New York Times
" Nathan Southern wrote that the movie "enables the audience to see directly into the soul of this self-destructive and emotionally beleagured young man".
Sneezy Waters changed some of the lyrics of "Too Many Parties" (by making it be about the brother of a lawyer instead of a wayward woman) and added new lyrics to "Men With Broken Hearts
" ("And even sleep brings no relief to these men who curse their births/they have no dreams of happiness left in heaven or on earth/for how can men have faith in God when faith in fellow man departs") and rearranged other lyrics.
This movie is available on two DVDs; one is from White Star, the other from Echo Bridge. Neither contain any extras. Both are full-screen.
Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave
"Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave" is a color movie from Canada that runs 86 minutes. It was released by Simcom Limited and made by the production company the Film Consortium Of Canada....
" (1980) is a color movie from Canada that runs 86 minutes. It was released by Simcom Limited and made by the production company the Film Consortium Of Canada.
The movie stars Sneezy Waters
Sneezy Waters
Sneezy Waters is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitar player who is best known for his portrayal of Hank Williams Sr. in the play and film The play portrays an 'imaginary concert' that the legendary US country singer might have given New Year's Eve 1952 in Canton, Ohio, had he not died en route...
as Hank Williams Sr. It also stars Dixie Seatle, Sean McCann
Sean McCann
Sean McCann may refer to:* Sean McCann , Lieutenant General and Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, succeeding Dermot Earley* Sean McCann , Canadian television actor...
, Jackie Washington
Jackie Washington
Jackie Washington was a Canadian blues musician.Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Washington became Canada's first black disk jockey in 1948, at CHML in Hamilton....
, Joel Zifkin
Joel Zifkin
Joel Zifkin is a Canadian musician and songwriter born in Montreal on April 14, 1954. He is best known as a session and live musician for artists such as Kate and Anna McGarrigle and Richard Thompson...
, Sean Hewitt, and (in an uncredited cameo) Richard H. Campbell.
The film was produced by Henk Van Der Kolk and William T. Marshall. Helga Stephenson was the executive producer. It was directed by David Acomba
David Acomba
David Acomba is a television and film producer/director. His television programs have been featured on CBS, ABC, PBS, CBC, CTV, BBC, Channel 4, Showtime and HBO.-Biography:...
. Maynard Collins wrote it, and it was based on his stage play. The budget was $CAD578,000.
The movie was nominated for "The Tex Ritter Award" at "The Country Music 1983 Awards Show". It lost to "Tender Mercies
Tender Mercies
Tender Mercies is a 1983 American drama film directed by Bruce Beresford. The screenplay by Horton Foote focuses on Mac Sledge, a recovering alcoholic country music singer who seeks to turn his life around through his relationship with a young widow and her son in rural Texas...
". It played at the Toronto Film Festival, The London Film Festival, and at FILMEX in Los Angeles, California.
Sneezy Waters
Sneezy Waters
Sneezy Waters is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitar player who is best known for his portrayal of Hank Williams Sr. in the play and film The play portrays an 'imaginary concert' that the legendary US country singer might have given New Year's Eve 1952 in Canton, Ohio, had he not died en route...
sings 23 Hank Williams songs. "Tennessee Waltz", sung by Patti Page
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
, is heard on a jukebox.
The movie is set on December 31, 1952, and has country western singer Hank Williams being driven to a concert in Ohio. As he sits in the back seat of the car, he imagines a show in his mind that he wishes he was giving. In this fantasy show, set in a bar, Hank sings many songs and talks about his personal life and religious philosophies. The movie cuts back and forth from the fictional show to Hank in the car. At the end, Hank sings the song "Men With Broken Hearts
Men With Broken Hearts
Men With Broken Hearts is a song by Elvis Presley. It was written by Hank Williams, who originally sang it. Sneezy Waters sang a slightly different version of the song in the 1980 film Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave. Other artists who covered the song include Jim Reeves and Johnny Cash...
" to the crowd. He asks them to pray for him and wishes them a happy new year, then he walks out of the bar as bells toll. Back in the car, the real Hank dies. He was only 29 years old.
Unable to secure music rights for a theatrical release, the movie only played on television. This has caused contradictions for the movie's release date. Many sources list it as being from 1981 or 1982. In fact, the movie was filmed between December 17, 1980 - December 23, 1980. It first appeared on Canadian television on December 31, 1980. This date was chosen because the film is set on New Years Eve. The film was quickly "finished" during the 1980 holiday season to meet the air date.
On EW.COM, "Entertainment Weekly" gave the movie a "B+" when it was reviewed on November 27, 1992. Ken Tucker wrote that the film "still fascinates because it taps into the deep melancholy power of its subject" and noted "dark, eerie and atmospheric, this 'Show' is a heartfelt work".
"The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
" Nathan Southern wrote that the movie "enables the audience to see directly into the soul of this self-destructive and emotionally beleagured young man".
Sneezy Waters changed some of the lyrics of "Too Many Parties" (by making it be about the brother of a lawyer instead of a wayward woman) and added new lyrics to "Men With Broken Hearts
Men With Broken Hearts
Men With Broken Hearts is a song by Elvis Presley. It was written by Hank Williams, who originally sang it. Sneezy Waters sang a slightly different version of the song in the 1980 film Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave. Other artists who covered the song include Jim Reeves and Johnny Cash...
" ("And even sleep brings no relief to these men who curse their births/they have no dreams of happiness left in heaven or on earth/for how can men have faith in God when faith in fellow man departs") and rearranged other lyrics.
This movie is available on two DVDs; one is from White Star, the other from Echo Bridge. Neither contain any extras. Both are full-screen.