The Johnny Cash Show: The Best of Johnny Cash 1969-1971
by Michael B Borofsky
from Sony Columbia Legacy / Reverse Angle Productions
Country and rock 'n' roll legend Johnny Cash hosted his own variety television series from the summer of 1969 to spring 1971, and by all accounts the weekly program was destination TV. The Johnny Cash Show: The Best of Johnny Cash 1969-1971 is an 83-minute summary of everything Cash tried to do in his hourlong format, from presenting an eclectic and even-handed overview of popular music to promoting a humanitarian perspective on issues that mattered most to him: drug use, poverty, reliance on faith, compassion for criminals.
This DVD documentary is largely comprised of musical performances by Cash and some of the many guests who appeared on his show. But there are also snippets of interviews with behind-the-camera talent involved with the program as well as such old friends as Kris Kristofferson and Hank Williams Jr. Everyone speaks highly of Cash's warm, on-camera persona, and selected footage proves them right: Cash is ever the gentleman with an expansive spirit and down-to-earth grit. Musical highlights include Cash's own "I Walk the Line" and "Man In Black," Bob Dylan's straightforward "I Threw It All Away," Loretta Lynn's "I Know How," and a delightful George Jones medley. Ray Charles takes a bluesy spin on "Ring of Fire," Cash's fellow Sun Records artists Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison take turns in the spotlight, Neil Young brings the crowd to its feet with an amazing "The Needle and the Damage Done," and Eric Clapton (fronting Derek and the Dominos) turns in a passionate "It's Too Late." --Tom Keogh
From the summer of 1969 to the final show in March of 1971 (58 episodes in all) The Johnny Cash TV Show not only exposed an American audience to an eclectic array of musical talent but also helped establish Johnny Cash as a true artist humanitarian and a larger-than-life legend. The 66 performances contained on this new Best-Of DVD showcase the spectrum of incredible performers that Johnny hand-picked to be on his show many for their first network appearance. So "come along and ride this train" - the train that Cash envisioned for us all - every week on The Johnny Cash TV Show and now for generations to come.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS UPC: 886970402699
Walk the Line (Widescreen Edition)
by James Mangold
from 20th Century Fox
A solid and entertaining biopic, Walk the Line works less as a movie than an actors' showcase for its stars. Joaquin Phoenix's total immersion into the skin of singer Johnny Cash is startling--watching it, you can't believe this is the same guy who whined about being "vexed" in Gladiator. As he evolves from a farm boy to gospel croonin' plunker to the Man in Black, Phoenix disappears into Cash's deep baritone, his way of slinging the guitar onto his back, and his hunched-up style of strumming. But it's more than just picking up mannerisms: Phoenix also sings as Johnny Cash, and it's quite impressive.
The story of how Johnny Cash became Johnny Cash traces from his childhood under a distant father (Robert Patrick) to his early attempts at a music career, during which he married his girlfriend Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin). During a tour with the likes of Elvis (Tyler Hilton) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Waylon Malloy Payne), he encounters singer June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), and his love for her--and her rejection of him through the years--spurs him into drugs, drinking, and depression. As with most movies based on real-life singers, as his popularity grows, the women come a-flockin', and the childhood demons surface. Witherspoon, who matches Phoenix drawl for drawl, plays June both as a sassy spitfire whose charm breaks your heart, and as a sympathetic friend who tries to help Cash get over--well, her. The love story is what endures, but the movie comes most alive during its musical numbers, and even if you're not a country fan, it may just get you to run out and buy a Johnny Cash album.--Ellen A. Kim
Joaquin Phoenix stars in this drama detailing early years in the life and career of music legend Johnny Cash whose work transcended musical boundaries to reach out to everyone. A testament to making art and music and being young the film explores the world he came from and his experiences beginning a career during the birth of rock and roll. It also is a love story detailing Cash's burgeoning relationship with June Carter.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 024543224228 Manufacturer No: 2232422
Walk the Line (Full Screen Edition)
by James Mangold
from 20th Century Fox
A solid and entertaining biopic, Walk the Line works less as a movie than an actors' showcase for its stars. Joaquin Phoenix's total immersion into the skin of singer Johnny Cash is startling--watching it, you can't believe this is the same guy who whined about being "vexed" in Gladiator. As he evolves from a farm boy to gospel croonin' plunker to the Man in Black, Phoenix disappears into Cash's deep baritone, his way of slinging the guitar onto his back, and his hunched-up style of strumming. But it's more than just picking up mannerisms: Phoenix also sings as Johnny Cash, and it's quite impressive.
The story of how Johnny Cash became Johnny Cash traces from his childhood under a distant father (Robert Patrick) to his early attempts at a music career, during which he married his girlfriend Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin). During a tour with the likes of Elvis (Tyler Hilton) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Waylon Malloy Payne), he encounters singer June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), and his love for her--and her rejection of him through the years--spurs him into drugs, drinking, and depression. As with most movies based on real-life singers, as his popularity grows, the women come a-flockin', and the childhood demons surface. Witherspoon, who matches Phoenix drawl for drawl, plays June both as a sassy spitfire whose charm breaks your heart, and as a sympathetic friend who tries to help Cash get over--well, her. The love story is what endures, but the movie comes most alive during its musical numbers, and even if you're not a country fan, it may just get you to run out and buy a Johnny Cash album.--Ellen A. Kim
Singer. Rebel. Outlaw. Hero. With his driving freight-train chords, steel-eyed intensity and a voice as dark as the night, the legendary ?Man in Black? revolutionized music?and forged his legacy as a genuine American icon. Golden Globe winners Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon star (and sing) as Johnny Cash and June Carter in this inspiring true story of one man?s unwavering devotion to his sound, his message and the greatest love of his life.
The Gospel Road
by Robert Elfstrom
from 20th Century Fox
Johnny Cash the legendary Man in Black telling the story of Jesus Christ as only he can tell it from the heart with no compromises!! Cash stars in sings and narrates this timeless tale of faith courage and one man's selfless acts of kindness and charity. Featuring original songs by Johnny Cash June Carter Cash and Kris Kristofferson and written and produced by Cash The Gospel Road is his most passionate labor of love. Join country music's greatest star on this inspirational journey. System Requirements:Running Time 84 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: G UPC: 024543228233 Manufacturer No: 2232823
The Johnny Cash Show: The Best of Johnny Cash
from Sony Legacy
From the summer of 1969 to the final show in March of 1971 (58 episodes in all) The Johnny Cash TV Show not only exposed an American audience to an eclectic array of musical talent but also helped establish Johnny Cash as a true artist humanitarian and larger-than-life legend. The 66 performances contained on this new Best-Of DVD showcase the spectrum of incredible performers that Johnny hand-picked to be on his show many for their first network appearance. So "come along and ride this train" - the train that Cash envisioned or us all - every week on The Johnny Cash TV Show and now for generations to come.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS UPC: 886971539196
During the late 1960s and early '70s, Johnny Cash introduced country fans and viewers of his weekly variety show to hand-picked artists-- some contemporary country's bestwhom they may not have otherwise had exposure to. This "best of" anthology is a little more random than its title suggests, omitting the duet with Bob Dylan from the program's debut (perhaps the best remembered highlight from the series) in favor of a duet with the then-emerging Joni Mitchell on "Girl From the North Country," and including a hokey arrangement of "I've Been Everywhere" with Lynn Anderson. Yet Ray Charles' soulful recasting of "Ring of Fire" is a revelation, and a roster ranging from Eric Clapton's Derek and the Dominoes to Roy Orbison to George Jones and (separately) Tammy Wynette made for some memorable television. --Don McLeese
Johnny Cash The Line, Walking with a Legend
from Well Go USA
Johnny Cash The Line contains very rare Johnny Cash performances including Walk The Line A Boy Named Sue and more. In all see Cash in twenty two performances. Discover shocking truths from Johnny Cash about his life on the road. This DVD contains rare photos and makes for a perfect gift for any Johnny Cash fan!Format: DVD AUDIO Genre: MUSIC DVD/DOCUMENTARY UPC: 181582000371 Manufacturer No: WD-278
Stagecoach
by Ted Post
from MGM (Video & DVD)
The idea of remaking a John Ford classic as an all-star country-Western TV movie may seem blasphemous to Western fans, but this loose-and-lanky version of Stagecoach is surprisingly entertaining. While sticking close to the original plot (involving a cultural cross-section of passengers on a dangerous trip aboard the Overland Express stagecoach), this good-natured adaptation (from the original story by Ernest Lee Haycox and screenplay by Dudley Nichols) allows ample room for Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson to play off each other like the old friends they are. As directed by Ted Post (best known for helming Clint Eastwood's Hang 'Em High), the entire production has a light, friendly atmosphere, but the story remains earnestly well-served, and the cast (which also includes Elizabeth Ashley, Mary Crosby, Tony Franciosa, and Dukes of Hazzard alumnus John Schneider) thankfully avoids the in-joke frivolity that typically ruins all-star vanity projects like this one. It's obvious that Willie (as "Doc" Holliday) and his fellow musicians are playing thinly veiled versions of themselves, but they each bring their own legendary qualities to their roles. Gary Graver's cinematography adds to the inviting, outdoorsy warmth of the show, and with many of the cast no longer with us (including June Carter Cash in a cameo role, and Merritt Butrick from Star Trek II, who died of AIDS in 1989), this respectful rendition of Stagecoach is also a memorial to some of the most beloved talents of the 20th century. --Jeff Shannon
Country music stars Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings team up for this version of the popular Western story about a group of desparate travellers on a dangerous stagecoach ride to Arizona.
Uptown Saturday Night
from Warner Home Video
The first in a trio of very broad comedies from director Sidney Poitier features Poitier and Bill Cosby as two small-time hustlers always looking for an angle. During a robbery at a swanky nightclub, they are relieved of their wallets, only to find later that one of them had a lottery ticket that came up a winner. The chase is on as they scour the city to find their prize, along the way running up against Harry Belafonte as a sly and suave mob kingpin (with a nod to Don Corleone) with his eye on the ticket as well. Heavily influenced by the screwball comedies of the 1940s but with the thoroughly modern air of 1970s black culture, Uptown Saturday Night is a breezy affair with some old pros at the helm. --Robert Lane
Sidney Poitier ("Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" "Sneakers") directs and stars with the legendary Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor and an all-star cast in this hilariously broad comedy about two pals who try to retrieve a stolen winning lottery ticket and become involved with an underworld kingpin. Spawned two hit sequels: "Let's Do it Again" and "A Piece of the Action."Running Time: 104 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 085392889020
The Highwaymen - On the Road Again
from White Star
Four of the greatest legends of country music join together. Johnny Cash sings Folsom Prison Blues, Willie Nelson performs Always on my Mind, Kris Kristofferson solos in Help me Make it Through the Night, and Waylon Jennings sings Luckenbach, Texas. Also includes Highwayman, Good Hearted Woman, Theme from Dukes of Hazzard, Loving Her Was Easy, Mamas Don't Let Your Sons Grow Up to be Cowboys, Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way, Me and Bobby McGhee, Get Rhythm, Crazy, Ghost Riders in the Sky, Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground, Big River, On the Road Again..
Johnny Cash - The Anthology
by Al Greenfield (II)
from Image Entertainment
Sure, Johnny Cash is a country superstar and a founding father of rock & roll--but why, exactly? Johnny Cash: The Anthology is an efficient and highly enjoyable effort to answer that question through a rare historical perspective. Comprised of a 54-minute documentary and a supplementary film entitled Half Mile a Day, The Anthology places Cash dead center at the junction of gospel and blues traditions: between the isolation of hard living in America, delusional guilt from too much sin, and the fragile redemption of love. Drawing upon archival footage of Cash performing his earliest crossover hits ("Five Feet High and Risin'," "I Walk the Line") and including comments by admiring peers (Rodney Crowell, Porter Wagoner), The Anthology makes a compelling case for Cash as a master of knife-edged economy and a populist oracle from a younger, perhaps scarier, America. If it has become too easy over the decades to take Cash for granted, The Anthology sets things straight. --Tom Keogh
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