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The death of Hank Williams: Film will examine lonely final days

February 25, 2009 by ahankwilliamsjournal

SPECIAL NOTE: For those landing here from a search, this is to let y0u know that I did a post on the new major motion picture on Hank’s life which was announced August 2009. It’s here.

AND, Here’s my post on the latest news on the film ‘The Last Ride’ being filmed in central Arkansas. (February 19, 2010)

The Register Herald newspaper in Beckley West Virginia is reporting that a film about Hank Williams life including his final days is in pre production. I hope the author and producers look at the tragic nature of that last lonley trip. Why did everybody let him down so badly?

Jeff Queen a Deputy Sheriff from Auburn Alabama plans to call the movie ‘Lonesome Cowboy’. He’s hoping to get production underway by the end of the year, and will film some scenes in West Virginia. The paper reports:

“We want to tell the real story,” says Queen, who helps keep law and order in the same town that is home to his beloved Crimson Tide.

“Just like they did in ‘Walk the Line’ with Johnny Cash’s addictions. But we certainly don’t want to tabloidize anything. We just want to tell it from the heart as real as we can make it — the good, the bad, everything in between.”

Queen drew his inspiration from “Hank,” a biography written by Ralph Moore in Lineville, Ala., a stalwart fan, one of many who have made several excursions into southern West Virginia seeking support for a Williams museum.

Queen says 22 year old Christopher Malpass is being looked at to play the title role in the film which Queen hopes can be used to boost tourism in Alabama.

The mythical status of Hank Williams is certainly well illustrated by this continuing interest in West Virginia and the area around Oak Hill where Hank’s lifeless body was found in the back of his Cadillac on New Years eve as he was being driven to a concert in Canton Ohio.

He was accompanied only by a teenaged driver, Charles Carr, who had just turned 18.

I’m not an expert on Hank Williams’ death and his final days and the multitude of details, some disputed, which have been published about that unfinished  trip from Montgomery to Canton. There have been a lot of tales and rumours published about those final days some probably more verifiable than others.

But you don’t need to know anything about the details of the journey to ask the really important question: Why was Hank ALONE?

A superstar with just a teenaged kid driving him across America, heading north in the dead of winter. No one could fault the youngster in any way, but in every real important way, Hank Williams made this journey alone.

Here we are in 2009 and music stars have entourages, body guards, handlers, flacks, public relations and media reps and whatever, all offering layers of protection and eating up their money.

Now we all know it was far different in late 1952.

I’m not blaming anybody, and my knowledge like most fans is limited. But where were friends, family, MGM Records, Acuff Rose publications, even the Opry which had recently fired Hank?

In those days stars traveled with their bands and in this case Don Helms of the ‘Drifting Cowboys’ was going to meet Hank in Canton, and Jerry Rivers was stopped by bad weather. But  I’ll say it again, I still can’t beleive he was allowed to travel that distasnce for all intents and purposes alone.

I know Hank Williams experts, and I am certainly not one of those, will have a thousand explanations as to why this happened. First of course was the weather, which disrupted the original plan to fly to Canton. Then of course there is  Hank’s continuing back pain and ill health and his addictions  and demons. He probably wanted fewer people around and less busy bodies to interfere with what had become his tragic lifestyle.. Carr,I suppose, was somebody who could not argue or talk back.

But I can’t imagine Eddy Arnold or George Morgan, Hank Snow, Bill Monroe or imagine even a Frank Sinatra, or Bing Crosby on the road like this alone.  Never.

I hope the film can capture his triumphant life  and the lonely tragedy that engulfed Hank Williams in his final days.

I checked my small collections of biographies in writing this:

Jerry Rivers, 1967, ‘From Life to Legend’

Jay Caress, 1979, ‘Hank Williams, County Music’s Tragic King’

Colin Escott, 1994, ‘Hank Williams, The Biography’

Paul Hemphill, 2005, ‘Lovesick Blues, The Life of Hank Williams’

I find after you read this stuff you have to go back to the records for a while to get your head straight again and restore your belief in the majesty of his achievement.

The Newspaper article is here.

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Hank Williams movie, Harry Thomason Hank Williams movie, The Death of Hank Williams, The Last Ride | 19 Comments

19 Responses

  1. on February 25, 2009 at 6:03 pm Citizen K.

    It was as sad and lonely a death as any artist has suffered. It was also as appropriate as it is inexplicable.


  2. on March 1, 2009 at 7:48 am Mike

    Just passing by.Btw, your website have great content!

    _________________________________
    Making Money $150 An Hour


  3. on March 14, 2009 at 3:54 pm Railroadguy

    One small error that the newspaper cited in this post committed.Auburn,Alabama is not the home of the Crimson Tide!

    Actually Auburn is home to the Auburn Tigers of Auburn,Alabama.The Crimson Tide is the name of the University of Alabama football team which resides in Tuscaloosa,Alabama.


  4. on April 3, 2009 at 1:41 pm News video on Holly Williams in Knoxville « A Hank Williams Journal

    […] I linked to a news story in  a West Virginia newspaper about a film on Hank Williams which is reportedly in pre […]


  5. on August 15, 2009 at 5:00 pm Major Hollywood motion picture on Hank’s life announced « A Hank Williams Journal

    […] I reported earlier a film maker from Alabama is also planning Hank Williams […]


  6. on September 8, 2009 at 7:49 am Hank fan

    Would this be a good portrayor?


  7. on September 8, 2009 at 10:16 am Thanks to Jake Penrod for comment « A Hank Williams Journal

    […] https://ahankwilliamsjournal.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/the-death-of-hank-williams-new-film-will-examin… […]


  8. on December 15, 2009 at 7:54 pm boagie

    It is touching the measures people often go to, to bring back Hank’s memory, they are perhaps often not done all that well, but the intent is pure gold. That Hank was able to reach so many people over such a time scale speaks of his artistry and the compassion of his fan base. If the humanity was not there to tweak in his fans, Hank would not have had such a glorious yet short career. There is a little of us all in Hank, and a little Hank in us all. Oh but to turn back time and make what wasn’t right, right. “The sadest words of tongue or pen, are all of what might been.” Not entirely true, for we did have Hank Williams with us for a short time, but all loved ones depart to soon. RIP Hiarm king Williams


  9. on January 1, 2010 at 11:16 pm Mushy

    John,
    I am a blogger and an active member of the Princess Theater Foundation, and serve as the historian for the organization. I do a lot of photography for the Princess project (a restoration of an old local theater) and have met many people in this endeavor.

    One of those local celebrities is Bill Landry, who stared in a local series called the “Heartland Series”. Since retiring he has helped us in the Princess project and in promoting our little town of Harriman, TN.

    A say all this to led up to a local vintage car owner, Rex Walls, being contacted by Harry Thomason asking about a ’53 baby blue Caddy he owns. Turns out he wanted short country-side clips of the Caddy rolling through the country side for a movie he was planning called “The Last Ride”, about Hank Williams.

    Well, Rex contacted Bill Landry and his videographer Doug Mills. Rex put Bill in touch with Harry and Bill offered to coordinate and direct the local shooting.

    I was on hand to take stills…my story is at http://princesstheater.blogspot.com.

    I want to know if these two films are one in the same or different endeavors?

    Have you heard anything about this film?


  10. on January 24, 2010 at 8:45 am Watch Episode

    hi mate, happy holiday and i enjoy my time here.


  11. on January 31, 2010 at 11:28 pm Francisco Jody

    Hi webmaster, commenters and everybody else – The blog was absolutely fantastic! Lots of great information and inspiration, both of which we all need – Keep ’em coming… you all do such a great job at such Concepts… can’t tell you how much I, for one appreciate all you do!


  12. on February 4, 2010 at 5:33 pm Makeup Tips

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  13. on February 17, 2010 at 3:08 pm Kostenlose Filme

    Mahlzeit
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  14. on February 19, 2010 at 10:49 am Henry Thomas starring in ‘The Last Ride’. Shooting on Hank Williams final days film underway in Benton, Arkansas « A Hank Williams Journal

    […] Here’s the link to the earlier ‘Last Ride’ post based on the announcement of a film by an Alabama company. […]


  15. on January 21, 2012 at 4:08 pm Jett Williams and husband Keith Adkinson tackling the mystery of Hank Williams’ death « A Hank Williams Journal

    […] But when this movie news started coming out I did make some comments on Hank’s last days which come about half way down this blog posting…. […]


  16. on July 6, 2012 at 9:32 pm Bill

    Not having known anything about Hank William’s death, I did a search after it was referrenced in an article I read and ended up here.

    I’m not primarily a country music listener by any means, but I’ve found myself getting more and more into it (ever since I happened upon a bluegrass band at a local bar, but that’s another story).

    At any rate, thanks for writing this informative and heartfelt post. It really amplified my curiosity about Hank that I just ordered Lovesick Blues.


  17. on July 7, 2012 at 8:35 am ahankwilliamsjournal

    Thanks Bill

    About 90 % of the visitors to this blog are like you just getting started on their Hank Williams journey, and come here from the search engines.

    Hope you enjoy your explorations into the work of this rich and complex artist.

    John W


  18. on December 31, 2012 at 10:07 am joebradstreet

    truley love hank williams articles.greatest singer and song writer of all times.even fr his first recordings ,we see a lonley call of greatness.hank recorded over 200 songs and a greater picture of what was to happen could be seen in his music, fr his first recording of when god comes to gather his jewels to his last ,your cheaten heart.
    don helms was a very easy and good kinded fellow .i talked to him on several ocassions by phone and we had some real private and good hearted talks about hank.he said hank would try to pull off some pretty crazy tricks and the last end just might have been one of them.
    don wrote a book just before he passed away,called setin the woods on fire and he tells some good stories about hank in there .don was as close to hank as anyone could be,he traveled with him on most concerts and shows,but we have to remember here that hank started his music carrer in bars and honkeytonks .real nasty places .i been there and done that”:.aint no fun at all.can we understand that hank was a loner?when hank went on a bender, don tells us that no one could stand to have him around.he was just a fallin down drunk ,for afew days,but that he would not touch drinkin again for 6 or more months ,but i dont care.hank was ,is and will always be my no one man.from one of your greatest fans hank.joe bradstreet16 riverview hts florenceville-bristol nb canada e7l2b8
    today is the day before hank passed into his glorious relm of whatever he was looking for .may you rest in peace hank.would love to see you and talk to you and hold your hand and say peace be with you,may god love you,might see you somefine day


  19. on December 31, 2012 at 1:46 pm ahankwilliamsjournal

    Hi Joe

    What a heartfelt tribute and real appreciation of Hank’s greatness. Thank you very much for your contribution on these special few days in the year.

    John



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