Concrete Cowboys Movie Review (1979)
This made-for-TV movie from 1979 starring Jerry Reed and Tom Selleck falls squarely into the hickspoitation/hick-flick genre. The cover says it stars Tom Selleck and Morgan Fairchild. In small print it also says Jerry Reed, which is what convinced me to pick it up. When the credits for Concrete Cowboys start, it’s obvious that Mr. Reed was the star, and the others were not. Fame is fickle.
Basically Jerry Reed carries this movie, but Tom Selleck doesn’t hurt it any. Roy Acuff, Ray Stevens and Barbara Mandrell each make a cameo appearance. Morgan Fairchild isn’t too memorable in this roll that probably could have been done better by several actresses of the time. Of course, I could be swayed by her later, more glamorous, image and seeing her as a Nashville wannabe just didn’t seem to fit her.
Jerry Reed and Tom Selleck play J. D. Reed and Will Eubanks, two drifting cowboys on the way to California. But they get sidetracked to Nashville while running from some hick sheriff and a crooked poker game. When they arrive, they call up Lonnie Grimes, a guy they got drunk with at a football game, and he offers to let them stay at his place if they pick up a package. He is on his way out of town, but they can use his apartment and his car. In fact, he seems almost too happy to have them pick up the package and use his car and his apartment.
A hit man mistakes the cowboys for Lonnie when they pick up the package. The hit man doesn’t know who to get, just whoever picks up the package. And a woman who mistakes them for Lonnie because they are at his apartment comes and asks them to find her sister. She offers $1000 so they take the job. Surprise, Surprise, the two incidences are related.
If you just want to kick back and enjoy some good-ole-boys, this is a fine movie. Don’t try to patch the holes in the story, they are too big. The fun in this movie is Jerry Reed and Tom Selleck. But mainly, Jerry Reed. A lot of faces you’ll recognize. There’s some cool fashions and decorations also. Lonnie has a movie camera that pops out of the ceiling aimed at his bed. Selleck as Will asks “What would a fella be doin’ with a setup like this in his bedroom?” Reed: “Well… The trouble with you Will Eubanks is you’ve let too sheltered a life.”
Concrete Cowboys, 1979, directed by Burt Kennedy, written by Jimmy Sangster. starring Jerry Reed, Tom Selleck, Morgan Fairchild, Claude Akins. 100 minutes.
