Ferlin Husky’s name will always bring back memories of the NC State’s Technician’s student newspaper trip to Myrtle Beach in 1989 (or was it ’88). It was the summer I discovered Long Island Iced Teas had no actual iced tea in them. This is why the trip is kind of hazy in my mind. During this week, I kept seeing brochures and billboards for Ferlin Husky’s Jubilee and Museum. We kept suggesting about going to see this shrine to the Grand Ole Opry Star, but mostly we stuck to bars. I would have gone out to the museum to see Ferlin Husky if I knew that he worked with both Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren in Las Vegas Hillbillies.
The film opens with Woody Weatherby (Ferlin Husky) driving down a country road to visit a moonshine still run by locals. Woody ends up on the Bill Anderson show singing in an auditorium after a few other acts including Bill Anderson and Connie Smith. We even get the country comedy of the Duke of Paducah. They’re surrounded by bales of hay and large colorful balloons. Woody and his pal Jeepers (Hillbillys In A Haunted House‘s Don Bowman) dream of going to Nashville. But this dream gets slightly derailed when Woody receives news that he’s inherited a casino in Las Vegas. On the drive through the desert, the Woody as to help a broken-down car driven by Jayne Mansfield (The Girl Can’t Help It). The Golden Circle Casino is a rather rundown affair that from the outside looks like a farm supply warehouse. Inside you have Mamie Van Doren (Sex Kittens Go To College) dancing on the bar while guys on the floor are punching away. Why are these bar fighters nt focused on Mamie? The casino has quite a bit of debt and Woody has to figure out how to raise the funds or lose the joint. The estate lawyer thinks Woody would be better off signing away the dump to the creditors. But Woody won’t abandon the casino. He plans to headline with a country show that Vegas has never seen before. That’ll fill up the casino’s vault. Mamie agrees to stick around and sing as part of the show. Before they can attract a high rolling crowd, a biker gang roars onto the casino floor. Things get wild when Richard Kiel (Jaws from Moonraker) arrives as the muscle for one of the debtors. Is the Golden Circle Casino going to survive the first night under new ownership?
Las Vegas Hillbillys is a trip. The fact that the movie brings together two of the great sex symbols of the era with Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren ought to have it enshrined in the National Film Registry. The film doesn’t mind stopping the story for more musical acts to perform. Two-thirds into the film, Ferlin has a fantasy about a concert tv show with other acts. Director Arthur C. Pierce (Women of the Prehistoric Planet) and producer Larry Jackson knew the audience wants to see more singing than acting. During this fantasy we get Jayne Mansfield doing her number so it’s well worth it. This is a special kind of film with strange charms that defy normal dramatic structure. If you picked up the recent Blu-ray of Hillbillys In A Haunted House, you need to complete your Ferlin Husky collection with Las Vegas Hillbillys. Does anyone know if Ferlin Husky’s Jubilee and Museum had a massive exhibit dedicated to Jayne and Mamie’s work with Ferlin in Las Vegas Hillbillys?
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The color is sharp compared to the DVD I bought years ago. You’ll be getting the full Ferlin Husky experience. The Audio is LPCM 2.0 mono. You’ll be able to appreciate all the country acts that perform in the film. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary by Robert Kelly has him talking about seeing Woolner Brothers logo on UHF channels on the weekend. He talks about how Hillbillys In A Haunted House did better than the first film. But Hillbillys deserves more attention because the film brought together Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. He points out this film starts out with real hillbilly characters working a moonshine operation in the opening. One of the hillbillies played Abe Lincoln in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. He’s extremely informative.
Hillbillys In a Haunted House Trailer (1:42) is the sequel that brings together the legends of Horror with a few great country stars of the time. Ferlin Huskey was a cinema idol.
Photo Gallery (4:25) includes posters and press photos.
VCI Entertainment presents Las Vegas Hillbillys. Directed by Arthur C. Pierce. Screenplay by Larry Jackson. Starring Ferlin Husky, Jayne Mansfield, Mamie Van Doren, Don Bowman, Billie Bird, Bill Anderson, Wilma Burgess, Roy Drusky, Sonny James, Duke of Paducah, Del Reeves and Richard Kiel. Running Time: 90 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: December 10, 2024.
