Honky Tonk Freeway *** (1981, William Devane, Beau Bridges, Beverly D’Angelo, Teri Garr, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Howard Hesseman, Geraldine Page, George Dzundza, Joe Grifasi) – Classic Movie Review 8958

Director John Schlesinger’s nice and unruly 1981 film Honky Tonk Freeway is a zany, brash, attractive and cheerful ensemble comedy made in America by the British company EMI Films about the small town of Ticlaw in Florida, to which the mayor (William Devane) and townsfolk determine to attract tourists when a new freeway bypasses it.

Unfortunately they succeed in attracting all of America’s oddballs: retired adman (Hume Cronyn), his tipsy wife (real-life spouse Jessica Tandy), a tetchy nun (Geraldine Page), henpecked husband (Beau Bridges), hussy (Beverly D’Angelo), a couple of bank robbers, an aspiring song writer, Uncle Tom Cobbley and all.

Edward Clinton’s zany script often manages to be a glorious panorama of life, in the style of Robert Altman’s 1975 Nashville, and is sometimes very funny, with jolly performances all round by an appealing ensemble. But the public by and large rejected it and film was a costly box-office flop. It was a damaging disaster for Schlesinger and EMI Films, costing $24,000,000 and grossing only $2,004,742 in the US. However, the production is impressive and Schlesinger is to be praised for his ambition and bravery.

It stars William Devane, Beau Bridges, Teri Garr, Beverly D’Angelo, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Howard Hesseman, Geraldine Page, George Dzundza, and Joe Grifasi.

Also in the cast are Paul Jabara, Frances Lee McCain, Deborah Rush, Alice Beardsley, Daniel Stern, David Rasche, Celia Weston, Peter Billingsley, Jerry Hardin, John Aston, Anne Ramsey and Martha Gehman.

Honky Tonk Freeway is directed by John Schlesinger, runs 107 minutes, is made by EMI Films, Honky Tonk Freeway Company, and Kendon Films, is released by Universal Pictures (1981) (US) and Associated Film Distributors (UK), is written by Edward Clinton, is shot in Technicolor by John Bailey, is produced by Don Boyd and Hawk Koch [Howard W Koch Jr], and is scored by George Martin and Elmer Bernstein, with Art Direction by Edwin O’Donovan.

It is a zany ensemble comedy in the manner of It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, The Big Bus and Rat Race, and a box-office flop in the manner of Cleopatra, 1941, Heaven’s Gate, Lucky Lady and The Blues Brothers.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8958

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