This takes place in the South Texas-Mexican border area in about the World War I era. Country stars Roy Clark and Mel Tillis play the two main characters, Ben Hooker and Booger Skaggs. Glen Campbell plays a nasty-talking U.S. Army Captain with a stuck Army truck. There's a Pancho Villa-type character. Yeah, this was the era of Pancho Villa, and the U.S. General John J. Pershing commanded the U.S. pursuit of Villa in Mexico. The Clark and Tillis characters are accused of being desperadoes. In the beginning, they are messing with some women in a saloon or a whorehouse. The comedy is kind of goofy. The title song goes "Life is uphill all the way, for those who choose to play, the desperado." Hooker and Skaggs are so stupid that life would be uphill all the way for them no matter what they did.

I saw this movie on a rented VHS from a local video store. My grandparent's and I watched the movie one Saturday night around the time it was relatively new. We were big watchers of HEE-HAW and so it was a natural film to want to see, considering the movie starred Roy Clark and featured Gailord Sartain, both from HEE-HAW. I had not seen the movie since those three play's from the rented VHS but I remember the theme song's title.... "life is Uphill All the Way..." and it carries a western arrangement, obviously. At the time, the scenes I found hilarious were the ones with Glen Campbell...10 or 15 years later, if I were to see the film again, I'd probably find other subtle things funny as well but at the time Glen Campbell's role was hilarious.

It's a nice family movie even if there's some scenes involving women of the night. I saw this film when I was younger, I was 10 years old at the time, spending the weekends with my grandparent's. It would be nice to see the film again...straight through...to get a different perspective. The film was released in 1986 but of course because it's set in the old west it looks older than what it really is. Burl Ives and Elaine Joyce have good roles as well. Naturally, this sort of film isn't going to set the world on fire or inspire millions. It's simply a good ol' boy film...like a western version of DUKES OF HAZZARD minus the probation sub-plot of the TV series.

Booger and Ben, the two lead characters, are on the run after being accused of a crime they didn't commit. It being the old west there wasn't such a thing as a judiciary system as we know it...back then if you were accused of a crime and the mayor, sheriff, or boss of the small town was corrupt you didn't have much of a chance to show your innocence...so the only thing left to do was go on the run or be executed for a crime you didn't commit.

There was a limited release DVD of this movie about 12 years ago but I had no idea of it's availability...it's long out of print now. Hopefully it comes up on DVD again at some point but I doubt it will seeing that it's been 12 years since it's first DVD release. For family-fun and those who like the chase movies like "Cannonball Run", "Smoky and the Bandit", and the TV shows "Hee-Haw" and "Dukes of Hazzard", then this movie is right up your alley.

This is a movie, which by any standard - whether the top rating is 4 or 5 stars, or 10 stars, or even 100 stars, rates a score of "1."

Both leads - Tillis and Clark - have had their own theaters in Branson, and both are extremely talented and engaging performers. Having lived in that area for several years, I had occasions to see both performing in their theaters, and to meet both at civic/charity events in Branson. In-person, both are also friendly, affable men - not always the case with prominent performers.

However, watching them act in a full-length movie, is akin to having to watch and listen to, say, Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman deliver a full-length concert singing 10 or 15 songs each. It would be enjoyable to see Mel and Roy "acting," or Robert and Dustin "singing," say, in a 10-minute SNL or MAD TV skit, or some similar venue, for the pure humor - but not for an hour-and-a-half or more.

Boost this one from its deserved single star to three - one additional for each of the leads, based on their career histories, and at least an affable approach to the on-screen proceedings.