''Run Home, Slow'' is a 1965 American

Western film The Western is a film genre defined by the American Film Institute as films which are "set in the American West that mbodythe spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier." Generally set in the American frontier between the Calif ...

starring

Mercedes McCambridge Carlotta Mercedes Agnes McCambridge (March 16, 1916 – March 2, 2004) was an American actress of radio, stage, film, and television. Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress". She won an Academy Award for Best Support ...

, Linda Gaye Scott, and

Gary Kent Gary Kent (June 7, 1933 – May 25, 2023) was an American film director, actor, and stuntman notable for his appearances in various independent and exploitation films. A native of Washington, Kent studied at the University of Washington before ...

, directed by Ted Brenner and written by Don Cerveris.

Plot

After her father is murdered by hanging, Nell Hagen (McCambridge) sets out with her brothers Ritt (Kent) and Kirby (Richards) and cousin Julie Ann (Scott) to seek revenge.

Music

Cerveris had previously taught English at

Antelope Valley High School Antelope Valley High School is located in Lancaster, California, and is part of the Antelope Valley Union High School District, in northernmost Los Angeles County, California. It was founded in 1912 and had its first graduating class in 1912 ...

in California, where

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

had been one of his pupils. After leaving the job to move to a career in screenwriting, he and Zappa had remained in touch, and in 1959 he convinced Tim Sullivan, the producer of ''Run Home, Slow'', to commission Zappa to compose and conduct the score for the film. One of the themes Zappa composed, ''And Very True'', became the basis for the track ''Duke of Prunes'' on

the Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as the Mothers) were an American rock music, rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an ...

's 1967 album ''

Absolutely Free ''Absolutely Free'' is the second album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on May 26, 1967, by Verve Records. Much like their 1966 debut '' Freak Out!'', the album is a display of complex musical composition with politica ...

''. Studio performances of the film's main theme later featured in Zappa's posthumous compilation albums '' The Lost Episodes'', as a stereo mix, and ''

Mystery Disc ''Mystery Disc'' is a compilation album by Frank Zappa. It was released on CD in 1998, compiling tracks that were originally released on two separate vinyl records and included in the mail order ''Old Masters'' box sets, which were released in t ...

'', as a mono mix with an additional Zappa guitar solo. A live performance of the theme is included in '' You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5''.

References

1960s English-language films 1965 in American cinema American black-and-white films American Western (genre) films Films scored by Frank Zappa

External links

* {{1960s-Western-film-stub