''That Tennessee Beat'' is a 1966 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Richard Brill and written by Paul Schneider. The film stars Earl 'Snake' Richards, Sharon DeBord, Lightnin' Chance, Maurice Dembsky,

Pete Drake Roddis Franklin "Pete" Drake (October 8, 1932 – July 29, 1988) was a Nashville-based American record producer and pedal steel guitar player. One of the most sought-after backup musicians of the 1960s, Drake played on such hits as Lynn Anders ...

and Dolores Faith. The film was released on October 14, 1966, by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

. The film marked Robert L. Lippert's return to filmmaking after a brief break. It was called ''Country Music''.

Plot

Jim Birdsell, hoping to become a country-western star, steals money for a trip to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. He is robbed on the way and is left penniless again. He is taken in by a brother/sister singing group who take him in, and help him fulfill his dream.

Cast

* Earl 'Snake' Richards as Jim Birdsell *Sharon DeBord as Opal Nelson * Lightnin' Chance as Sheriff *Stoney Mountain Cloggers as Themselves *Maurice Dembsky as Doorman *

as Himself * Dolores Faith as Belle Scofield *Rink Hardin as Wally Cooper *Ernie Keller as Announcer *Ed Livingston as Hoodlum *Buddy Mize as Hoodlum Leader *

Minnie Pearl Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as her stage character Minnie Pearl, was an American comedian and country singer who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (1940–1991) ...

as Rev. Rose Conley *

Boots Randolph Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III (June 3, 1927 – July 3, 2007) was an American musician. His 1963 saxophone hit " Yakety Sax" became the signature tune of ''The Benny Hill Show''. Randolph was a prolific session musician and member of the Nas ...

as Himself *Cecil Scaiffe as Dan Birdsell *

The Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group from Staunton, Virginia. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening a ...

as Themselves *Sam Tarpley as Ticket Seller *

Merle Travis Merle Robert Travis (November 29, 1917 – October 20, 1983) was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born in Rosewood, Kentucky, his songs' lyrics were often about the lives and the economic exploitation of Ameri ...

as Larry Scofield

References

External links

* *
''That Tennessee Beat''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

1966 films American drama films 1966 drama films 20th Century Fox films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films {{1960s-US-film-stub