The Legend of Hillbilly John (1974)

Sorry Merk, but Severn Darden played Mr. Marduke. The wandering folksinger (John, no last name ever given in the movies or the stories.) was played by Hedges Capers. And it wasn't "Dirty Bird" but Ugly Bird (from the short story "Oh, Ugly Bird!' by Manley Wade Wellman. Admittedly, the film isn't the greatest, but the stories and books about Silver John are classics by an author with a genuine love for the mountains and their people and of the folk music of the area.

Ambitious way beyond it's budget, "The Legend of Hillbilly John" does not live up to it's cult movie reputation. A wandering folk singer, Severn Darden, uses his silver string guitar to defeat the Devil in various forms. The Appalachian setting is interesting, and I would not be surprised if inhabitants of the hollows truly believed the Devil caused their calamities. Superstition or not, the first half of the film holds interest as John sets out with his faithful dog to bring and end to a winged annoyance known as the "Dirty Bird". The claymation creature is eventually slain, not by singing it to death, but by a bash with the guitar. Beyond this the movie drags on to an underwhelming political statement conclusion. - MERK

I have seen this movie and consider it a gem. I am a fan of Manly Wade Wellman's fiction and found the portrayal of Silver John to be "dead on". Definitely a movie that deserves a release on DVD. While the budget was low, the emphasis on a real and genuine portrayal of Silver John was there. I found this movie to be well acted and genuine...definitely something that people today need to see, given the sorry state of cinema. I saw this film in the early 1980's. It had been released on video tape and a friend, a collector of rare movies, told me I needed to watch it. I had never heard of Manly Wade Wellman, but I instantly became a fan after seeing this movie. That should be incentive enough for anyone to at least want to watch this movie.

Hampered by a tiny budget and a lack of subtlety, Hillbilly John does an earnest job of bringing Manly Wade Wellman's silver-stringed guitar hero's adventures to the screen. Nice use of music by Hoyt Axton and some effective moments in two of the stories directly adapted from Wellman's fantasies. The last third of the film departs from its source material and grows tiresome. Definitely good enough to justify someone releasing it on DVD.