Your Cheatin' Heart (1964)

This movie is a joke. It is an early 1960's very sanitized version of a great American song writer and singer. Hanks deserves much better than this. George Williams is simply not convincing as the singer. Only in Hollywood would anyone think pretty boy Hamilton could play the role of a rough and tumble street wise singer like Williams.

I just watched this movie again the other day, after not having seen it since it came out in 1964. But I'm not sure if one of my favorite scenes in this movie ever happened! When Hank and Audrey go to meet Fred Rose in his Nashville office in 1946, he asks Hank to write a song about seeing an old love, and then takes Audrey out to coffee meanwhile. They return later, and Hank has come up with a few verses of "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You)" right to Rose's specification. I thought this was a great event, but according to some biographers from his band, Hank wrote that famous tune in the back of the touring car. He didn't record it until 1951, so I doubt he wrote it in 1946. In one online article about Rose and Williams, this event is said to be factual; but I suspect the author got it from this movie. - Am I wrong on this? - Of course, his last wife is absent from the film. His morphine addiction is missing. That, with his alcohol abuse, maybe was due to pain from a congenital missing disc in his back. And he died lying in the back seat of his car with a bottle of booze, having had a few morphine shots earlier, during a long drive. I don't imagine he did any singing in a roadside bar during that car trip. However, the beautiful scene at the end, with the audience singing to mourn him, did happen, I am happy to find out. So, as many reviewers here say, this film is apparently not accurate, but it is still a fun movie. Apparently, Hank's first wife, Audrey, wrangled with MGM for 10 years over the plot, delaying the movie.But I am looking forward to the Tom Hiddleston portrayal of Hank in "I Saw the Light", coming out in November 2015. I hope they get all the details of his all too short, gritty life right this time ! There's a clip on the web now.Like Janis Joplin, only the cool die young.

this is hollywood at its worst - the lead characters are cheeseball icons - george hamilton, susan oliver and (believe it or not) red buttons as a travelling musician - mugging their way thru a candy-coated script full of stereotypes, contrived moments and lies to fabricate a character for an artist who already had a compelling story - the best moments are listening to hank williams junior singing in the style of his father giving us a whiff of his dad's passion - the opening montage is insulting, the love story hard to believe, the events suspect, the plot trite - if only the writers and producers simply listened to a hank williams song they would not have sent lesser folks to fill shoes of a greater one -- thank the goddess of arts that other, better hank williams movies have been made

Hank Williams was a very complex individual. Like all of us, he struggled with good and evil.The movie depicted a very simple man thrust into stardom. The sound track was done by a 14 year old Hank Williams Jr. The movie would have been much better if the songs of Hank Williams were included.I think the movie could be done better today with better actors. The story line could more true to the actual life of Hank Williams. Back in the 40's and 50's the life of a country singer was rough and rowdy.When this picture was made, Audrey Williams (Hank's wife) dictated every move. Trying to make Hank a legend. It wasn't necessary, he already was a legend. The movie was also used to launch a young Hank Williams Jr into the national spot light. None of this was necessary. Hank Williams Jr. has become a legend in his own right in spite of his mother trying to make him another Hank Williams.At any rate, if you are interested in Hank Williams this is a very good movie and deserves your viewing.I hope to see another movie made about the life of Hank Williams.