Pure Country

Pure Country
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Christopher Cain
Written by	Rex McGee
Produced by	Jerry Weintraub
Starring	George Strait Lesley Ann Warren Isabel Glasser
Cinematography	Richard Bowen
Edited by	Jack Hofstra
Music by	Steve Dorff
Production company	Jerry Weintraub Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	October 23, 1992 (1992-10-23)
Running time	112 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$10 million[1]
Box office	$15.2 million[2]

Pure Country is a 1992 American drama, musical, and western film directed by Christopher Cain. The film stars country singer George Strait in his first acting role. The film also stars Lesley Ann Warren, Isabel Glasser, and Kyle Chandler. "Pure Country" was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on October 23, 1992. It was Rory Calhoun's last acting role before his death in 1999. This was the first film in the Pure Country trilogy. The "Pure Country" soundtrack album was released on September 15, 1992, and became George Strait's best-selling album. The film had its premiere in Nashville on October 20, 1992. On November 18, 1992, the "Pure Country" soundtrack was certified gold and platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and earned a double-platinum album from the RIAA on February 3, 1993. On May 11, 1993, during the telecast of the 28th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on NBC, "Pure Country" received the Tex Ritter Award as top country film. On July 3, 1993, Warner Home Video released "Pure Country" on VHS, and on January 24, 1994, the "Pure Country" soundtrack earned a triple-platinum album from the RIAA. On September 14, 2004, "Pure Country" was released on DVD by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

The film opens with an audience chanting "Dusty!" as the band begins to play. When the smoke and lights are turned on, Wyatt "Dusty" Chandler enters the stage sporting a beard and ponytail. Dusty is a country music superstar who has been away from the music scene for some time. The concert was filled with smoke and lights, and the audience was clearly excited. However, during one performance, the singer omitted several bars from the song "Where the Sidewalk Ends," which confirmed a suspicion. Fortunately, he still performed other songs such as "Heartland" and "Baby Your Baby." Dusty Chandler is a successful country music singer who is tired of the trappings of his career, including the elaborate stage show that his manager, Lula Rogers, has planned for him. He tells her that he can't see her in the smoke and lights when the music is loud, so he stopped singing for three bars. He doesn't like the sets, the lights, or the fact that she takes her boyfriend on the bus. And he doesn't like her cramming his songs down his throat. Dusty is on the road, wearing sunglasses, and performing his new single, "Overnight Male." He talks with his road crew member Buddy Jackson about bringing the strings, horns, and accordion to the performance. Dusty says there's no accordion. After Dusty and his band perform the song they discussed, Lula tells Buddy not to do it again. But the band continues playing the song. Then, they play "Where the Sidewalk Ends," which is a blur. After the concert, Dusty, his drummer, and best friend, Earl Blackstock, reminisce about being kids. Dusty then decides to take a walk but doesn't say where he is going or for how long. Meanwhile, Dusty and his fans sign autographs for the bodyguards, who are there to protect Dusty and his fans. Dusty and Earl were regulars at a bar where they played music before they made it big. One day, Dusty visited the bar and talked with the bartender. When he returned, they continued talking. In the meantime, Dusty's truck was being repaired, so he hitched a ride with a friend. He shaved off his beard and cut off his ponytail, then headed for the small farm town where he grew up to visit his grandmother.

That evening, Dusty's band members wonder where he is. They are concerned because he didn't show up for the gig. They try to contact him but can't reach him. Since the concert wasn't cancelled, the artist knows that 25,000 fans are out there expecting a show. The artist has a moral obligation to perform. Some of Dusty's fans are so devoted that they have driven hundreds of miles just to see him perform live. Dusty Chandler was scheduled to perform in Shreveport, but failed to show up. Road crew member Buddy Jackson took Dusty's place on stage, impersonating him. Buddy lip-synced his songs in concert to a recording of Dusty's voice. He did this by showing Dusty's voice on tape, which caused a lot of confusion among the fans. Lights and smoke were used to cover the deception. The ruse was successful because it created a cover for the deception. However, the band was not happy that Lula let Buddy impersonate Dusty instead of canceling the concert. Buddy impersonated Dusty, and the fans felt betrayed. They felt that their trust had been violated. Dusty is sitting in a down-home bar, relaxing with a drink while watching the dancers perform a line dance. Suddenly, he looks up and sees Harley Tucker dancing and smiling at him. Dusty is immediately smitten. Meanwhile, in the parking lot, Al and Harley are drunk and arguing in the pouring rain. They are soaked to the skin and oblivious to the weather. Dusty comes to Harley's aid when Al tells Dusty to back off. Dusty intervenes when Al tries to punch and bother Harley. He tells Al to stop and leave Harley alone. Dusty then punches Al, knocking him out. However, Al broke his hand in the process, which put him out of the fight. Back at the Shreveport concert, Dusty's agent Buddy is still pretending to be Dusty and lip-syncing to Dusty's music. Meanwhile, Lula asks the members of Dusty's band what Buddy was doing. Buddy is upset because he can't play with a band that is lip-syncing. He wants to know if the concert is still on, or if it's been canceled or postponed. If it's canceled, will he get a raincheck? If it's postponed, when will it be rescheduled? The audience might think that the singer is lip-syncing, so the music producers decided to speed up and slow down the music to throw the audience off. Then Earl punches Buddy, knocking him to the ground. The next morning, Dusty asks Harley if he can change his name to Wyatt. Harley is reluctant to let Dusty change his name, but Dusty is determined to do it. Dusty and Harley are at the Tucker family's house for breakfast. Dusty and Ernest Tucker, Harley's father, have a chance to talk. Meanwhile, Dusty and Al are outside the ranch when Harley tells them that they were all drunk the previous night. Harley tells Dusty that he should go back into the house, but Dusty is reluctant to do so. Harley convinces Dusty that it is in his best interests to return to the house. Harley accidentally steps on Al's hand, causing him to drop his hat. Harley then grabs the hat and runs off. Meanwhile, Dusty is taking roping lessons to improve his skills. He pays for his lessons and board by selling pieces of the ranch.

After his performance, Buddy confronts Lula. He demands $100,000 and a recording contract. Lula reluctantly agrees to his terms. Lula refuses to go along with Buddy's plan, so Buddy lies to the press that Lula paid him to pose as Dusty. Lula, however, is innocent of any wrongdoing. Lula reaches out to Earl to find Dusty. When Harley left Earl, she went to Dusty's location. There she learned that Dusty had feelings for Harley and would not leave. She asks Earl if he knows where Dusty is. Earl tells her that he does not know where Dusty is. Harley discovers that Dusty is married to Lula. Harley is furious and dumps Dusty. Lula then tells Harley that Dusty is married to her, and Harley dumps Dusty. When Lula arrives, he is surprised to learn that his band has been disbanded and his career is over. Lula then waits to scoop him up to return to his band and career. Dusty is back with his band, but this time he's taking a no-frills approach to his stage show. He's demanding that his show be toned down, with no smoke or elaborate lighting. Buddy tells Dusty to hold on, but Dusty tells Buddy that if he ever makes another comment to the press or shows his face around country music again, he'll be threatened with a lawsuit so fast it will make his head spin. Dusty is mad at Buddy for telling the press that Lula offered him money and a recording contract to pose as Dusty. Dusty feels betrayed by Buddy and wants him to pay for his mistake. Buddy tells Dusty that this isn't over yet, but Dusty replies "yeah it is," and Buddy leaves surrounded by bodyguards. Dusty's fans are no longer with Buddy, so he is alone. Dusty's band was scheduled to play at The Mirage hotel in Las Vegas. They packed up their gear and headed to the rodeo. When they arrived, they found out that Harley Tucker was scheduled to compete in the rodeo. Dusty's band was looking forward to seeing Harley compete. Lula contacted Dusty to invite Harley and her family to attend Dusty's concert. Lula wanted them to be there to support Dusty. Lula was able to arrange for Harley and her family to attend the concert. Dusty performs a love song called "I Cross My Heart" during the concert. Harley is so moved by the performance that she forgives Dusty. The film ends with Dusty and Harley sharing an emotional hug on the edge of the stage.

• George Strait as Wyatt "Dusty" Chandler
• Lesley Ann Warren as Lula Rogers
• Isabel Glasser as Harley Tucker
• Kyle Chandler as Buddy Jackson
• John Doe as Earl Blackstock
• Rory Calhoun as Ernest Tucker
• Molly McClure as Grandma Ivy Chandler
• James Terry McIlvain as Tim Tucker
• Toby Metcalf as J.W. Tucker
• Mark Walters as Al
• Tom Christopher as Dave, Dusty's bodyguard
• Jeffrey R. Fontana as Eddie, Dusty's bodyguard
• Jeff Prettyman as Bobby Louis
• David Anthony, Mike Daly, Gene Elders, Terry Hale, Rondel Huckaby, Mike Kennedy, Benny McArthur, and Rick McRae as Dusty's Band
• Sharon Thomas as Monique James
• Gil Glasgow as Bartender
• Julie Johnson as Waitress
• Fred Ellis as Private Detective
• Fred Fontana as Courier
• Kristen Michaels as Hostess
• Evelyn Furtak as Assistant
• Eric Randall, Loretta Holloway, and Roy Kieffer as Reporters
• Bob Tallman as Rodeo Announcer
• Bobby Foxworth, Dennis Deveaugh, and Marguerite Happy as Stunts

Pure Country was filmed in 1991 throughout Texas, but mostly in Maypearl. The graveyard scene was shot at Cresson Cemetery in Cresson, Texas, and the concert sequences were filmed at concert venues in Fort Worth, including North Side Coliseum and Will Rogers Coliseum. The bar scenes where Dusty meets Harley were filmed at Western Kountry Klub, located between Midlothian and Mansfield Tx.

Despite George Strait's popularity as a country music artist, "Pure Country" only grossed $15 million at the box office. While expectations were high for Strait's first major film role, the film's disappointing performance did not prevent the soundtrack album from becoming the best-selling album of Strait's career. ^[3]

Rolling Stone stated that the film "Pure Country" was lambasted by most reviewers.^[4] It has a score of 41% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 10.^[5]

Chicago film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both praised George Strait's performance in Pure Country. They felt that Strait was a convincing actor in the lead, and they enjoyed Karen Glasser's performance as well. However, they felt that the film was undermined by a hokey story, and that the film would have been better with moments for satire.^[6][7] In Movie and Video Guide, a review summarized that the film was "mostly pure tedium, though the film picks up some in hour two with the appearance of Glasser, and Rory Calhoun as her father".^{[citation needed]}

Pure Country had two sequels: Pure Country 2: The Gift (2010) and Pure Country: Pure Heart (2017).^[8][9] Screenwriter Rex McGee spoke of the two follow-ups saying he was not involved with those films and that their scripts existed for a long time. McGee continued that when the scripts were picked up by Warner Bros., the studio "just slapped the "Pure Country" title on."^[9]

Plans for the musical were announced in the mid to late 2000s. John Bettis and Steve Dorf were brought on to create new lyrics and music for the musical, respectively, and Rex McGee was brought on to write the book for Pure Country.^[10][11] A staged reading was performed on May 7, 2007, at New World Stages and featured Will Chase, Carlin Glynn, Cady Huffman, James Moye, and Danny Rutigliano in unspecified role.^[12]

The musical was originally slated to premiere on Broadway during Spring 2009 and a workshop casting call was placed in March 2008.^[12] The Broadway production was set to feature Joe Nichols and Lorrie Morgan in starring roles.^[13][14] This version did not come to fruition and the stage musical did not release until 2017, when it premiered on June 9 at the Irving Arts Center's Carpenter Performance Hall outside of Dallas, using the book and songs written for the Broadway release.^[10] This release coincided with a 25 year anniversary celebration for the film, in order for the celebration to serve as a lead up to the musical's premiere.^[15] Harley Jay was brought on to portray the leading role.^[16] The Dallas Morning News gave the 2017 production a favorable review.^[17]

A new production of the musical was planned by the Houston-based theater company Theatre Under The Stars for their 2019-2020 season, however this production was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.^[18] If it had not been cancelled, the production would have featured Levi Kreis in the lead role, accompanied by Sally Mayes, Stephanie Gibson, and Felicia Finley.^[19]

• See Pure Country (soundtrack)

Wikiquote has quotations related to Pure Country.

• Pure Country at IMDb
• Pure Country at AllMovie
• Pure Country at the TCM Movie Database
• 1992 George Strait Interview About Pure Country Part 1
• 1992 George Strait Interview About Pure Country Part 2