Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave

This Canadian production imagines country music legend Hank Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) giving a New Year's Eve performance in a small bar on the final night of his life, Dec. 31, 1952. Between songs Williams reflects back upon his life and career.

Unable to secure music rights for a theatrical release because of the drugs and alcohol scenes, this motion picture was only shown on HBO in the 1980s where it had extensive airplay.

Shot in 16mm, the film stars Sneezy Waters as Hank Williams Sr., in it Waters performs 23 Hank Williams songs including "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Hey, Good Looking," and "Why Don't You Love Me?".

According to Wikipedia: Waters changed some of the lyrics of "Too Many Parties", making it about the brother of a lawyer instead of a wayward woman. He added new lyrics to "Men With Broken Hearts" ("And even sleep brings no relief to these men who curse their births/they have no dreams of happiness left in heaven or on earth/for how can men have faith in God when faith in fellow man departs") and rearranged other lyrics.

The drama also stars Dixie Seatle, Sean McCann, Jackie Washington, Joel Zifkin, and Sean Hewitt. Written by Maynard Collins, based on his cabaret stage play.

Entertainment Weekly said, “Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave still fascinates, because it taps into the deep, melancholy power of its subject. Williams wrote masterpieces of country misery and was by all accounts a pretty miserable fellow himself.”

One of the most significant and impactful American singer / songwriters of all time, Hank Williams recorded 35 singles, including 5 released after his death, that reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 11 that went to number one.

Williams was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Initial release: December 31, 1980
Director: David Acomba

Post-Modern Sitcoms / Actors That Wrote Books / Bill Cosby - WTF?!? / Top Ten Sitcoms of the 1970s / Lucy Interviewed by Barbara Walters / Valerie Harper Cancer / Dallas vs Eight is Enough / 1974 MAD Magazine TV Special - Never Aired! / Partridge Family and Brady Bunch at Kings Island theme park 1972-73 / Jack Benny's Last Tonight Show 1974 / Luke Perry's Last Role / Richard Dreyfuss vs Bill Murray / Tennessee Williams 1972 Interview / Ed Asner Interview / Norm Macdonald vs OJ Simpson / Tony Kornheiser Interview / Freddy's Nightmares TV Series / Awful 1990s TV Shows / The Funniest Comebacks in Talk Show History / Was Sonny Bono Murdered? / Robin Williams' Mrs. Doubtfire Screen Tests / Robert Downey Jr Asks for Forgiveness for Mel Gibson / Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave / Judy Garland vs Liz Taylor / Emmy Award Multiple Winners / Nathaniel Taylor aka Rollo Lawson / Anthony Zuiker: Mr. CSI / Jimmy & Cher / Diana Muldaur: A Viewer's History / Uncle Andy's Funhouse / Bea Arthur vs Betty White / Skidoo: Worst All-Star Comedy Ever? / Every Marvel Cartoon Opening Theme From 1966 - Present / When Stars Play Themselves / My Pen Pal is in the Pen, Pal / Small Roles Big Performances / Barbara Hall / Julie Newmar / Sick of CNN Surrogates / Stars Before They Were Famous / Stars Before They Were Famous 3 / A Better Classic TV Network / Bill Paxton / Who Was the Black Daliah? / How Frasier Was Created / Music Videos / Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Behind the Scenes / Shirley Jones Interview / What We Lost When We Lost VHS / When Hit TV Shows Return / Commercials Starring Sopranos Cast Members / Shows Nobody Remembers But Me 4 / Shows Nobody Remembers But Me 1 / Bryan Cranston Interview / FREE streaming movie service you didn’t know you have / The Great Cable TV Migration / Sportscaster Woody Durham / Movie Posters and the documentary 24x36 /Chris Robinson /Dallas Reboot /David Letterman /Auditioning For Game Shows in the 80s /Ghosts of Cable TV past / Honey Boo Boo - WTF?!? / Steven Bochco Tribute / Ian Abercrombie / Joe Franklin / John Nettles / Gotham / Jon Cryer / Jon Stewart / Lana Wood / David Letterman / Matt Bomer / Molly Ringwald / Morgan Brittany / Music Rights for TV Shows / Neilsen Ratings / Norman Lloyd / Not Your Dad's TV / TV Series Reunions / Rich Little / Special Bulletin with George Clooney / Howard Stern VS Jamie Foxx / Top Ten Action Movies / 2013 Emmy Awards / 2010 Celebrity Deaths

It is what it is!

Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave

Lost Kid Shows / Movie Stars on TV / Saturday Morning Shows / Video Vault / TV Goodbyes / Fabulous Fifties / Unseen Scenes / Game Shows / Requested Forgotten TV Shows / The Super Sixties / More Modern TV Shows / The New * * Shows / 1980's Wrestling / TV Blog

Classic TV on the Internet!