Living Proof: The Hank Williams, Jr. Story

Living Proof: The Hank Williams, Jr. Story (1983)

Genres - Music  |   Sub-Genres - Biopic [feature], Musical Drama, Showbiz Drama  |   Release Date - Mar 7, 1983 (USA - Unknown)  |   Run Time - 128 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Mark Deming

Richard Thomas stars as country music star Hank Williams Jr. in this made-for-TV biopic, based on Williams' own memoirs. Williams wasn't yet four years old when his father, the legendary country singer/songwriter Hank Williams, died en route to a show. By the time he was eight, his mother, Audrey (Allyn Ann McLerie), had put Hank Jr. on-stage, singing his father's songs as a novelty act. As a teenager, Williams was signed to a recording contract, still specializing in his father's material. Williams made a respectable living in the music business, but he longed to create a musical identity of his own. Williams' struggle to come out from under the long shadow of his father's legacy was a difficult one, and it took a prolonged bout with alcoholism, an unsuccessful suicide attempt, and a near-fatal fall while mountain climbing before Williams was able to come to terms with his father's reputation, forging a country-rock style all his own and finding success on his own terms. Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story also features Williams' long-time manager and friend Merle Kilgore as himself; country star Naomi Judd also makes a cameo appearance as one of Hank's many one-night romances on the road, and a 14-year-old Christian Slater plays Hank's son.

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Keywords

music, country-music, father, generation, personal, problems, show-business, songwriter, stars [celebrities]