And being in gunfights where I knew I couldn’t really get shot. “I loved riding the horses,” he said, “and I loved being out in the West. Still, Rogers has fond memories of playing cowboy in the first Gambler film. They told him, ‘We’re very sorry, sir, but we don’t let actors in here.’ And he said, ‘I’m no actor - and I’ve got 42 movies to prove it.’ That’s how I feel.” “There’s a great story about an old western actor who went to join a Beverly Hills country club. There are a lot of people who can’t do that. If you give me believable dialogue, I can keep it believable. It’s like I told somebody the other day: ‘There are actors, and then there are people who can act.’ You give an actor unbelievable dialogue, and they can make it believable. In a 2011 interview with C&I, Rogers admitted that, despite his success in the Gambler franchise and other movies, “I never really wanted to be an actor. During his journey, he befriends Billy Montana (Bruce Boxleitner), a novice gambler who needs to learn when to hold ‘em, when to fold ‘em, when to walk away – and when to run. Rogers stars as Brady Hawkes, a Wild West cardsharp who sets out to meet the son he never knew he had. It’s now available on Peacock, The Roku Channel, Tubi and other streaming platforms: So today might a good time to celebrate the occasion by watching Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, the popular 1980 TV-movie – inspired by Rogers’ smash-hit recording of the song written by Don Schlitz – that spawned four sequels over a 14-year period.
YOU TUBE SONG KENNY ROGERS THROUGH THE YEARS TV
Rogers was already one of the most successful male vocalists in country music by the time he released The Gambler, but the record catapulted him to superstar status, becoming a worldwide hit and even launching a string of TV movies.” 15, 1978) was a life-altering day for Kenny Rogers: It was on that date that the singer’s multi-platinum-selling album The Gambler was released. It’s then that he reflects on his father’s advice and concludes, “Sometimes you just have to fight to be a man.” 8.Bruce Boxleitner co-stars in the 1980 TV-movie that spawned a franchise.Īs The Boot reports: “Forty-three years ago today (Nov. Fueled by his bottled-up aggression, Tommy beats the living daylights out of all three brothers. However, the laugh stops when they see him locking the door. The brothers laugh at him upon seeing him coming. But upon seeing Becky’s tears and knowing what the Gatlin did, he decides to go to the barroom where the brothers hang out. With his father’s teachings still fresh in his head, he’s torn between defending his wife’s honor and doing the right thing. Tommy returns home to find his wife crying. Life is going great for them until one day, a group of men from the county, the Gatlin brother, enter his home and gang rap her.
Tommy later marries a woman called Becky. In his last word, his father tells him that turning the other cheek is never a sign of weakness and that he doesn’t have to fight to be a man.
His behavior was fueled by his father’s last advice on his death bed. His pacifism earned him the nickname Coward of the County.
“Coward of the County” (from “Kenny” album – 1979)Ī song about a young man, Tommy, with a reputation for not standing for himself. Many artists have also covered this track, including Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Alvin, the Chipmunks, The Doobie Brothers, George Jones, etc. So, he decides to stop pursuing her and leave. However, he still feels sorry for the man, and his conscience cannot allow him to go through with it. The narrator continues pursuing the woman and eventually woes her to a hotel for a night of fun. But in the middle of the conversion, a man walks in and directly goes to the woman to address her, uttering the words ““You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille.” The man then leaves, but it’s obvious he’s broken. The woman removes her wedding ring, and the narrator sees it as an opportunity to go and talk to her. In the story, Kenny talks about Lucille, a married woman she just met in a bar. The track starts with the band kicking up a storm before Rogers sets things in motion. This is probably the song that most people who don’t even like country music can’t help singing.