The Fastest Guitar Alive

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The Fastest Guitar Alive - Wikipedia

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The Fastest Guitar Alive
Theatrical release poster by Frank Frazetta
Directed by	Michael D. Moore
Written by	Robert E. Kent
Produced by	Sam Katzman
Starring	Roy Orbison Sammy Jackson Maggie Pierce
Cinematography	W. Wallace Kelley
Edited by	Ben Lewis
Music by	Roy Orbison Bill Dees Fred Karger
Color process	Metrocolor
Production company	Four Leaf Productions
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	September 1, 1967 (1967-09-01)
Running time	87 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Fastest Guitar Alive is a 1967 American musical comedy Western film directed by Michael D. Moore and starring singer Roy Orbison in his only acting role. The film features Orbison performing seven original songs, which appeared on his 1967 MGM album of the same name. His song "There Won't Be Many Coming Home" is featured in the 2015 western film The Hateful Eight.

Plot

Near the end of the American Civil War, a Southern spy (Orbison) with a bullet-shooting guitar is given the task of robbing gold bullion from the United States Mint in San Francisco to help finance the ill-fated Confederacy's last-ditch war effort.

Cast

Roy Orbison as Johnny Banner
Sammy Jackson as Steve Menlo
Maggie Pierce as Flo Chesnut
Joan Freeman as Sue Chesnut
Lyle Bettger as Charlie
John Doucette as Marshal Max Cooper
Patricia Donahue as Stella DeWitt
Ben Cooper as Deputy Rink
Ben Lessy as Indian Chief
Douglas Kennedy as Sheriff Joe Stedman
Iron Eyes Cody as First Indian
Sam the Sham as First Expressman

Production and release

Filming began September 1966.^[1] Although Orbison was pleased with the film, it proved to be a critical and box office flop. While MGM had included five films in his contract, no more were made.^[2]^[3]

Soundtrack

The Fastest Guitar Alive

Soundtrack album by

Roy Orbison

Released

June 1967

Recorded

August 9 – December 22, 1966

Genre

Rock and roll

Length

22:27

Label

MGM (E 4475)

Producer

Wesley Rose & Jim Vienneau

Roy Orbison chronology

Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson
(1967)

The Fastest Guitar Alive
(1967)

Cry Softly Lonely One
(1967)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[5]
Record Mirror	^[6]

A soundtrack album for the film was released in June 1967 on MGM Records. It was the only album to consist entirely of Roy Orbison/Bill Dees originals. Its single "There Won't Be Many Coming Home" reached No. 18 in the UK and entered the Australian chart at its highest position of #32 before slipping down the chart.

The album was also included in the 2015 box set The MGM Years 1965–1973 – Roy Orbison.^[7]

Reception

Richie Unterberger of AllMusic said the album "includes what may be his best obscure tune, the rarely anthologized "Whirlwind." With its galloping rhythm, emotive operatic vocals, swirling strings, and ghostly backing vocals, it recalls the best uptempo ballads that he recorded during his early-'60s heyday at the Monument label."^[8]

Billboard described the album as "a pack powerful emotion."^[9]

Cashbox gave the album a postive reviews, notes "These tunes, in addition to three other Orbison originals, are included"^[10]

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Whirlwind"	2:10
2.	"Medicine Man, Medicine Man"	2:43
3.	"River"	3:02
4.	"The Fastest Guitar Alive"	3:08
5.	"Rollin' On"	2:15

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Pistolero"	2:58
2.	"Good Time Party"	2:23
3.	"Heading South"	2:45
4.	"Best Friend"	2:38
5.	"There Won't Be Many Coming Home"	2:46

References

^ "Star Role for Jane Fonda". Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug 1966: D17.
^ Clayson, Alan, pp. 146–147.
^ Amburn, pp. 151–153.
^ The Fastest Guitar Alive at AllMusic
^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1062. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
^ Waston, Jimmy; Jopling, Norman (March 16, 1968). "new albums reviewed by Norman Jopling and Peter Jones: Potent Film L.P. from Orbison". Record Mirror. No. 366. p. 8.
^ "The MGM Years 1965-1973 - Roy Orbison". allmusic.com. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
^ Unterberger, Richie. "Roy Orbison - The Fastest Guitar Alive [Original Soundtrack]: Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
^ "Pop Spotlight: The Fastest Guitar Alive". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 30. July 29, 1967. p. 38.
^ "Cashbox Album Pop Pick Reviews: The Fastest Guitar Alive". Cash Box. Vol. 28, no. 50. July 22, 1967. p. 40.

External links

The Fastest Guitar Alive at IMDb
‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› The Fastest Alive at AllMovie
The Fastest Guitar Alive Virtual Museum Archived 2007-05-19 at the Wayback Machine

v t e Films directed by Mickey Moore
Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966) An Eye for an Eye (1966) The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967) Kill a Dragon (1967) Buckskin (1968)

v t e Roy Orbison
Discography
Studio albums	Lonely and Blue Roy Orbison at the Rock House Crying In Dreams There Is Only One Roy Orbison Orbisongs The Orbison Way The Classic Roy Orbison Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson The Fastest Guitar Alive Cry Softly Lonely One Roy Orbison's Many Moods Big O Hank Williams: The Roy Orbison Way Roy Orbison Sings Memphis Milestones I'm Still in Love With You Regeneration Laminar Flow In Dreams: The Greatest Hits studio re-recordings of earlier hits) Mystery Girl King of Hearts One of the Lonely Ones
Compilations	Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits More of Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits Early Orbison The Great Songs of Roy Orbison The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison In Dreams: The Greatest Hits The Legendary Roy Orbison 16 Biggest Hits Greatest Hits Live The Essential Roy Orbison A Love So Beautiful Unchained Melodies
Collaborations	Class of '55 Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1
Soundtrack appearances	Roadie Blue Velvet Less than Zero
Live	A Black & White Night Live
Singles	"Tryin' to Get to You" "Ooby Dooby" "Go Go Go" "Only the Lonely" "Blue Angel" "Running Scared" "Crying" / "Candy Man" "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)" "Working for the Man" "In Dreams" "Blue Bayou" "Pretty Paper" "It's Over" "Oh, Pretty Woman" "Memphis, Tennessee" "You Got It" "She's a Mystery to Me" "I Drove All Night"
Related articles	Traveling Wilburys Roy Orbison/The Beatles Tour Fred Foster In Dreams (musical)
Category

Films produced by Sam Katzman

Showmen's/
Screencraft

His Private Secretary (1933)
Police Call (1933)
Ship of Wanted Men (1933)
Public Stenographer (1934)
The Moth (1934)
The Big Race (1934)
St. Louis Woman (1934)

Supreme

A Demon for Trouble (1934)
Western Justice (1934)
The Brand of Hate (1934)
Smokey Smith (1935)
Tombstone Terror (1935)
Trail of Terror (1935)
Alias John Law (1935)
Big Calibre (1935)
Sundown Saunders (1935)
Brand of the Outlaws (1936)
The Kid Ranger (1936)

Victory

Peter B. Kyne	Danger Ahead (1935) Hot Off the Press (1935) Bars of Hate (1935) The Fighting Coward (1935) Taming the Wild (1936) aka Madcap A Face in the Fog (1936) Rio Grande Romance (1936) Kelly of the Secret Service (1936)
Tom Tyler	Rip Roarin' Buckaroo (1936) The Phantom of the Range (1936) Orphan of the Pecos (1937) (also d) Brothers of the West (1937) (also d) Cheyenne Rides Again (1937) Lost Ranch (1937) (also d) Mystery Range (1937) Feud of the Trail (1937)
Serials	Shadow of Chinatown (1936) Blake of Scotland Yard (1937)
Herman Brix	Two Minutes to Play (1936) Silks and Saddles (1936) Amateur Crook (1937) (also d) Flying Fists (1937) Million Dollar Racket (1937) Sky Racket (1937) (also d)
Tim McCoy	Six-Gun Trail (1938) Lightning Carson Rides Again (1938) Texas Wildcats (1939) Code of the Cactus (1939) Outlaws' Paradise (1939) Trigger Fingers (1939) The Fighting Renegade (1939) Straight Shooter (1939)

Puritan

The Rogues' Tavern (1936)

Monogram

East Side Kids	East Side Kids (1940) Boys of the City (1940) That Gang of Mine (1940) Pride of the Bowery (1941) Flying Wild (1941) Bowery Blitzkrieg (1941) Spooks Run Wild (1941) Mr. Wise Guy (1942) Let's Get Tough! (1942) Smart Alecks (1942) 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge (1942) Kid Dynamite (1942) Clancy Street Boys (1942) Ghosts on the Loose (1943) Mr. Muggs Steps Out (1943) Million Dollar Kid (1943) Follow the Leader (1944) Block Busters (1944) Bowery Champs (1944) Docks of New York (1945) Mr. Muggs Rides Again (1945) Come Out Fighting (1945)
Bela Lugosi	Invisible Ghost (1941) Bowery at Midnight (1942) The Corpse Vanishes (1942) Black Dragons (1942) The Ape Man (1943) Voodoo Man (1944) Return of the Ape Man (1944)
Musicals	Zis Boom Bah (1942)
Billy Gilbert	Spotlight Scandals (1943) Crazy Knights (1944) Three of a Kind (1944) Trouble Chasers (1945)
The Teen-Agers	Junior Prom (1946) Freddie Steps Out (1946) High School Hero (1946) Vacation Days (1947)

Columbia

Serials	Who's Guilty? (1945) Jungle Raiders (1945) Brenda Starr, Reporter (1945) Hop Harrigan (1946) Chick Carter, Detective (1946) Son of the Guardsman (1946) Jack Armstrong (1947) The Vigilante (1947) The Sea Hound (1947) Brick Bradford (1947) Congo Bill (1948) Tex Granger (1948) Superman (1948) Adventures of Sir Galahad (1949) Batman and Robin (1949) Bruce Gentry – Daredevil of the Skies (1949) Pirates of the High Seas (1950) Atom Man vs. Superman (1950) Cody of the Pony Express (1950) Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (1951) The Mysterious Island (1951) Roar of the Iron Horse (1951) Son of Geronimo (1952) Blackhawk (1952) The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd (1953) The Lost Planet (1953) Riding with Buffalo Bill (1954) Gunfighters of the Northwest (1954) Adventures of Captain Africa Mighty Jungle Avenger! (1955) Perils of the Wilderness (1956) Blazing the Overland Trail (1956)
Jean Porter	Betty Co-Ed (1946) Little Miss Broadway (1947) Sweet Genevieve (1947) Two Blondes and a Redhead (1947)
Jon Hall	Last of the Redskins (1947) The Prince of Thieves (1948) The Mutineers (1949) Hurricane Island (1951) When the Redskins Rode (1951) Brave Warrior (1952) Last Train from Bombay (1952)
Jungle Jim	Jungle Jim (1948) The Lost Tribe (1949) Mark of the Gorilla (1950) Captive Girl (1950) Pygmy Island (1950) Fury of the Congo (1951) Jungle Manhunt (1951) Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land (1952) Voodoo Tiger (1952) Savage Mutiny (1953) Valley of the Head Hunters (1953) Killer Ape (1953) Jungle Man-Eaters (1954) Cannibal Attack (1954) Jungle Moon Men (1955) Devil Goddess (1956)
Gloria Henry	Racing Luck (1948) Triple Threat (1948)
Gloria Jean	I Surrender Dear (1948) Manhattan Angel (1949)
Musical	Mary Lou (1948) Glamour Girl (1948)
Crime	Chinatown at Midnight (1949) State Penitentiary (1950) Revenue Agent (1950) Chain Gang (1950) The Miami Story (1954) Chicago Syndicate (1955) The Crooked Web (1955) Inside Detroit (1955) Teen-Age Crime Wave (1955) Miami Exposé (1956) Rumble on the Docks (1956) Escape from San Quentin (1957) The Tijuana Story (1957) The World Was His Jury (1958)
William Castle	Serpent of the Nile (1953) Fort Ti (1953) Slaves of Babylon (1953) Conquest of Cochise (1953) The Law vs. Billy the Kid (1954) Jesse James vs. the Daltons (1954) Masterson of Kansas (1954) The Battle of Rogue River (1954) Charge of the Lancers (1954) Drums of Tahiti (1954) The Saracen Blade (1954) The Iron Glove (1954) Duel on the Mississippi (1955) The Gun That Won the West (1955) New Orleans Uncensored (1955) Uranium Boom (1956) The Houston Story (1956)
Action	Barbary Pirate (1949) The Mutineers (1949) Last of the Buccaneers (1950) Tyrant of the Sea (1950) The Magic Carpet (1951) The Golden Hawk (1952) Thief of Damascus (1952) Prisoners of the Casbah (1953) Flame of Calcutta (1953) Siren of Bagdad (1953) Prince of Pirates (1953) Target Hong Kong (1953) The 49th Man (1953) Pirates of Tripoli (1955) Crash Landing (1958)
War	Purple Heart Diary (1951) A Yank in Korea (1951) The Pathfinder (1952) A Yank in Indo-China (1952) Sky Commando (1953) Mission Over Korea (1953) The Last Blitzkrieg (1959) The Enemy General (1960)
Western	California Conquest (1952) Jack McCall, Desperado (1953) Seminole Uprising (1955) Blackjack Ketchum, Desperado (1956) Utah Blaine (1957) The Wild Westerners (1962)
Sci-fi	Creature with the Atom Brain (1955) It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955) Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956) The Werewolf (1956) The Man Who Turned to Stone (1957) The Giant Claw (1957) Zombies of Mora Tau (1957) The Night the World Exploded (1957) Lock Up Your Daughters (1959)
Rock Musical	Rock Around the Clock (1956) Cha-Cha-Cha Boom! (1956) Calypso Heat Wave (1957) Don't Knock the Rock (1957) Juke Box Rhythm (1959) Twist Around the Clock (1961) Don't Knock the Twist (1961)
Drama	Going Steady (1958) Life Begins at 17 (1958) The Flying Fontaines (1959) The Love-Ins (1967) For Singles Only (1968)

Fox

Pirates of Tortuga (1961)
The Wizard of Baghdad (1961)

Tallahassee 7000 (1961)

MGM

Musicals	Hootenanny Hoot (1963) Get Yourself a College Girl (1964) Kissin' Cousins (1964) Your Cheatin' Heart (1964) Harum Scarum (1965) When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965) Hold On! (1966) The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967) A Time to Sing (1968)
Non-musical	Hot Rods to Hell (1967) Riot on Sunset Strip (1967) (sold to AIP) The Young Runaways (1968)

Other

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