First Images of Hiddleston as Hank Williams from “I Saw The Light”
Director Marc Abraham, Tom Barnett as Gas Station Attendant, Richard L. Jackson as Gas Station Owner/ Justice of the Peace, Elizabeth Olsen as Audrey Williams, and Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams. From Richard L. Jackson Facebook page.
The Hank Williams biopic I Saw The Light is currently shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, and we’re beginning to get the first glimpses of the set and some of the actors in their costumes, while details of some of the specific cast members continue to emerge.
Word has come down that actor Fred Parker Jr., known for his work on the horror film The Eves as well as numerous other television and movie roles has been cast to play country music legend Faron Young. Faron was a songwriter and a performer, a friend of Hank’s, and the love interest of Billie Jean Eshliman, who Faron introduced to Hank, and eventually became Hank’s second wife and widow. The part of Billie Jean has been cast to Maddie Hasson. Faron Young was born in Shreveport, and started out as a pop singer. But when he saw Hank Williams receive nine encores on The Louisiana Hayride, he decided to switch to country. Faron committed suicide in 1996.
Actor Casey Bond, a baseball player turned actor known for his role in Moneyball, will be playing fiddle player Jerry Rivers—one of the most important figures in Hank’s Drifting Cowboy Band. Rivers played on virtually all of Hank’s recordings after 1950, and was a close personal friend of Hank’s, going on hunting trips with the singer, and even acting as his personal manager for a while. Eventually Hank’s drinking drove Jerry Rivers from Hank’s band, but he continued to play with Hank right up to his death. Rivers was scheduled to play with Hank on the New Years show in 1953 Hank never made it to, dying en route. Just like Hank, Rivers got caught up in a Winter storm and never made it to the show.
Additionally a camera crew from KTBS Channel 3 in Shreveport was allowed on the I Saw The Light set and spoke briefly with Tom Hiddleston. Anchor Devon Patton took his picture with Hiddleston, giving us the best glimpse of Hiddleston as Hank in period clothing.
The parts of Fred Rose and Hank’s mom were also cast recently. I Saw The Light is being produced and directed by Marc Abraham, who also adapted the screenplay from Colin Escott’s Hank Williams biography. The movie is set to be released in 2015.
Hank Williams III, the grandson of Hank Williams, has been a vocal opponent of the pick of the British-born Tom Hiddleston to play his grandfather. Last week, actor Austin Haley who is cast to play a character “Dwayne” was critical of Hank3, saying, “As far as Hank3 is concerned. Hell I wouldn’t even got to him for advice on music much less on who should make a movie.”
Video from KTBS:
Photo via Devon Patton
November 7, 2014 @ 2:10 pm
As one who has been critical of this casting, I have to say that the still picture
of Hiddleston as Hank Sr. is striking. If it were a silent picture, he would already
have it nailed. Hopefully the rest of the characterization will match the “look”.
But Austin Haley is still a turdblossom……
November 7, 2014 @ 3:50 pm
He’s a turd for what, telling people to shut the fuck up with uneducated (in regard to acting) and therefore unwarranted opinions?
You would be fine with Hiddleston as Hank Williams if Hank3 didn’t have to be a drama queen and make an unnecessary stink out of nothing.
Whether we all like it or not, Haley is an actor, and therefore the expert on what justifies another actor’s selection for a certain role.
Hiddleston is going to be fantastic. A no-name is PERFECT for a role like this, where we don’t have to pretend we don’t know it’s [insert huge celebrity name here] portraying Hank Williams.
November 7, 2014 @ 4:05 pm
I would say that when a feature film is being made about one’s legendary grandfather, which will potentially shape the public’s perception of his life and career for decades, one has the right to be concerned about its execution, possibly even to the point of being a “drama queen.”
Having said that, the photo of Tom Hiddleston as Hank really is striking. I hope the movie turns out for the best.
November 7, 2014 @ 9:23 pm
I would agree if his comments had reflected any of those concerns. But they didn’t.
November 7, 2014 @ 4:12 pm
Hey BwareDWare94,
If acting experience makes one an expert, I would offer my own resume.
Over 200 television episodes, 25 feature films, 150 commercials, and 80 theatrical productions. And I agree with Hank III,
Of course, we will never know the answer to this. I wish Hiddleston well. He is an actor trying to make a living.
But Austen Haley? And expert on Southern culture and country music? Who knew?
November 7, 2014 @ 6:15 pm
Did I say Austin Haley was an expert in southern culture and country music? No. I didn’t, but that has nothing to do with Tom Hiddleston portraying Hank Williams. It has to do with skill level, devotion to research, etc. Again, the best part about Hiddleston getting this role is that so few people know who he is, so they can’t really associate an actor with the legend. We won’t be watching “I Saw the Light” and constantly thinking about the actor’s name, because we really know nothing about him.
That’s what Haley was saying. His comment was blown out of proportion. By all accounts, Hiddleston sounds like a very skilled actor who will knock it out of the park
Congratulations on a nice acting career.
November 8, 2014 @ 9:23 am
No, what you said was, “Haley is an actor, and therefore the expert on what justifies another actor’s selection for a certain role.”
And I laid out a part of my professional resume, which by your definition would make me even more of an expert “on what justifies another actor’s selection for a certain role.”
I have also been a Hank Williams fan since I first heard him when I was a kid back
in the 1940’s. So I am also very knowledgable about Hank, and also about the culture from which he came. And having worked with hundreds of actors with some of the worst Southern accents conceivable, I know that having the natural ear of a native is a big asset when portraying regional parts.
And then you say, with no evidence except your own “expert” assumption, “Hiddleston is going to be fantastic.”
Which tells us that you are a flak, and a real life drama queen.
November 8, 2014 @ 9:23 am
No, what you said was, “Haley is an actor, and therefore the expert on what justifies another actor’s selection for a certain role.”
And I laid out a part of my professional resume, which by your definition would make me even more of an expert “on what justifies another actor’s selection for a certain role.”
I have also been a Hank Williams fan since I first heard him when I was a kid back
in the 1940’s. So I am also very knowledgable about Hank, and also about the culture from which he came. And having worked with hundreds of actors with some of the worst Southern accents conceivable, I know that having the natural ear of a native is a big asset when portraying regional parts.
And then you say, with no evidence except your own “expert” assumption, “Hiddleston is going to be fantastic.”
Which tells us that you are a flak, and a real life drama queen.
June 24, 2015 @ 11:17 am
Ben, if you knew anything about Tom Hiddleston’s acting career, you’d know the diversity of his roles, the research he puts into a role and the way he immerses himself into it.
I think it would be a safe assumption that Tom didn’t wake up one day and decide he’d try go do a film portraying a musical legend like Hank.
From what I’ve seen he’s spent months if not more researching, practising and giving this all his dedication and attention.
I’ve seen many of Hiddleston’s films and have no doubt that he will do Hank justice and treat this with the care and respect it deserves.
And he’s one hell of an actor.
I really don’t think we should judge a book by its cover.
And i’m sure, with your extensive working background in the film industry, surely you can agree it’s not all about one actor. It’s about the script. It’s about the director. It’s about his Co stars. It’s about how the finished product comes together.
So why don’t people leave the judging until they’ve seen the film in its entirety?
November 8, 2014 @ 5:39 am
My biggest problem with what that son-of-a-bitch hayley had to say was his insulting disregard of Shelton’s music. Hank3 is directly responsible for me knowing of JB Beverly, Scott H. Biram, Those Poor Bastards, etc… And his music is also the reason this website began so all the other cool country music I know of is basically owed to him. So hayley can go shit in his hat. I don’t know that 3 wanted to do the part but I dare anyone to watch him perform “A Picture From Life’s Other Side” while wearing his Grandpa’s suit to say he shouldn’t have been approached for the role or at least to be the music consultant.
November 11, 2014 @ 11:03 am
“…. I dare anyone to watch him perform “A Picture From Life”™s Other Side” while wearing his Grandpa”™s suit to say he shouldn”™t have been approached for the role or at least to be the music consultant.”
I’ll take the dare. As I’ve said before, he’s got the phrasing, the moan, and the emaciated frame, but his voice and stage presence isn’t really that close at all. Anyone who can objectively watch video of Hank Sr. and Hank 3 back-to-back would realize this, but most are willing to take Shelton at his word.
November 8, 2014 @ 10:19 am
He”™s a turd for what, telling people to shut the fuck up with uneducated (in regard to acting) and therefore unwarranted opinions?
No. Here’s why.
Haley the actor seems to have no problem taking a shot at Hank3 as a musician. That makes him a hypocrite.
Haley has a role in a movie about one of the most revered and mythical figures in country music (your opinion of Hank Sr. notwithstanding). Yet, here he is taking mean spirited, disrespectful pot shots at Hank Sr.’s grandson for voicing concerns about the the casting of Hiddelston some weeks ago. I don’t think Hank3 was being personally disrespectful towards Hiddleston, either. That along with him being knocked out by Hiddleston’s singing (really?) makes me wonder whether he knows much of anything about Hank Sr and his place in country music.
I’m not very worked up about Hiddleston’s casting, but Haley’s comments really pissed me off. I think it’s a drag that he’s even going to be in this movie.
November 8, 2014 @ 10:25 am
Very well put, Jack.
November 11, 2014 @ 6:02 pm
While i mostly agree with you Hiddleston is by no means a no name actor. He may have just hit his popularity in 2011 but if i say Tom Hiddleston in public(and i do because i’m huge into comic culture also) i have noticed the majority of the people know who he is. He is a household name it seems.
November 14, 2014 @ 8:55 am
A no-name?? the guy stars in one of the biggest block busters of the last three decdes as the main vilain! he is everything but a no name. I think it is a poor choice.
November 12, 2014 @ 5:23 pm
Ben– The issue many of us have with Hankiii has to do with some of his very earliest comments, which he rather backtracked on a bit later. They were very harsh, and presumably part of why Haley used such harsh language. I’m sure he (Haley) also planned out how to get maximum attention for his comments as well. Which is unfortunate, because Hiddleston is by all accounts doing a great job in filming and doesn’t need to be defended that way.
I wasn’t too happy about the “compare us side by side, look how much better I am” video Hankiii posted, as he put a studio recording of himself against a fan phone video of Hiddleston singing and playing *before* he spent over a month in the studio with Rodney Crowell and crew training and developing his performance of Hank. As an actor yourself, surely you recognize the dedication and hard work described in RC’s Facebook post describing Hiddleston’s daily routine in preparation for filming–the man wasn’t slacking off, he clearly knows how important it is that he do a superlative job.
And on that point, the Kingdom of Earth recording is probably not a good example of him doing a Southern accent, as the production (‘Bedtime Stories’) was a unique staging of several select pieces and the director was definitely going for “effect/impact” over accuracy. Hiddleston has an excellent record of performing whatever accent or voice he is given, so if his vocal coach is as good as they say I suspect he will surprise a lot of people.
My mother is from the South and is the only person I know myself who has seen Hank Williams perform live. She is quite looking forward to seeing this movie, and has said she can’t think of anyone she would have cast instead of Mr. Hiddleston.
November 13, 2014 @ 2:22 pm
Your comment sucks!
November 7, 2014 @ 2:45 pm
I will wait and see BUT my expectations are very low. Hank III points were valid a southerner would have been a better Hank Sr. That point it seem is painfully obvious to most. However, the proof will be in the pudding soon enough.
November 7, 2014 @ 3:06 pm
Remember ‘Great Balls of Fire’? Dennis Quaids rendition of JLL was ridiculous, so there goes that theory of a Southerner has to be portrayed by a Southerner.
What about an Australian portraying William Wallace? Just silly.
November 8, 2014 @ 5:57 am
Good point. On the flip side that Brit that plays Jax on Sons Of Anarchy – his accent is always bleeding through. But a good actor can pull it off. I think Hank3 felt like someone more familiar with the southern lifestyle would have an easier time of it. I don’t give a shit myself but this is his family.
November 8, 2014 @ 9:34 am
Yeah, Shot, Quaid was awful as the “Killer”, miscast no matter where he was born.
But that doesn’t mean that Jeremy Irons would have been better.
By the way, I have seen Jerry Lee do shows where he wasn’t very good at playing Jerry Lee, either.
But as for William Wallace….well, nobody really knows what Wallace sounded like.
It is likely that the sound of Scots Highlanders of the 17th century would be entirely unintelligible to modern ears. In fact the speech of some 21st century Scots back in
the highlands is still a bit dicey for American listeners. But that doesn’t matter. Australia
was settled by the peoples from the British Isles, maybe even some of Wallace’s
descendants.
November 9, 2014 @ 8:11 pm
This won’t be the first or last time an actor has played a role outside of their own nationality or region. An Irishman played a German in Schnidlers list, Meryl Streep an American played a Brit in Iron Lady, the list can go on and on . I guess we will have to wait and see but cant write an actor off for this reason only. And to excuse an Aussie playing an Scot based on ancestory is silly because the Williams are of English ancestory. Tom Hiddleston is English.
November 10, 2014 @ 6:55 am
Yes, April, we shall have to wait and see. And HIddleston is a fine actor. But based on the Tennesee Williams reading piece that has been posted here, his “Southern accent” is not an “accent” at all, but a very exaggerated imitation of Hollywood actors doing terrible Southern accents. He needs to work on it, just as he needs to work on his singing.
If you will go back and look at the first Andy Griffith “Mayberry” shows, even Andy, who
was as Southern as it gets, was “putting on” on the accent. But after the first season,
he simply started playing himself, with his natural accent, and the show became a huge hit as the character became more realistic, natural, and appealing.
Hiddleston’s accent is not natural, and never will be. But he can get a lot closer than
the charicature of a accent which he used on the recording. If he can nail the singing, the speech will come easier, actually. He looks great in the part, but that and $4 will get you a latte at Starbucks….
November 10, 2014 @ 7:46 am
Ben,
After listening, I would at least say that he doesn’t sound like a Brit. He sounds like a non-Southern American earnestly trying to do a Southern accent. It doesn’t sound all that bad to me or at least I’ve heard a lot worse. But I’m not a Southerner. I’m probably a good deal better at picking out bad NY/NJ accents or Irish brogues (me mother being from the Old Sod itself).
He may get closer to the genuine article as far as speaking goes, but I wonder about the singing. For exampIe, I didn’t hear anything remotely sounding like a yodel in the one sample we heard (i.e., the moan that Hank3 said was missing). I think it’s a much taller order trying to sing like Hank then, say, Johnny Cash.
November 20, 2014 @ 3:08 pm
Sorry sir, but William Wallace was not born in the 17th century, but in the 13th century. (1270-1305)
This is not quite the same thing.
November 7, 2014 @ 9:39 pm
The idea that a Southerner has to play a Southerner, regardless of how legendary the character being portrayed, pretty much sums up why all those dern Yankees view you Rebels as arrogant and ignorant.
It’s acting. Being a from the South will not automatically make one better for playing a role in a film.
As a side note, since this is a music website, everyone whining reminds me of how all these shitty bro country songs have to constantly remind the listener how ‘country’ and ‘southern’ the artist is. Who the fuck cares? It’s one thing to be proud of where you are from and how you were raised. Looking down on others for not being from the same place is something else entirely.
November 8, 2014 @ 6:20 am
I know it’s not related to the topic at hand but I’m glad you said something about that issue. I think it was trigger who said something along the lines that these artists sing about things that happen in the south as if it happens there exclusively. As if you can only be “country” if you are from the south. I’m Canadian and I feel I am just as if not more country than a lot of southerners especially a lot of these bros. And what about states like Wyoming or Iowa? There are rural areas everywhere where people farm or towns where people make a living doing the rough blue collar jibs often talked about in country. Why does the south feel it gets exclusive rights to these ways of living. And I know it’s not all southerners that feel that way but it’s very perpetuated but current mainstream country.
November 8, 2014 @ 8:43 am
I have always felt like radio country songs were actually making fun of “country” folk but the ones who listen to it are just too dim to understand that these songs they love are written by people living in big cities who look down on them. And I live on a mountain in North Idaho – definitely more of a rural setting than Nashville Tennessee.
November 8, 2014 @ 2:00 pm
I don’t know about that, I think country music is not just southern in appeal or backdrop. (and I’m Canadian too). It’s “heartland” music generally. Get an hour from Toronto (which is as non-country as San Francisco) and you’re in the heartland. I think the southern angle in country is mostly a backlash against the cultural divide (which is very real).
November 8, 2014 @ 3:07 pm
I’m speaking in terms of current mainstream stuff that mostly references states like georgia, Alabama etc. Like the list in “all about the south”. I agree that when it comes to older music there is a larger range, especially with Western cowboy ballads or rodeo songs from the likes of George, Garth and Chris Ledoux. I just find that bro country is so insistent upon itself always needing to remind you that they live in the south and that they drive trucks and work on farms, as if they stopped singing about that they’d no longer be country. I also agree about cultural divide, but the problem has become that now people who come from a different way of life see being “country” as this gimmick that they can role play simply by driving a chevy, wearing plaid and ripped jeans, and all too often that image is accompanied by a southern accent.
November 9, 2014 @ 9:17 am
Won’t disagree on that. The cliches are over the top lately. Same old, same old. You always had that southern pickup truck element which was fine in its place (Aaron Tippen, Sammy Kershaw etc.) but yes the element of human relationships seems to have been condensed to cliched one-liners in so many songs. Again there’s room for bro-country but not to the detriment of everything else.
November 8, 2014 @ 12:56 pm
I don’t really have an opinion on Tom Hiddleston’s casting as Hank (at least not until I see the movie), but I do think it’s funny that everyone keeps referring to him as an unknown actor. The Avengers made $1.5 billion worldwide with Tom Hiddleston playing the main villain. At least a few people have seen him before.
November 9, 2014 @ 2:39 pm
I am so glad you posted this! I have been giggling as I read “no name”. Besides having millions of international fan clubs/sites, Tom Hiddleston is an award winning Shakespearian actor. He is FAR from unknown. I have always believed that the casting would benefit the movie and expose a lot of people ,who would never otherwise hear the historic music, to Hank Williams’ story.
November 8, 2014 @ 4:45 pm
The reason that Country Music has such a Southern accent is that it was born in
the South, was first recorded in the South, and the vast majority of successful country artists have come from the South. The music was mainly influenced by the early Celtic
emigrants who settled in the Appalachian mountains. They brought their fiddle music
with them, and from that came mountain “string music” bands. In 1927, Ralph Peer of RCA Victor recorded sessions in Bristol Tennessee with The Original Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, aka “The Singing Brakeman”. These records became national hits and greatly influenced artists like Bill Monroe, Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, and
Kitty Wells. There were also singers like Vernon Dalhart, who used country themes
in “popular music.” Throw in the Texas sound, the Blues, and rockabilly, it was just
about an entirely Southern sound. But it influenced artists all over. One of the great
country stars of the 40’s and 50’s was Hank Snow, from Canada. But make no mistake. This is Southern music, just like Jazz is from New Orleans, the Blues
from the Mississippi Delta, Rockabilly from Memphis, and so on.
I’ve heard it played all over the world and played well in some cases. But it comes from
the hills of Dixie by way of Ireland and Scotland.
November 9, 2014 @ 8:45 am
That’s half the story. At the same time as what was then known as “hillbilly” music was being developed in the Southeast, western folk music was being developed in the American and Canadian West. In about the 1940s the two forms of music were blended to form Country-Western music, later shortened to simply Country.
Which is all really beside the point. Historically, country music has featured melodies and arrangements unique to its roots, but generally universal lyrical content; whereas today’s “country” music features melodies and arrangements largely drawn from hip-hop and hard rock influences but lyrics that proclaim themselves to be unique to the South. The fact of the matter is, people in Illinois, Wyoming, New York and every other state drive trucks, drink, fish, have sex, and do every other thing that today’s typical “country” lyric proclaims to be uniquely Southern.
November 9, 2014 @ 10:10 am
Tom,
That is very good and smart information and analysis. And I agree almost totally
with your second paragraph, regarding the degrading of the genre through non-traditional styles such as hip-hop, rap, and “bro-country.” In and of themselves
they are fine, but to many of us they are being forced artificially onto the “country sound” and have penalized the fine young artists who are “true to their school”. As far as the “industry” is concerned, if it makes money, it is “country”. In their minds, they get to decide what country is. So you are right on about that.
And of course, wherever there are rural lifestyles, be it New Hampshire, Arizona, North Dakota, or Saskatchewan, there is a love of the music which celebrates the rural culture. No disagreement there.
But the people who went west, who created Texas swing, the Bakersfield Sound,
and Western boogie-woogie, didn’t live in the Southwest originally. They migrated
west throughout the late 19th and early 20th century, by and large from the rural
areas of the South and the Midwest. And they took their traditional music with them.
The moniker “Country-Western” was inclusive of groups like Bob Wills, Spade Cooley,
and other swing bands. “Cowboy” stars like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers added a lot
to the mix. “Country-Western” coexisted with “Hillbilly” for some years. What Hank Williams brought to the music was genius, and in the post-war years he and others wrote songs of the “real life”, loosely called honky tonk music.
Maybe the biggest non-Southern influence was the addition of the steel guitar, played Hawaiian style. That was, and is, basic to honky-tonk.
That “Western” part of the music always raises the question of how to geographically
describe the state of Texas, whose music is also influenced by Mexican and German
instrumentation and arrangement. It always struck me that Texas music was also a lot about dancing.
One would have to really stretch American music to find sounds that would pollute such a diverse stream. But most of the crap coming out of Music Row these days has
managed to do just that, it sounds like to me.
It is hard to improve on Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Dolly Parton. They and other living artists can’t seem to find a place on radio these days….
November 8, 2014 @ 8:24 pm
Tom Hiddleston reading the Kingdom of Earth by Tennessee Williams
https://soundcloud.com/dancing_skeletons/tom-hiddleston-stories-before
November 9, 2014 @ 11:38 am
This horrible excuse for a “Southern accent” is exactly what I am talking about. It is overdone, phony, pretentious, and is so obviously “acting” that poor Tennessee Williams would not have recognized it as a human dialect. It is theatrically offensive.
Hopefully his time in the South will refine his ear.
Now, I wonder how his “singing” is coming along.
Jeezuz, people…..
November 9, 2014 @ 7:07 pm
I thought he was dead on.
November 9, 2014 @ 7:32 pm
Sure you did….
November 10, 2014 @ 6:57 am
Oooh…that is bad. But then again, I think it is obvious and trite that Tennessee Williams is always performed using over-the-top accents.
I do find it interesting to hear a Brit’s interpretation of an American accent. I think you can get by with it on a TV show like House, for instance–but probably not so much on a feature film about an iconic figure like Hank I.
All good art is an indiscretion. — Tennessee Williams
November 13, 2014 @ 2:50 pm
Eh, this isn’t perfect, but it shows promise. The first line is over the top, but then he seems to settle into it. Although there are a few phrases (like “maa laff” for “my life”) that are too exaggerated, the overall accent is close enough that I think he could accomplish a pretty credible American Southern accent down after working with a vocal coach. As someone who has lived in the American South (Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia) all “maa laff,” I greatly prefer this to the hammy “Gone With the Wind” Southern accents that American actors seem to affect.
November 10, 2014 @ 3:49 pm
I plan on waiting until I see the movie before passing judgement. It’s been my experience that great actors do great work so I don’t see southern native thing being any more of an issue than a requirement for the actor to have a history as a self-distructive alcoholic and\or drug addict. He will need to sing well enough to at least “channel” Hank Williams. I don’t envy anyone in regard. Too bad Wayne Hancock doesn’t resemble Hank Williams or act.
On another note, Richard L. Jackson (the actor in the middle of the group photo above) needs to go find a script about Ross Perot and grab the lead role.
November 11, 2014 @ 10:11 am
The biggest difference is he has a soft English look in his eye, none of that glint of genius that made Hank Sr. what he was.
March 5, 2015 @ 7:55 pm
excellent point !! yes, so true. Mr Hiddleton has good acting skills, though he looks far too soft & pretty for the part. His eyes do not have that rugged heart-wrenching glint to them
November 12, 2014 @ 7:18 am
This is a pitiful controversy.
Of course it’s understandable that the makers of this film need the freedom to make bold decisions such as the casting of Huddleston. I truly hope that we all see it as a stroke of genius after the film is made.
I do however, take exception to the criticism of hank3 by those involved in this film, and I think that the filmmakers squandered a great opportunity by not at least giving him a call. Even if hank3 did not end up on board with the direction that the filmmakers ultimately took, it makes me wary to think that they did not recognize him as a possible resource. No, hank3 is not a filmmaker, and I wish that his public comments had focused less on casting decisions and more on the fact that he, and presumably other living members of the Williams family were not consulted. I think that would have been a better position to take.
November 12, 2014 @ 8:12 am
I wish that his public comments had focused less on casting decisions and more on the fact that he, and presumably other living members of the Williams family were not consulted. I think that would have been a better position to take.
I agree that might have been the more politically expediant way to go, but that doesn’t appear to be Hank3’s way. He has been very vocal on issues concerning Hank Sr.’s legacy in the past. For example, he has been critical of the Lost Notebook project (as far as I know, no one reached out to him on that one, either) and he started the Reinstate Hank effort (which has been ridiculed by more than a few who like to point out with a sneer that Hank Sr. is dead). So, he tends to wear his heart on his sleeve when it comes to his grandfather.
November 12, 2014 @ 7:52 am
Hate to go off topic from the movie itself, but I have a question about Hank’s music in general… Do you know if there are any royalty issues/distribution issues for Hank’s songs in regards to radio play? For instance we have a HANK FM down here in OKC that plays classic songs from Cash, Waylon, Merle, Yoakam, Conway, David Allan Coe, even Hank Jr., but I’ve never heard the man himself.
Granted, I don’t listen to the station for maybe more than a half hour/hour tops at a time, and it’s quite possible I simply tune in at the wrong times. But I’m curious if there are other reasons.
November 12, 2014 @ 4:02 pm
It probably has more to do with programming. I’m guessing you also don’t hear much Red Foley, Ernest Tubb, or Hank Snow on that station, either. although country music of all eras was commonly played together on contemporary country radio stations up through the 1980s, todays “classic” country stations are generally segmented to focus on specific eras.
November 12, 2014 @ 5:39 pm
You may notice a change in that–one of the reasons this particular movie is finally being made (as I understand it) is that several major issues regarding rights to much of Hank Williams Sr.’s music were settled in court last year, with some rulings stretching into this year. Unfortunately, I don’t have details as to what those settlements were.
But the music may well be more available now. Getting back to the subject of involving the family–if Hank Williams, Jr. and Jett Williams had issues with this movie, they could have simply not allowed the use of the songs, right?
November 12, 2014 @ 7:04 pm
That court case involved the licensing of some previously unreleased live recordings, not Hank’s existing catalog. Radio stations who pay their BMI and ASCAP licensing fees have the right to broadcast any and all songs licensed by those organizations, which includes Hank’s entire previously released body of work. So while there are recordings available for broadcast for the first time, this has nothing to do with whether or not the previous recordings were being played on the radio.
But I believe your last statement is correct. As I understand it, Randall and Jett control the use of Hank’s music for commercial purposes such as a movie. If that’s the case they most certainly could prevent them from using the music in the movie if they so desired.
November 12, 2014 @ 11:09 pm
That makes a lot of sense, Tom, thanks for clearing up the first point. Back to the second—does Hankiii have any input or say as to what happens regarding the music rights?
November 13, 2014 @ 12:49 pm
As far as I know – and I’m basing this off an interview I read with Shelton when he first started crossing over into country music years ago – he is completely out of the loop at this point. I don’t believe there were any contingencies established with the original estate, so what happens to the music once Randall and/or Jett pass away depends on their respective wills.
November 13, 2014 @ 7:16 am
Well, it is doubtful that anyone would make a film about Hank Williams without procuring the film rights to the music. Marc Abraham is a veteran producer and he surely dealt with those details shortly after he committed to the project.
And despite what any of us might think of this casting, this film should generate a new interest in Hank Sr.’s music, his life, and his legacy. Hopefully, they won’t do that thing where the actor does a so-so impersonation of the singer being portrayed. I’ve only seen that work when Sissy Spacek did Loretta Lynn. It clearly wasn’t Loretta, but it didn’t seem to matter in that case. But there were people who thought Joaquin Phoenix was a fine Johnny Cash. Go figure. Hank,Jr. dubbed the singing for “Your Cheating Heart” and was very good at it.
Anyhow, I expect the movie to generate a lot of interest in Hank and his music, and that can only be a good thing.
November 13, 2014 @ 8:37 am
They just did the Jimi Hendrix biopic without film rights to his music, instead using Beatles cover songs he performed. You’d think that would be Step 1, though, in planning any music biopic.
It will be interesting to see what they actually choose to use here with respect to the film and soundtrack. Walk The Line used no original Cash performances in the film or soundtrack. The James Brown biopic used almost all original recordings.
As to the original point, my best guess as to why we don’t hear old Hank songs on the radio: sound quality.
November 13, 2014 @ 8:45 am
Hey Big A,
The best source I’ve found for “Classic” country music is on “Willie’s Roadhouse”
on XM/Sirius. They play it all, sometimes even stuff from the 1930’s. And a lot
of 40’s and 50’s work, all mixed in together with later tunes.
Hank, Sr. remastered sounds pretty good to me.
Ben
November 14, 2014 @ 10:22 am
Agreed; Willie’s Roadhouse is an excellent station.
January 8, 2015 @ 12:03 am
Well I prrsonall think that makin a new movie about hanks life is a great idea because a lot of the younger generation needs to know the foundation of real country music and how it really started! I’m a huge Hank fan and sing a lot of his songs and even dress like him. I don’t think they should train someone to act country or use country slang. I feel people who try really over do it and U can tell its fake. It’s just somethin your born with. But maybe the movie turns out good and gets a lot of people focused on old country music again because to me that’s the only music there is!
January 30, 2015 @ 10:04 am
I have debated whether to post this or not…. like most… I was very skeptical of how Tom Hiddleston was going to pull off a very Southern accent…. Let me just tell you… I worked on ISTL and he is absolutely amazing… He had a GREAT dialect coach and NAILS us southerners….. He was continuously honing in on his speech and lines and the singing was even BETTER….. he continuously listened to Hank’s radio conversations with his head phones and everyone will be very surprised…. He is a great leading actor… very polite, courteous, a true gentleman….
June 5, 2015 @ 1:31 pm
I’ll wait to pass judgment on this until I’ve seen it. As far as being concerned on whether or not Mr. Hiddleston can provide a credible southern accent…honestly the ones who still can live in the rural areas. Most who live in or were raised in the larger cities like Atlanta, Nashville, or even one a tad smaller Knoxville, don’t have a true southern accent. My grandma and my mom and dad did, but I don’t. Not because I don’t want to…or I’m not proud of my heritage, I simply never developed one as a kid. I spent my childhood in Ohio, and lived in Cal. until I was 15. We moved to TN. in ’71. And I’ve lived her ever since.
I really hope that this does turn out to be an accurate movie about Hank Williams…because I’ve yet to see a good one. Let alone a factually accurate or good portrayal of Hank.
When I first watched House M.D. I had no idea that Hugh Laurie was a Brit and had been a well-known comedian in England for years until I did a search on him and discovered all of the videos of his comedy team. I was shocked to hear he had such a prominent accent simply because on this TV show I never heard a hint of his accent.
I’ll admit that”™s not the same as a southern accent by any means, but I won’t pass judgment on Mr. Hiddleston’s portrayal until its released. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.
I’m hoping a trailer will be released soon.
December 29, 2015 @ 1:26 pm
I was on set during the filming of “I Saw the Light” Tom Hiddleston was nothing less than brilliant.