DIXIE LANES

"World War II has just ended, and young Everett Laidlaw who had joined the battle overseas to avoid jail for Moonshining, returns home and reunites with his kin. But surviving the war will soon seem like a cakewalk for Everett as he deals with his wacky family and struggles with coming of age in small-town America" is how Dixie Lanes was described.

The above description sounded like this would be a pretty decent movie and since I'm a fan of Hoyt Axton I was anxious to see it; however, there were so many things wrong with Dixie Lanes that I really don't know where to begin. The main problem lies in the lack of focus on any certain plot and/or a decision as to what type of movie was being made. Somewhere near the halfway point of Dixie Lanes a plot finally emerged; but in the meantime the movie had meandered from one idea to another while trying to decide if it was a madcap 40s movie, a family drama, or a mystery. I'm not saying it would be impossible to combine all of those elements, but they each seem to be treated as a separate entity and none ever converged with any other. I can only guess the lack of focus in the movie was due to an inexperienced director, this was his first movie (and he only directed one more movie eight years later).


Hoyt Axton, whose own likability shone through his character, did a fine job with the role he was given. Even though the box cover makes it appear that Hoyt and Karen Black are the stars of the movie, the movie mainly revolves around his son, Everett (Christopher Rydell). A brief footnote to Dixie Lanes - although not a musician, but only related to one, Bruce Springsteen's sister Pamela plays Rydell's love interest in Dixie Lanes and appears topless in one scene.

HARMONY CATS

I'm going to do you a favor that I wish someone had done for me and tell you the following: IF you see Harmony Cats on the video store shelf - put it back. IF you see it for sale - walk away fast. IF you see it showing on TV - quickly change the channel. IF Netflix suggests it for you - click not interested. IF you want to see Harmony Cats because it says Hoyt Axton is featured - please realize he doesn't sing and only appears in the movie for approximately 5 minutes. IF you don't heed these warnings and still watch Harmony Cats - don't say you weren't warned.


I'll try to make the story as short as possible, since I'm trying to flush it (and flush is definitely the appropriate word) from my mind . An orchestra folds and a violinist (Kim Coates) takes a job playing bass with a country band. He considers this type of music beneath him but eventually sees the errors of his ways before returning to the symphony where he now plays wearing his tux with cowboy boots. In the middle of this story is a badly written script with insipid dialogue, hackneyed plot devices, and a terrible performance from the usually reliable actor Kim Coates, who played his role like a combination Frazier/Niles Crane to the nth degree. There are only two saving graces in Harmony Cats: Canadian blues singer, Jim Byrnes, whose singing and acting are both above par and Canadian country music singer Lisa Brokop, who plays his daughter and has some fine musical performances.