Macon McCalman

A psycho-killer with mommy issues, a charming crooked cowboy and their girl steal some jewels. The cowboy decides not to share and goes on the run with the loot. A crazy chase across the country between former partners in crime begins.

A boy with a music talent goes on a journey with his uncle for a stage concert. As this movie opens on an Oklahoma farm during the Great Depression, two simultaneous visitors literally hit the Wagoneer home: a ruinous dust storm and a convertible crazily driven by Red Stovall (Clint Eastwood), Emmy's (Verna Bloom's) brother. A roguish country-western musician, he has just been invited to audition for the Grand Ole Opry, his chance of a lifetime to become a success. However, this is way back in Nashville, Red clearly drives terribly, and he's broke and sick with tuberculosis to boot. Whit (Kyle Eastwood), fourteen, seeing his own chance of a lifetime to avoid "growing up to be a cotton picker all my life", begs Ma to let him go with Uncle Red as driver and protégé. Thus begins a picaresque journey both hilarious and poignant. —Paul Emmons <pemmons@wcupa.edu> During the Great Depression, struggling singer-songwriter Red Stovall (Clint Eastwood), who's led a hard life, which includes excessive drinking, is heading east through the American south on his way to Nashville, where he has an audition to appear at the Grand Ole Opry. Making it on the Opry would be his big break and his dream come true. Without telling them beforehand, he stops at his sister Emmy Wagoneer's (Verna Bloom's) farmstead in Oklahoma, the Wagoneers, who live by cotton sharecropping, and who, despite having no money, are planning on moving to California to escape the drought which has ruined their current season crop. Under these circumstances, two of the Wagoneers end up accompanying Red on his way to Nashville. The first is Grandpa (John McIntire), Emmy's father-in-law, who was born and raised in Tennessee, there where he wants to die instead of California. And the second is Red's young teen nephew, Whit (Kyle Eastwood). Although not the oldest of the children, Whit is the one Red requests, Whit, who buys into Red's dreams. Emmy allows her son to go as she knows Red needs someone to take care of him, with Whit and Red to make their way to California after Nashville. As Red needs to make stops along the way to earn some money to get them to their destination, including one stop to collect on a substantial IOU, the trio gets into one misadventure after another, one which includes a young aspiring singer named Marlene Mooney (Alexa Kenin), who plans to use "Marlene Moonglow" as her stage name, and who truly believes that her and Red's lives were destined to be intertwined. In their time together, Whit gets to see the real side of his uncle. What happens with them is affected by the largely unspoken elephant in the room, one with which Whit, in his tender years, may be unable to cope despite the growing up he does on this trip, and which accounts for Red's haste in wanting to make it in the business this time around. —Huggo In the Oklahoma dustbowl of the 1930s country singer Red Stovall drops in on his sister's farm. He has an opportunity to play at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville but doesn't have enough money to get there. He eventually sets off with his teen nephew Whit and Whit's grandfather for company. For Whit this is his first chance to experience the wider world. —grantss

Aging cattle rancher, Jacob William "J. W." Ewing (Jason Robards Jr.), buries his son, a soldier who died overseas during World War II. Rival rancher Ella Connors (Jane Fonda) attends the funeral out of respect but there is tension between her and Ewing. Days later, Ewing berates Ella for selling some of her land to war veterans Frank (James Caan) and Billy Joe Meynert (Mark Harmon). He commends her for holding onto her ranch thus far, but warns she will be out of business within a year. He suggests that Ella marry him, give him her land and bare him the heir he has always wanted, but Ella refuses. Back at the Ewing's ranch, family friend Neil Atkinson (George Grizzard) suggests drilling for oil but Ewing declines as he believes he will own Ella's land within a year. With her help, he plans to rebuild the cattle ranching industry in the area. At dusk, Frank and Billy Joe camp out on their newly-acquired land, when one of Ewing's men, Emil Kroegh (James Keach), harasses them from afar and starts shooting. As Kroegh confirms they are dead, Frank grabs the man and stabs him in the stomach. The next day, Ella's ranch hand, Dodger (Richard Farnsworth), finds them and brings injured Frank to Ella's house. When Dodger informs Ella that Billy Joe is dead, she realizes Ewing was behind the attack. Feeling guilty for putting the two men in the middle of her feud with Ewing, Ella tends to Frank's injuries. The following day, Ella updates Frank on the situation. She regrets selling Frank the land and suggests that he leave town. As Frank recuperates, Ella and Dodger discuss the state of their cattle business. They keep losing money and their cattle are aging. Ella tells Dodger she will understand if he wants to move on, but he promises to stay. A few days later, Ewing visits Frank with the sheriff, informing Frank that he was behind the shooting. Ewing says he will not press charges against Frank for killing Kroegh if Frank sells his land and leaves town, but Frank rips up the check. When Frank is well enough to leave, he convinces Ella to let him stay and work on her ranch. One day, Ella and Frank catch Ewing moving his cattle across Frank's land and confront him. Ewing offers to pay Frank passage fees, but Ella warns Frank not to trust Ewing. As the men negotiate, Ella creates a stampede of cattle by charging toward them with her horse and shotgun. Although Frank helps Ewing herd his cattle, he warns Ewing not to trespass on his land again. Later, Frank berates Ella for not letting him handle his own business and Dodger suggests that Ewing is trying to sabotage their partnership. Later, Dodger catches up with Frank at a local bar and explains that Ella's father, Tom Connors, raised Ella like a son and there have been tensions between the Ewing and Connors families for years. Frank fights with two of Ewing's men, Ralph Cole (James Kline) and Julie Blocker (Jim Davis), over the death of their friend Kroegh. Later, Ella rounds up Frank's cattle as an apology and Frank encourages her to become his official business partner. Ella reluctantly agrees to try the partnership. Sometime later, Neil Atkinson, banker Virgil Hoverton and George Bascomb, a geologist with ATKO Oil Company, visit Ella, believing there is oil on her land. They want permission to test for oil and offer her a portion of the profits but Ella refuses. Meanwhile, Atkinson updates Ewing, who is happy Ella turned them down because he still believes she will sell her land to him. Atkinson informs Ewing that Ella's business has improved since partnering with Frank and reminds the rancher that his father lent Ewing a lot of money in the past; Ewing never paid back the elder Atkinson. He informs Ewing that he will proceed with oil testing on his land, and if Ewing refuses to cooperate he will seize his ranch to repay the debt. Days later, Dodger's horse is scared by oil testing explosions and throws him, causing Dodger to die. After burying their friend, Ella confesses to Frank she had an affair with Ewing when she was younger. She believes Ewing seduced her to seek revenge against her father, who won a court case against Ewing over their land. Ella believes that news of their relationship destroyed her father. A little later, Bascomb tells Atkinson and Ewing that Ella has oil on her property. Although they need Ella's permission to drill, they could drill diagonally on Ewing's land into Ella's property. Atkinson announces his plan to take over Ewing's land to protect his oil drilling business, but he offers to allow Ewing to continue cattle ranching. Furious about losing control of his empire, Ewing instructs Cole and Blocker to sabotage Ella and Frank's cattle business. One evening during a thunderstorm, the cattle pen breaks open and the herd stampedes; Frank and Ella rush into the storm and successfully round up the herd. Later, Frank and Ella begin a romantic relationship, much to Ewing's displeasure. At the end of the season, Frank and Ella negotiate a good deal to sell all of their cattle and make enough money to pay off their debts. When the local paper reports that Neil Atkinson died in an airplane accident, banker Virgil Hoverton visits Ewing and informs him the bank still plans to foreclose his land. Ewing orders Cole and Blocker to kill Virgil, then confronts Ella inside her house to give her one more chance to sell him her land. Ella says he will have to kill her before she sells. As Ewing guides Ella to Hoverton's dead body hanging in her closet, Frank unexpectedly returns home, but Ewing knocks him unconscious and throws him into the closet with a bound and gagged Ella and a dead Hoverton. Ewing pours gasoline through the house and sets it on fire; Frank, however, comes to in time to untie Ella. They escape by jumping out the window as Ewing and his men approach. A gunfight ensues, and Frank kills Cole, Blocker and Ewing. Frank and Ella watch her house burn. Sometime later in the final scene, Frank and Ella return to the ranch with fresh lumber to start rebuilding.

Bo Darville, aka The Bandit, is a semi-retired trucker legend, working in a trucking rodeo. He is approached by a shady father and son tycoon team (Big and Little Enos Burdett) who are planning a big party. Only problem is, in 1978 America, due to arcane liquor laws, it was illegal to ship Coors beer east of Texas...and the Burdetts wanted some for their Atlanta, Georgia shindig. 400 cases of it. The Burdetts offer The Bandit $80,000 dollars to get the brews in Texarkana, Texas and bring them back to Atlanta in 28 hours. Enter Cledus Snow, "The Snowman." Bandit convinces Cledus to drive the beer truck, while he will run blocker--distracting Smokey, just like in their heyday. With Cledus convinced, the decoy is revealed...a 1977 black Pontiac Trans Am with gold eagle paint scheme, one of the most iconic automotive symbols in American film history. Like the Battle of Troy is to Odysseus, securing of the brew is just the beginning. Now, they just gotta get it home. How hard could that be? They would have made it with hours to spare, save for their paths crossing with the disruption of the wedding of the soon to be blushing new couple, Deputy Buford T. and Mrs. Carrie Justice, Jr. Seems the almost-Mrs. Justice got second thoughts at the altar, and "danced back up the aisle", apologizing to Junior all the way. On her way out of the church, she flags down the first car to pass...Bandit Darville's Trans Am. She hops in, wedding dress and veil (for awhile at least), flapping in the T-tops. She introduces herself to The Bandit, who eventually names her Frog, as she's prone to hoppin'. Hey, you try getting out of a wedding train in a 70s American muscle car going 110 miles an hour. Back at the Justice wedding, the father of the groom is beside himself with rage. As he exits the church, Sherriff Buford T. Justice--OF TEXAS!!--is informed that the harlot who has embarassed him in front of his town sped away at harrowing speeds...in a black Trans Am. The pursuit is on!! Cledus is making good time in the beer truck, although an unscheduled swim with his co-pilot (Bassett Hound Fred) and a truck stop fight with a group of grizzled bikers lose him valuable minutes. Meanwhile, chemistry is sparking up ahead between Bandit and Frog. He even takes his hat off, which he only does for one thing...and one thing, only. As Texas turns to Arkansas, suddenly something becomes apparent...Sherriff Justice is still in pursuit, and he loses another marble with each new insult to his police vehicle. Many, many police cruisers are destroyed. An unfinished suspension bridge is jumped...and then, not. Diablo sandwiches. The rocking chair. Hot Pants. Finally, the entire Georgia State Police force, complete with helicopter, join the chase. In a stunning climax of events, the deadline is met...and the money is collected from Enos and enos. OK, not really. A double-or-nothing deal is struck for some Boston clam chowder (in 18 hours), and off run Bandit, Frog, and the Snowman in their new candy apple red Cadillac. Bandit, via the police band of his ever-present CB, finally presents himself to Buford...eventually. Tipping him off to their next destination, they speed away...heading north to New England. Sherriff Justice peels out of the parking lot, leaving Junior behind...obediently chasing Daddy. Who else, after all, is going to hold his hat?