The Pride of Jesse Hallam (1981 TV Movie)
6/10
The prison of illiteracy
14 September 2020
I was much moved by The Pride Of Jesse Hallam and with the performance of Johnny Cash as the prtagonist. Having known at least one illiterate person in m life I know what a trap that is to the mind.

Cash who didn't need reading skill to work in the coal mines of Kentucky's Mecklenburg County is a fish out of water when he moves to Cincinnati because his crippled daughter Chrystal Smith needs an operation on her spine. Just about every cent he's earned goes to pay for surgery and he has to find work.

An assistant principal at his son Ben Marley's new school played by Brenda Vaccaro hekps considerably even with getting him a job at her father's produce warehouse. Eli Wallach as the immigrant owner from Italy and Cash the man from the Kentucky hills form quite a friendship. Cash and Wallach have some great scenes together.

Whether you are a Puerto Rican kid raised in a group home whom I knew or a miner from rural Kentucky illiteracy is a terrible affliction. Roy Gomez whom I knew loved comic books and a very sharp woman who worked at an attorney's office was the first one who observed he loved those comics because the pictures told the story for him. I only wish he had lived long enough to remedy the situation as Johnny Cash does in The Pride Of Jesse Hallam.

The last scene is an unforgettable one. This is one really good film and a soundtrack with some Johnny Cash songs don't hurt either.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed