Wednesday, November 16, 2005

 

Pam or Sissy? Redneck movie review

Danged if some of us, in an earlier post, haven't stumbled into something of a semi-serious discussion surrounding the two main female characters in "Urban Cowboy," (also, see this), which still is in my top 5 faveorite movies.

I say Pam was the one to take to the hay loft, if you know what I mean and I know you do.

Sissy was the girl to take home to Mama.

Here's the discussion so far. Call it redneck cinematic lit crit. What say y'all?

--ER


At one time, I coulda quoted almost every line from the original movie. That and Urban Cowboy. Yep, sad, I know. ...

# posted by Teditor : 9:19 PM


Well, crap. I was 16 when "Urban Cowboy" came out. I didn't know it was a movie. I thought it was a gubment propaganda film, and bein' FOR the gubment, without question back then, I lapped it up!

By the way, you know the town that "Bud" was supposed to be from?

Spur, Texas.

It's about 20 miles south of the road between Wichita Falls and Lubbock, a little ways past halfway between the two (turn douth at Dickens) if yer startin' out at WF.

Been there a few times. I b'lieve I'da high-tailed it down to Houston and Gilley's my own self.

# posted by Erudite Redneck : 9:34 PM


For the life of me, I can't figure out what ol' Bud saw in Sissy. I'd have taken Pam any ol' day. At least, I think her name was Pam. Any of ya'll ever use that line Bud gave her on their first 'date', "When are you gonna take me home and rape me?" Not my style, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Ya'll are a pretty eclectic bunch.

# posted by Rem870 : 9:45 PM


"You a real cowboy?"

"That depends on what you think a real cowboy is."

"You know how to two-step?"

"Yep."

"Ya wanna?"

"Yep."

And so begins the love affair between Bud and Sissy.

# posted by Teditor : 10:01 PM


Pam? No way. She was a cowho. Sissy was someone to take home to Mama. ... and her sexy ride on that buckin' machine is STILL burned into my mind lo these many years later.

# posted by Erudite Redneck : 3:10 AM


ER (or should I say ThePress - I'm confused),

I have to disagree. Pam was hot. She may have been a little easy, but she was no whore. She seemed to be truly committed to Bud. Not to be too corny, but she loved him enough to set him free.

Sissy was pure white trash. I'd have been too scared of what she might say or do to take her home to Mama. Pam had some class.

Several strikes against Sissy - she couldn't keep house (Bud's aunt said, "Ya'll live like pigs"), she wouldn't listen to Bud (he told her he didn't want her riding the mechanical bull - this led to their separation), and if you'll recall - Sissy was pretty durn easy herself - ol' Wes didn't have to work to hard to get her into bed (neither did Bud).

Add it all up and Pam was the clear-cut choice.

# posted by Rem870 : 8:22 AM


Now, I didn't say Pam was a whore. I said she was a ho -- a "cowho," to be exact. She wanted a cowboy to ride, and she found one in Bud.

Sissy was in love with Bud. Pure trailer park, but gen-yoo-ine love. That's why she actred out the way she did. She hooked up with Wes out of spite.

As for not doin' as Bud wanted -- it wadn't none of Bud's business whether she rode the dang machine or not. He didn't own her.

I like wimmin a little wild, even with a little "po white" in 'em. I distinctly do not like shallow people, men or wimmin. And Pam was shallow. Admitted as much herself, seems like.

I'd take a Sissy over a Pam any day.

(I LOVE that we have stumbled into a serious discussion of the characters in this movie.)

((Call me ER. That was the whole point of me dropping ThePress as a handle. Teditor: Enough with the confuising of the matters.))

# posted by Erudite Redneck : 8:46 AM


Hey, I understand about the name - 'twas a poor attempt at a joke.

I guess I'm from the old school (Dr. B would call me a mysigionist (or something)) - "To honor and obey". That Sissy couldn't obey.

Pam. She had class, she knew her place, she was hot, and she had money. Had Bud stayed with her, he'd have had his ranch in no time. She may have been a little shallow, but everyone has their flaws.

# posted by Rem870 : 9:11 AM


Rem, sorry if I was the confusin' one, as ER says. Truth be told, someone was actually rankled by ThePress handle. I find it extremely idiotic that the person be rankled by that when EVERYTHING around here says ER. Sheesh!

So I was making a point.

As for Pam, she didn't love Bud. She just wanted a real cowboy. She loved the idea of bein' with a cowboy, that's all she loved.

What that love story eventually showed was that despite the dirty trailer house and the spats they had over little shit, love prevailed betwix Bud and Sissy. Of course, it helped that he knocked ol' Wes' robbin' ass out to give us that fantastic "good guy" image of someone that'd had pretty much been a sexist hick.

I say if a man wants a clean house, grab a mob, a dust rag, the vaccuum and some windex and go to cleanin'. I betcha to keep that bull-ridin' lover goin', ol' Bud did his share of dish washin'.

And for those of you men who don't do much help in house cleanin', then bitch about not gettin' enough lovin' in the bedroom, well, the two go hand in hand. I do my fair share of house cleanin', and I get rewarded in the bedroom. ...

# posted by Teditor : 10:38 AM

Comments:
BTW, y'all all need to click through and read all of that Wikipedia article on "redneck."

It is so dead-on accurate!

I am so proud to see my people gettin' the notice and recognition they deserve.

:-)
 
Two of the sad things Urban Cowboy did was ligitimize the Drug Store Cowboy and ruin Country Music.
 
It DID do the first part, Drlobo. I know a guy in Texas who told me once he quit wearin' boots because he didn't want people to think he was a truck driver (no offense, Tug).

I liked the "Urban Cowboy" tunes, though. I left home for the Big City of Stillwater, OK, with my "Urban Cowboy" 8-track blaring, actually.
 
Yeah, I'm with ER. Urban Cowboy's soundtrack is one of only two movie soundtracks that I own. Matter of fact, because of these postings, I've had Cherokee Fiddle running through my head most of the day.

Teditor, I don't think Bud was missing out on anything in the bedroom by leaving the woman's work to Sissy. Shoot, she knew she was in the wrong - why do you think she came back and cleaned?
 
How do ya know that, Rem? I mean, Bud told Sissy she could ride that bull any damn time she pleased. That was a big change in his heart, bein' he's the El Torro-ridin' champ of Gilley's and all.

'Sides, we ain't gotta clue as to what happened 'round that trailer after they pulled outta Gilley's parkin' lot. Bud maya gone in, poured Sissy a hot bath with bubbles and rose pedals and cleaned the kitchen.

Truth is, we jist don't know.

But I reckon if'n you ask most women, they'd be more likely to do all them fun things you've been beggin' for if you did the laundry and washed the dishes.
 
You obviously don't have a good grip on Bud's character if you think he went back and drew a bath for Sissy.

Also, some of us men (Bud's in this group) don't have to beg. ; )

. . . but we do have to get the kids outta the house.
 
ER said:
"I liked the "Urban Cowboy" tunes, though. I left home for the Big City of Stillwater, OK, with my "Urban Cowboy" 8-track blaring, actually."
Rem870 said:
"Yeah, I'm with ER. Urban Cowboy's soundtrack is one of only two movie soundtracks that I own."

Exactly boys, exactly, after Urban Cowboy proved country music could sell at that high $$$$$$$ level, it began to change, slowly at first but within a decade it was a whole nother thing. The money men had it.

Hell last night they had the CMA award in NYC. NYC for God's sake.
Look at the Entertainer of the Year, Kieth Urban. Hell his name is anti-country even, URBAN. In the PR shot of him with his two awards, his stylishly unevenly cut blond highlighted hair comes down past his collar of his silk shirt, covered by his tailored italian coat. The shirt's open to his navel and he smiles through his Jesus Christ beard as his silver ear ring hangs conspicously from his left ear as he holds these two "Country Music Awards" that look like some spaceship type thing thought up on 5th Ave. of NYC and made in France.
Boys it is enough to make Porter Wagoner throw up, and Tex Ritter shit in his grave.
All because "Urban Cowboy" caught the fancy of the kids and the music was waylaid from then on.
 
Lobojo,

I'd put the blame more squarely on Garth Brooks and his contemporaries. If we were looking at a graph at how country music 'lost its countriness', I think you'd see a much sharper inflection point in the mid-90's. As for the state of country music today - well you're right - I just about can't stand to listen to country radio anymore. To put the blame on Urban Cowboy, though, misses the mark.
 
One point to make though, some of the contemporary "country" music is very good, but not much of it is "country".
I agree that the 90's bent country music even farther, but Urban Cowboy in 1980 was like the crack in a damn, once it started, even if it took decades, the breech will occur.

Now back to the crux of the current blog. Sissy didn't have enough meat on her to fill up a Kentucky Fried Chicken Bucket.
 
Sissy would never have serrved Bud cold chili.

Real brief from The AP:

Cold chili sparks stabbing

MUSKOGEE(AP) -- A Stilwell man faces up to 20 years in prison in a case that began over a bowl of cold chili.
Billy Ray Flynn has been convicted in federal court in Muskogee of assault with intent to kill a woman because she served him cold chili.

Prosecutors said Flynn first threw the chili in the woman's face, then stabbed her in the chest with an ax as she tried to escape the home.
 
First off, if you think country has been ruint, I firmly believe it was with Urban Cowboy. It popularized country in ways that it wasn't before. It brought out such topical lyrics as "I was country when country wasn't cool."

Those of that ilk can then turn to Garth and so many of his contempraries. But here's my take on it: Garth Brooks brought me back to country music in the early 1990s and did so with so many others. Garth Brooks turned us onto Chris LeDeoux, who revolutionized country music.

Doug Stone brought back recollections of those sultry voices of the 1960s. Lorrie Morgan's sexy music and attire helped us learn more about her father, George Morgan.

So, yes, there tain't much soulful country these days. But if it weren't for the modern country music, much of my generation would still be focused only on Van Halen, Bon Jovi, KISS, Aeorsmith, etc. We're a little more rounded, I'd say. We like it all.

So, sure, I get misty-eyed at Garth's "If Tomorrow Never Comes", but I also have a little more respect for Conway Twitty's music than I did when I was begging my father to change the station on long trips in the 1970s.
 
Well, I think the dang CMA thinks it adds a certain panache. Which is stupid, since most of the people who really support country music perfer their panache with a splash of vinegar on it. Or butter, salt snd pepper.

What gets me though is 1., that NASCAR ends its season with a dang black-tie banquest, and 2., in New York City.
 
Bon Jovi can do country better'n most of 'em, which can be sad to say. :-)
 
OK, let's take a historical look at music from the late '70s and early '80s. Tell me where the lyrics belong:

"Makin' their way, the only way they know how."

"Gettin' cards and letters from people I don't even know."

"We'll bring it back no matter what it takes."

"I did every thing I could to get me through the night."

"A Palomino dashboard and duel muffler twins oh yeah."
 
Dukes theme.

Mandrell's "Before Country was cool" song.

Dunno.

Dunno.

Dunno.
 
I wasn't saying that Garth ruined country music. Most of his stuff (from his first 4 albums, anyway) was pretty darn good. I'm also glad to see another Doug Stone fan. BUT - Garth's wild popularity, followed by Alan Jackson, Clint Black, et al pretty well screwed up a good thing. To use a phrase from pop-culture, country music 'jumped the shark' in the mid-90s (so did NASCAR - though maybe that was the late 90's). They both just got too popular and started catering to the lowest common denominator.

Teditor - the answer is country: 1. Dukes of Hazzard Theme, 2. Rhinestone Cowboy, 3. Eastbound and Down, 4. Wookin' po'nub, 5. I can't place that last one.
 
So, is Pam v. Sissy the redneck equivalent of Ginger v. Mary Anne?
 
Well, yeah. But: Mary Ann!

And I hang my country head in shame for not only not knowin' three of Teditor's lyrics but fro knowin' one of 'em wrong!
 
You do realize that had you chosen Ginger, you would have lost your "R" again.
 
LOL. I am holdin' on to my "R" with both hands. So to speak.
 
Number 5 is from Greased Lightin.
 
I am a country music deejay. Can you forgive me if I confess that Keith Urban is the cutest, hottest, sweetest lil old thing to come along in years? Yeah, there's a lot of garbage in country music now, but a lot of good stuff too. I have to listen for several hours every day, so I pay attention to the good and tune out the garbage. My personal favorites THIS WEEK are "Boondocks" by Little Big Town (kinda like southern folk music), and "Believe" by Brooks and Dunn (gospel), which will get you RIGHT HERE if you listen to it.
 
Oh, the movie. I never watched it again after that first time in the theatre. It was depressing. Made me glad that wasn't my life.. ANY f the characters. They were all as shallow as can be!
 
Miss Cell, I keep hearin' about this "Believe" song but have not yet heard it! I get about 20 minutes of radio a day, is all, and some of that is news -- and I don't mean "talk."
 
I used to be a deejay my own self -- gospel, then rock, then what they called adult contemp-easy listening,m then finally country. Buyt I was never worth a damn at it. ... I have a face for radio and a hillbilly voice for newspapering!
 
Congrats to Rem, who got four of five correct, and he gets a bonus for the Bu'Wheat reference to the Johnny Lee song Lookin' For Love.

Dr. Lobo gets the cleanup for Grease Lightening.

ER, shame, shame, shame. All you got correct was the Duke's theme. You deserve to have the R taken away.

Now let's get back to talkin' about your cock. Have you found his comb?
 
Yes, I did find my *rooster's* comb. I need some super glue, I guess, to fix it. But the tail feathers are long gone, it looks like.
 
Pam. Always Pam. I would of left Sissy in a minute and stayed with Pam. I have had a crush on Pam for over 30 years.... CJ
 
Think about this. There is no happy ending for Bud and Sissy if Pam had not fessed up and let Bud go when she did. There would have been no Bud going out to Gilley's parking lot to find Sissy and her bruised face, then going back in to defend Sissy's honor, then ambushing and disarming Wes, which allowed Gilley to recover the gate, as well as cover Bud's $5000 prize check and allow Bud to have the down payment on his ranch. Pam deserves some credit here.
 
Yes, Pam! Sissy was just yuck.
 
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