Growing up in Tulsa, OK, I heard Woody Guthrie’s name often (as well as some of the other Oklahoma greats- Leon Russell, J.J. Cale, Gary Busey- no lie…he was and/or is a badass drummer). After my migration to New Orleans and later Los Angeles Woody Guthrie’s music continued to be an unavoidable force. He’s had such an overwhelming influence on songwriters we are compelled to keep his music alive. And although I am familiar with Guthrie’s music I was not as familiar with his early life, so when an unexpected opportunity arose to see “Bound for Glory” on TCM I was all over it. The film was directed by one of my favorite filmmakers, Hal Ashby (Harold and Maude, Being There) and I was shocked I hadn’t seen it. David Carradine plays Guthrie and simply slays the part…and a young Randy Quaid also makes an appearance sporting the same gentle giant qualities as he did in another Ashby great “The Last Detail”. The film also briefly debut’s actress Mary Kay Place (Terms of Endearment, HBO’s “Big Love”)…another Tulsa native who my mom knew in high school…crazy. The film focuses on Guthrie’s early life in Pampa, Texas and his migration to Los Angeles (via a box car). His life and the sacrifices he makes for his art are so beyond most (if not all) songwriters today…but that topic is another discussion. So if you’re itching to find out more about the great Woody Guthrie’s early life, and you want to see an amazingly beautiful film in the process, check out “Bound for Glory”.

-AM