Jesse White and Zsa Zsa Gabor seem awfully city-slickr-ish to star with two of country music's greatest talents, but, interestingly, it works.
Some of the cast members are not known today, and some only to the nostalgia-oriented, but Ferlin Husky and Faron Young show themselves to be not just great singers, but talented actors as well.
It's a perfectly feasible story, for its time, when country music was pretty much still new to the urban listeners, and record producers did not know where to find the "next big thing."
The story is about two small-town natives who are friends but are thrown into competition. And the ravishing and adorable Zsa Zsa wants in on the act. She was probably never lovelier, but she didn't give much of a performance.
In contrast, a very young June Carter looked young and lovely, but not until the end did she come out of her shell and start showing some spark.
By the way, Husky and Young were also friends, and their respective stories are worth reading about.
"Country Music Holiday" is probably best considered a showcase for the two singers, but Jesse White and Rocky Graziano are another reason to watch. Graziano showed some talent and even made fun of himself.
For years I refused to let myself listen to country music, and that was my loss. Yes, I still prefer classical and Celtic, but there is a lot of very good, very listenable music in the country genre. Husky and Young don't bring their best songs to this film, but their respective talents are worth taking time to watch "Country Music Holiday."
