Road to Nashville
A little strange but far from unpleasant,Road to Nashvilleis a  glorified gimmick held together by a lengthy parade of country & western hitmakers from 1967. The story, such as it is, finds comic actor Doodles  Weaver reprising his popular character, Colonel Beedlebaum, as a bumbling  movie producer sent to Nashville in search of talent for a film. While the  colonel roams cluelessly through recording studios and rehearsal sessions, we  enjoy the smooth artistry of Marty Robbins ("Devil Woman"), the grit of a  young, clean-shaven Waylon Jennings ("Anita"), the hillbilly high jinks of  Quinine Gumstump & Buck ("Cutting Room Floor"), the robust balladeering of  Connie Smith ("Never Get Over Loving You"), and Johnny Cash singing with the  Carter Family ("Were You There"). A few other  Nashville royals are in fine form: Hank Snow, Porter Wagoner, and Lefty  Frizzell, among them.--Tom Keogh