Coward of the County

• Directed by Dick Lowry
• October 7, 1981 (US)
• Based on the 1979 song Coward of the County written by Roger Bowling and Billy Edd Wheeler
• CBS

A man who made a deathbed promise to his father to avoid violence learns that there are some things worth fighting for.

Turning songs into movies or specials is nothing new, Rankin/Bass pretty much built their early business model around it. Kenny Rogers tried it as a means to an acting career. With the success of the original Gambler film it was practically a given that they would take another Kenny Rogers song and turn it into a movie. Ultimately that honor went to his ’79 hit Coward of the County.

The story begins on December 7, 1941 and intertwines with the events of Pearl Harbor and the push by many young men to go off to war. Our main character of Tommy Spencer (Fredric Lehne) avoids violence but is caught between a desire to join the fight and his promise to his late father to avoid violence. People view him as cowardly when he is simply keeping his word. The story is how far will he go to keep his promise and is there ANYTHING he feels he must fight to protect? I found this interesting because usually stories these days are about how pacifism no matter what is best. During the 80s you could find stories that framed their story as sometimes violence is necessary but should not be the go-to.

There’s also a romantic subplot about Tommy wooing Becky (Largo Woodruff) who is the girl of one of the local bullies known as the Gatlin Boys. Not that she sees things that way. Jimmy Joe Gatlin (William Schreiner) has been telling everybody they were dating when it sounds like they never did. That little bit of crazy does not get nearly as much focus as it deserves and gets put aside once Becky and Tommy are clearly an item and is replaced by Jimmy Joe being jealous.

We also get a marginal subplot to showcase Kenny Rogers. He plays Tommy’s uncle Matthew who is a preacher that does not practice what he preaches. He does not even try very often. He’s a bit of a gambler and a womanizer and a heavy drinker. There is some attraction between Tommy’s mother and Matthew but it never comes to much. Matthew’s bit is about living up to what he preaches and it would have made sense for Tommy’s mommy to be a motivating factor. Otherwise why was the character there? Tommy was a grown man.

If anything, this movie is about not taking an at all costs approach to whatever you are or do. Ultimately Tommy must stand up and fight. His father made the mistake of ALWAYS resorting to violence and thinking that was the issue. The Gatlin Brothers would not stop until their force was met with force.

I like the themes and general idea, but I think Coward of the County falls apart in the execution. Rogers does much better here than he did in the original Gambler film but that is not too hard. Fredric Lehne as Tommy Spencer is less life like than Kenny Rogers is. Rogers shines only because Lehne does not.

There are some scenes between Tommy and a character named Violet (Ana Alicia). She is apparently the town flirt and hops from man to man with a consistent eye for Tommy but that really adds up to nothing. Not even a minor nuisance in the Tommy/Becky relationship. As with everything it plays it a bit too safe. There is emotion and character struggle but it never feels very strong. This was family viewing but that did not mean they had to soften things or not delve into the themes and concepts.

The story takes place from roughly December 7, 1941 to roughly around New Year’s give or take but you would be hard-pressed to know that after the initial announcement of the attack on Pearl Harbor. There are no decorations, and no mentions of the holiday season at all. Admittedly, the town doesn’t need to look like Christmas vomited all over it and they don’t need to be referencing Christmas every other sentence but a little something here or there to remind the viewer know when it’s all happening is warranted. 

Coward of the County is an okay diversion. If you find a physical copy or maybe locate it somewhere on streaming, it’s worth watching but only if somebody else puts it on. You won’t be disappointed but you’re not going to have your socks blown off.