The Fastest Guitar Alive

The Fastest Guitar Alive
film poster by Frank Frazetta
Directed by	Michael D. Moore
Produced by	Sam Katzman
Written by	Robert E. Kent (screenplay)
Starring	Roy Orbison Sammy Jackson Maggie Pierce
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates	September 1, 1967 (1967-09-01)
Running time	87 min.
Language	English

The Fastest Guitar Alive is a 1967 MGM motion picture starring singer Roy Orbison in his only starring role as an actor. A musical western, the story is set near the end of the American Civil War with Orbison portraying a Southern spy with a bullet-shooting guitar given the task of robbing gold bullion from the United States Mint in San Francisco in order to help finance the Confederacy's war effort.

The film features Orbison performing seven original songs which appeared on his 1967 MGM record album of the same name.

Production

• Director: Michael D. Moore
• Producer: Sam Katzman
• Screenplay: Robert E. Kent
• Cinematography: W. Wallace Kelley
• Film editing: Ben Lewis
• Music: Roy Orbison, Bill Dees, Fred Karger

Primary cast

• Roy Orbison - Johnny Banner
• Sammy Jackson - Steve Menlo
• Maggie Pierce - Flo
• Joan Freeman - Sue
• Lyle Bettger - Charlie
• John Doucette - Marshal Max Cooper
• Patricia Donahue - Stella DeWitt
• Ben Cooper - Deputy Rink
• Ben Lessy - Indian Chief
• Douglas Kennedy - Sheriff Joe Stedman
• Iron Eyes Cody - 1st Indian
• Sam the Sham - 1st Expressman

Soundtrack

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

The Fastest Guitar Alive is the soundtrack title for the 33¹⁄₃ record album from MGM Records released in June 1967. Its single "There Won't be Many Coming Home" reached #18 in the UK and entered the Australian chart at its highest position of #32 before slipping down the chart.

Track listing

All songs written by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees

Side one

1. "Whirlwind"
2. "Medicine Man, Medicine Man"
3. "River"
4. "The Fastest Guitar Alive"
5. "Rollin' On"

Side two

1. "Pistolero"
2. "Good Time Party"
3. "Heading South"
4. "Best Friend"
5. "There Won't Be Many Coming Home"

The track Rollin' On was covered on the 33¹⁄₃ record album Famous Western Film Melodies by the Prague Radio Dance Orchestra - ARTIA SUPRAPHON 1 13 1788.

References

External links

• The Fastest Guitar Alive at the Internet Movie Database
• The Fastest Alive at AllMovie
• The Fastest Guitar Alive Virtual Museum