Walking Tall: Final Chapter | Through the Shattered Lens

Guilty Pleasure Weekend

Last night, while my sister and my boyfriend were watching the Cowboys lose to the Eagles, I took refuge from it all by watching Big Brother (Go Ava!) and then an episode of the Dark Side of Comedy. The Dark Side of Comedy episode was about Dustin Diamond, the actor who will forever be known for playing Screech Powers on Saved By The Bell.

Watching the episode on Diamond reminded me of the fact that, in 2015, Lifetime turned his terrible, lie-filled memoir into a made-for-TV movie. They didn’t actually credit Behind the Bell as being the source material for 2014’s the Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story but it was pretty clear that it was. That said, The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story was entertainingly daft. The actor who played Dustin Diamond bore a surprising resemblance to him. The rest of the cast was not quite as well-selected. Still, if you like cheesy and over-the-top behind-the-scene docudramas about mediocre TV shows, The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story is the gold standard. It can be viewed on Prime.

The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story was such a hit that, in 2015, Lifetime gave us The Unauthorized Beverly Hills 90210 Story, which featured a nice nod to continuity by casting the same actress as Tiffani-Amber Thiessen who played the role in the Saved By The Bell film. Thanks to the Vanessa Parise’s direction, The 90210 film was surprisingly good and it also featured an excellent performance from Degrassi’s Samantha Munro as Shannen Doherty. The film portrays Doherty as being a bit of a diva but it also makes a compelling argument that Doherty, as a veteran of the industry, understood that, in Hollywood, you could either fight for respect or you could be a victim. It can be viewed on Prime.

Lifetime followed up their 90210 film with The Unauthorized Melrose Place Story, which was a bit of a disappointment when compared to the other two films. (The main theme seems to be that everyone got along.) It’s a film that I recommend only because I’m a completist. It can be viewed on Prime.

Usually, I only recommend films that are streaming for free but, since we’re talking about the Lifetime Unauthorized series, I will mention that 2015’s The Unauthorized Full House Story is available for rent on Prime. Unfortunately, most of the really interesting stories involving the cast of Full House (like Aunt Becky going to prison for a nothing crime) occurred after this film aired. The most interesting thing about this film is how little any of the actors resemble their real-life counterparts. Still, if you’re a completist and you don’t mind paying for it, it’s on Prime.

While I was rummaging around on Prime, I discovered that From Justin To Kelly (2003) is currently streaming! I can’t help it. As bad as this film is, I just love it. Some of it is because Kelly and I are both from Texas. (From what I understand, Kelly doesn’t like this movie. While it is clear that neither she nor Justin Guarini were trained actors, they were both very liable.) Some of it is because it’s just so unbelievably bad that it becomes oddly charming. Justin and Kelly are cute together, even though they have zero romantic chemistry. Apparently, American Idol was envisioned as including an annual film as well but they abandoned that idea after the commercial failure of From Justin To Kelly. We were robbed of a Taylor Hicks/Katharine McPhee romantic comedy! From Justin To Kelly is on Prime.

Remember Buford Pusser?

Two weeks ago, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation held a press conference about the legendary Sheriff Buford Pusser, whose life and death in the early 70s inspired the Walking Tall films. A huge part of Pusser’s legend is that his wife was killed by the Dixie Mafia. The TBI, however, is now of the opinion that Pusser murdered his wife, shot himself, and then made up a story about having been ambushed …. which, when you think about it, actually makes a lot more sense than anything portrayed in the Walking Tall films.

That said, the saying goes that you should always print the legend. The original 1974 Walking Tall, starring Joe Don Baker, is streaming for free on one location. Unfortunately, it’s a pretty suspect site and I’m not really comfortable linking to it. However, the sequels — 1975’s Walking Tall Part 2 and 1977’s Walking Tall: Final Chapter — are both on YouTube. Part 2 actually opens with Buford getting plastic surgery that makes him look like Bo Svenson. (I don’t care how much plastic surgery someone gets, there’s no way someone could go from looking like Joe Don Baker to looking like Bo Svenson). Part 2 features Buford going after the Dixie Mafia. The Final Chapter is more of a family drama, with Buford losing reelection but discovering that Hollywood wants to make a movie about his life. Part 2 and Final Chapter are both on YouTube.

Finally, 1978’s A Real American Hero is a made-for-TV movie that features Brian Dennehy as Buford Pusser. Needless to say, it’s not easy to watch Brian Dennehy play a redneck sheriff without immediately assuming that he’s going to arrest John Rambo for wanting to get a cup of coffee. A Real American Hero is on a lot of sites, including YouTube.

Speaking of Sylvester Stallone….

All of the Rocky films are currently available to stream on Prime. I used to be very critical of the Rocky films but I’ve actually come to appreciate them over the past few years. (A lot of that is due to Sylvester Stallone’s performance in Creed.)

For instance, I still occasionally roll my eyes at the first Rocky (1976) but I’ve come to appreciate Talia Shire’s performance as Adrian and Burt Young’s performance as Paulie. The raw sincerity of Stallone’s performance eventually won me over (even if I do think Stallone was better in First Blood) and I actually now better appreciate the fact that Rocky lost the big fight but was still a winner. Rocky II (1979) is a bit too slow for me. One got the feeling that Stallone was trying too hard as both an actor and a director with this one. But, on the plus side, at least Carl Weathers got his own redemption arc as Apollo.

Rocky III (1982) is where things really start to work for me. With Rocky III, Stallone fully embraces the melodrama, stops worrying about the Academy, and he truly gives us a wonderfully over-the-top film that one can’t help but enjoy. Mr. T’s Clubber Lang is a great villain. For fans of Burt Young, the film features Paulie at his slovenly best. And I dare anyone not to cheer as Rocky and Apollo jump up and down in the ocean. Rocky IV (1985) features Rocky defeating the Russians and delivering a heart-felt plea for world peace. Again, how can you not love that? Apollo Creed died to teach us all to appreciate our nation. Remember that during the 250th birthday celebrations next year.

Rocky V (1990) was supposed to be the final Rocky film and it featured Stallone giving a performance that was so bizarre that it simply has to be seen in all of its glory. Everyone realized that Rocky V really wasn’t the ending that the franchise deserved and, many years later, Stallone tried again with Rocky Balboa (2006), an undeniably touching film about a 70 year-old risking his life in a boxing ring. Somehow, Paulie outlived Adrian.

Finally, the first two Creed films are also available to stream on Prime. Creed (2015) featured perhaps Sylvester Stallone’s best performance as Rocky Balboa. Creed II (2018) allowed Rocky to forgive himself for Apollo’s death and, to its credit, also gave Drago a hint of redemption. Creed III (2023) does not feature Rocky, which I was actually kind of happy about, if just because it indicated that maybe Rocky had finally found some sort of life outside of the ring. Creed III does, however, feature excellent work from Michael B. Jordan and (yes, I’m going to say it) Johnathan Majors. Creed and Creed II are available to stream on Prime. Creed III, you’ll have to rent.

Odds and Ends

In The People Next Door (1970), Eli Wallach and Julie Harris play a suburban couple who discover that their kids have gotten involved with hippies and drugs! This is the type of over-the-top melodrama that I love. It can be viewed on Tubi.

If you really want to depress yourself, follow up The People Next Door with The Death of Richie (1977), a true story about a suburban father (Ben Gazzara) and his teenage son (Robby Benson). Benson gives a surprisingly good performance as the out-of-control Richie. Gazzara brings his trademark intensity to the role of the Dad. Don’t watch this movie unless you’re ready to cry. It can be viewed on a lot of streaming sites, including Tubi.

Finally, since James Nguyen’s celebrate a birthday earlier this week, I will just mention that his best film, Replica (2005) is currently available on YouTube. Some films defy description and that’s certainly the case here. Find it on YouTube.

Click here for my previous weekend film recommendations!

For one last time, Buford Pusser is back! The 1977 film Walking Tall: Final Chapter ends the story that was begun in Walking Tall and continued in Walking Tall Part II. And it turns out that the final chapter is pretty much just like the previous two chapters. In fact, I’m tempted to just tell you go reread my review of Walking Tall Part II because that review works just as well for most of the Final Chapter.

Final Chapter starts with footage from the first Walking Tall, with Bo Svenson awkwardly inserted in place of Joe Don Baker. Once again, we watch as Elizabeth Hartman is shot in the back of the head and Svenson — in the role of Buford Pusser — is shot in the face. Oh my God, we think, how many times can the exact same thing happen to the exact same character!?

Oh wait — it turns out that Buford is just remembering the death of his wife. Buford is still haunted by that day and he’s still out for vengeance. For the next hour or so, we follow Buford as he and his deputies blow up moonshiners across Tennessee. After each arrest, an attorney shows up and yells at Buford for violating everyone’s civil rights. In response, Buford smirks until the attorney gets so mad that he decides to run for sheriff himself.

Buford doesn’t give his opponent much of a chance. As one of his deputies puts it, this guy is just a “bleeding heart liberal.” (But if he’s so liberal, what’s he doing in Tennessee? Off with you, sir — return to Vermont!) Instead of campaigning, Buford spends his time hunting down more moonshiners. When he discovers that one moonshiner is also an abusive father, he personally drives the man’s son down to the local orphanage. Oddly enough, Buford does not offer to adopt the kid himself.

Anyway, to the shock of everyone, Buford is not reelected. No longer sheriff, he struggles to find a full-time job and makes plans to run in the next election. One of the moonshiners shows up and taunts Buford until Buford is forced to beat him up in the middle of the street. The new sheriff show up and demands to know what happened. None of the townspeople are willing to snitch on Buford. Good for them!

After about an hour and a half of this, something interesting actually happens. A film producer drives up to the Pusser Farm and tells Buford that he wants to make a movie out of his life. “We’re going to tell the story exactly how it happened!” the producer assures him. In the next scene, Buford is advising the director of Walking Tall on how to properly film a car chase.

And you know what? These scenes of Buford watching his life story be filmed are actually rather charming. For the only time in the series, Bo Svenson actually appears to be having fun in these scenes. And, when Buford runs from a theater while watching the recreation of his wife’s murder, it’s actually a very effective moment.

Anyway, there’s not much running time left after all of that. We see Buford sign a contract to play himself in the sequel and, by this point, we all know what happened afterward. Buford was killed in a mysterious car accident. But fear not! The film opens with a heavenly choir and Svenson’s voice booming from the heavens so we all know that Buford Pusser is arresting moonshiners in Heaven.

And good for him!

Peace be with you, Buford Pusser.