Highway 61, known as the blues highway, rivals route 66 as the most famous road in american music lore. Since the highway on the minnesota side of the boundary was designated as u. She meets pokey and uses him and the body to accomplish her objective. Highway 61 is a 1991 film by canadian director bruce mcdonald.
Jackie runs away from the band she has been a roadie for, with something of theirs. Highway 61 1991 is a road movie directed by bruce mcdonald and starring don mckellar mckellar plays pokey jones, a barber and aspiring jazz musician who discovers the body of a vagrant in his back yard. When the leaves are changing, this is the place to be. A smalltown barber goes on a road trip from thunder bay to new orleans with an unpredictable woman and a coffin. The song was cochranes most famous song, becoming a number one hit in his native canada. Highway 61 1991 rshy barber pokey jones lives in the small canadian town of pickerel falls and becomes a celebrity when he discovers the frozen corpse of an unknown young man in his backyard. Though the first one writtenplanned, highway 61 is the middle film in canadian indie maverick bruce mcdonalds rocknroll road movie trilogy, between roadkill and hard core logo. Mar 10, 2006 now that said, highway 61 is still very entertaining and worth watching. Canadian director bruce mcdonald has been making weird movies and tv shows for a long time. You might even be up for the lake superior circle tour, a wellmarked highway tour going completely around lake superior. The film stars don mckellar as pokey jones, an orphaned barber in a small town near thunder bay, who. Dozens of blues artists have recorded songs about highway 61, including mississippians sunnyland slim, james son thomas, honeyboy edwards, big joe williams, joe mccoy, charlie musselwhite, eddie shaw, johnny young, eddie burns.
He hauls the stiff into the shop and attempts to blowdry him back to life, but nothing doing. The mode of transport down the long highway to louisiana is a 63 ford galaxie 500 belonging to a smalltown canadian barber and wouldbe musician named pokey played by the films writer, don. Highway 61 us 61 is a major united states highway which extends 1,400 miles 2,300 km between new orleans, louisiana and the city of wyoming, minnesota. Winner most popular canadian film, vancouver international film festival what the team has concocted with highway 61 is a phantasmagoric comedy that unfurls with the lunatic unpredictability of one of bob dylans lengthier mid1960s ballads. Inspired by bob dylans classic song and the fact that highway 61 actually starts in thunder bay, ontario, bruce mcdonald and don mckellar joined forces to create this acclaimed rock n roll road movie. There have been way too many predictable road movies made since the 60s. The entire route of the scott highway from the kaministiquia river bridge to the pigeon river bridge was assumed and formally designated as kings highway 61. Its difficult to find one that surprises and entertains without being contrived. Highway 61 does it, and i admire the hell out of it for doing so. Like roadkill, its written by don mckellar who costars with valerie buhagiar, an unlikely couple that takes highway 61 from thunder bay to new orleans, stopping at.
She is an actress and director, known for the passion of rita camilleri 1993, cypher 2002 and expecting 2002. Oct 12, 2019 1988 saw the release of a very unique movie called pin, which stars canadian mainstays like david hewlett and losts terry oquinn. The 2nd in the mcdonaldmckellar road collaboration, black canadian comedy full of quirky characters and. Inside, the 84 blackandwhite photographs document all manner of life along 61, which runs first as a state road, then for most of its. The 61kilometre 38 mi route connects the pigeon river bridge, where it crosses into the united states and becomes minnesota state highway 61, with a junction at highway 11, highway 17 and the. One day he discovers a frozen body in a bathtub out in the shops backyard. Wait, im not sure if that goes in the pro column or the con one. Highway 61 1992 cast and crew pokey jones don mckellar, a canadian barber who plays jazz on the side, has his life turned upside down when a corpse turns up near his home. Along the way are isolated areas with excellent attractions and accomodations. This border crossings on highway 61 across the pigeon river is between ontario, canada and minnesota, u. Ontario highway 61 history the kings highways of ontario.
Highway 61 takes you northeast out of duluth and along a road all the way to the canadian border. His latest film is hellions, in which a few people have probably their worstever halloween night when demonic little the post hellions trailer. Sep 25, 2019 inside, the 84 blackandwhite photographs document all manner of life along 61, which runs first as a state road, then for most of its route as a united states highway from the canadian. Highway 61 inspired by bob dylans classic song and the fact that highway 61 actually starts in thunder bay, ont. The highway 61 film festival is an allvolunteer celebration of the magic of movies that was established in 2011 as a means of supporting and promoting independent films and filmmakers from all along highway 61 and beyond. You can experience the canadian part of lake superior, cross the locks at saulte ste.
When a woman claiming to be the corpses roadie sister valerie buhagiar, arrives in town, he agrees to drive her and the body from ontario to new orleans, following highway 61 over the entire journey. In fact, the movie is actually quite influential, which ill get into in a bit, and it has some fantastic scenes. The song also peaked at number six on the billboard charts in the united states in the summer of 1992. Set along the legendary road that leads from thunder bay in northern ontario to new orleans passing through st. Life is a highway is an original song by tom cochrane, from his 1991 album mad mad world. Dylan, like many musicians from that era, was influenced by blues. Pin is kind of an odd creepy mix of childs play and psycho that sees a series of odd events and murders occurring around leon that are connected to his disturbing relationship with an anatomy mannequin named pin. Highway 61 is a 1991 canadian film directed by bruce mcdonald. Highway 61 revisited, with jessica lange the new york times. Valerie buhagiar was born on may 12, 1963 in mosta, malta. Don mckellar stars as a barber and frustrated trumpet player who has been planning to flee his small town for years and journey to new orleans, the birthplace of. Bruce mcdonald attached to direct the supernatural thriller. Chad from reading, pa there is a portion of us 61 north of duluth, mn where dylan was born that borders lake superior.
When a woman claiming to be the corpses roadie sister valerie buhagiar. Highway 61 opens up north in the canadian hamlet of pickerel falls, where an earnest young man named pokey jones operates a barber shop and hangs out with his buddies. Ontario highway 61 live traffic, construction and accident report. The highway 61 film festival is held in pine city, minnesota, an area known for its emerging arts and culture scene. Kings highway 61, commonly referred to as highway 61 and historically known as the scott highway, is a provincially maintained highway in the canadian province of ontario. Like roadkill, highway 61 is like a shabby wizard of oz or odyssey, i suppose, a series of encounters with slightly deranged characters and bizarre situations thats somehow about the disappointment of meeting ones icons. Dozens of blues artists have recorded songs about highway 61, including mississippians sunnyland slim, james son thomas, honeyboy edwards, big joe williams, joe mccoy, charlie musselwhite, eddie shaw, johnny young, eddie burns, and mississippi. The 61 kilometre 38 mi route connects the pigeon river bridge, where it crosses into the united states and becomes minnesota state highway 61, with a junction at highway 11, highway 17 and the harbour expressway in thunder. Kings highway 61 highway 61 is a very important route in the thunder bay region. Sep 15, 2011 while his early independent films highway 61 and roadkill seem to have quite a following, lately hes directed smaller scale fare like the ellen page thriller the tracey fragments.
Now that said, highway 61 is still very entertaining and worth watching. Highway 61 1991 is a road movie directed by bruce mcdonald and starring don mckellar. And its funny in a way only quirky canadian films tend to be. Mckellar plays pokey jones, a barber and aspiring jazz musician who discovers the body of a vagrant in his back yard. This storied route originates at the canadian border in minnesota and runs along the great mississippi river through. A single cone cutaway body available in two scale lengths. Route 61, the dho selected kings highway 61 as the routes designation on the canadian side of the border. Jackie bangs, a rock roadie whos stolen her bands stash of drugs, finds herself stranded in the same small town. It extends southerly from thunder bay to the canadausa border at pigeon river. They embark on a road trip from ontario to new orleans along highway 61, encountering eccentrics along the way. Journeys into darkness macleans september 16, 1991. The mode of transport down the long highway to louisiana is a 63 ford galaxie 500 belonging to a smalltown canadian barber and wouldbe musician named pokey played by.
On live traffic coverage with maps and news updates ontario highway 61 highway information. A mysterious woman, played by valerie buhagiar, shows up to claim the body as her brother, and take him back to new orleans. Mar 05, 2020 highway 61 takes you northeast out of duluth and along a road all the way to the canadian border. The film is an unofficial sequel to his 1989 film roadkill. Lyrics for highway 61 revisited by bob dylan songfacts.
With don mckellar, valerie buhagiar, earl pastko, peter breck. The plot thickens when a guy who thinks he is the devil wants the body, believing he owns the soul and wanting to claim it. Highway 61 1991 r shy barber pokey jones lives in the small canadian town of pickerel falls and becomes a celebrity when he discovers the frozen corpse of an unknown young man in his backyard. The highway generally follows the course of the mississippi river, and is designated the great river road for much of its route. It went through duluth, which, by the way, is the birthplace of bob dylan. Highway 61 1992 pokey jones don mckellar, a canadian barber who plays jazz on the side, has his life turned upside down when a corpse turns up near his home.
Small town barber and aspiring musician pokey finds a dead body behind his shop. Wonderful script, superior acting, nice use of music throughout, this is pure delight. Chaos ensues after the barber agrees to drive her, the corpse, and the drugs stashed within all the way. Louis, memphis and many points in between, highway 61 is a finely tuned, highoctane road movie. This is the second of three movie classics that explore how filmmakers have envisioned the canadian landscape in new and unusual ways. Renowned actress and photographer jessica lange was raised in northern minnesota and has travelled the length of highway 61 countless times since her childhood and throughout her life. Emily from philadelphia, pa the inspiration behind highway 61 may come from a song by blues musician fred mcdowell called 61 highway.
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