This Western adventure, inspired by Kenny Rogers' hit song, tells how fictional gambler Brady Hawkes, going in search of a young son he never knew he had, teams up with an impetuous young admirer and a shady lady on his journey, which also involves him with an arrogant railroad owner and a gang of villains.
Production
Real train sequences that cost more than Rogers' entire wardrobe
Writing
Somehow stretches one song into 94 minutes of coherent plot
Director
Dick Lowry
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Kenny Rogers' acting debut and became the highest-rated TV movie of 1980, spawning four sequels because America apparently couldn't get enough.
The song 'The Gambler' itself won a Grammy in 1979, and this film essentially invented the 'turn hit song into TV movie' pipeline that gave us 'Ode to Billy Joe' and 'Convoy.'
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