On this day (February 19) in 1987, Red Headed Stranger premiered in Austin, Texas. The film starred Willie Nelson and was based on his 1975 chart-topping concept album of the same name. The film originally premiered at the Denver International Film Festival in October 1985 before receiving a limited national release.
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Nelson had a cinematic vision going into the production of his chart-topping 1975 album. “I had in mind doing a Red Headed Stranger movie to go along with it,” he wrote. “I had a big dream of an album and a movie at the same time, each promoting the other. It didn’t work out that way,” he added. While he had to wait more than a decade to see his vision come to life, his desire to make the film never wavered…