I never heard of this film till I bought it for a buck. The title has nothing to do with the film plot. More Frankie Avolon than Elvis, Arch looks like a hard nose punk but has a heart of gold. Songs don't fit, waded through the whole film looking for some connection to the title, no such luck. "Bud" (Arch) strapped on a guitar but played like Elvis did in his films ( He didn't). Seen this type of film hundreds of times. This movie is so bad, but so fun to watch. I needed relief from the comedy relief. Might have been a much better film without it. If you got some time to waste and can find the film on DVD for a buck like I did, watch it! Hey Arch I'm a FAN!

Formula plot about a small time boy Bud Eagle, Arch Hall Jr, from North Dakota coming to Hollywood looking to make it big in the world of Rock & Roll music.

Meeting cute Vicki Wills,Nancy Czar, who gives the starving and broke Bud her lunch to eat at a local diner she tells the naive and shy out of towner that's she to appear at the local amateur hour TV show that evening and invites him to come along.

Just like in the movies, damn I keep forgetting this is a movie, the person thats to appear with Vickie on the stage gets stage fright and runs out of the theater and now the shows MC Hal Kenton, Paul Voorhees, is forced to put the startled North Dakotan with Vickie on stage! Bud ends up knocking the crowd dead with his wild guitar and high-pitched voice to becomes an instant Rock & Roll success and teenage idol.

The movie "Wild Guitar" has it's moments with a bunch of Bowery Boys wannabes, that's really aiming high in Hollywood, who kidnap Bud only having him turn the tables on them and then using the three jerks Weasel Stupid & Brains,Bill Llyod Jonathon Krle & Mike Trelbor, to shake down his manager Mike McCauley,Arch Hall Sr, for $15,000.00. The kidnappers end up losing the ransom money when Mike's top henchman Stake, Ray Dennis, breaks into their hideout. After what has to be one of the most insane and crazy slug-feasts this side of the World Wresteling Federation the three take off after dropping Stake but forgetting to take the ransom money with them!

Bud who fell in love with Vickie has the devious and scheming Mike split them up because he felt that she would hurt his career by making him not available, as a boyfriend or husband, to the millions of frenzied young girls and teeny-boppers, calling themselves Eagle Feathers, all over the USA in Bud Eagel fan clubs who are just wild and crazy about him.

Hiding out in Madge's,Marie Denn, diner as a dishwasher Bud gets in touch with his All-American football hero brother Ted, Al Scott, back in North Dakota for help and the two set up his manager Mike McCauley together with his #1 henchman Stake with of all things a gift that Mike gave him to improve his music and singing.

Even though the movie "Wild Guitar" is both corny and cheaply made it did show how things in the music business is done in regards to taking an up and coming Rock & Roll singer, who's not too sharp when it comes to his or her financial future, and how after he's no longer popular and not putting cash in the till he's then drop like a case of the Black Plague.

There's a very effective scene in the film where Buds, after he was held captive and almost raped by Mike's sexy dancer Daisy/Virginia Broderick,having a heart to heart talk with another Mike McCauley discovery former Rock & Roll phenomenon Don Proctor, Robert Crumb, with him telling Bud what he's in store for with a sleazy crumb like his former boss McCauley as his manager.

Wow. The father-son team of 60s dreck films (Arch Hall Sr. and Jr.) have made another movie with Ray Dennie Steckler--a man who might have had even less talent than the Halls! The Halls have combined for such great films as EEGAH! (which made the list of 50 Worst Films by Harry Medved) and THE NASTY RABBIT. Steckler is responsible for the worst-named films of the era, RAT PFINK A BOO BOO and THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE CREATURES WHO STOPPED LIVING AND BECAME MIXED UP ZOMBIES as well as the incredibly bad LEMON GROVE KIDS MEET THE MONSTER. Both Steckler and Arch Hall, Sr. directed, produced, wrote and acted in many of their films, while Arch, Jr. was an actor and teen singing heart-throb...of sorts. All of their movies are really bad low-budget affairs but there is a certain goofy kitchiness that make them appealing to bad film fans. It's hard to imagine all three combining their talents (such as they are) to make this film--just like the did for EEGAH!.

The film is a modern morality tale about success in the rock 'n roll world. A goofy hick (Hall, Jr.) comes to Hollywood with dreams of becoming a success. In the silliest success story in history, Hall becomes a star in only one day! And unfortunately for him, he comes under the sway of the sleaziest thief in the industry (Hall, Sr.) and his nasty sidekick (Steckler). Will our rather dim hero fall prey to the allure and glitz of "the easy way" or will he get out before it's too late? And, when out of the blue, three total morons kidnap Junior, will he escape with his miserable life?

Arch Hall, Jr. did an okay job as the young guitar star. While he'd never me mistaken for Fabian or Frankie Avalon due to his doughy face and acting limitations, his singing is adequate and his great hairdo make up for any deficiencies. He's good for a low-budget film, though--and probably about the best Steckler and Hall, Sr. could afford! As for Hall, Sr., he was actually very good and was the best actor in the family...as well as in this film. He was believably sleazy and convincing as the promoter. Steckler also came off fairly well in the film because he played a relatively "normal" person--not the arrested adolescent he played in his next few films but more of a laconic heavy--for which he was better suited. Concerning Nancy Czar as the female lead, well her skating is very nice...'nuff said (gimme a break--I'm trying to be nice here).

By far the worst acting in the film were the three moron kidnappers. Rarely, even in stupid low-budget films, have I seen more annoying and pathetic acting as these three cretins did in the film. Obviously they were meant to be comic relief, but apparently they thought this entailed behaving as if they'd all suffered traumatic brain injuries. In fact, they were the worst and most amateurish thing about the film. We are talking cringe-inducing bad!

Overall, despite the film's many, many limitations, considering the very small budget and modest pretenses, it's a very good film for the genre. This shows that Steckler and the Halls would have been best suited to avoiding monster films--which were by far their worst outings. This does NOT mean WILD GUITAR a good film--just good for a craptastic drive-in type film--plus, it's a lot of fun and a decent film considering its budget.

By the way, just a few years later, Hershell Gordon Lewis remade this film as THE BLAST-OFF GIRLS. I have no idea whether or not he had permission to do this--I strongly suspect he just "borrowed" the story...a bit. It's much, much, much less interesting than WILD GUITAR and features the worst music I've ever heard. If you need to watch one graze-z rock 'n roll fable, make it WILD GUITAR.