It was loosely based on the Grammy-winning Kenny Rogers song of the same name,[1] and stars the singer as Brady Hawkes, a gambler trying to reunite with a son he never knew, played by Ronnie Scribner.
It was a critical and commercial success, receiving an Eddie Award and two Emmy nominations, and resulting in four sequels.
Gambler Brady Hawkes (Kenny Rogers) receives a letter from Jeremiah (Ronnie Scribner), the young son he never knew, who asks Hawkes to help him and his mother Eliza (Christine Belford); the two are living in Yuma with Jeremiah's stepfather, an abusive casino owner named Rufe Bennett (Clu Gulager).
The duo help Jennie Reed (Lee Purcell), a former prostitute who has trouble with a train baron (Harold Gould).
He thought that the film had aged over the years, but that it is "better than [one] might expect", crediting Rogers's charisma and Lowry's direction.