Thirty-four years ago today, on Feb. 19, 1987, Willie Nelson s
Red Headed Stranger film premiered in Austin, Texas. The movie, which also starred Morgan Fairchild and Katharine Ross, was based on Nelson s 1975 album of the same name.
In
Red Headed Stranger, Nelson plays Rev. Julian Shay, who travels to Montana to preach, along with his wife, Raysha Shay (played by Fairchild). When his wife leaves him for another man, Julian Shay guns her down . and then tries to find redemption for his actions.
William D. Wittliff wrote and directed
Red Headed Stranger; he also co-produced the project with Nelson. (The two men had previously worked together on the films