The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia is a 1981 film directed by Ronald F. Maxwell, produced by Bill Blake, and written by Bob Bonney. It stars Kristy McNichol as Amanda Child, Dennis Quaid as Travis Child, Mark Hamill as Conrad, Sunny Johnson as Melody Bartlett, Don Stroud as Seth James, Barry Corbin as Wimbish, and Arlen Dean Snyder as Andy.
A young singer and his sister/manager travel to Nashville in search of stardom. As they journey from one grimy hotel to another, it becomes increasingly obvious that only one of them has what it takes to become a star. Travis Child is a country singer who had one hit song and then faded from the scene. His ambitious younger sister, Amanda, is determined to get them to Nashville where Travis can once again become a star. Her plans are derailed by Travis's lack of ambition and easy distraction by women and booze. The two are separated in one town and by the time they find each other in the next one, Travis has been arrested for public drunkenness. To pay the fine he takes a job bartending at a roadside tavern called Andy's, where he meets and falls for a young lady with a very jealous ex-boyfriend — who happens to be the deputy sheriff.
This film is loosely based off of the hit song by Vicki Lawrence. It should not be confused with the Revolution episode of the same name.
This film provides examples of:
- Brother–Sister Team: Amanda Child and Travis Child are brother and sister, and they work as a team.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Seth James is the ex-boyfriend of Melody Bartlett. However, he is not at all happy with Travis Child hanging around her.
- One-Hit Wonder: Travis Child only succeeded with one song and hasn't achieved much success since.
