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Looking for name of old drag race movie

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by FATFENDER JIM, Jun 30, 2009.

  1. FATFENDER JIM
    Joined: Jun 30, 2009
    Posts: 3

    FATFENDER JIM
    Member
    from Brazil IN.

    I dont know the name of this movie but it was about this guy that had a mid 60s mopar and he crashed it and he bought a 41 Willys coupe and put the mopar motor in it.. He was raceing a guy with rich parents that bought him a built 69ish Olds Cutlass of course the Willys waxed the rich kids ass.. I cant remember the name of the movie and its driveing me nuts, sorry I know its a long post but somebody help me out.. Later
     
  2. Last edited: Jun 30, 2009
  3. bobwop
    Joined: Jan 13, 2008
    Posts: 6,115

    bobwop
    Member
    from Arley, AL

  4. stlouisgasser
    Joined: Sep 4, 2005
    Posts: 673

    stlouisgasser
    Member

    Well, it's the monthly request for the name of the movie "Hot Rod". I remember seeing it when debuted around 1978-9 and liking it. I have it on DVD these days and pop it in every 6 months or so and let it play. It's really a corny movie but it's actually very fun to watch and holds your interest throughout if your a car guy and after all, isn't that the purpose of movie......just to be fun to watch without taking it too serious? Some great cars and if you don't find yourself wanting a 40-1 Willys by the closing credits, you better check your pulse! Three thumbs up from me.....well, kinda.
     

  5. low budget
    Joined: Nov 15, 2006
    Posts: 5,566

    low budget
    Member
    from Central Ky

    I have never seen this, I hate to say it but it cant be any worse than
    (two lane black top) that I had heard about forever then recently watched..........what a let down.
    some say it was suppose to be a artsy drama type movie
    I guess it made more sense in the 70s???
    I do like James Taylors music though.

    I will have to check this one out,thanks for bringin it up.
     
  6. RAY With
    Joined: Mar 15, 2009
    Posts: 3,132

    RAY With
    Member

    for the 70's its an ok movie
     
  7. [​IMG]
    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="780"><tbody><tr valign="top"> <td width="515">
    HOTROD ​
    Another made for American TV film which also went out under the title &#8220;Rebel of the road&#8221;. Produced in 1979 by the ABC network, &#8220;Hotrod&#8221; tells the story of Brian Edison, played by Gregg Henry, a small town mechanic who puts together a mean looking black Plymouth, (a &#8217;65 Belvedere running a gorgeous 426 Hemi motor), & heads to California for the Munn&#8217;s root beer drag race nationals. The big, black, boxy Belvedere looks fabulous cruising into the fictional town of Lyons, it&#8217;s tail riding high above huge 70s Wolfrace slot mags. The town&#8217;s full of rods & racers, gathering for the forthcoming drags, but it&#8217;s not long before Edison falls foul of local Police chief, Sheriff Marsden, played by Pernell Roberts, a regular face in TV dramas of the time. As seems to be the case in all American movie towns, the sheriff&#8217;s in the pay of the local bad guy, root beer magnate, T.L.Munn, (Robert Culp), who aims to fix the races so his boy, Sonny, (Grant Goodeve), can win the title.
    Almost as soon as he hits town Edison writes off the Plymouth in a street race with Sonny&#8217;s &#8217;69 2 door Olds Cutlass. Obviously the film can&#8217;t end there though, so Ed Begley Junior, as the local mechanic, Clay, not only tows away the wrecked sedan, but offers our hero free bed & board at his struggling hotel. With the help of his old pal, the muscle-bound &#8220;Cannonball&#8221;, (Bruce.M.Fischer), in his Studebaker pick up truck, they rescue an ancient 40s Willys coupe from it&#8217;s equally ancient owner&#8217;s barn
    & set about transplanting the Plymouth&#8217;s Hemi motor -&#8220;You can have the
    </td> <td width="265">
    [​IMG]
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> car for free as long as you beat Munn&#8221;. Can the beat-up, grey primered, old school hotrod take on the 70s muscle cars? &#8217;Course it can, especially when they&#8217;re given a 6-71 GMC supercharger by a local garage owner -&#8220;You can have the blower for free as long as you beat Munn&#8221;, & steal a blower drive from one of the exhibits in Munn Senior&#8217;s own Hotrod Hall of Fame.
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Along the way, Sonny Munn sabotages the coupe, stealing it & over-revving it till he blows a hole in the Hemi&#8217;s crankcases. Our hero&#8217;s response? Why, sneak into a darkened parking lot & lift the engine from one of the local Police force&#8217;s cruisers of course! Fortunately the AMC Matadors just happen to be equipped with big block motors. Edison also pinches Sonny&#8217;s long-suffering girlfriend, Jenny, played by Robin Mattson, winning her heart by letting her pilot his old coupe to outrun a Porsche on the outskirts of town. So the scene&#8217;s set for the big drag race showdown. The racing footage was actually shot at North California&#8217;s Fremont raceway with plenty of authentic pitlane detail, some great burn out & wheelie action from top fuelers & funny cars of the day & unusual race shots with the
    </td> <td valign="top">
    [​IMG]
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2">camera car following the competitors up the strip. There&#8217;s even a clip of a rocket car making a run up the quarter mile. During the Willys close up shots, the camera mounting can be clearly seen, fixed to the driver&#8217;s door.
    As a piece of cinematography, Hotrod&#8217;s on a par with most other Friday Night Movie offerings. The storyline&#8217;s
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> predictable, the characters are basic, the acting&#8217;s questionable & the dialogue&#8217;s pretty lame. As an excuse to watch some great drag racing footage, wallow in 70s nostalgia & just live the atmosphere of late nights in the garage & racing on the streets, it&#8217;s great though. Local disc jockey Johnny Hurricane, (Royce.D.Applegate), who befriends Edison after hitching a ride into town with him at the start of the film, creates a link between the 50s inspired built-to-go racer & the more modern 70s rods & customs that cruise the streets of downtown Lyons, by providing a background soundtrack of classic hits by the likes of Buddy Holly, Fats Domino & Martha & the Vandellas on KARZ radio. Unusually for a TV film, we actually get to see the work being done on the car & rather than
    </td> <td valign="top">
    [​IMG]
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2">miraculously producing an immaculate race-tuned beauty, the old pre war, low budget Willys constantly refuses to start. It&#8217;s doors don&#8217;t fit, the bonnet&#8217;s propped open with a stick & it&#8217;s grey primer aerosol paintjob hardly fits in
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top">with the 70s disco inspired metal flake & chrome of it&#8217;s competitors -but it&#8217;s SO cool!
    So does he win? Does the little guy, doing all his own spannering with a 2 bit budget & a 30 year old retro racer, outrun the big bucks bad guys? I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;m spoiling anyone&#8217;s enjoyment of the film by confirming that Yes, obviously, he does. Good triumphs neatly over evil when Munn sacks his corrupt Police chief & gives his deputy the job, only for him to instantly arrest them both. Then the victorious Edison&#8217;s 1000 dollar winner&#8217;s cheque is confiscated to cover the cost of the stolen Police car parts, ensuring no-one profits from their mis-deeds.

    </td> <td valign="top">
    [​IMG]
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2">&#8220;Hotrod&#8221; ends with the obligatory view of the good guy & his girl driving off into the sunset.
    It&#8217;s not high brow & doesn&#8217;t pretend to be, but it&#8217;s a classic car culture film.
    Thoroughly enjoyable.
    -Andy
    </td></tr></tbody></table>
    http://www.ioffer.com/img/item/291/750/67/o_HotRodmftv.BMP.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2009
  8. roddinron
    Joined: May 24, 2006
    Posts: 2,676

    roddinron
    Member

    Hot Rod is a great movie, little things like the willys door always popping open was probably not intentional, but it sure added a bit of realism. And the stude truck was great, corny movie, but most car movies are, real entertaining to a car guy though.
    Someone asks for the name of this movie almost monthly, including me a few years back, and then when you learn the title, it's so damned obvious it's almost embarrassing!:eek:
     
  9. traffic61
    Joined: Jun 15, 2009
    Posts: 1,545

    traffic61
    Member
    from Owasso, OK

    I remember seeing this when it first aired and about the same time Hot Rod magazine did a rod test on a red '41 coupe with a Logghe Bros. chassis, if I remember correctly. Was hooked on these cars immediately and wanted one ever since. I located one five miles from my house and spent more that twenty years trying to purchase it. Thought I had a shot since I grew up with his kids, but no dice. From what i understand it is still rusting away and the owner refused to sell it or really do anything with it.
     
  10. If they cut out all the shots of Edison in the Willys showing him shifting, the movie would be about 20 mins shorter! :D
     
  11. stlouisgasser
    Joined: Sep 4, 2005
    Posts: 673

    stlouisgasser
    Member

    Hey, how tough is that '60 Oldsmobile Station Wagon with the 12-inch slicks and chrome reversals that street races against the Willys a little past halfway into the movie. I freakin' love that car and would love to know more about it! There can't be that many California-based '60 Olds Wagon Drag cars runnin' around back then when they shot this flick in the late '70's. Anybody?
     
  12. PLEASE, no one post a pic of how the Willys looks today!!-MIKE:eek::(
     
  13. Not yet seen "HOT ROD", but I can definitely say I prefer "Heart like a Wheel" and even "Burnout" to "Two Lane Blacktop".

    Maybe because I saw "Burnout" late one night when I was a kid and it left a lasting impression (though the plot didn't!).
     
  14. bobwop
    Joined: Jan 13, 2008
    Posts: 6,115

    bobwop
    Member
    from Arley, AL

    isn't that a shame? unfortunately, the guy is not pleasant either.

    here is how the Willys and the Olds look today, at least my versioin of the Willys, and the REAL Olds
     

    Attached Files:

  15. saw the same movie, but it was called "Rebel of the Road". Always found it interesting that he recieved all that free shit. Cottage, Willys, blower, Carhop.
    Amusing that the hollywood king of "Green" (Ed Begly Jr) would be cast as a mechanic. Surprised he didn't convert the Willy's to battery power when the director wasn't looking.
     
  16. Hudsonator
    Joined: Jun 19, 2005
    Posts: 335

    Hudsonator
    Member
    from Tennessee

    I saw the movie on TV as an 11 year old kid. It really set the die for my Hot Rod shaping. Ironicly, the hot rod scene in my hometown wasn't much different. All the serious cars didn't look so good, but would pop your eyes out if you peeked under the hood. When times are tough, money is tight, you spend your hard earned dinero where it counts - and it ain't the paintjob.

    I can totally believe the freebies. Hard times bring out the best in people.

    Love the movie, probably the best hot rod movie ever made. I think I'll watch it tonight when I get back from the shop.

    Hud
     
  17. fergenboysinc
    Joined: Nov 26, 2006
    Posts: 1,025

    fergenboysinc
    Member

    Your Willy's is just flat out "Bitchin"!!! Very Cool!
     
  18. Used Up Junk
    Joined: Nov 12, 2008
    Posts: 674

    Used Up Junk
    Member
    from Merced, CA

    [​IMG]

    You guys know this is the car you're talking about right? Well at least one of the cars from the movie. As I recall from the days when my dad used to crew on Johnny Wood's Wild Thing A/Gas willys he said Steve was a nice enough guy. Pop also said he gained a great deal of respect for Steve because he would constantly work on the car at the drags to get everything he could out of it. If he had a bad day or a crappy pass he didn't just load it up like a lot of guys would, he would bust his ass and make the car run right. I for one can't think of a better fate for a car than to continue to do what it was built for! Sure it dosen't have the straight axle anymore or look like the Stone, Woods, and Cook car but you can't deny the car runs hard. Mid 7's at 180mph plus last i heard, that's not to shabby!
     
  19. jlow
    Joined: Mar 2, 2009
    Posts: 200

    jlow
    BANNED

    holy shit i just learned there is a car movie i never seen ...now im gonna be ona quest for this movie to add to the collection of movies
     
  20. bobwop
    Joined: Jan 13, 2008
    Posts: 6,115

    bobwop
    Member
    from Arley, AL

    thank you kindly
     
  21. Gfaules
    Joined: Nov 11, 2007
    Posts: 98

    Gfaules
    Member
    from California

    How funny... I practicly lived at Fremont during the 70's and I remember seeing that movie many times but without realizing it was shot at Fremont! LOL. For some reason I thought the plot had something to do with back east.
     

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