Motion Pictures Thunder Road

Just noticed this was recently added to Prime. Great movie. I don’t see it often.

 

Mmmm… heard of it but never seen it. Maybe a good Saturday viewing is in order.

 

I must have seen it a hundred times, but then it was a cult classic in the South of my youth. Often paired with "Thunder in Carolina" w/ Rory Calhoun for Double Features at the local drive-In. Watched it dozens of times on TV and have a DVD of the movie as well. It was largely filmed in and around Asheville, N.C., and in my opinion, is as true to form as any "Moonshine" movie ever made. Some great car scenes also in the movie.............Don.

 

Robert Mitchum made Thunder Road ,,,,he was one of the toughest actors at that time .
My favorite line was when he was talking on the phone to the bad guys about them getting his little brother .
“ I’m gonna come down there and show you I mean exactly what I say “ .
Man,,,,he was tough,,,,a man’s ,,man !

Tommy

 

..........I loved when he told the guy who got the little Brother a load to deliver, "If you make a move toward that shotgun, I'll turn it into a skull-cap for you!"..........Mitchum was definitely a bad-ass.

 

Yep,,,Mitchum was the man !
He had this mannerism in the way he spoke,,,,,he made you believe it ,,,LoL .

Tommy

 

One of my favorite actors of all time. He never seemed to get caught up in the "Hollywood Hoopla", often downplaying his own success, indicating that he was just doing a job as a working actor.

 

Yeah , He was a genuine guy,,,,,didn’t get caught up in the media hype about the stardom.
We need more like him today,,,,,America would be a better place !

Tommy

 

After my post under "Running from the cops" back in the 70's and my wife and I singing "Thunder Road" on the way home, that song was just about gone from me hearing it over and over in my head and this post comes up! The loop has started over again and I can't turn it off.

 

Yep, saw it last night scrolling along. Big Bob and Thunder Road just moved to the Top of My list!

 

Theres a urban legend that Elvis was supposed to play Mitchum brother but wanted top billing over mitchum so they got his real brother to play the part

 

...........It was his Son who played the part of his younger Brother.

 

James Mitchum, eldest Son of Robert Mitchum.

 

One of my all-time favorites. Seen when it first made the drive-in rounds as a kid, and many times since. Mitchum just killed that roll, as it was one of his pet projects. (and it shows!) Roughly based on a real-life transporter of the Ashville area who bought it on the road in the early 50's, from my research.

 

It's not an urban legend. Mitchum did want Elvis and Elvis really wanted to do this movie but...
The Colonel , insisted that Elvis sing a song, have top billing and get paid nearly as much as the whole production cost of the movie. Despite that, Elvis really wanted to do it, he was out and Mitchum's son plaid the part.

Elvis was a really good actor. He proved that in "Love me Tender". It's one of the "what ifs" of history. If Elvis would have had a different agent, anyone besides Parker....He may have been a Hollywood great, like Clark Gable was earlier.
Presley at this time needed a breakout roll played straight up instead of the campy and silly musical based....."Elvis Movies". Had Elvis had the right manager, he could have been a major movie star who at one time was a Rock and Roll singer.
Thunder Road, played straight up could have been this break out role for Elvis.

 

And there's moonshine moonshine to quench the devils thirst...

 

Just to keep this thread car related, what are your thoughts on the cars involved? I've read that the 'shine haulers in the movie were purchased from actual runners there in the Western North Carolina area.

 

I always liked the term,,,,Mill,,,for an engine,,,,it just sounded cool to me .
If I remember correctly,,'one of the big time guys was showing him their operation,,,,,and there was a high performance engine on the stand .
He looked at Mitchum and said,,,oh yeah,,,we’ve got mills that will blow that heap of yours off the road .
At least he said something like that .

Tommy

 

Robert had a lot of different talents, a he wrote the story, produced the movie, he also wrote and sung "The Ballad of Thunder Road". He was also very accurate, at thumping a lit cigarette out the window at 70 mph !

 

And the ending where his brother (son) and girlfriend walk off, that caps the movie!

Just wish they used Mitchum's recording of the song in the movie.

 

There were a bunch of us that hung around together and we'd go see Thunder Road anytime it opened in another movie theatre. We'd seen it so many times, we knew all the lines and spoke them all through the movie. Kind of like the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Sometimes, we'd get asked to leave 'cause we were disturbing the rest of the audience.

 

What year is the car?
It has '51 front bumper, '51 side trim, '51 hub caps, but '50 grille.

 

I have been wanting a Thunder Road cd for years, since I haven’t seen the movie in very long time! I always look at the cd rack in pawn shops, but never find it! I also check for it on the TV! I’ll find it some day…. I hope! Thunder Road and Robert Mitchum are my favorites! Check out the wall in my garage!






Bones

 

Seriously sweet ride.

 

A 57 Ford bare essential 300 2 dr. post would have been more appropriate, but then most anything was used from county to county, not sure how the dry counties were established, I'm certain church groups or families that suffered the ravages of alcohol were influential, not to mention missed taxation on illegal sales.

 

I don't know much about the '57 other than it's a '57.

The car that stole the show was the 1951 Sedan. The '51 sedan was a real Moon Car. It was bought local at Asheville along with several others.

The 1951 Sedan had a "Thunderbird" engine, roll cage (evident in several scenes, even the mock up film car had the roll bar), moon tank and floor shift.

There were several Shoeboxes used, one being a 49 4dr sedan that's blown up. I do believe the 49 Fordor also did the road side "bootlegger roll". Another Shoebox was cut up for the inside the car scenes.

Robert Mitchum loved the '51 sedan and took it back to California with him. James drove it to School.

It still exists. James Mitchum sold the car just a few years ago for well over 100K. Supposedly the new owner is planning to do all the "Kustom Stuff" to it. WTF!

There was a guy from the Asheville area that posted on here a few years ago claiming he has the Thuder Road Fifty. He said his Dad worked on the set and bought the car. There may be some truth to this but....if he does have a Thunder Road 50 Ford, it's not "The Thunder Road Fifty". As said, several Shoeboxes were used. Mitchum kept the real "Hero Car".

It is a 1951 Sedan with a '49 hood and '50 grille.

 

Great news! Thanks. It was one of my all time favorites when I was a kid and fueled my desire (at that time) to be a moonshine runner. I don't think anything like that occurred in Colorado, but who knows.

 

Great film with a great actor playing the lead role. One of my favourite films of all time. Would love to see it again.

 

There's Thunder Road dvd's all over Evil Bay from $30 to $50. Get up off some of that racing money