Walt Bailey , the owner of the TLB Camera car 55 Cbevy is reporting that the 427 "racing scene car" also the car used in American Graffitti has been sold ! I guess Wayne Newsome from out in MD has sold it to a friend of Walts. The new owner is planning a full on return to the AG version. One of the previous owners really gold chainered the car and the new owner is returning it to its glory days.
I own the movie on VHS and when I was dating my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) I made her sit and watch the movie. She keep telling me she was a car nut, so I decided to test her on it and we watched the movie. It was about my 100th time seeing the movie. When it was over she just looked at me and smiled and said that was a "guy only movie", she liked the cars, but not the story. I just laughed. Its all about the cars and the open road.
my wyotech intructor brian said " its an hour and a half of your life youll never get back" haha. i just loved the banging through the gears part
Can't remember having a conversation with a rock crusher on board. <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->__________________ your talking tranny right?
Well, here's what the director said: "My nature is to tell stories and I didn't really know what the story was, but I found it fascinating for some reason. I guess I'm a frustrated documentarian. As soon as I get into a film that's about a group of people-as this one was-I get caught up in just that reality. I found the street racers to be interesting people, so it became a cross between reality and fiction. In the case of Two-Lane Blacktop, I extrapolated the street racing into my experience, which was in movies. So I felt that these characters could be from any walk of life. It's about the passion for perfection, and that could apply to almost everybody. That's how I related to it." More http://www.highperformancepontiac.c...ehind_the_camera_two_lane_blacktop/index.html
I saw it for the first time about a month ago- I was less than impressed. Yeah the car stuff was great, but the plot was confused and eventually ended up making no sense. Like the original post said, why were they pallin' around if the race was for pinks? Then GTO was going somewhere other than DC? WTF?
I had the pleasure of growing up through the sixties and getting into the car scene in the start of the seventies though over here in the UK. I was getting despondent with the posts on here until I read Kozik's. As far as I'm concerned you nailed it Kozik although I guess I'm considered an outsider. The way I saw it there was a decline in the good times through the late sixties and the futility of that is represented in a number of films from that period. For what it's worth I can watch it over and over and never tire of the entire movie though I drive a 55 so may be biased!
I was looking for a version to put on my iPOD for an upcoming business trip. anyone find a good site that has it available
Push play, turn up your volume all the way, if you don't get it in the opening scene there is no hope for you.
I'm old fashioned... I guess I expected a plot. You know kinda like a beginning, a middle and an end. The movie blew, but then so did Easy Rider and everyone went nuts over it.
Go back to 71 and smoke,eat or whatever one did in those times and maybe you will get it. Hell, Warren Oates as a driver! Cult fiction! Still a great 55...........IMHO
Guys, you're forgetting drive-in movies! I "saw" this one with my honey, but didn't actually SEE the movie until years later.
Being a car guy---I like 2 lane blacktop and lots of other "Car" flicks. As far as the meaning? Fill in the blanks _ _ _ _ _ _....... My take: This was filmed in '71. Hollywood was ALWAYS behind the times. It's a cultural flick. The '55 is a REAL Hot Rod. The GTO a factory hot rod. It all started in 1964..... when DooWop went out with greased hair and fender skirts... Roadsters were Jalopies....and every American kid moved onto the NEXT BIG THING..... The Beach Boys (like Milner in American Grafitti)..."Rock and Roll's been goin' down hill ever since Buddy Holly died"...... The Beatles, the STONES---BRITISH INVASION! AMERICAN MUSCLE... GTO, Mustang, Chevelle, etc..... 426 HEMI, 396, 427..... Hot Rods were home built JUNK. VERY FEW "Hot Rods" around by the late 60's.... LOTS of 55-57 Chevies, and muscle cars. Music changed, hair got longer, Vietnam, THE DRAFT...... This Flick represents a couple of crusty gear-heads in a REAL "Hot Rod" (HEY--they were being traditional)..... The GTO is a shiny factory muscle car...the guy (Warren Oates) is older and a REAL DOUCHE. He "BOUGHT"........ They "BUILT". The girl is a typical Hippy chick...probably a runaway....gets out of a hippy delivery truck and jumps in their car. Typical late 60's early 70's FREE LOVIN'.... BUT....... what gets ME: is the CAR. It's a NO SHIT racecar. SERIOUSLY! Fiberglass tilt front end, big block, fiberglass DOORS, DECKLID....JESUS....there aren't even side windows...just sliding PLEXI! The damn thing is running TALL gears, stright cut gears in the Muncie (Whiiiine)....and they DRIVE THE DAMN THING CROSS-COUNTRY! Good thing it's a MOVIE! NOBODY, BUT NOBODY.......would drive a GUTTED '55 with 'glass panels, a big block, tall gears, heavy clutch....rattle trap with NO INTERIOR------across the damn country! Can you imagine the exhaust, HEAT, noise, and SHEER FATIGUE...just driving that damn thing to the local TRACK? The CAR....is the movie. CAR GUYS appreciate authenticity! That '55 is WICKED....and REAL! PLOT? 2 crusty guys drive around in a WICKED '55 chevy hustling for $$$ and bumming around the U.S. WHY? WHY NOT? ROUGH time in U.S. history. LOTS of people "Drifted". These drifters had a BAD A$$ Street Racer! Also, I think they felt kinda bad for "GTO". You know... how many "HAMBER'S" would help some guy get his broken down turquoise with peach graphics "STREET ROD" going .... I think $$$$ and pink slips were secondary to whatever trip they were on......... The ending? Eh... kinda like an ANTI-ending. Cliff hanger. Racing into oblivion... Dennis Wilson was a COOL CAT too. BY FAR...the coolest Beach Boy. I don't think he made much of a penny---'cause his old man "penalized" him for being wild all the time (took money away)----if you know much about the Beach Boys story. I think he coulda done OK acting......... too bad he lived a little too hard and died young.... All in All........ get whatcha get outta the thing. It's a weird flick for sure.... BUT DAMN that '55 was SPOT ON.....and I would NOT kick that Orbit Orange Judge outta my garage for dripping oil................ -------
Just found this picture of one of another one of my old 55 Chevys. All I did was change the wheels to give it the look. Ran a 396,Muncie 4 spd and a Dana 60 running 4.10s. Although it does not look like this anymore, it is still local and the same owner I sold it to back in 1979-80 still has it.
My 1955 Chevy after the 1972 Winternational's at Beeline Dragway in Scottsdale AZ. That would be me on the left and my late brother Robert on the right.
Come on guys! The 55 was WICKED and made the film worth watching on it's own! Besides, the song and dance numbers were great!
don't overthink the movie! I'm a youngster 27, and I thought the movie was cool! Just embrace that its 70s weird and the actor starring as the mechanic is the drummer from the beachboys, and just go with it. Watch Easy Rider too and marvel at how badass Jack Nicholson is in his football helmet! If you want new age technology and people yapping, watch the fast and the furious series.
Either way it would be hard to talk and be heard HaHa I grew up in the 50s and 60s and everyone's right about the diff. between bought and made. As far as shiny paint jobs ,I don't remember many right off hand. All the ones I built were straight from the junkyard because that's what I could afford while working for 1.25hr. We would by a runner either for your ride or parts for your ride. T body's were 15-20.00 each and the frames were 10.00, Model As were a little more expensive(100-150.00). If I knew then what I know now---Ah hell It was fun and I wouldn't want to ruin the memories.
In Fall 1970, LOOK or LIFE magazine printed the short story of the movie and it was much better as a read than the movie apart from the sensory part.
I watch it all the time with the sound turned down while listening to Pink Floyd's Dark side of the moon, amazing how everything seems to line up.
You need to start drinking before you watch the movie! Then by the time you start thinking "what is this about?"You won't give a shit. Works for me every time
You nailed it. I actually watched it a couple days ago. An in your face glimpse of the rebelliousness, simplicity, freedom, and naivety of the whole hippie era now in it's death throws. I liked it.
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