2 lane blacktop movie review

From CarCraft Sept. 1971

 

Cool watched it this weekend. borrowed it from my dad. Pretty cool but has weird parts too.

 

Years ago,the owner of Seattle's "Scarecrow Video" (probably worlds largest collection of ecclectic movies) started a drive to have the film put out on vidio, it was tied up in legal matters or some such.I was glad when it came out. Kinda wierd, but fun. FWIW, the second ( back-up) film car is visable very briefly in the last scene, when the 55 lines up against the El Camino. The fellow who talks about the Thames at the gas station early on is the guy who built the 55. Trivia,Tivia.

 

DAMN, i want that fuckin car.

 

To me the wierdest thing about the movie is that no one has a name. Even in the credits they are listed as Driver, Mechanic, and girl. I cant remember exactly what it is with out watching it but there is something that changes about the induction of the motor from scene to scene. I'll have to watch it again soon to see what it is.

"I hate to see the chevy go up against a two bit piece of shit mister"

 

Dirty T still has my copy. By far the best bad movie af all time! If I wasn't a car guy, it would suck.

 

the car is what made the movie. Not the retarted story or shitty acting.

that "little fifty five" was the star

 

Wasn't that '55 the same one used in A.G.? I was born in '55,and I always wanted one,from that movie on the prices of them went from the bottom, to the top! I remember in high school, people were buying 'tri fives' for around $200. I bought a shoebox instead,cause I was a 'greaser'. 55's were for 'surfers'. Stupid me Sparky

 

for anyone looking for the movie on DVD................good luck. they are going for over 100$ on amazon.com

BUT here is a trick I pulled.

Blockbuster has this new policy where if yo dont return it in like 10 days they just charge you like 15$ for the movie.......


so go out..rent it and just dont return it..

i even went back to blockbuster and said..."yeah im not going to return this and i bought it, they charged me for it..can i just go get the case from off the shelf since I own the DVD now?"

 

I just bought a whole load of them, they should be coming in a week or so. "For the guys who want to watch the movie and not collect the case" was what they where advertised as. I guess they might be burned but who gives a fuck anyways? as long as they are good quality DVD's

 

My wife bought me the DVD a few years ago and she can't figure out why I like it so much. I found a site witht the script: http://www.cinetropic.com/blacktop/script/index.html

grumper

 

I'll check the jets.

 

"$300 dollars M****r F****r and youve got your self an automobile race"

You have got to love the cheesey lines.

Not bad for home grown! .............. Oh shes a little bit more than home grown sonny!!!

 

It seems like it goes from a dual quad tunnel ram, to a single 4 barrel in some scenes, with a fake carb showing in the scoop. I think I read this was because one of the back up cars was single 4 barrel and they used that in some scenes.

 

That sounds right. I think the Willys in Hot Rod does the same thing. The induction changes on it a couple times. (not counting the stolen blower)

 

i bought my copy on dvd at hastings for 45 bucks...

 

There is a guy in Ohio that sets up the bigger shows and swaps that sells car videos. I beleive it is called Dayton motorsports video. He may have it on DVD. Maybe some one will read this and know who I am talking about and how to contact him.

 

I bought the gift box tin set thing, but mainly cause thats all they had at the store I bought it from. It was dented so I got a discount. Wasn't really worth the extra money, but kind of cool.

 

the movie really sucks, but it's great anyways. They used to show it on tv long ago, maybe late 70s, late at night, it was hard to stay awake till the end.

did anyone else notice the 55 has 4 wheel disc brakes? just like any other freshy built street rod/ street machine!

 

The cars are cool. The story and acting are lame.

 

I have been told they made three 55 chevys for the 2 lane blacktop. One had the 427 in it for all the close up filming, one had the 454 they raced and one also had a 454 and was set up with left and right brakes for a roll over scene they never filmed. They used the 427 in American graffiti in the racing and then they used the same roll over car at the end when they raced at paradise road and he fipped it. I also heard they used the engine sounds in the first smokey and the bandit too

 

FYI there were two pro built cars for the movie. One went on to AG fame, and is still around in that form, the second car is also still around, and it's still looks like the two lane car. We CAN have our cake and eat it too

 

I think it's amazing that the few good gearhead cult movies we have are such lameass excuses for cinematography. I mean really, who is going to watch the movie except people who know about cars. Oh that's ok, we'll just roll this old 6 banger car with silver painted wheels and a stock single exhaust, they'll never know the difference.
Or how about the Vanishing point car that changes from a 440 car to a hemi and back or some such crap. then changes to a Camero a split second before it crashes.
I haven't watched 2 lane in a couple decades. I guess I need to check it out again. Car Craft sure didn't think much of it when it came out.

 

I saw the movie for the first time in 99' on an old show that used to be on speedvision call "the lost drive in"(gosh I wish I could remember the guys name that hosted it) at the end they said after years of legal battles over the score(soundtrack) it was going to be released again on DVD. I bought it imediatly. When I lived in the baracks it got "lost"(stolen) and I "found" it in a so called buddys room, when they found out he had a drug problem and was rippin everybodys shit off. Back to my story, When I went home on leave I was watching that movie it just so happened that my dad took my mom to see it at the oceanside drive in when it was released. BTW Does any know the name of that Easyriders spinoff with the green dodge charger? OK babble over.

Drew

 

The Lost Drive In. Hosted by Bruce Dern.

 

Ever notice that everyone in the movie except James Taylor is dead? Kind of sad.

 

BTW Does any know the name of that Easyriders spinoff with the green dodge charger? OK babble over.

That would be "Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry"

 

I saw it when it came out........it was kinda cool......at the time. I drove a 55 Chevy to the theater to see the movie. I had a 55 150 2 door businessman coupe....at the time.

There was a magazine article (story) that came out prior and I had read it too....It was Life magazine or something mainstream......not where you would expect that story to be....

Man....time flys......

 

I had heard they used two cars. one was a milder car for the in car shots since the race motor was too loud and shook too much. I noticed the rear discs too....I assume old lockheeds. I liked the scene when they stop to put the wipers back on in the rain. before I had my fairlane I just wondered why not keep them on...then I drove on a sunny day and got blinded fmro the light reflecting off them and it made more sense

 

"Come Home Jelly Jelly"," Help Me Rhonda" Carolina and California thats all I knew before I seen it. Inspired by actual events in a primered 56 hitting the street scene circa CA. A tough lion, not the prettiest but what really counts at the waterhole? My VHS was worn from FForwarding so many times....Heres the breakdown courtesy of Walt Bailey's TLB Hompepage....


#1 - (427/M22/Olds posi) Used in TLB by James Taylor and Harrison Ford in AG. Sold by Henry Travers on behalf of the studio to Sam Crawford in 1973, resold to Steve Fitch in Kansas in 1976, resold to Wayne Newsome in Maryland in 1985. (See October 1983 Car Craft and May 1976 Street Rodder for detailed articles and pics about the '55s). Newsome had the car modified into someone's idea of a show car and little of the car's original components remain. I have verified the car's title and VIN.

#2 (454/M22/Olds posi) Used by James Taylor in TLB only. Used to film scenes inside the car while it was being towed or driven. Sold to a studio employee shortly after filming was complete. Resold to a buyer in Canada in 1977, resold in Canada several times where it was painted black along the way, sold again in 2001 to Walt Bailey who restored it to its original TLB appearance. Most of the original components are still on the car - thus it's the only surviving, original '55 from TLB. I also verified its title and VIN.

#3 (454/TH400/Olds rear) Used in both TLB and AG. Built as a stunt car with a full rollcage. It was never rolled in TLB, but was used to film the rollover scene in AG. This car looked like the other two, but had a six-point rollcage instead of a four-point and had an all steel body instead of the fiberglass front ends, doors and deck lids on the other two. Henry Travers sold the '55 sans front sheet metal to a stock car racer in northern California, who stored it in a salvage yard for a number of years before it was eventually crushed. I have verified its fate through a written report from the stock car racer who bought it from Travers. Title and VIN unknown.

#? The AG Burn Car. Used in the final scenes of AG only. Never driven, this junkyard refugee was a '55 2-door hardtop that was painted black and hauled in to be burned. Travers affixed a piece of wood to the side window opening so that it would resemble a sedan/post car. It didn't have the rear wheelwells radiused like the #1,#2, or #3 cars did. Additionally, it had a deluxe rear bumper, something the other cars didn't. After it was toasted, Travers hauled it back to the salvage yard from whence it came and it is presumed to nave been crushed. It was never titled to the studio.