Love me some TLB.. I watch it every fews months with the surround sound up about half way.. It kicks ass to me!
I have an old 70's issue of Street Rodder that told the story of the 2 55's built for Two Lane that were then used to build one good car that Falfa drove in American Graffitti. A racer named Richard Ruth was asked to build 2 55's for a street racing movie that was about to be made. The producer wanted them to be like Ruth's 56. He built 2 55's with glass flip fronts and glass doors with the slider windows, solid front axle with 4 bars and hot big blocks with tunnel ram and 4 speeds. They were painted a light blue but the movie people painted them primer cuz "hot rods are supposed to be grey primer" . Before turning the cars over to the studio he took one to his local track in Cal. and was pulling 10.8's. He said if he'd realized that they just needed to look the part that he wouldn't have built them to be so fast. A 3rd car was built just as a crash vehicle for the final scene but it was never used as the scene was never shot. The crash car ended up as a circle tracker. the 2 55's got fairly beat up during filming and were combined to make the one car Falfa drives in Graffitti. Yeah, I've watched Two Lane so many times that I wore out an old VHS copy that I had. It may not be a great movie but it's a great CAR MOVIE!
It really is a terrible movie but that’s not why I like it. I watch it just for the sights and sounds. Just the image of that radical 55 going down the road is something you just don't see anymore. (not where I live anyway) The sound of the rockcrusher as James Taylor rows thru the gears, the sound you hear inside of a hollowed out 55 with a worked big block and no interior to speak of, and all the other cars you see during the movie. It's like a cool window into the past. As a movie it is shit but I'll always be a fan. Somehow if this makes sense, the parts are greater than the sum.
You guys are right about the quality of the movie. but the movie itself along with others like two lane. Should be viewed as a window to the past for all the young guys on this board along with other boards that celebrate the hot rod culture of the past. It should be viewed as a learning tool as to what it was really like for us older guys growing up back then. Night racing or spending a day at the drags. If not the visual but also the sounds of those times. Memories they will not get to enjoy as we did.
Hey, it's an "art film." I have yet to see anything dubbed "art film" that had a beginning or an actual end. Look at Easy Rider. Both are way cool in my book. Oh, and there is only one Vanishing Point and one Gone In 60 Seconds. And both were made before 1985.
James Taylor not exactly Marlon Brando, a forgettable cast for that matter. Yea, its not the BEST of the car movies made, heck its better than Luke Skywalker and CORVETTE SUMMER (ghag), (least there was a ok stude pickup in that one) but just behind California Kid for realizm and well...did I actually say realizm? Remember that that 55 was also in American Graffitti. And dont forget Unlce Hulka, aka the GTO man. Warren Oats and his many versions of what he did for a living
Wow ,,I guess I should not be surprised at some of teh tragic 2 year old responses ,,but come on .. Art,,and gives you something to think about..The world is'nt just "cars" ,,come on,, Reason,,what life is about and why we do what we do,,,and with that comes some of teh great machines that are built.. F'ing tragic
Guess you had to be there. Back then to see James taylor and dennis wilson in a hot rod movie was cool. Gotta remember dennis was the real life outlaw and bad boy of the beach boys. Just like easy rider, just 2 guys crossing america, but the history value is great because thats the way it really was back in the sixties. Hell thats why i still watch woodstock to remember my good ole days.
Hi, I read a bunch of posts on Chevytalk and here about how great the movie was and whether it was better than American Grafitti. It was built up so much I bought the collectors edition off of ebay and finally watched the movie. What a disappointment! Sure there was some cool cars and racing scenes but the movie sucked. Rick
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry is my favorite of the bunch. Actually pretty engaging from a story perspective (well, at least engaging for a car movie plot). How can you go wrong with Peter Fonda? It certainly could have used some nudity. I don't have a remastered copy of the original Gone In 60 Seconds, I have a VHS (not a copy), and other than the car chase it sucks too (hell, the audio is so bad on it I'm not even sure there was dialog). I haven't seen the "new" Vanishing Point with Viggo Mortensen (sp?)... I've caught bits of it and it doesn't look too bad. Isn't the DJ in Vanishing Point the guy from Blazing Saddles? Both the new Vanishing Point and the old Vanishing Point have been on Turner Classic Movies lately. Get yer DVR's ready.
I originally had the same issue. When I had found out it was being release on DVD, I pre-ordered it months in advance, having never seen it before. Watched it the first time and was like WTH??? Put it aside for a few months, watched it again, then again, then again. I think I have now watched it 20 times or more and actually like it. As others said, it's about the feeling of the times, not the actual acting or story so much. Heck, look at a lot of movies that came out in the late '60's early '70's. Many car ones were bad acting, bad scripts but some killer cars and car chases. Heck, look at the original Gone in 60 Seconds, Vanishing Point, La Mans, etc. Most of those were cheesy but had good car action for the day. Now by todays standard, those movies would totally suck, with all the cool stunts and special effects we have now but a lot of movies today don't really have the feel of the times like those early ones did. My .02 worth... now where is my DVD copy???
The movie captures an actual piece of time. It was made in 1971 and it captured 1971. American Graffiti was done in 1973 but it is based in 1962! Only a few around here can claim to know where they where in 1962! I was barely around in 1971! Much less 1962!! It was not Malt Shops and Poodle Skirts, it was gritty street racing by guys living on the ragged edge of existence. It shows life pretty close to what it is, rather uneventful but with some surprises here and there. Don't ge me wrong, I love AG, but, TLB is a totally different type of pic and should be viewed as such. Don't expect wacky pranks or crazy car clubs, because really, did any of this ever really happend to many of us? But, TLB, I can relate to quite a bit of it. Just my crazy thoughts, yours may differ.
I look at it as an artifact of the times. I guess I was too young to get the whole existential thing. Just like I didn't get the whole existential thing with the original Vanishing Point. As a teenager, I thought "cool Challenger" and "is that a nekkid chick on that bike?" When I was younger, I thought it was pretty cool. I watch them now and can take 'em or leave 'em. Still diggin' the cars though.
Watched TLB at the drive-in in 1971 thought it was the coolest thing around. My hunch is if you didn't live back then you may not think much of the movie.
yeah the plot sucked, but you got to see a little of America back in the good old days before wal mart and china took over the world. lots of great scenery and cars kept me watching.
I think the ending with the dissolving film stock implies that he crashed,burned and was killed!The acting is pretty poor,it seems like James Taylor was trying way too hard!I like the cool cars and I love to hear Warren Oates B.S. as he tries to impress people on how he obtained the GTO!
I read the story on it but i still ain't buying the 10.8's, it takes a lot to get a 4spd into the 10's especially back in '71 their was not half the technology as their is today. anybody can say anything in a rag but what proof do they have to back it up.
didnt have to make sense to me there was a pretty good looking chick 2 probably best friends traveling east in a bad ass 55 chevy in what looks like the 60's early 70's street racing 1/4 mile racing thats all i needed was a good movie to me ...
No i think 10.8's would be hard, if i remember correct back then at the kennedale race track we all went to 10.99 was pro et and most of them were the big boys rat camaros and altereds. None of them were able to ride around on the street and sure not the hyway. Correct me if i'm wrong.
The ending is way cool. James taylor hauling down the strip, and then.....the film heats up and flickers out...and you don't know what happens to him. Good ending..And Warren Oates is classic in that movie...always lying to everyone he talks to about how he got his gto. "I won it shooting craps in Vegas!!" You tell it Sgt. Hulka!!
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