Johnny Dark (1954)

Automobile engineer, Johnny Dark, designs a radical new car. When the owner refuses to sponsor the car in a Canada to Mexico Sports-car race, Johnny, with the aid of the owner's ... See full summary »

Director:

George Sherman

Writer:

Franklin Coen

Stars:

Tony Curtis, Piper Laurie, Don Taylor

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tony Curtis	...	Johnny Dark
Piper Laurie	...	Liz Fielding
Don Taylor	...	Duke Benson
Paul Kelly	...	William H. 'Scotty' Scott
Ilka Chase	...	Abbie Binns
Sidney Blackmer	...	James Fielding
Ruth Hampton	...	Miss Border to Border
Russell Johnson	...	Emory
Joe Sawyer	...	Carl Svenson (as Joseph Sawyer)
Robert Nichols	...	Smitty
Pierre Watkin	...	Ed J. Winston
Scatman Crothers	...	Himself
Ralph Montgomery	...	Morgan

Storyline

Automobile engineer, Johnny Dark, designs a radical new car. When the owner refuses to sponsor the car in a Canada to Mexico Sports-car race, Johnny, with the aid of the owner's granddaughter, steals the car and runs the race against the favored driver, his ex-buddy.

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Plot Keywords:

racing | character name in title

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Taglines:

A story of fast cars...reckless women...and sudden danger...and a guy who loved all three!

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 August 1954 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Männer, Mädchen und Motoren

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Classic Action Sports Car Race Drama.

A young auto racing enthusiast and automotive engineer, Johnny Dark (Curtis) designs a new type of race car that his auto manufacturer-employer, Fielding Motors, won't build, so he enters it in a Reno, Nevada to Tijuana, Mexico road race. His girlfriend, Liz (Laurie), daughter of the CEO of Fielding Motors, as strong-willed as he is, finally realizes how important his passion for racing is, and fully supports him to win his heart.

A really fun picture, in glorious Technicolor. This film was made by many of the same personnel who worked on THIS ISLAND EARTH (1955), including the producer, and featured some prime examples of a custom-fiberglas bodied sports car made in Lynwood (a suburb of Los Angeles, Calif.) in limited numbers by a small auto-maker company. The car was the Woodill Wildfire, made from 1953 to 1957 in small, hand-crafted numbers by Woody Woodill Motors. Film also features many other rare early-1950s American sports cars, made in small numbers by independent manufacturers. They are rare collectors' cars today. This movie was remade exactly ten years later by Bill Alland and director Jack Arnold as The LIVELY SET (Universal, 1964). Great fun for all. Hey, Universal, why isn't this movie out on video?