Thunder Road (1958)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Arthur Ripley

Writers:

Robert Mitchum (story)
James Atlee Phillips (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 May 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

YOU'LL NEED SHOCK ABSORBERS! (original ad - all caps)

Plot:

A veteran comes home from the Korean War to the mountains and takes over the family moonshining business...

Plot Keywords:

Chase | Illegal Still | Car Chase | Treasury Agent | War Veteran

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 21

6:00 PM

TCM

Cast

Robert Mitchum	...	Lucas Doolin
Gene Barry	...	Troy Barrett, Treasury Agent
Jacques Aubuchon	...	Carl Kogan
Keely Smith	...	Francie Wymore
Trevor Bardette	...	Vernon Doolin
Sandra Knight	...	Roxanna Ledbetter
James Mitchum	...	Robin Doolin

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #18919) (original rating) | USA:PG (re-rating) (1975) | Norway:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Company:

D.R.M. Productions

Trivia:

The '57 Ford used in the crash scene was specially built to withstand the force of impact when it was driven in-between the two revenuer cars. The front fenders were made of cast steel and the body and frame were heavily reinforced. The weight of the car was such that special solid sponge rubber tires had to be fabricated and used. No tire of the day could support the weight and speed the car had to attain and still look like normal car tires. The engine also had to be highly modified to produce the horsepower necessary for the speed requirement.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Thunder Road was filmed in and around Asheville, NC. However, some of the scenes take place in Memphis, TN. In one of the Memphis scenes, Robert Mitchum pays a visit to the mob boss (Kogan) who is trying to horn in on his family's moonshine business. Mitchum parks his car in front of a building with "Asheville Pharmacy" in clear lettering on the window.

Quotes:

Lucas Doolin: [to a noisy customer, about the nightclub's singer] She's trying to make a living. If you want to bray, go find yourself a barnyard.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Species (1995)

Soundtrack:

Whipporwill

Thunder Road 50th Anniversary

I was 14 when I first viewed "Thunder Road" at a local drive In in North Georgia. It was in June 1958 after the movie was released in May of that year. The movie was an immediate smash hit with viewers that night, many of whom were in the "whiskey" business and who had taken the night off to see the film. After the show the exit from the drive in was blackened by the burning rubber left by many of the patrons leaving the premises, several of whom owned "whiskey cars" of equal or greater horsepower than those in the film. Since that night I have seen the movie many times and it always brings back great memories of the era. 2007 will be the 50th anniversary of the filming of the movie and 2008 will be the anniversary of its release date. Wouldn't it be interesting if someone or some company put together a 50th Anniversary Thunder Road event like the recreation of the cars in the movie along with special appearances at regional car shows, complete with car magazine articles and perhaps even a road test of the vintage autos. The re-release of the DVD to include the out takes would also be popular. Who knows what MGM and NASCAR could do with a team effort? WHB