Pit Stop (1969)

Grant Willard sponsors drivers in a "new" form of race car driving called The Figure Eight. The rise and fall of one such driver is the whole story behind PIT STOP.

Director:

Jack Hill

Writer:

Jack Hill

Stars:

Brian Donlevy, Richard Davalos, Ellen Burstyn

Cast

Credited cast:
Brian Donlevy	...	Grant Willard
Richard Davalos	...	Rick Bowman
Ellen Burstyn	...	Ellen McLeod (as Ellen McRae)
Sid Haig	...	Hawk Sidney
Beverly Washburn	...	Jolene
George Washburn	...	Ed McLeod
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Barris	...	Himself
Ted Duncan	...	Sonny Simpson
Ed Hand	...	Himself
Bob James
Edwin Kissel	...	Himself (as Dr. Edwin Kissel)
Robert Krist	...	Al
Hal Lane	...	Himself
Titus Moede	...	Moody (as Titus Moody)
Steve Pendleton	...	Luther

Storyline

Grant Willard sponsors drivers in a "new" form of race car driving called The Figure Eight. The rise and fall of one such driver is the whole story behind PIT STOP.

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Plot Keywords:

car | automobile racing | car racing | product placement | independent film

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Taglines:

Crash-O-Rama!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Winner

Filming Locations:

Ascot Park Speedway - 18601 S. Vermont Avenue, Gardena, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jack Hill Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Brian Donlevy.

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Connections

Featured in From Manila with Love (2011)

User Reviews

Faster and Far More Furious!

"Pit Stop" feels like an amalgamation between modern day racing flicks "The Fast and the Furious" and "Days of Thunder", only this Jack Hill film is way, way … WAY cooler, of course. Perhaps the aforementioned movies benefice from higher budgets, greater names in the cast and far more impressive (to teenage audiences, at least) car turning gimmicks, but both the characters and the actual racing footage in "Pit Stop" are genuinely more plausible and convincing. Regular race tracks are for pansies now, by the way, as Jack Hill introduces the Figure Eight Race Track! As its name implies, the track is shaped like an eight with a dangerous intersection in the middle and, the more the race gradually evolves, the harder it becomes for the drivers to avoid accidents. The plot centers on big shot Grant Willard (no less than Prof. Quatermass himself – Brian Donlevy – in his last film role) who sponsors young & reckless drivers and deliberately forces up the competition and hostility between them. Willard picks up the handsome and talented Rick from a vile street race and challenges him to defeat the reigning champion and ill-tempered Hawk. The competition between the two racers mutually and between them and the ultimate racing champ Ed McLeod becomes increasingly unbearable and even continues outside the racing tracks, as the men also share a romantic interest in the same women. "Pit Stop" is possibly Jack Hill's most ambitious and intellectual accomplishment as a director to date! Surely his more famous films like "Coffy", "Switchblade Sisters" and "The Big Doll House" are more sensational and easier to categorize as exploitation, but this film is stylish, involving and very realistic. The Figure Eight track was for real and most of the races exist of authentic footage and actual crashes interlarded with obviously fake images of Sid Haig and Richard Davalos pulling crazy faces and grotesquely turning a steering wheel. The character drawings are extremely legit as well, since the racers are depicted as obsessive and one-track-minded daredevils and their women as caring and supportive groupies that pray every race will have a happy ending. The performances are amazing, with a very young Ellen Burstyn in one of her first film roles after a lot of TV-work and Sid Haig portraying yet another delightfully freakish character. The film does run a little long and some of the padding buggy-racing footage in the desert, albeit spectacular, could have easily been cut a little. Jack Hill was also responsible for his own great editing and Austin McKinney's black and white cinematography is terrific. Highly recommended in case you're looking for a REAL cinematic highlight, rather than to watch Vin Diesel's big shiny bald head in a hideous car or Tom Cruise pretending to know anything about NASCAR driving.