Deadhead Miles (1972)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Vernon Zimmerman

Writer:

Terrence Malick (writer)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

The story of a long-distance trucker and his experiences on the road. |

Plot Keywords:

Trucker | 18 Wheeler | Hitchhiker | Bar | Drag Racing

Cast

Donna Anderson	...	Waitress
Alan Arkin	...	Cooper
Madison Arnold	...	Hostler
Paul Benedict	...	Tramp
Bruce Bennett	...	Johnny Mesquitero
Oliver Clark	...	Durazno
Patrick Dennis-Leigh	...	Loader
William Duell	...	Auto Parts Salesman
Charles Durning	...	Red Ball Rider
Hector Elizondo	...	Bad Character
John Farnan	...	Track Worker
Allen Garfield	...	Juicy Brucey
Barnard Hughes	...	Old Man
Philip Kenneally	...	State Trooper
Richard Kiel
Bill Littleton	...	Chicken Farmer
Ida Lupino	...	Herself
Bill McCutcheon	...	Used Car Dealer
John Milius	...	2nd State Trooper
Sue Carol Perry	...	Woman Tramp
John Quade
George Raft	...	Himself
Dan Resin	...	Foreman
Avery Schreiber	...	The Boss
Diane Shalet	...	Donna James
John Steadman	...	Old Sam
Loretta Swit	...	Woman with Glass Eye
Tom Waters	...	Truck Driver
Stu Wilson
Larry Wolf	...	Pineapple

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Loretta Swit's movie debut.

One of the most interesting movies I've ever seen

I caught this movie on A&E over ten years ago between classes while in college. I'd seen Catch-22, so I knew Alan Arkin and liked his work.

It's hard to describe this movie beyond a trucker movie. Very seriously, it's like an episode of Seinfeld... a lot of random stuff happens, most of it disconnected, a lot of it odd, but the vast majority is really funny once you sink into it. Honestly, I forget a very large portion of the movie, but the impression of how interesting it was has stuck with me for over a decade... that has to say something.

Arkin is perfect in it as a pill-popping, cantankerous driver trying to stay awake while driving a load cross country. Paul Benedict (Bentley from the Jeffersons) plays a tramp. Looking over the cast, Richard Kiel (Jaws from the Bond films), Loretta Swit (M*A*S*H), John Milius (writer of Apocalypse Now, etc), Hector Elizondo, Charles Durning... this had a great cast of character actors. I would love to see this film again, but I seriously doubt it will ever get a DVD release unless someone famous sponsors it like Tarantino has the martial arts films released under his Rolling Thunder company.