White Lightning (1973)

An ex con teams up with federal agents to help them with breaking up a moonshine ring.

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writer:

William W. Norton

Stars:

Burt Reynolds, Jennifer Billingsley, Ned Beatty

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burt Reynolds	...	Gator McKlusky
Jennifer Billingsley	...	Lou
Ned Beatty	...	Sheriff J.C. Connors
Bo Hopkins	...	Roy Boone
Matt Clark	...	Dude Watson
Louise Latham	...	Martha Culpepper
Diane Ladd	...	Maggie (as Diane Lad)
R.G. Armstrong	...	Big Bear
Conlan Carter	...	Deputy
Dabbs Greer	...	Pa McKlusky
Lincoln Demyan	...	Warden
John Steadman	...	Skeeter
Iris Korn	...	Ma McKlusky
Stephanie Burchfield	...	Jenny
Barbara Muller	...	Louella

Storyline

An ex con teams up with federal agents to help them with breaking up a moonshine ring.

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Plot Keywords:

moonshine | prisoner | sideburns | rednecks | crying woman | 

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Taglines:

If You Haven't Seen "White Lightning" You Haven't Seen Burt Reynolds

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Crime

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 1973 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

McKlusky

Filming Locations:

Benton Speedbowl, Alexander, Arkansas, USA

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 782,923 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Levy-Gardner-Laven

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A sequel to this movie Gator named after the first name of Burt Reynolds's Gator McKlusky character in this movie was released about three years after this picture came out.

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Goofs

When the Feds give Gator his brown '71 Custom, they are driving a silver with black vinyl roof '71 Ford LTD with the small lug cover hub caps. This same car is used when Roy drives Dude's wife to the funeral.

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Quotes

Highway Patrol: You OK?
Sheriff Connors: You see me walkin', don't ya?

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood's Hottest Car Chases (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Way Down Under"
Composed by Charles Bernstein
Performed by Jerry Whitman

User Reviews

What Burt Reynolds Should Have Been

Some people renting this expecting "Gator" style silliness are probably in for a surprise. This movie had a lot more of a "Deliverence" feeling than I expected, and felt authentic to the South of the 1970s. Ok, I wasn't there at the time, so it could be completely wrong. But it was convincing.

This is what Reynolds could have been--a middleweight serious Southern Action actor, like a cornpone Marlon Brando. There's just enough meat on the script to get the old mental wheels turning, and just enough action that it doesn't turn into one of those boring intellectual films about the Bad Ol' South. All in all, a good, interesting, tight movie.

Of course, it unfortunately led to "Gator" -- a bloated mess -- a few years later. Watching them back to back, it's pathetic to watch how Reynolds declined into a buffoon. As he showed in Boogie Nights, he's quite capable of playing serious dramatic roles. Too bad he didn't follow through on the promise of White Lightning, but I'm sure the $$$ were better for the garbage films he later made.