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The Sugarland Express
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The Sugarland Express (1974) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   4,357 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Writers:
Steven Spielberg (story) and
Hal Barwood (story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Sugarland Express on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 April 1974 (USA) more
Genre:
Adventure | Crime | Drama more
Tagline:
The true story of a girl who took on all of Texas...and almost won. more
Plot:
Lou-Jean, a blonde woman, tells her husband, who is imprisoned, to escape. They plan to kidnap their own child... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
Katie Holmes Is ‘Afraid Of The Dark’
 (From FilmSchoolRejects. 7 May 2009, 6:57 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Boy, did this get great press in 1974 more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Goldie Hawn ... Lou Jean Poplin

Ben Johnson ... Captain Harlin Tanner
Michael Sacks ... Patrolman Maxwell Slide

William Atherton ... Clovis Michael Poplin
Gregory Walcott ... Patrolman Ernie Mashburn
Steve Kanaly ... Patrolman Jessup
Louise Latham ... Mrs. Looby
Harrison Zanuck ... Baby Langston Poplin
A.L. Camp ... Mr. Alvin T. Nocker
Jessie Lee Fulton ... Mrs. Nocker
Dean Smith ... Russ Berry
Ted Grossman ... Dietz
Bill Thurman ... Hunter
Kenneth Hudgins ... Standby
Buster Daniels ... Drunk (as Buster Danials)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Carte Blanche (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
110 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Filming Locations:
Del Rio, Texas, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
California's Panavision Corporation chose this movie for the launch of its then new Panaflex, a compact camera that enabled Steven Spielberg to shoot complex shots inside a patrol car. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: There is an Exxon station shown near the prison. The movie is based on events of May 1969. Standard Oil did not change Esso to the Exxon brand until 1973. more
Quotes:
Clovis Poplin: We're in real trouble.
Clovis Poplin: Say, I didn't mean what I said.
Maxwell Slide: What was that?
Clovis Poplin: When I called you a son of a bitch, I didn't mean it
Maxwell Slide: And you ain't no mental subject neither.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Dizengoff 99 (1979) more
Soundtrack:
I've Been Working on the Railroad more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
24 out of 28 people found the following comment useful:-
Boy, did this get great press in 1974, 9 October 1999
8/10
Author: Varlaam from Toronto, Canada

Critics at the time were impressed by this new director, Steven Spielberg, who had previously directed Dennis Weaver in that spooky TV movie "Duel", but they were really impressed with Goldie Hawn, still mainly known as the blonde nitwit from "Laugh-In". She had been quite respectable in "Butterflies Are Free" in 1972, but she turned in a beautifully nuanced performance in this one.

I would certainly argue with any notion that this film is "underrated". It's always been well regarded, even back in the days when Spielberg was known as the clever kid who made "Jaws". That doesn't mean it has ever been easy to see.

Now, with the passage of time, "Sugarland Express" looks even better than it did in the 1970's. One still has no trouble at all getting caught up in the quixotic mission of these characters.

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Anyone catch Clovis' joke? Tim-O-T
travolta is right about the ending ash_skywalker10
Michael Sacks fonfara-2
1980 to 1990 Cadillac Fleetwood on back cover of dvd version madhouse_495
Texas Rangers can't shoot guitarnoise65
Faulty geography also wtl471629
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