Dixie Dynamite (1976)

When their moonshiner father is killed by a corrupt deputy, two young girls decide to take over his business and get revenge on the men who had him killed.

Director:

Lee Frost

Writers:

Wes Bishop, Lee Frost

Stars:

Warren Oates, Christopher George, Jane Anne Johnstone

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Warren Oates	...	Mack
Christopher George	...	Sheriff Phil Marsh
Jane Anne Johnstone	...	Dixie
Kathy McHaley	...	Patsy
Stanley Adams	...	Dade McCrutchen
R.G. Armstrong	...	Charlie White - Bank President
Phil Hoover	...	IRS Agent
Mark Miller	...	Tom Eldridge
Wes Bishop	...	Deputy Frank
Conlan Carter	...	Mr. Cyrus the Auctioneer
Dorothy Konrad	...	Nellie the Bartender
Cheryl Ann Jensen	...	Mrs. Lacy - Market Owner
Roger Gentry	...	Kawasaki Dealer
Bud Davis	...	Chauffeur (as Bud George Davis)
Ralph Campbell	...	Old Jack

Storyline

A moonshiner has been given protection by the local sheriff. When the sheriff is bought off by a crooked local businessman, the moonshiner gets busted. He tries to flee, but he is shot by a sheriff's deputy. The moonshiner's car careens off a road, and he ends up dead. The moonshiner's adult daughters try to make ends meet on the family farm, but the bank (incidentally, also controlled by the same local businessman) forecloses on the property. Left with few options, the photogenic daughters decide to exact revenge on anyone who has wronged them in the recent past. They also carry out an elaborate plot to rob the local bank.

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Plot Keywords:

revenge | explosion | dynamite | motorcycle | car chase | 

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Taglines:

They got 'em mad ... now there's no stoppin 'em!

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 1976 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Dixie Dynamite e Patsy Tritolo

Filming Locations:

Piru, California, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the motorcyclists in the race sequence is in fact an unbilled Steve McQueen. He took on this job of a motorcycle stuntman out of boredom after not being in a movie for several years. He was paid less than $200 for his work.

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Connections

Featured in 42nd Street Forever, Volume 2: The Deuce (2006)

User Reviews

Likable entry into the "hicksploitation"-action genre.

"Dixie Dynamite" may win no prizes for originality, and isn't among the best of its kind, but is not bad, getting a lot of mileage out of the appeal of its cast. Foxy, foxy leading ladies Jane Anne Johnstone and Kathy McHaley play Dixie and Patsy, two good ol' gals who tire of all the garbage that other people throw in their faces. Their moonshiner daddy Tom (Mark Miller) is accidentally killed by the crooked local law enforcement while a greedy rich jerk (played to the hilt by corpulent Stanley Adams) is determined to get his hands on as much land, including Tom's farm, as possible. Well, the bank president (R.G. Armstrong) reneges on his deal to cut the girls some slack, having known it would be hard for them to make ends meet, preferring to keep the jerk, his principal client, happy. The gals go on a crime spree, partly to get revenge, but also to act as a couple of 'modern day Robin Hoods', as the 'Dukes of Hazzard' theme song would put it, stealing from the rich in order to help out local farmers. There's something to be said here for how greed can motivate people, as our "heroines" realize their potential gains, as well as loyal family friend Mack (Warren Oates), a motocross racer, who's initially disgusted by their criminal activities but changes his tune when they quote him his substantial share of their potential take. There is a certain delight in seeing these gals start raising hell, and they show a fair amount of smarts as well as spunk. It would be hard not to feel sympathy for them, especially as one montage shows their inability to land legitimate jobs is just one motivator. While some of the cast admittedly have been better showcased in other vehicles, they're still quite engaging, from the ever likable Oates to Christopher George as the reluctantly corrupt yet not unreasonable sheriff to Wes Bishop (also co-writer and producer) as the cowardly, bumbling, creepy deputy to Miller as the briefly seen Tom Eldridge to the amusing Adams as the bad guy. Director / co-writer Lee Frost has a cameo near the end as a pathologist, and none other than the legendary Steve McQueen does some uncredited work as a motocross racer in the big racing sequence. Now, "Dixie Dynamite" is never as blatantly exploitative as some fans of this genre will like, and in fact is sometimes downright goofy (it IS rated PG). But an undemanding fan, such as myself, can still have a good enough time watching it, as it's fairly well paced and refrains from ever getting really dull. Seven out of 10.