The Betsy (1978)

The aging, retired founder of an auto giant comes out of retirement to try to develop a safe, fuel-efficient car.

Director:

Daniel Petrie

Writers:

Harold Robbins (novel), William Bast (screenplay),

Stars:

Laurence Olivier, Robert Duvall, Katharine Ross

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laurence Olivier	...	Loren Hardeman
Robert Duvall	...	Loren Hardeman III
Katharine Ross	...	Sally Hardeman
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Angelo Perino
Jane Alexander	...	Alicia Hardeman
Lesley-Anne Down	...	Lady Bobby Ayres
Joseph Wiseman	...	Jake Weinstein
Kathleen Beller	...	Betsy
Edward Herrmann	...	Dan Weyman
Paul Rudd	...	Loren Hardeman Jr.
Roy Poole	...	John Duncan
Richard Venture	...	Mark Sampson
Titos Vandis	...	Angelo Luigi Perino
Clifford David	...	Joe Warren
Inga Swenson	...	Mrs. Craddock

Storyline

The patriarch of a family-owned corporation hires a young race car driver to help him design a fuel efficient car in secrecy. They face resistance from the president of the company (the patriarch's grandson), who wishes to eliminate the motor car division because of bad blood between himself and his grandfather. During flashbacks, a parallel set of problems is revealed in the family's past, problems that persist into the present, and the race car driver gets deeper into the web of deception and corporate intrigue.

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Plot Keywords:

patriarch | flashback | nudity | gay interest | arson | 

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Taglines:

The Harold Robbins people. What you dream...they do!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Harold Robbins' The Betsy

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$17,685,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Artists Pictures, Harold Robbins International Company, United Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

This picture was shot entirely on location without any filming done on studio sound stages.

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Quotes

Loren Hardeman: Angelo, I don't want anyone else to get hurt. I'm giving up the Betsy.
Angelo Perino: [shocked] You're what?
Loren Hardeman: I've seen people broken before, and it's not gonna happen again. The next funeral I want to attend is my own.

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Connections

Spoofed in National Lampoon's Movie Madness (1982)

User Reviews

My favorite guilty pleasure movie.

Serious cineasts, GO AWAY! Watch this film for the pure pleasure of getting down and dirty in a potboiler. Lust! Greed! Passion! Murder! Seduction! Even MAFIA!

And see Laurence Olivier ham it up like crazy with the goofiest accent you'll ever hear!

Oh, yeah. I forgot ... Hate! Fear! Wealth! Decadence!