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 |
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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 |
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Laurence Olivier | ... |
Loren Hardeman
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| Robert Duvall | ... |
Loren Hardeman III
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| Katharine Ross | ... |
Sally Hardeman
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| Tommy Lee Jones | ... |
Angelo Perino
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| Jane Alexander | ... |
Alicia Hardeman
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| Lesley-Anne Down | ... |
Lady Bobby Ayres
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| Joseph Wiseman | ... |
Jake Weinstein
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| Kathleen Beller | ... |
Betsy
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| Edward Herrmann | ... |
Dan Weyman
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Paul Rudd | ... |
Loren Hardeman Jr.
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Roy Poole | ... |
John Duncan
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Richard Venture | ... |
Mark Sampson
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Titos Vandis | ... |
Angelo Luigi Perino
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| Clifford David | ... |
Joe Warren
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| Inga Swenson | ... |
Mrs. Craddock
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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. Written by Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>
Laurence Olivier is the multi-millionaire head of a family, who's rich due to the family business, making cars. Larry wants to make a new car whose engine would be environmentally safe. He needs Tommy Lee Jones' (a race car driver) assistance in creating the engine. And, that begins the present day plot. There are flashbacks that show just how and why things are the way they are today. The presence of Katharine Ross and Kathleen Beller make this feel like Dynasty. And, Robert Duvall is Larry's grandson who'll stop at nothing to stop the development of "The Betsy," which is what Larry named the engine. The movie is nothing like "The Oscar" in that it's not flashy or campy; and, it doesn't have any it's-so-bad-it's good value to it. Instead, you get the impression they tried to take themselves seriously and in doing so, only emphasized the fact these are not nice people and it gives the movie a kind of seedy, mean quality to it. Its love scenes add to its trashy feel to it and not entirely in a good way. The music is so understated, mellow, and refined, it sounds like some "Godfather" copy. All in all, once you've seen the ending, you may want to see it again, knowing what you know. But, it's not much to really write home about.