Convoy (1978)

Truckers form a mile long "convoy" in support of a trucker's vendetta with an abusive sheriff...Based on the country song of same title by C.W. McCall.

Director:

Sam Peckinpah

Writers:

Bill L. Norton (screen story and screenplay), Bill Fries (song)

Stars:

Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kris Kristofferson	...	Martin 'Rubber Duck' Penwald
Ali MacGraw	...	Melissa
Ernest Borgnine	...	Sheriff Lyle 'Cottonmouth' Wallace
Burt Young	...	Bobby 'Love Machine' 'Pig Pen'
Madge Sinclair	...	Widow Woman
Franklyn Ajaye	...	Spider Mike
Brian Davies	...	Chuck Arnoldi
Seymour Cassel	...	Governer Jerry Haskins
Cassie Yates	...	Violet
Walter Kelley	...	Federal Agent Hamilton
Jackson D. Kane	...	Big Nasty (as J.D. Kane)
Billy Hughes	...	Pack Rat (as Billy E. Hughes)
Whitey Hughes	...	White Rat
Bill Coontz	...	Old Iguana (as Bill Foster)
Tommy J. Huff	...	Lizard Tongue (as Thomas Huff)

Storyline

While driving through the Arizona desert, Albuquerque based independent trucker Martin Penwald - who goes by the handle "Rubber Duck" - along with his fellow truckers "Pig Pen" and "Spider Mike", are entrapped by unscrupulous Sheriff Lyle "Cottonmouth" Wallace using a key tool of the trucker's trade, the citizens' band (CB) radio. Rubber Duck and Cottonmouth have a long, antagonistic history. When this encounter later escalates into a more physical one as Cottonmouth threatens Spider Mike, a man who just wants to get home to his pregnant wife, Rubber Duck and other the truckers involved, including Spider Mike, Pig Pen and "Widow Woman", go on the run, figuring the best thing to do being to head to New Mexico to avoid prosecution. Along for the ride is Melissa, a beautiful photographer who just wanted a ride to the airport. As news of what happened spreads over the CB airwaves, other truckers join their convoy as a show of support. Cottonmouth rallies other law enforcement officers ...

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Plot Keywords:

trucker | convoy | cb radio | truck | sheriff | 

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Taglines:

Kristofferson and MacGraw...ain't nothin' gonna get in their way!

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 August 1978 (UK)

Also Known As:

Konvoj

Filming Locations:

Estancia, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 5,007,045 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "tank" used at the end of the movie is actually an M42 40mm Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun called a "Duster". It was used in the Korean War for anti-aircraft and in the Vietnam War for truck convoy protection duty.

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Goofs

Spider Mike's afro occasionally changes from a parted afro (which it's supposed to be) to a smooth afro.

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Quotes

Reverend Sloane: [On the CB] I don't read nothin' in scripture that says thou shall not put the pedal to the metal.
Rubber Duck: Welcome aboard there, Reverend. We could sure use some spiritual help here. Think you can handle it?
Reverend Sloane: It's a pleasure, our pleasure. We're just tryin' to do a good job, Brother Rubber.
Rubber Duck: [to Melissa] Brother Rubber? What is that guy's name? He ain't no Reverend.

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Crazy Credits

During the final credits, clips from the movie are played. These include a few brief shots which don't appear in the final film (such as the final clip of the couple in the antique car). The clips also *roughly* follow the film backwards (the first few clips are from the end of the film, and they progress back to the beginning).

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Connections

Referenced in The Olsen Gang Never Surrenders (1979)

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Soundtracks

"Convoy"
Chip Davis and Bill Fries, Composers
American Gramaphone, SESAC
Performed by Bill Fries (as C.W. McCall)

User Reviews

I Watched The Filming Of Convoy

It was June of 1977, and I was twelve years old. I was visiting my grandparents in Las Vegas, NM at the time, when I heard that they were filming a movie in town. Nothing new... Las Vegas has been in it's fair share of movies having been made. A great back-drop for old westerns. This was a contemporary movie that was very timely, with the whole CB radio fad happening and Smoky and The Bandit having just made a killing at the box office. Not to mention, Kris Kristofferson was at this point very much a sex symbol from his movie " A Star Is Born" having just been released.

Director Sam Peckinpah was in town and was picking out extras to sit in the Old Town Plaza near the gazebo in downtown Las Vegas. I was one of the them. The day was torrid hot, and Mr. Peckinpah didn't seem to be in the best of moods. With many curse words being thrown around and a few temper tantrums to boot (director and cast) we extras endured the heat and the anger... to get a shot to be in this movie. Of course I ended up on the cutting room floor minus a crowd scene or two, but it was such a thrill for a twelve year old girl.

The movie debuted in July of 1978, a year later, and by then, a lot of the CB radio hype had died down and the movie tanked at the box office. It was later shown on television it seemed every few months in the 1980's, almost gaining a cult following.

The movie is clearly dated, at times over the top macho, but it has a good cast, some great scenery and if for pop culture only... it's a lot of fun.