King of the Mountain (1981)

A group of friends race their high-powered cars up and down a dangerous and deadly mountain road known as Mulholland Drive to see who can claim the title of "King of the Hill."

Director:

Noel Nosseck

Writers:

David Barry (article), Leigh Chapman,

Stars:

Harry Hamlin, Joseph Bottoms, Deborah Van Valkenburgh

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harry Hamlin	...	Steve
Joseph Bottoms	...	Buddy
Deborah Van Valkenburgh	...	Tina
Richard Cox	...	Roger
Dennis Hopper	...	Cal
Dan Haggerty	...	Rick
Seymour Cassel	...	Barry Tanner
Sloan Roberts	...	Billy T (as Jon Sloan)
Steve Jones	...	Policeman
Ashley Cox	...	Elaine
Lillian Müller	...	Jamie Winter
Cassandra Peterson	...	Neighbor
Buddy Joe Hooker	...	Fast Joe Otis
Ron Trice	...	Keyboard player
Curt Ayers	...	Fatburger

Storyline

A group of friends race their high-powered cars up and down a dangerous and deadly mountain road known as Mulholland Drive to see who can claim the title of "King of the Hill."

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Plot Keywords:

road racing | street racing | based on article | based on magazine article

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Taglines:

The race. The risk. The danger. It's worth it all to be...King of the Mountain

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bolidi nella notte

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Harry Hamlin's role was intended for Brad Davis, who was fired due to his drug problems.

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Quotes

Buddy: [after the Trans Am driver says they only race for money] What did you do?
Steve: I set up a race.
Buddy: Yeah, but for a hundred dollars?
Steve: Trust me....we won't need it!
Buddy: That's all I need to hear!

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Soundtracks

"Where Do I Fit In?"
Written by Richard Kerr and Troy Seals
Performed by Deborah Van Valkenburgh
Produced by Jack Nitzsche for North Spur Productions

User Reviews

Before the Fast and the Furious, there was the `King'.

This movie is quite good. More action than that sucky commercial flick Gone in 60 Seconds that bored me in six milliseconds! THIS IS A CLASSIC CAR ACTION FILM IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD. Great action throughout, a fair script and good actors, although it may not have been their best acting performance. The real stars (the cars) are not forgotten here. If you do get to see this movie, check out the cool mid-70's white Datsun 280-Z with diagonal striping on doors. I saw an example of one of these cars in a magazine with a Chevy 350 installed. And of course, Steve's (Harry Hamlin) Porsche 356 Speedster with Centerline wheels on WIDE B.F. Goodrich tiers under AC Cobra like wheel well flares! This move will satisfy all car nuts. And some who aren't! This was the days before the after- market auto industry made it possible for just about anyone to build a cool car through a catalogue or the Internet. None of these cars are straight of the shelf. Except perhaps for a 1980 Chevy Camaro Z28 and a Jaguar XKE. I have this movie on videotape that had to have been recorded in the mid-80's by a friend or myself when I was around 13 years old. Unfortunately, I can't find this movie being sold on VHS or DVD anywhere. Enjoy it, if you can find it. If you think you would like this kind of movie, try finding `The Driver' with Ryan O'neal and Bruce Dern too!