Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
"Race for the Yankee Zephyr" (original title)

In a lake high in the mountains of New Zealand hunter Gibbie Gibson discovers a plane wreck from ww-ii. When he tells it around, a gang of crooks follows and threatens him and his daughter,... See full summary »

Director:

David Hemmings

Writer:

Everett De Roche

Stars:

Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, Donald Pleasence

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ken Wahl	...	Barney
Lesley Ann Warren	...	Sally
Donald Pleasence	...	Gilbert Carson
George Peppard	...	Theo Brown
Bruno Lawrence	...	Baker
Grant Tilly	...	Collector
Harry Rutherford-Jones	...	Harry
Robert Bruce	...	The Bartender
Tony Sparks	...	Brown's Henchman
Clark Walkington	...	Brown's Henchman
Frank Taurua	...	Brown's Henchman
Steve Nicolle	...	Brown's Henchman
Dick Jones	...	Brown's Henchman
Dennis Hunt	...	Brown's Henchman

Storyline

In a lake high in the mountains of New Zealand hunter Gibbie Gibson discovers a plane wreck from ww-ii. When he tells it around, a gang of crooks follows and threatens him and his daughter, because they know there are 50 million dollars in the wreck. Helicopter pilot Barney helps Gibbie against them, risking his life thereby.

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Plot Keywords:

wreck | mountain | hunter | search | agent | 

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Taglines:

Join the race for a fortune in gold. Hang on tight! [Australia Theatrical]

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Adventure

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Australia New Zealand USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr

Filming Locations:

New Zealand

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Drake Films Ltd., Endeavour Productions, FGH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is dedicated to John Rillstone, Bill Clarke, Colin Robinson who were killed during the filming of the jet boat sequences.

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Goofs

During the jet boat sequence, Barney (Ken Wahl) is shown in close-up sitting upright in the back of the boat leaning back with arms up on the seat backs beside him, but in the distance shots showing the boat racing around, everyone is hunched over supposedly ducking the shots being fired at them, but also conveniently hiding their faces and disguising the fact that they are all stunt doubles.

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Quotes

Barney: It's all right. Air's gettin' a little thin.
Sally: Can we go where it's thick?

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Crazy Credits

After the first unit credits, Theo Brown pops up in the lake, wearing an inflatable life vest and bellowing for help. He continues to call for assistance as the second unit credits roll.

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Connections

Featured in Dead End Drive-In (1986)

User Reviews

Awful Adventure

At the opposite end of the spectrum from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK is David Hemmings' utterly inferior adventure regarding the salvage of a World War II-era plane with a valuable cargo. Assets include beautiful New Zealand settings, Brian May's energetic music score and some dandy helicopter flying and jet boat chases. The bad, however, far outweighs the good. Donald Pleasence hams as perhaps never before; half of his dialog is almost unintelligible. George Peppard attempts an Australian (I think) accent, then gives it up halfway through. Lesley Ann Warren is at her most irritating. Ken Wahl is, well, Ken Wahl. The dialog is painful to hear and Hemmings' direction is largely inept. The script is not only obvious but terrible. Jokes fall flat, scenes carry no punch and continuity is virtually non-existent. According to the end credits, two men were killed piloting jet boats during the making of the film. What a waste.