Thunder Road (1958)

A veteran comes home from the Korean War to the mountains and takes over the family moonshining business. He has to battle big-city gangsters who are trying to take over the business and the police who are trying to put him in prison.

Director:

Arthur Ripley

Writers:

James Atlee Phillips (screenplay), Walter Wise (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Mitchum, Gene Barry, Jacques Aubuchon

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Mitchum	...	Lucas Doolin
Gene Barry	...	Troy Barrett
Jacques Aubuchon	...	Carl Kogan
Keely Smith	...	Francie Wymore
Trevor Bardette	...	Vernon Doolin
Sandra Knight	...	Roxanna Ledbetter
James Mitchum	...	Robin Doolin
Betsy Holt	...	Mary Barrett
Francis Koon	...	Sarah Doolin
Randy Sparks	...	Guitarist
Mitchell Ryan	...	Jed Moultrie
Peter Breck	...	Stacey Gouge
Peter Hornsby	...	Lucky - Kogan's Henchman
Jerry Hardin	...	Niles Penland
Robert Porterfield	...	Preacher

Storyline

A veteran comes home from the Korean War to the mountains and takes over the family moonshining business. He has to battle big-city gangsters who are trying to take over the business and the police who are trying to put him in prison.

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Plot Keywords:

southern gothic | 1950s | mother son relationship | father son relationship | manipulative female | 

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Taglines:

YOU'LL NEED SHOCK ABSORBERS! (original ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 May 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jack O'Diamonds

Filming Locations:

Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

D.R.M. Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Near the beginning of the film, when Lucas' father is at the still, the calls of a whippoorwill are heard.

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Goofs

When Luke and Francie are sitting on a sofa, he has his right arm around her shoulder. In close-up her right hand is up, caressing his hand; after the cut to mid-shot, her right hand is holding a drink.

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Quotes

Vernon Doolin: [referring to Niles Penlands being ambushed] So it begins. Saw a corpse bird the other day, hadn't seen one in years, shoulda known it was an ill omen.

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Connections

Featured in Invisible Invaders (1959)

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Soundtracks

The Whippoorwill
Composed by Robert Mitchum and Don Raye
Sung by Keely Smith

User Reviews

Mountain man moves moonshine to Memphis.

Arthur Ripley directs this cult classic crime/Noir. War vet Robert Mitchum returns home to ramrod the family moonshine business. This hard headed bootlegger takes on the Feds and the Mob while burning the roads in his whiskey laden hot rods. If that is not enough, he must keep his young brother(James Mitchum)from moving up from mechanic to driver in the family business and then there is the romancing of a Memphis chanteuse(Keely Smith). Also in the cast are Gene Barry, Sandra Knight and Jacques Aubuchon. Bob Mitchum produces, and takes partial writing credit plus writes songs for this evocative glimpse of southern culture. Mitchum also oversees his younger brother's film debut.

NOTE: It is said that Elvis Presley enjoyed this movie so much he memorized bad Bob's lines of the script.