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

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 | carsploitation | speed | white lightning | violence | 

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Taglines:

Raw And Rough As Today's Billion-Dollar Whiskey War!

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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

Film debut of Peter Breck.

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Goofs

Luke delivers 250 gallons of alcohol in his 1950 ford. This would take 4.5 55 gallon drums and weigh approximately 1750 pounds, impossible to fit in a car trunk.

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Quotes

Lucas Doolin: [talking on pay telephone] Hello, Kogan?... Doolin.
Carl Kogan: What's on your mind, Mr. Doolin?
Lucas Doolin: You. You're on my mind. You finally made the big mistake tonight, Kogan. Niles Penland was a mistake... Jethro Moultrie and Williams - that was a mistake, that was a big mistake, a bad mistake, but tonight you made the *big* mistake. You put your dirty, fat hands on my kid brother. I swore I'd *kill* anybody who tried to make him a whisky runner. I'm on my way into Memphis right now, and when I get there you're ...

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Connections

Referenced in Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974)

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Soundtracks

Ballad of Thunder Road
(uncredited)
(Theme song)
Composed by Robert Mitchum
Sung by Robert Mitchum

User Reviews

Good movie for classic car fans

From the opening scene of a 1950 Ford coupe racing along a mountain road to the closing crash of a 1957 Ford - yes that must have been the product placement company, along with the tobacco industry, but the cops get around in great 1957 Chevy Bel Airs - this movie has plenty of involving drama centred around a guy who acts as a transporter for moonshiners. The female characters and the acting are weak but handsome Robert Mitchum keeps it all together in between the action sequences. Technically it ain't too bad, but there are obvious continuity problems. One scene between the younger brother and a law enforcer starts out and ends on location but there are a couple of minutes of dialog that are obviously filmed in the studio - even in 1957 this surely could have been done a little better.