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IMDbPro

The Last American Hero

  • 19731973
  • PGPG
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
The Last American Hero (1973)
A young hellraiser quits his moonshine business to try to become the best NASCAR racer the south has ever seen.
Play trailer2:24
1 Video
32 Photos
DramaSport
A young hellraiser quits his moonshine business to try to become the best NASCAR racer the south has ever seen.A young hellraiser quits his moonshine business to try to become the best NASCAR racer the south has ever seen.A young hellraiser quits his moonshine business to try to become the best NASCAR racer the south has ever seen.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
    • Lamont Johnson
    • Tom Wolfe(articles)
    • William Roberts
    • Bill Kerby(additional writer)
  • Stars
    • Jeff Bridges
    • Valerie Perrine
    • Geraldine Fitzgerald
    • Lamont Johnson
    • Tom Wolfe(articles)
    • William Roberts
    • Bill Kerby(additional writer)
  • Stars
    • Jeff Bridges
    • Valerie Perrine
    • Geraldine Fitzgerald
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 21User reviews
    • 23Critic reviews
    • 74Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:24
    Watch Trailer

    Photos32

    The Last American Hero (1973)
    Jeff Bridges in The Last American Hero (1973)
    The Last American Hero (1973)
    Jeff Bridges and Valerie Perrine in The Last American Hero (1973)
    Jeff Bridges and Gary Busey in The Last American Hero (1973)
    Jeff Bridges in The Last American Hero (1973)
    The Last American Hero (1973)
    The Last American Hero (1973)
    Jeff Bridges in The Last American Hero (1973)
    Jeff Bridges, Gary Busey, and Art Lund in The Last American Hero (1973)
    Jeff Bridges in The Last American Hero (1973)
    The Last American Hero (1973)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jeff Bridges
    Jeff Bridges
    • Elroy Jackson Jr.
    Valerie Perrine
    Valerie Perrine
    • Marge
    Geraldine Fitzgerald
    Geraldine Fitzgerald
    • Mrs. Jackson
    Ned Beatty
    Ned Beatty
    • Hackel
    Gary Busey
    Gary Busey
    • Wayne Jackson
    Art Lund
    Art Lund
    • Elroy Jackson Sr.
    Ed Lauter
    Ed Lauter
    • Burton Colt
    William Smith
    William Smith
    • Kyle Kingman
    • (as William Smith II)
    Gregory Walcott
    Gregory Walcott
    • Cleve Morley
    Tom Ligon
    Tom Ligon
    • Lamar
    Ernie F. Orsatti
    Ernie F. Orsatti
    • Davie Baer
    • (as Ernie Orsatti)
    Erica Hagen
    Erica Hagen
    • Trina Kingman
    Jimmy Murphy
    Jimmy Murphy
    • Spud
    • (as James Murphy)
    Lane Smith
    Lane Smith
    • Rick Penny
    Garland Atkins
    • TV Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    John Samuel Brawley
    • Joe Casper
    • (uncredited)
    Bob Cole
    • Marshall Collins
    • (uncredited)
    Lewis Compton
    • Track Announcer - Martinsville
    • (uncredited)
      • Lamont Johnson
      • Tom Wolfe(articles)
      • William Roberts
      • Bill Kerby(additional writer) (uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The movie depicts Junior's father as being arrested for producing moonshine. In reality, it was Junior himself that was arrested and sentenced. In 1956, federal tax agents found Johnson working at his father's moonshine still in Wilkes County; they arrested him. Many local residents believed the raid was done in revenge for the agent's inability to catch Johnson delivering moonshine on local highways; this is depicted in the movie when we see the local law enforcement busting up his father's still. Junior Johnson was convicted of moon-shining and was sent to prison in Chillicothe, Ohio. He served 11 months of a two-year sentence.
    • Goofs
      When the movie starts, Junior is driving a Mustang with a police band radio but there is no antenna on the car that would work on police band frequencies.
    • Quotes

      Elroy Jackson Sr.: [about working in the saw mill] It didn't seem to worry most of the boys. They put in their time, looking ahead to payday. But not me. That paycheck wasn't money, it was a bill of sale. Three months of that, back to whiskey. It's been hard on your ma, but damn foolishness to one person is breath of life to another.

    • Connections
      Featured in Precious Images (1986)
    • Soundtracks
      I Got A Name
      Sung by Jim Croce

      Lyrics by Norman Gimbel

      Music by Charles Fox

    User reviews21

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    A great insight into the grassroots of Nascar
    Jeff Bridges did a great job as Jr. Jackson(Johnson). It was after reading an old interview with Jr. Johnson and him referencing the movie that I sought it out to see. And I was not disappointed. Gary Busey also did a great job. From the moonshine runs, to the demolition derbies there was a lot of truth. To those who've never experienced the deep south and some of it's uniqueness, especially for the era, this was dead on. Here it is more than 30 years later and Nascar hasn't changed all that much. The grooming of drivers has, so movies like "The Last American Hero", help with the preservation of a simpler time and people. Yet the altruism in the seeking to gain another dollar still reigns today, some thirty years later. There aren't many movies you can say that about.
    helpful•8
    1
    • toquestyle
    • Dec 14, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 27, 1973 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Hickory, North Carolina, USA
    • Production companies
      • Rojo Productions
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 35 minutes
      • Color

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