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.

Director:

Lamont Johnson

Writers:

Tom Wolfe (articles), William Roberts

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, Valerie Perrine, Geraldine Fitzgerald

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview:
Jeff Bridges	...	Elroy Jackson Jr.
Valerie Perrine	...	Marge
Geraldine Fitzgerald	...	Mrs. Jackson
Ned Beatty	...	Hackel
Gary Busey	...	Wayne Jackson
Art Lund	...	Elroy Jackson Sr.
Ed Lauter	...	Burton Colt
William Smith	...	Kyle Kingman (as William Smith II)
Gregory Walcott	...	Cleve Morley
Tom Ligon	...	Lamar
Ernie F. Orsatti	...	Davie Baer (as Ernie Orsatti)
Erica Hagen	...	Trina Kingman
Jimmy Murphy	...	Spud (as James Murphy)
Lane Smith	...	Rick Penny

Storyline

A young hellraiser quits his moonshine business to try to become the best NASCAR racer the south has ever seen.

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Plot Keywords:

nascar | moonshine | male rear nudity | male nudity | bare chested male | 

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Taglines:

It took him 20 years to find out who he was and 2 laps to let the world know.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 July 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hard Driver

Filming Locations:

Concord, North Carolina, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rojo Productions, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 91 min (FMC Library Print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fictionalized version of Junior Johnson's career as a driver and moonshiner.

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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.

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Quotes

Burton Colt: How you've changed. Last time I saw you, you were gonna whip my ass with whatever it by-god takes. Now you want a job.
Elroy Jackson Jr.: [about Colt's racing trophy] Two questions: how long's it been since you won that thing, and do you want more?
Burton Colt: Your manners haven't changed.
Elroy Jackson Jr.: I don't want no job, neither. I work for nothin', take fifty percent of the prize money.
Burton Colt: To begin with, I hire drivers on *my* terms.
Elroy Jackson Jr.: And end up nowhere.
Burton Colt: Where do you get off being so goddamn snotty?
Elroy Jackson Jr.: I know my potential. So do you.
Burton Colt: One race...

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Connections

Referenced in Django Unchained (2012)

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Soundtracks

I Got A Name
Sung by Jim Croce
Lyrics by Norman Gimbel
Music by Charles Fox

User Reviews

"It's the old saying about..."

Jeff Bridges stars in this fact-based movie as Junior Jackson, a former moonshine runner who goes straight from the back roads of the Carolinas to the muddy dirt tracks of NASCAR in an era when the sport was hardly known north of the Mason-Dixon line and the drivers liked their cars fast and their women even faster.

There was an old saying that NASCAR never did condone fighting amongst the drivers, but I can see where they got the saying that, "If you have to do it, though, make sure it's at the start-finish line." I did a little research on Jackson's career and the story here holds to the fact that he wasn't one of the "cleanest" drivers in NASCAR, but it does help to have that little bit of controversy among your driver(s) when it comes to putting butts in the grandstands. I was fortunate enough to visit the Legends of Racing Museum in Daytona a few weeks ago and met Jack Anderson, a former driver from that era, and I listened to some of the stories surrounding the times and it seems that everything holds true, which makes this a film portrayed very well in every sense of the word. If you're a fan of stock car driving at any level, this movie is for you! 8 out of 10 stars!