Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974)

Down on their luck racers Larry and Deke steal from a supermarket manager to buy a car that will help them advance their racing chances. Their escape does not go as planned when Larry's one nightstand, Mary, tags along for the ride.

Director:

John Hough

Writers:

Leigh Chapman (screenplay), Antonio Santean (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Fonda, Susan George, Adam Roarke

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Fonda	...	Larry
Susan George	...	Mary Coombs
Adam Roarke	...	Deke
Kenneth Tobey	...	Carl Donahue
Eugene Daniels	...	Hank
Lynn Borden	...	Evelyn Stanton
Janear Hines	...	Millie
Elizabeth James	...	Dispatcher
Adrianne Herman	...	Cindy Stanton
T.J. Castronovo	...	Steve (as Tom Castranova)
James W. Gavin	...	Helicopter Pilot (as James Gavin)
Al Rossi	...	Surl
Ben Niems	...	Police Chief Markey
George Westcott	...	Bridge Operator
Tom O'Neill	...	Farmer

Storyline

Larry Rayder is an aspiring NASCAR driver, Deke Sommers is mechanic. As they feel they collectively are the best, the only thing that is holding them back is money to build the best vehicle possible. As such, they decide to rob a supermarket's office of the money in its safe to pursue their dream. On the most part, their robbery is successful, although their plan breaks down in its end phase, which doesn't allow them as much getaway time as they wanted. Another problem they face is an unexpected third person in their getaway, Larry's one night stand Mary Coombs, who doesn't like the fact that Larry ran off on her, although she eventually also says that she doesn't want any of the money. With a police scanner and two-way radio in their souped up Dodge Charger, they try to outrun the police, who have an identification of their vehicle, and a general description of the three. The police pursuit is led by the tenacious Sheriff Everett Franklin, who knows he and his team can catch them, ...

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Plot Keywords:

helicopter | robbery | mechanic | carsploitation | chevrolet impala | 

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Taglines:

PETER FONDA drivin' hard!! SUSAN GEORGE ridin' easy!!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tarantino has always had a soft spot for this movie and, indeed, he paid homage to it in "Jackie Brown": there's one scene where De Niro and Janet Fonda are watching a movie on TV and guess what the movie is.

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Goofs

When the first patrol car is chasing them the cop car is far behind in external shots, but is right on their tail in internal shots.

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Quotes

Mary Coombs: Hey listen, do you always meet someone for the first time and take an instant disliking to them?
Deke Sommers: Mary, stop trying to get me make joyful noises.

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Alternate Versions

Several scenes cut from the original theatrical release were re-inserted for some television cuts of the film: Among these is a scene in the walnut grove after the collision with the fruit truck where Mary (Susan George) chides Larry (Peter Fonda) about not being literate enough to understand a quote from a book. Another occurs where four hoods at the swap meet are being interviewed by the police after Larry, Mary, and Deke tear off in the souped up Dodge Charger. The houdlums stall the officer's questions by commenting back and forth about what kind of engine was in the Charger.

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Connections

References Psycho (1960)

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Soundtracks

Time (Is Such a Funny Thing)
Written by Danny Janssen and Bobby Hart
Sung by Marjorie McCoy

User Reviews

Good movie

I saw this movie as a young boy and didn't see it again until this Christmas when I ordered the DVD. It was one of my favorite movies from my childhood. I remembered many of the scenes but had forgotten many and enjoyed watching it again. I really enjoyed the interviews and the "extras" on the DVD. I grew up in the muscle car era of the '70's but was too young to drive at the time. This movie along with the Smokey and the Bandit part one were big hits back then. It was definitely worth the money. I will enjoy watching it again sometime soon. I always wondered why I never did see it advertised to be shown on any cable channels. It probably did play down through the years but I never did see it. It does take me back to the days of driving fast with the windows rolled down and listening to the CB radio. They don't make the good old high speed car movies like this anymore.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 May 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dirty Mary Crazy Larry

Filming Locations:

Oakdale, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Academy Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) (uncredited)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1