Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)

When a South American drug lord pays Pace to steal 48 cars for him, all but one is in the bag - thereby, the police precipitate in a desperate car chase against Pace and his Eleanor across Southern California.

Director:

H.B. Halicki

Writer:

H.B. Halicki

Stars:

H.B. Halicki, Marion Busia, Jerry Daugirda

Cast

Complete credited cast:
H.B. Halicki	...	Maindrian Pace / Vicinski
Marion Busia	...	Pumpkin Chase
Jerry Daugirda	...	Eugene Chase
James McIntyre	...	Stanley Chase
George Cole	...	Atlee Jackson
Ronald Halicki	...	Corlis Pace
Markos Kotsikos	...	Uncle Joe Chase
Butch Stockton	...	1-Baker-11 detective (driver)
Phil Woods	...	1-Baker-11 detective (passenger)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
J.C. Agajanian Jr.	...	Light Blue Unmarked Detective
Christopher J.C. Agajanian	...	Himself
Gary Bettenhausen	...	Himself
Edward Booker	...	Lowrider
Anthony Cole	...	Lowrider
Mark Cole	...	Lowrider

Storyline

Insurance investigator Maindrian Pace and his team lead double-lives as unstoppable car thieves. When a South American drug lord pays Pace to steal 48 cars for him, all but one, a 1973 Ford Mustang, are in the bag. As Pace prepares to rip-off the fastback, codenamed "Eleanor", in Long Beach, he is unaware that his boss has tipped off the police after a business dispute. Detectives are waiting and pursue Pace through five cities as he desperately tries to get away.

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Plot Keywords:

named car | police | ford mustang | police car | manta mirage | 

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Taglines:

Let the wrecking begin

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

maintained by writer/director's widow

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 July 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gone in Sixty Seconds

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Harbor, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$40,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

H.B. Halicki Mercantile

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 93 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby (DVD re-release) DTS (DVD re-release)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Maindrian is first telling Atlee about the new contract, a message on the blackboard behind them is visible saying, "Sgt. Hawkins called about Vacek case"--a reference to director of photography Jack Vacek.

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Goofs

When the fire truck pulls up at the Carson Street offramp crash, the three patrol cars still in the pursuit and 1-Baker-11 can briefly be seen parked in a row on the opposite side of the intersection, facing the accident scene.

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Quotes

Pumpkin Chase: Maindrian, we have to give Eleanor back.
Maindrian Pace: What are you talking about? The contract's filled!
Pumpkin Chase: [handing him newspaper] She's not insured. Here, look for yourself.
Maindrian Pace: You gotta be kidding me..."Owner desperate. '73 Ford Mustang stolen from 18511 Mariposa, Gardena. Not insured. Please return, no questions." Pumpkin, I'm tired. I'm not Superman. Look at that, that contract is filled!
Pumpkin Chase: Maindrian...
[Eugene bursts in]
Eugene Chase: Damn you, Pace! Where's that El Dorado?
Maindrian Pace: It's gone, Eugene.
Eugene Chase: What did you do with it, you ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The ending credits in the 2001 DVD release features footage of H.B. Halicki's widow, Denice Shakarian Halicki, riding in "Eleanor."

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Alternate Versions

"Special Edition" re-release VHS/DVD version features remastered video, and audio. The soundtrack has also been completely changed.

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Connections

Referenced in My Gym Partner's a Monkey: Political Animals/Guano in 60 Seconds (2006)

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Soundtracks

Where Did Our Love Go
Music and Lyrics by Ronald Halicki and Philip Kachaturian
Sung by Philip Kachaturian

User Reviews

The standard against all subsequent are measured!

It's amazing what could be done with a tiny budget and no digital effects. I watched this after having seen the trashy remake, and expected a similar degree of dumb wisecracks and hackneyed sub-plots.

I was impressed, however, to discover real talent behind the camera. The plot is simple: a car thief has to steal 40 fancy cars in a very short time. Using a combination of skill, insider knowledge of the insurance business and just sheer brass, the protagonist and his pals start their automotive harvest. Everything seems done and taken care of, when everything goes to hell at the last moment, leading to what surely be the longest car chase put to film.

The best thing about this movie is its low-budget feel. Many of the early scenes are almost mimed, with voices overdubbed later; you don't see actual dialogue, just hear it on top of the action. But as things progress, it begins to show more polish, and by the time we get to the big chase, you get what appears to be the entire 7th Cavalry Division in squad cars chasing one li'l yellow Mustang.

A very smart touch during the big chase was to frequently cut to the aftermath of car crashes, with wounded cops and civilians being dragged from burning cars and hustled away in ambulances -- it added an edge to the film, to show there are actually consequences to these actions (and how often is that shown on the big screen?).

Aside from the marvelously-choreographed action sequences, there are many moments of great wit, which I won't describe so's not to spoil them.

All in all, a brilliant piece of film-making, made not with glitz, glamor, star-power or special effects -- just sheer talent (and pretty cars, o'course!).