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

Cast overview, first billed only:
H.B. Halicki	...	Maindrian Pace
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
Parnelli Jones	...	Parnelli Jones
Gary Bettenhausen	...	Himself
Jonathan E. Fricke	...	KFOX Interviewer
Hal McClain	...	KFOX Announcer
J.C. Agajanian
J.C. Agajanian Jr.	...	Light Blue Unmarked Detective
Christopher J.C. Agajanian	...	Himself
Billy Englehart	...	Billy

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 | coors beer | marijuana smoking | cigar smoking | telephone call | 

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Taglines:

See 93 cars destroyed in the most incredible pursuit ever filmed

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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

The final "big jump" went 30 feet high and cleared 128 feet; Halicki suffered a compressed spine in the landing.

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Goofs

Camera and cameraman visible against building when the Mustang plows through the couch in the alley.

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Quotes

Mr. Velas: I don't need to remind you of the consequences if you fail to perform.
Maindrian Pace: Don't worry, Mr. Velas.
Mr. Velas: [chuckles] I don't worry. That's your job.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits stop after only one acting credit: "Eleanor."

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Alternate Versions

The line "Unit 10 and 1-Baker-5, 10-4, stand-by on Ocean", said at the start of the chase by the female dispatcher (over the shot of the first black-and-white and unmarked Mercury leaving the Long Beach PD parking lot), has been removed from the DVD release. Also missing is half of a line spoken over shots of the big crash in Redondo Beach at the end of the chase. In the DVD, we hear, "Redondo Fire this is Mobile Rescue 2. We're at the scene of a four-car collision with multiple injuries. Have a ladder truck respond Code 3, we'll need the jaws-of-life", before it cuts off as we see the shot of Maindrian driving. Originally, the dialog continued over this shot and we said, "Have Goodhew respond Code 3, and give us an ETA please."

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Connections

Referenced in Adjust Your Tracking (2013)

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Soundtracks

Boob Tube Blues
Music and Lyrics by Ronald Halicki and Philip Kachaturian
Sung by Philip Kachaturian

User Reviews

Ace Chase

Crap acting, dodgy voice dubbing, lack of plotting... no matter, the reason for this films existence is highly evident, the stunts are superb, the final chase builds like a classical music piece, starting off small and basic before escalating into a full blown crescendo. The sheer amount of destruction on-screen is astounding, but unlike most car chases this actually shows the consequences, with cutaways of the chase "victims" placed in between the hi-octane spills and tyre squealing thrills. Unlike the recent Nic Cage remake, which purports to be a Ferrari but is actually a Fiat Uno in disguise, this version keeps things simple and lets the action do the talking. Shallow, yes, but you'll hard pressed to find a more exciting car chase this side of Ronin.