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	...	Self
Jonathan E. Fricke	...	KFOX Interviewer
Hal McClain	...	KFOX Announcer
J.C. Agajanian	...	Self
J.C. Agajanian Jr.	...	Light Blue Unmarked Detective
Christopher J.C. Agajanian	...	Self
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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

HIS BUSINESS IS STEALING CARS...when he goes to work, the excitement starts---and GOES---and GOES---and GOES!

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ronald Halicki, the director's real-life brother and Corlis Pace in the film, operated the crane that lifted "Jill", the red Challenger, to its fate in the car-crusher at the junkyard.

---

Goofs

The camera is reflected on the squared police siren, several times.

---

Quotes

Corlis Pace: [drives up in a big white Cadillac] How do I look in this one?
Maindrian Pace: Like a polack! Where's your wig?
Corlis Pace: It itches.
Maindrian Pace: I'll itch you. Get this damn thing in here and get it cleaned-up!

---

Crazy Credits

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

---

Alternate Versions

The sound of the gunshot when the Long Beach officer shoots at Maindrian just before the Mustang takes out the open door of a stopped vehicle (next to the burning cars at the Carson St off-ramp) has been removed from the DVD release, making it appear that the officer is merely threatening Maindrian with the weapon, rather than shooting. Also removed are three words spoken by the Torrance PD sergeant through the bullhorn at Torrance Mazda. His original dialog, "This is the police, this is an emergency! Please clear the area, please clear the area! Come on, man!" loses the "come on, man" which is replaced with an echo of "area". Furthermore, Bud Wackeen is dubbed in the DVD release.

---

Connections

Referenced in Grindhouse (2007)

---

Soundtracks

Gone in 60 Seconds
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.

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)

Company Credits

Production Co:

H.B. Halicki Mercantile Company

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