Grand Theft Auto (1977)

A rich girl steals her dad's Rolls Royce and heads off to Las Vegas to get married. However, her angry parents, a jealous suitor, and a bunch of reward seekers are determined to stop her.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Rance Howard, Ron Howard

Stars:

Ron Howard, Nancy Morgan, Elizabeth Rogers

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ron Howard	...	Sam Freeman
Nancy Morgan	...	Paula Powers
Elizabeth Rogers	...	Priscilla Powers
Barry Cahill	...	Bigby Powers
Rance Howard	...	Ned Slinker
Paul Linke	...	Collins Hedgeworth
Marion Ross	...	Vivian Hedgeworth
Don Steele	...	Curly Q. Brown
Peter Isacksen	...	Sparky
Clint Howard	...	Ace
James Ritz	...	Officer Tad (as Jim Ritz)
Hoke Howell	...	Preacher
Lew Brown	...	Jack Klepper
Ken Lerner	...	Eagle I
Jack Perkins	...	Shadley

Storyline

Paula Powers, daughter of wealthy gubernatorial candidate Bigby Powers, decides to reject her parents' attempt at matchmaking and run off to Vegas to marry her sweetheart, Sam Freeman. As they drive away in a stolen Rolls-Royce, spurned suitor Collins Hedgeworth follows behind in hot pursuit, along with a cadre of goons hoping to get the $25,000 reward that's been offered for Paula's return. Can the young lovers make it to Vegas for a quickie wedding before the forces of conformity and privilege arrive to put a stop to their romance?

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Plot Keywords:

car accident | car wreck | disapproving parents | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | engagement | 

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Taglines:

See the greatest cars in the world destroyed!

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Roger Corman: The Official DVD Website

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 June 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

A nagy autólopás

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$602,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

New World Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Ron Howard's feature directorial debut. All of his previous directorial works were short subjects.

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Goofs

When Collins Hedgeworth steals the Dodge Charger (with white seats) he mistakenly backs into the showroom. The inside shot of the shift console shows a blue vinyl console, obviously very old and dirty, with black seats. There is, additionally, some graffiti "smudged" onto the console. This is clearly a shot of a different vehicle than the nice, "like new" Charger represented.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Paula has brought Sam to her home]
Priscilla Powers: Aagh! Paula, how could you do this?
Paula Powers: Come on, mom, PLEASE don't be so dramatic!
Priscilla Powers: I have been planning for months the weddings of you and Collins Hedgeworth.
Paula Powers: No, mother! He didn't ask me, he asked *you*!
Bigby Powers: Shut up, young lady! Just sit down and sit your lips. You are engaged to Collins Hedgeworth.
Bigby Powers: [to Sam] Did you know, that she was engaged to Collins Hedgeworth?
Sam Freeman: Sir, I realize, that there is a conflict, but...
Bigby Powers: [to Priscilla] You see, he understands...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in The Directors: The Films of Roger Corman (1999)

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Soundtracks

Whatcha Gonna Do?
Written by David Jenkins (uncredited) and Cory Lerios (uncredited)
furnished courtesy of A&M Records
Performed by Pablo Cruise

User Reviews

The funniest car chase movie of all time!

Forget Smokey and the Bandit, check out Grand Theft Auto if you want a car-chase movie in the comedy genre! This was also Ron Howard's directorial debut. And everyone knows him as Opie from The Andy Griffith Show, and Richie from Happy Days. It's about these teenagers who go joyriding in stolen cars, and they get into the most deliriously funny situations anyone could imagine in a car-chase movie!

I don't care if this movie didn't get any good reviews or if it wasn't considered 'cool', but hey, after all it was Ron Howard's first movie he ever produced. The movie may have lowbrow humor, but it's still an awesome movie worth watching! I saw this movie for the first time when I was a preteen, and to this day I still find it to be outrageously funny! If you're in the mood for a serious car-chase movie, rent something like Bullitt or The French Connection. If you want to see a funny one, rent this movie! IMHO, I think it's the funniest movie of 1977!