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The Betsy (1978)

R | | Drama | 9 February 1978 (USA)
The Betsy Poster
The aging, retired founder of an auto giant comes out of retirement to try to develop a safe, fuel-efficient car.

Director:

Daniel Petrie

Writers:

Harold Robbins (novel), William Bast (screenplay) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Laurence Olivier, Robert Duvall, Katharine Ross | See full cast & crew »
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ON DISC
2 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laurence Olivier ... Loren Hardeman Sr. I
Robert Duvall ... Loren III / Loren Hardeman Sr.'s grandson
Katharine Ross ... Sally / Loren II's wife
Tommy Lee Jones ... Angelo / Car racer
Jane Alexander ... Alicia / Loren III's wife
Lesley-Anne Down ... Roberta(Bobby) / Loren III's mistress-Family friend
Joseph Wiseman ... Jake / Angelo's uncle
Kathleen Beller ... Betsy / Loren III's daughter
Edward Herrmann ... Dan Weyman / Head of Finances
Paul Rudd Paul Rudd ... Loren Hardeman II / Sally's husband
Roy Poole ... John Duncan / Head of production
Richard Venture Richard Venture ... Mark
Titos Vandis ... Angelo Luigi Perino
Clifford David ... Joe / Manager-Loren II's gay lover
Inga Swenson ... Mrs. Craddock
See full cast »
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Storyline

The patriarch of a family-owned corporation hires a young race car driver to help him design a fuel efficient car in secrecy. They face resistance from the president of the company (the patriarch's grandson), who wishes to eliminate the motor car division because of bad blood between himself and his grandfather. During flashbacks, a parallel set of problems is revealed in the family's past, problems that persist into the present, and the race car driver gets deeper into the web of deception and corporate intrigue. Written by Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

assassination attempt | bare breasts | large breasts | sex with a maid | breast feeding | See All (89) »

Taglines:

The Harold Robbins people. What you dream...they do!

Genres:

Drama

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1978 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Harold Robbins' The Betsy See more »

Filming Locations:

Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California, USA See more »
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Box Office

Gross USA:

$17,685,000
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harold Robbins International Company See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of Loren Hardeman's (Sir Laurence Olivier's) car company was "Bethlehem Motor Company", or "BMC", based on the number four U.S. auto manufacturer (before, and at the time this film was produced) "American Motors Corporaton", or "AMC", until 1987, when it was purchased by the Chrysler Corporation. See more »

Quotes

Loren Hardeman: A whole new car from bottom up and bumper to bumper! A-ha! Wheeee! Damn, it's gonna be like the old days again! A-ha-ha-ha!
See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Ecstasy Girls (1979) See more »

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User Reviews

 
My favorite guilty pleasure movie.
11 July 1999 | by SquirePM – See all my reviews

Serious cineasts, GO AWAY! Watch this film for the pure pleasure of getting down and dirty in a potboiler. Lust! Greed! Passion! Murder! Seduction! Even MAFIA!

And see Laurence Olivier ham it up like crazy with the goofiest accent you'll ever hear!

Oh, yeah. I forgot ... Hate! Fear! Wealth! Decadence!
20 of 23 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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