Convoy (1978)

Truckers form a mile long "convoy" in support of a trucker's vendetta with an abusive sheriff...Based on the country song of same title by C.W. McCall.

Director:

Sam Peckinpah

Writers:

Bill Norton (screen story) (as B.W.L. Norton), Bill Norton (screenplay) (as B.W.L. Norton)

Stars:

Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kris Kristofferson	...	Rubber Duck
Ali MacGraw	...	Melissa
Ernest Borgnine	...	Dirty Lyle / Lyle Wallace
Burt Young	...	Pig Pen
Madge Sinclair	...	Widow Woman
Franklyn Ajaye	...	Spider Mike
Brian Davies	...	Chuck Arnoldi
Seymour Cassel	...	Governor Haskins
Cassie Yates	...	Violet
Walter Kelley	...	Hamilton
Jackson D. Kane	...	Big Nasty (as J. D. Kane)
Billy Hughes	...	Pack Rat (as Billy E. Hughes)
Whitey Hughes	...	White Rat
Bill Coontz	...	Old Iguana (as Bill Foster)
Tommy J. Huff	...	Lizard Tongue (as Thomas Huff)

Storyline

While driving through the Arizona desert, Albuquerque based independent trucker Martin Penwald - who goes by the handle "Rubber Duck" - along with his fellow truckers "Pig Pen" and "Spider Mike", are entrapped by unscrupulous Sheriff Lyle "Cottonmouth" Wallace using a key tool of the trucker's trade, the citizens' band (CB) radio. Rubber Duck and Cottonmouth have a long, antagonistic history. When this encounter later escalates into a more physical one as Cottonmouth threatens Spider Mike, a man who just wants to get home to his pregnant wife, Rubber Duck and other the truckers involved, including Spider Mike, Pig Pen and "Widow Woman", go on the run, figuring the best thing to do being to head to New Mexico to avoid prosecution. Along for the ride is Melissa, a beautiful photographer who just wanted a ride to the airport. As news of what happened spreads over the CB airwaves, other truckers join their convoy as a show of support. Cottonmouth rallies other law enforcement officers ...

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Plot Keywords:

arizona desert | convoy | sheriff | truck driver | cb radio | 

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Taglines:

Kristofferson and MacGraw...ain't nothin' gonna get in their way!

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bill Norton's original script was a lighthearted action comedy similar to Smokey and the Bandit (1977). He pitched the script to EMI, which offered the script to Sam Peckinpah, then finishing post-production on Cross of Iron (1977). Though dubious about the project's potential, Peckinpah agreed on condition that he had complete control over the film. The studio agreed, and trouble promptly began. Peckinpah immediately started rewriting Norton's script, envisioning it as a modern-day Western with truckers fighting against crooked lawmen and unfair interstate regulations, whilst also adding heavy-handed political satire.

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Goofs

Spider Mike's afro occasionally changes from a parted afro (which it's supposed to be) to a smooth afro.

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Quotes

Melissa: But they're all following you.
Rubber Duck: [looks at Melissa then road] No, they ain't. I'm just in front of them.

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Crazy Credits

During the final credits, clips from the movie are played. These include a few brief shots which don't appear in the final film (such as the final clip of the couple in the antique car). The clips also *roughly* follow the film backwards (the first few clips are from the end of the film, and they progress back to the beginning).

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Alternate Versions

The new German region 2 Pal DVD (released by Kinowelt) contains the 3 minutes missing from the UK/European video/DVD.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Tom Arnold/Tupac Shakur (1996)

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Soundtracks

Blanket on the Ground
Composed by Roger Bowling
ATV Music Corp,. BMI
Performed by Billie Jo Spears

User Reviews

70s American Epic

Great film! This was one of the few American films that got broadcasted on TV here in Hungary in the late 80s socialist era. I was about 8 then, and I remember, every kid played with Matchbox trucks and wanted to be a trucker...

But only now do I understand the essence of it... I think, this movie is the 70s epic of America - a kind of 'On the road put to film'. It deeply revolts against the conformism of the late 70s. After the 60s the rebellion of the "beat generation" slowly expired giving way to the "disco age". I think, Convoy brings back some of the finest ideas and emotions of the 60s, depicting numerous social-political-economic problems of the 70s...

Also, it has an even more important message: it is the revolt of the average citizen, or the working man against the political elite. They say, they have our - the people's - well being on our minds. And we might be dull enough to believe them... We work hard, while they stuff their own pockets with our money and have nothing on their minds but doing that and ways of being able to maintain their power. I think, that is an ever-present problem in each and every country, no matter rich or poor, democratic or dictatorical. So the true message of Convoy is: REAL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 June 1978 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Convoy

Filming Locations:

Estancia, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$22,765,081

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,765,081

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films, Robert M. Sherman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1