Corvette Summer (1978)

A high school grad and a hooker-in-training try to track down his stolen Corvette.

Director:

Matthew Robbins

Writers:

Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins

Stars:

Mark Hamill, Annie Potts, Eugene Roche

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Hamill	...	Kenneth W. Dantley Jr.
Annie Potts	...	Vanessa
Eugene Roche	...	Ed McGrath
William Bryant	...	Plain Clothes Police Lecturer (as Bill Bryant)
Richard McKenzie	...	Principal Bacon
Kim Milford	...	Wayne Lowry
Philip Bruns	...	Gil
Danny Bonaduce	...	Kootz
Albert Insinnia	...	Ricci
Jane A. Johnston	...	Mrs. Dantley
Stanley Kamel	...	Las Vegas Con Man
Clifford A. Pellow	...	Older John - Rosalind's Admirer (as Cliff Pellow)
Jason Ronard	...	Wayne's Chain-Wielding Henchman
Brion James	...	Wayne's Car Wash Henchman
Morgan Upton	...	New Owner of Vanessa's Van

Storyline

Ken loves to design and build exotic cars. When the High School shop class project car, a fully tricked out dream Corvette, is stolen, he begins searching for it. His search leads him to Las Vegas, where Vanessa, a teenaged prostitute wannabe, helps him try to track it down.

---

Plot Keywords:

prostitute | 1959 cadillac | white panties | panties | voyeur | 

---

Taglines:

And he thought fast cars were a thrill...

---

Genres:

Adventure | Comedy

---

Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Debut feature film as a director for Matthew Robbins and debut feature film as a producer for Hal Barwood.

---

Goofs

In the beginning of the movie, the emblem that falls to the ground and gets Kenny's attention says "Corvette" - this is a script from a 1963-1967 Corvette Sting Ray rear deck. It should say "Stingray" if it had fallen off a 1973 Corvette Stingray.

---

Quotes

Vanessa: Hey, know what I got on under here?
Kenneth W. Dantley, Jr.: Paper towels?
Vanessa: Nothin'. My streaker suit.

---

Connections

Referenced in Films Under Constant Critique: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (2019)

---

Soundtracks

Give Me the Night
(uncredited)
Written by Craig Safan
Performed by Dusty Springfield

User Reviews

Highly underrated and fun film. Under-seen.

If you are a Star Wars fan, it is interesting to see Mark Hamill in this movie, second only to The Big Red One as non Star Wars performances go.

Annie Potts of Ghostbusters and Designing Women fame is great. I personally have nothing against Hamill and would like to see him do more movies and choose better scripts. Look for this film from the same creative team as Dragonslayer (another underrated film, which Ally McBeal fans should seek to see Peter MacNichol in a slightly different light).

It is well worth it. It won't change your life, but it's not a rip-off. It's good summer fun.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 June 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stingray

Filming Locations:

2450 E. 52nd Street Vernon, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$15,514,367

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,514,367

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Plotto Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 108 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1