Used Cars (1980)

When the owner of a struggling used car lot is killed, it's up to the lot's hot-shot salesman to save the property from falling into the hands of the owner's ruthless brother and used-car rival.

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale

Stars:

Kurt Russell, Jack Warden, Gerrit Graham

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kurt Russell	...	Rudy Russo
Jack Warden	...	Roy L. Fuchs / Luke Fuchs
Gerrit Graham	...	Jeff
Frank McRae	...	Jim the Mechanic
Deborah Harmon	...	Barbara Fuchs
Joe Flaherty	...	Sam Slaton (as Joseph P. Flaherty)
David L. Lander	...	Freddie Paris
Michael McKean	...	Eddie Winslow
Michael Talbott	...	Mickey
Harry Northup	...	Carmine
Alfonso Arau	...	Manuel
Al Lewis	...	Judge Harrison
Woodrow Parfrey	...	Mr. Ghertner
Andrew Duncan	...	Charlie
Dub Taylor	...	Tucker

Storyline

Used car salesman Rudy Russo (Kurt Russell) needs money to run for State Senate, so he approaches his boss Luke (Jack Warden). Luke agrees to front him the $10,000 he needs, but then encounters an "accident" orchestrated by his brother Roy also played by Warden, who runs the car lot across the street. Roy is hoping to claim title to his brother's property because Roy's paying off the mayor to put the new interstate through the area. After Luke disappears, it's all out war between the competing car shops, and no nasty trick is off limits as Rudy and his gang fight to keep Roy from taking Luke's property. Then Luke's daughter shows up.

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Plot Keywords:

car dealership | stolen car | used car lot | used car salesman | sex in bed | 

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Taglines:

Meet car dealer Roy L. Fuchs: dishonest, disreputable, disgraceful, he's the bad guy. Across the street, his competitor Rudy Russo: dishonest, disreputable, disgraceful, he's the good guy. Walking into the middle of it is Barbara Jane Fuchs: moral, descent, honest, she's got a lot to learn.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 July 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mit einem Bein im Kittchen

Filming Locations:

Downtown Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$11,715,321

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, A-Team

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 103 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The used car lot set was built across an actual major highway in Arizona, which made filming very tough.

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Goofs

When Mickey is destroying the '57 Chevy during the test drive with Luke, Luke rips the Castrol GTX patch off Mickey's outer Castrol jacket, revealing the New Deal patch beneath. Yet the New Deal patch is never ripped off the inner jacket. Later, when dying, Luke drops the patch he ripped off which shows it to be a New Deal patch, leading Rudy to believe Luke's death was Roy's doing. The patch Luke ripped off was a Castrol GTX patch, not a New Deal patch. Where did the New Deal patch come from?

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Quotes

Rudy Russo: C'mon, Jeff! You've seen how bad business is. Thanks to Fuchs, our name is mud! Look... we had nuns, protesting out front when I got here this morning.
Jeff: Nuns?
Rudy Russo: Yeah. I had to have Jim turn the firehose on them.
Jim the Mechanic: [holds up the still wet firehose] And I knocked them motherfuckers right on they asses, too.

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Crazy Credits

The film's closing credits state: "The producers wish to thank the governor, people and motion picture office of the State of Arizona for their cooperation in the production of this motion picture."

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Alternate Versions

CBS edited 7 minutes from this film for its 1985 network television premiere.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Suckula (2015)

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Soundtracks

The Stripper
(uncredited)
Music by David Rose

User Reviews

you get a lot of millage out of this baby

Kurt Russell is Rudy Russo a slimy, dishonest used car salesman working for Luke Fuchs (Jack Warden) who yearns to be in Congress, where the real payola is. When Luke dies from one of the schemes of his evil brother, Roy (Jack Warden again pulling double duty, who owns his own used car lot across the street) to get Luke's car lot, as his is going to be bulldozed to make room for a new offramp. It's up to Rudy to hide Luke's death from both Roy and Luke's daughter, Barbara (Deborah Harmon), whom Rudy is falling for despite himself. This movie is one of Robert Zemeckis's best films (right up there with the first "Back to the Future"), but whereas that's more or less a kid's fantasy, however great it might be. This is a true blue adult comedy that wears it's R rating on it's sleeve. And is all the more hilarious for it. Filled with a great many quotable lines, memorable scenes, and wonderfully zany characters, it's no wonder that I love it so much.

My Grade: B+

DVD Extras: Commentary by Robert Zemeckis, Kurt Russell, and Bob Gale; Outtakes; TV spot; 8 Radio spots; Advertising Gallery; filmagraphies; and Trailers for "So I Married an Axe Murderer", "Multiplicity" and "Groundhog Day"

Eye Candy: Deborah Harmon and Cheryl Rixon each get topless