Honky Tonk Freeway (1981)

Ticlaw, a small town in Florida, has only one attraction: a safari park. The government constructs a freeway that passes near Ticlaw, but decides not to put an exit into the town. The ... See full summary »

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writer:

Edward Clinton

Stars:

David Rasche, Paul Jabara, Howard Hesseman

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Rasche	...	Eddie White
Paul Jabara	...	T.J. Tupus
Howard Hesseman	...	Snapper
Teri Garr	...	Ericka
Jenn Thompson	...	Delia
Peter Billingsley	...	Little Billy
Beau Bridges	...	Duane Hansen
Beverly D'Angelo	...	Carmen Odessa Shelby
Daniel Stern	...	Hitchhiker
Sandra McCabe	...	Prostitute
Celia Weston	...	Grace
Deborah Rush	...	Sister Mary Magdalene
Geraldine Page	...	Sister Mary Clarise
George Dzundza	...	Eugene
Joe Grifasi	...	Osvaldo

Storyline

Ticlaw, a small town in Florida, has only one attraction: a safari park. The government constructs a freeway that passes near Ticlaw, but decides not to put an exit into the town. The people of Ticlaw, led by its Mayor, will do anything in order to convince the governor to alter the project.

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Plot Keywords:

small town | florida | exit | car jump | big explosion | 

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Taglines:

PROMISES ARE MADE IN HEAVEN - But carried out on Earth

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Genres:

Action | Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 August 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Da steht der ganze Freeway Kopf

Filming Locations:

Apopka, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$24,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$939,423, 23 August 1981, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$2,004,742

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films, Honky Tonk Freeway Company, Kendon Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally planned with a $2-3 million budget, the film's costs ultimately ballooned to $25 million.

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Goofs

During the scene where the orphans are being shown the petting zoo, a crew member or the director can be heard giving the cue to "Scream! Scream! Ricky!" as the children become afraid of the white horse they've mistaken for "Ricky the Carnivorous Pony."

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Quotes

Duane Hansen: I love you.
Carmen Odessa Shelby: Oh Duane, you don't even know me. I've slept with over three hundred men.
Duane Hansen: Everyone has their faults.
Carmen Odessa Shelby: Three hundred men? In Paducah, Kentucky? Duane, wasn't easy.
Duane Hansen: It's an accomplishment.
Carmen Odessa Shelby: No, Duane, it's a problem. It's a real problem. I'm like Ricky the Carnivorous Pony in respect to men.
Duane Hansen: I love you, I need you, and I wanna make you happy, that's all.
Carmen Odessa Shelby: Oh, I don't know if that's what I really want out of life.

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Connections

Featured in No Small Parts: Anne Ramsey (2014)

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Soundtracks

Years from Now
Written and Performed by Roger Cook

User Reviews

A satirical look at the automobile culture

The obsession of modern society with the ownership of a personal automobile is a very appropriate subject for satire. One could consider the role of private vehicles as one of the important elements in population control (although limited in its value by the associated medical costs!). Alternatively one could assess the role of the automobile in the atmospheric pollution that threatens dramatic changes of climate which will have a devastating effect on the lives of all of us; or one could look at the long term impact of more and more fertile agricultural land becoming sterilized by the construction of wide concrete freeways. There is plenty of scope for the inventive film maker to deal with such major themes. Instead most of the films dealing with this issue which have been released so far, raise only such trivial concerns as the infatuation of teenagers with acquiring ownership of their own vehicle, or occasionally with the problems associated with 'driving under the influence'. The film Honky Tonk Freeway is a noble exception to this collection of triviata. In it, the director John Schlesinger takes a long and very devastating look at yet another aspect of the automobile culture, the need for small towns to be closely connected to a major highway network if they are not to just fade away.

The film features Ticklaw, a Florida town that has become largely dependent upon the income brought in by short stay tourists heading towards the nearby coast. A new freeway under construction does not provide a promised access junction and the long term implications for the town are serious. The story line is the series of increasingly dramatic steps taken by the town to ensure that it remains an attractive stopping off point for through travellers. The film is a comedy with an edge and with very sharp characterisation. Unfortunately much of it is overdrawn to the point where it almost becomes pure slapstick, and for me this detracts a lot from the message of the film. However, although overlong, it remains quite enjoyable to watch; and the sequences showing an elephant being trained to waterski to entertain the visitors are almost etched in my memory. This could have been a really great film, but unfortunately much of it was so overdrawn that I can only recognise it as a near miss.