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Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr

Original title: Race for the Yankee Zephyr
  • 19811981
  • PGPG
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
1K
YOUR RATING
Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
ActionAdventureDrama
A drunken deer hunter, his pilot colleague and his daughter compete with a villainous treasure hunter to reach a lake nestled among the mountains of New Zealand, where a WWII-era plane wreck... Read allA drunken deer hunter, his pilot colleague and his daughter compete with a villainous treasure hunter to reach a lake nestled among the mountains of New Zealand, where a WWII-era plane wreck carrying a fortune in gold is submerged.A drunken deer hunter, his pilot colleague and his daughter compete with a villainous treasure hunter to reach a lake nestled among the mountains of New Zealand, where a WWII-era plane wreck carrying a fortune in gold is submerged.
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
1K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • David Hemmings
  • Writer
    • Everett De Roche(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ken Wahl
    • Lesley Ann Warren
    • Donald Pleasence
  • Director
    • David Hemmings
  • Writer
    • Everett De Roche(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ken Wahl
    • Lesley Ann Warren
    • Donald Pleasence
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 17User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos29

    Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
    Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
    Ken Wahl in Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
    Donald Pleasence in Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
    Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
    Lesley Ann Warren in Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
    Ken Wahl in Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
    Donald Pleasence in Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
    George Peppard and Donald Pleasence in Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
    Donald Pleasence in Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
    Donald Pleasence in Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
    Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ken Wahl
    Ken Wahl
    • Barney
    Lesley Ann Warren
    Lesley Ann Warren
    • Sally
    Donald Pleasence
    Donald Pleasence
    • Gilbert Carson
    George Peppard
    George Peppard
    • Theo Brown
    Bruno Lawrence
    Bruno Lawrence
    • Barker
    Grant Tilly
    • Collector
    Robert Bruce
    • The Bartender
    Harry Rutherford-Jones
    • Harry
    Tony Sparks
    • Brown's Henchman
    Clark Walkington
    • Brown's Henchman
    Frank Taurua
    • Brown's Henchman
    Steve Nicolle
    • Brown's Henchman
    Dick Jones
    • Brown's Henchman
    Dennis Hunt
    • Brown's Henchman
    Franklin D. Roosevelt
    Franklin D. Roosevelt
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • David Hemmings
    • Writer
      • Everett De Roche(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This movie is based on a true to life incident about the disappearance during World War II of an American DC-3 military airplane which was carrying the payroll for the American Pacific Fleet and crashed but was later found off Cape York in North Queensland, Australia. Screenwriter Everett De Roche has said he conceived the film from this story, which had been told to him by one of his neighbors in Mount Isa in Queensland, Australia.
    • Goofs
      When Brown's goons confront Barney at the farm, the chopper is running. He even throttles it up to make his point clear. However, when Brown and his goons drive away, Barney jumps into the chopper, which is no longer running.
    • Quotes

      Gilbert Carson: Yessir, big bucks. And nobody knows about it, but me.

      Barney: Good for you. You know, you're eatin' the cat food.

      Gilbert Carson: D'you know how much war medals is worth, to avid collectors?

      Barney: Big bucks?

      Gilbert Carson: Too darn right! You couldn't find 'em in a fit- cat food?

    • Crazy credits
      After the first unit credits, Theo Brown pops up in the lake, wearing an inflatable life vest and bellowing for help. He continues to call for assistance as the second unit credits roll.
    • Connections
      Edited into MacGyver: A Prisoner of Conscience (1986)
    • Soundtracks
      Beautiful Browneye
      (uncredited)

      Performed by Donald Pleasence and chorus

    User reviews17

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Ain't no race like a drunken Aussie race!
    First and foremost I just have to state that nobody – and I do mean NOBODY – could depict a jolly old drunk like Donald Pleasance could! I already worshiped his alcoholic character in "Wake in Fright" (also an Aussie movie and quite possibly the most underrated film of all time), but that was a serious motion picture whereas "The Race for Yankee Zephyr" is more of a light-headed and comical treasure hunting adventure. Either way, Pleasance effortlessly steals every scene he's appearing in as the unintelligibly mumbling and heavily drinking poacher Gilbert Carson. His delicious and infectious laughter alone is enough reason to seek out this sadly forgotten early 80's flick as far as I'm concerned! Along with his "business" partner Barney, Carson is out in the beautiful New Zealand Mountains when a deer hunt goes awry and he falls from the shoddy helicopter into a lake. When he recovers, he actually notices that he stumbled upon the remains of an old American WWII aircraft named Yankee Zephyr. Now, during the brilliantly nostalgic opening sequences, we learned that this aircraft carried on board the Christmas gifts for all overseas fighting soldiers, including many cases of Whiskey, army decorations and a damn big load of gold bars! Carson hardly has the time to convince Barney and his estranged daughter Sally to help him bring back all this richness, as suddenly the obnoxious British millionaire Theo Brown arrives in town to claim the gold. Carson alone knows the exact location, but he definitely doesn't intend to share the gold – let alone the whiskey – with Brown, thus the race for Yankee Zephyr begins. I've read quite a number of negative and complaining reviews about this movie, but I seriously can't figure out why that is. Sure the production values aren't on the same level as other contemporary adventure movies (like "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or "Time Bandits") but it's nevertheless an exhilarating and enthusiastic effort that put a vicious grin on my face from start to finish. What's not to like in fact? There are numerous chase sequences on the land, in the air and on the water! There are Aussie bar fights and astounding landscapes to admire. And apart from Pleasance delightful over-the-top performance, there's also George Peppard who clearly enjoyed portraying an exaggeratedly stereotypical British villain. Heck, the film even shamelessly copies the legendary theme music from "The Great Escape"! Especially since I've seen the downright genius documentary "Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!" (if you consider yourself to be a cult-movie fanatic and you haven't yet seen this documentary, first of all shame on you and, secondly, hurry up) I've been moderately obsessed with Australian exploitation cinema and this one is a stellar entry. Quite the "dream team" was involved in this, notably writer Everett De Roche ("Razorback", "Long Weekend", "Roadgames"…) and David Hemmings in the director's chair. The latter is mainly known as a great actor ("Deep Red", "Blow-Up") but he also directed a couple of remarkable titles, like "The Survivor" and of course this little gem. Search for it! Unless you're a sourpuss, I guarantee you will not regret it!
    helpful•8
    5
    • Coventry
    • Jul 10, 2013

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 13, 1984 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
      • United States
    • Official site
      • IFM Film World Releasing Official Site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Race to the Yankee Zephyr
    • Filming locations
      • Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand(environs)
    • Production companies
      • Hemdale
      • Pact Productions
      • Fay, Richwite
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $6,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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