Topic: Some Of You All, Around My Age, Might Enjoy This.

[bill440cars]

           This Thursday afternoon at 3:30PM CST, the 1958 movie "Thunder Road" with Robert Mitchum will be on TCM (Turner's Classic Movies). Now, to a number of you, this will be a dumb, not worth watching movie. I understand that. It is one of my favorite of the oldies and I will be watching and taping. Just thought I'd throw this out to who ever might want to take it in.

             Also, for those who might be interested, at 7:00PM CST, the 1966 movie "Grand Prix" with James Garner aill also be showing on TCM.


            Okay, that's it for the movie listings.

[kslrr]

Not sure if I have heard of "Thunder Road" but "Grand Prix" is one of my fav car flix.  Wasn't there also a movie called "La Mans" which was filmed at speed?  It stared whats-his-name who was in that war flic where he jumped a motorcycle over the barbed wire fence to escape.

[nickjtc]

It stared whats-his-name who was in that war flic where he jumped a motorcycle over the barbed wire fence to escape.

Shock, horror! You must mean the late great Steve McQueen. Even though it was actually Bud Ekins who made the jump.

[754]

I think he wants to watch , BULLIT, just doesnt know it yet..

[kslrr]

Yea, Steve McQueen, Bullit, it's coming back to me, pushing it's way thru the memory of working on 2 sets of carbs at the same time yesterday.  What fun!

[754]

Didya answer the phone??

(1080 is NOT going to find that funny... )

[CrisPDuk]

Hey Bill it's not just those of pensionable age who enjoy those films you know

I'm only 37, but Thunder Road, Grand Prix, Bullitt and Le Mans are all much viewed members of my CD collection

They've all been included in the all-day movie marathons my 19 year old stepson and his mate hold from time to time too


As an aside, how can anyone who's a fan of anything internal combustion related not love Le Mans, a sountrack by one of the greatest race engines ever, visuals by one of the greatest sports racers ever, in the finest team livery ever, and Steve McQueen   What's not to love

[okie]

Pensionable??  Didja hear that Bill?  Maybe we don't have to work any more.   

Thanks for the heads-up I too, will be watching and recording. 

[bill440cars]

Pensionable??  Didja hear that Bill?  Maybe we don't have to work any more.   

Thanks for the heads-up I too, will be watching and recording. 

          Yeah, I heard that. It'd be all right with me, if we didn't have to work anymore.

          I thought that there might be SOME folks who'd like to know. I mean, Thunder Road was made before there was much technology to really set it off, but I enjoyed it back then and anytime I happen to find it now days. It usually slips up on me, but I realized it this time though. First time I saw Bullitt, I thought That Charger slung a lot of hub caps. So, I watched it again (it was while I was stationed   at Misawa AFB in Japan from Dec 67' - Dec 69') and this time, I counted FIVE hubcaps came off of that Charger! And , yes, I've seen the other movies mentioned. There was also one called "Two-Laned Blacktop" (involving mainly a 55' hotrod Chevy 2dr post, driven by James Taylor, and a GTO, driven by Warren Oates)        

[fuzzybutt]

bill, you've mentioned a few of my all time favorite movies, thunder road is second favorite for me right behind worlds fastest indian, grand prix is great and i loved two lane blacktop too. if we're talking about steve mcqueen, cant forget on any sinday too.

[Ecosse]

Thanks for the heads up about TMC programming. The only thing that makes Ted Turner redeemable as a human being.   

Le Mans and Gran Prix are must see movie for anyone with a pulse!! Both have the best race footage I've ever seen in a movie. And, uh... it was The Great Escape that had that Triumph jump. 

Bullitt is just so cool. No, Steve McQueen is the coolest! Mitchum, James Garner too.

The black '55 is the same one that was in American Graffiti, BTW.

What are some other great gear head movie to see? 

[burmashave]

          I thought that there might be SOME folks who'd like to know. [snip]

Bill, thanks for the heads up. I love Thunder Road, **absolutely a cult classic**. My mum got me into the movie because it's one of her favorites, and I like just about anything Robert Mitchum was in. My mum grew up on bootleg country, where this film became more of an icon than a hit. If I recall correctly, the director got some moonshiners to help out with technical details.

I get the feeling that this movie made more of a stir among motorheads at that time than did other car movies that followed, such as Bullitt, although Thunder Road did not approach the same kind of realism achieved by its successors.

It seems to me that Robert Mitchum drove (no pun intended) the production. He wrote both songs, which aren't bad, and his son played his brother. I understand that Elvis might have played the part of the brother, but Col. Tom Parker didn't want Elvis to be in a movie about bootleggers.

[burmashave]

O.K., now that you're interest is piqued ;-) here it is: the lyrics to Thunder Road

Now let me tell a story and I can tell it all
It's about a mountain boy who ran illegal alcohol
His daddy made the moonshine while he drove the load
And when his engine roared they called the highway Thunder Road
Sometimes into Asheville sometimes Memphis town
The revenuers chased him but they could not run him down

Just when they thought they had him his engine would explode
And he'd blow by while they were standing still on Thunder Road
And there was thunder thunder on that Thunder Road
Thunder was his engine white lightning was his load
There was moonshine moonshine quench the old devil's thirst
The G men swore they'd get him but the devil got him first

Roaring out of Harlan went the whippoorwill
He shot the gap at Cumberland and screamed through Maynardsville
With G men oh his taillights and roadblocks up ahead
That mountain boy took roads that even angels fear to thread
Blazin' right through Knoxville on down Kingston Pike
It was just outside of Bearden where they made that fatal strike

He left the road at ninety that's all there is to tell
The devil sent the moonshine and the driver straight to hell
And there was thunder thunder...
Yeah the G men swore they'd get him but the devil got him first

[bill440cars]

          Hey thanks Burma, can't believe I didn't think to post that.

         Check this out:

        http://www.imdb.com/media/rm701077760/tt0052293

        I can't seem to get the picture so that I can post it, I can't seem to get the slideshow to work right from the link, so I'm gonna post the main link and you all will have to go from there. Sorry.

        http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052293/

[kslrr]

What are some other great gear head movie to see? 

Well, how about the Mad Max series, Cherry 2000 (I know, a B movie but a cool Mustang) and if you like comedy with your cars The Great Race.

[bill440cars]

               What about the Gumball Rally movies?

[burmashave]

Here's the movie poster:

But waaaaaaayyyy better is this video:
 

[youtube=425,350]LRH7FtAAbJE[/youtube]

[Ecosse]

I don't know where you dug that up burma' but that was really cool!!