Motion Pictures Not Everybody Liked Two Lane Blacktop…

How the hell did I miss the boob scene?

 

Let's face it. I don't believe this movie was ever intended to be up for a academy award. It was one of those period pieces out of probably a hundred B movies that I'm sure all of us have sat through and probably instantly forget them if not for the cars. I have a shelf full of 1970s car movies that are just as cheesy a this one and it's fun to haul them out and watch them. I'm sure if you showed a movie like Easy Rider to a twenty to thirty something audience today it would lead to a lot of confused looks.

 

Guess ya had to be there. Esquire published the script before the movie was released and I read it in the magazine before I saw the movie on the big screen. I enjoyed it and still do today. I can't say the same for the Cannonball Run and Smokey and the Bandit movies.

 

Ahh the monthly rant Thread...I like the Ole Hotrod...It reminds me of the Stockcars of the early sixties repurposed a little...and yes very little Hotrod movies were as so many alluded high on the award lists...

 

I met Richard at the 2021 Tri Fives along with walt baily , jay weatlys brother,and the new owner of the, I belive the camera car. Richard is truely a very nice guy. He still has the Glendale shirt. Walt had on of the jackets from the street racing guys. I wonder how many of us built gassers because of this movie?? Thats me beside Richard with bucket hat and a replica car that he helped build,on the trailer, The other is one of cars used in movie.

 

Try Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Much higher production standards.

But yeah, when you can say that Dennis Wilson was the better of the two actors...

 

Monthly? Lol, we don't go that long, nonono....

 

The only "car" movies I can think of that are legitimately good movies are American Graffiti and Gone in 60 Seconds (the remake). Beyond that, either the movies sucked, or the cars sucked, or both.

 

As a kid over here in England, it was pretty influential stuff. Plot doesnt really figure when you are a car crazed 15 year introvert! I still love the wide open spaces and calm backwoods 1970s atmosphere of what i imagined rural USA to be like.
Still my favourite car film.

 

When I turned 18 my mom dropped me and my girlfriend (now wife of over 40 years) off on Telegraph Rd. and we hitchhiked to Florida with 7 bucks between the two of us. You really had to live it, no regrets.

 

I did a shit load of street racing for average money, and I didn’t like the movie

 

I started street racing when I was 14 and I didn't even have a drivers license. Guys really did want to run me for titles but I wasn't giving up my car that easy.

 

Not to go off topic, but how many have seen Deuce of Spades? More recent indie film with some killer cars in it, very on topic for this place.

 

That was before my time but I really feel like I caught the tail end of something cool. Like I said, no regrets.

 

Nobody said Hollywood Knights so here ya go, said it.

Someone dropped a pic of the 40 cpe on IG a few days ago. "THAT'S TONY NANCY YELLOW!"
The whole movie is sophomoric and funny, then hit with kool cars. The best, and don't care whatcha think I take it over AG any day.

So, "Where's your El Camino..."

 

Great movie. I bought it off Gene Winfield at the Detroit Autorama back in 2016 and he signed it for me. Once again though, only a great movie in terms of the cars.

 

I've watched part of the movie. I didn't really grow up a car guy. So it was just really weird watching JT and DW in it, and the movie plot seemed kind of forced or something.

 

I don't recall seeing Hollywood Knights, Boogie Nights on the other hand................

 

Dude, yer missin out. Newbomb Turk, officer Clark, officer Bimbo, PROJECT X (!), drive-in quality with street racing thrown in.


The end of this scene rules!

 

...Michelle Pfeiffer made her debut as well as Fran Dreschler. All horned up in the Pie Wagon....

 

That chick came here and became instant friends with a lot of people, used cars in the film, disappeared as soon as it was over.

 

I was pissed at my friends for going to see it during the week with out me. Was years before I got to see it home on TV while working on something. It couldn't hold my interest that long before I'd go back to what I was working on. Every one needed a slap up side the head, Oates drove me away, Taylor was a beady eyed dork and Dennis just knew to change the jets. I was impressed with the Ruth build though.

 

Rolling Stone October 15, 1970
BY MICHAEL GOODWIN

TUCUMCARI -- Under the hot New Mexico desert afternoon sun. James Taylor stands on the shoulder of State Highway 101, shaving with a portable electric razor. He shares the roadside with a mean-looking, primer-gray '55 Chevy. The car has wide racing tires and a race-modified engine which is too big for the hood................................

A bit of a long read but pretty interesting full text in link below.




Here:
http://www.cinetropic.com/blacktop/stone.html

 

As a former street racer (as far as you all know) this movie does capture some of the essence of hard core street racing back in the day when times were quite different . The lines in the movie that I unknowingly used myself, All we have to do is rope one in, We have 300 racing bread and 20 to spend. Where do you guy's race around here? If the movie would have added a couple fist fights well that would have added to what can and did happen when you race for $$. Ok I said enough.

 

I watched an interview with James Taylor today about the movie. He seems to know a bit about cars, went to the drags with his brother growing up. Tells a funny story about launching the 55 accidentally in reverse. Driveshaft came up through the floorboards.
Years ago, I read the story of that 55. The director had gone to the LA street races and loved it. He told the guy “I want three cars exactly like this 55”. The builder delivered the first car. High end build with perfect baby blue paint, killer 454. Had the fiberglass tilt front end of course, but also glass doors and deck lid. The movie brains thought it looked too nice, so they covered the blue in crappy primer. You all probably knew that.

 

Working evening shift my buddy said his girlfriend was tapping TLB. I told him it sucked, her girlfriend called to tell him it sucked .

 

1961. Hanging out at Al & Dubs in southside OKC and some dude from out of town with his brand new 61 348 Impala that daddy bought for him came looking ro race one of the older guys I knew named Crowe. Crowe had a 46 Chevy coupe with a pretty hot 348. Crowe told the guy to wait a few minutes because he had to go home and put on his racing shoes. Twenty minutes later he's back with a set of slicks and the other guy starts whining about that being unfair because he had street tires. He finally got shamed into the race and we all headed out to the south end of Santa Fe. There was some kind of BS about how they were starting and Crowe finally just shoved me out in the middle with a flashlight. They got the light, I didn't get killed or maimed and Crowe smoked the dude. It was great.

 

Dude was right. Slicks weren't fair.

 

I saw it in a theater when it first came out. Drove my '55 there. I liked the movie but my girl friend didn't care much for it. Got an improper passing ticket after the movie. Still got the '55 but not the girl friend.

 

yea that deuces of spades movie that chick made had a couple cars in it but more of a love story than a car movie i thought it was kinda hokey more of a chick flic. acouple that were pretty good thou was that preston tucker movie and my all time favorite worlds fastest indian