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What’s Your Favorite Automobile Related Movie?


Angelfish

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  • Angelfish changed the title to What’s Your Favorite Automobile Related Movie?

Don't have a favorite per se, but I'm always on the lookout for the cars in pre-1980 movies and tv shows. TCM is great for old car spotting.

 

Last night TCM showed "The Children's Hour" which was heavy stuff for 1961. The rich parents of the boarding school girls were driving late-50s/early 60s Imperials, Lincoln Continentals, and Cadillac limousines. The old-money biddy who caused the trouble was chauffeured in a 40s blind-quarter Cadillac 75. The kinds of cars rural folk like us saw only in movies.

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"Harlem Nights" with Eddy Murphy.  Too many cars to mention them all. All in the 1930's like Packard, Pierce Arrow, Buick, Chrysler, Chevrolet, etc.   

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Bullet and the Great Race are both good.  A lot of old movies have some great car spotting in them, but not necessarily 'car movies'. One in particular is Dazed and Confused.   I guess I can go full tilt into the redneck category and say that the best car movie has to be Smokey and the Bandit!   I wont pretend to be an intellectual (which Im not, lol), just show my true spirit of how a good entertaining movie should be. Not heavy on the plot, and entertaining.  fwiw, I read at one time that this was one of Alfred Hitchocks favorite movies.

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Oh ya!

The best old car chase movie.

"If I Had a Million" 1932

 A story of several folks who get million dollars and what they do with it.

One vignett is W.C.Fields with Allison Skipworth/ wife buys a new 32 Ford Phaeton only to have is run into and wrecked by a bad driver.

He gets million bucks given to him by an eccentric and buys a fleet used large touring cars and hires drivers for them.

Then he and his wife proceed to chase down all the road hoggs they can find and run them off the road one by one.

At the end he buys a new 32 Ford sedan only to have it side swiped as he pulls out of the dealership.

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50 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

Bullet and the Great Race are both good.  A lot of old movies have some great car spotting in them, but not necessarily 'car movies'. One in particular is Dazed and Confused.   I guess I can go full tilt into the redneck category and say that the best car movie has to be Smokey and the Bandit!   I wont pretend to be an intellectual (which Im not, lol), just show my true spirit of how a good entertaining movie should be. Not heavy on the plot, and entertaining.  fwiw, I read at one time that this was one of Alfred Hitchocks favorite movies.

Mine too!🤠

 

Hitchcock used some pretty interesting cars in his movies too. "Psycho" was heavy on 58-59 Ford products, and the 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 in "The Birds" was, to me, as well-cast as any of the actors. Though I hated seeing that Buick get incinerated... keep telling meself in 1963 it was just an out-of-style used car.

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Racks and racks of DVD and VHS. Earliest may be Harold Lloyd in "Speedy". Hardest to find was the first "Gone in 60 Seconds" with the original soundtrack. Have "Vanishing Point" with the Charlotte Rampling scene and "Gumball Rally" with the Jag sequences. "Rodin" is often overlooked. Have collections of "Smokey and the Bandit" (original is quintessential American spirit though had to "import" Olympia to Florida also) and "Fast and Furious" (could shift an M22 Muncie like that if ground every other tooth off the synchro rings - wasn't called a "Rock Crusher" for strength but because it sounded like you were crushing rocks... And several copies of TLB (Two Lane Blacktop).

 

Ones that influenced me the most: both from 1966: "Grand Prix" and "A Man and a Woman".

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In spite of its future stars cast and cheesy plot, another movie where the car was the star is "The Wraith" (1986). Dodge's M4S Turbo Interceptor concept. And as bad as I hate to admit it there's little doubt the Oldsmobile Aerotechs took styling cues from that Dodge.

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Many had remakes that were not as good. I always called the 1997 Viggo Mortensen VP "Vanishing Turkey".

For the extended version of Vanishing Point look for the bluish cover with two helicopters.

 

ps +1 on "Lemans" but only Sly picked up coins.

 

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A forgotten gem, which I'm sure is nobody's "favorite automobile movie" but really deserves an honorable mention here:

Money Means Nothing (1934)

 

packrdster.thumb.jpg.6dc538a33abae08e25eb3bc937a259c1.jpg

 

A real B grade programmer from Monogram.  It stars Wallace Ford and the lovely Gloria Shea.  I stumbled across it a couple weeks ago on my Roku TV on the Prime Amazon channel.  It is also available free on Youtube.  I almost mentioned it here the following day, just for all the interesting car related scenes.  The plot is not too deep but the first half of the movie showcases some very nice open touring cars and a great Packard roadster.  Wallace Ford's character works in an aftermarket auto accessory store which gives an interesting look at some seldom seen automotive bling from the early 30's.  Miss Shea's character keeps visiting the store and buying accessories as an excuse to see him  (the poor Packard gets overloaded with horns, lights, etc.)

It's only 63 minutes long and really worth a look for those of you who like the cars from this era.  Plenty of heavier trucks too, in the second half.

 

639188193_gloriawallace.jpg.d0c830a17c81d09d69f6bb8880736814.jpg

Edited by GregLaR (see edit history)
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Herbie Rides Again was one of my all time favorite movies for the first half of my life. All VW Beetles were Herbies to me. Were my favorite cars before I discovered the El Camino circa 1997/98. 

 

I also maintain that Cars is the best NASCAR movie even though not actually about NASCAR. 

 

Don't know if I have a favorite movie. I rarely watch any movies, average 3 a year. And hollywood likes to destroy old cars, and whenever they do that, I'm done with that movie.

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I am surprised that nobody has said”Gone in 60 Seconds”.  Maybe too late model for this group.

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47 minutes ago, GregLaR said:

A forgotten gem, which I'm sure is nobody's "favorite automobile movie" but really deserves an honorable mention here:

Money Means Nothing (1934)

 

packrdster.thumb.jpg.6dc538a33abae08e25eb3bc937a259c1.jpg

 

A real B grade programmer from Monogram.  It stars Wallace Ford and the lovely Gloria Shea.  I stumbled across it a couple weeks ago on my Roku TV on the Prime Amazon channel.  It is also available free on Youtube.  I almost mentioned it here the following day, just for all the interesting car related scenes.  The plot is not too deep but the first half of the movie showcases some very nice open touring cars and a great Packard roadster.  Wallace Ford's character works in an aftermarket auto accessory store which gives an interesting look at some seldom seen automotive bling from the early 30's.  Miss Shea's character keeps visiting the store and buying accessories as an excuse to see him  (the poor Packard gets overloaded with horns, lights, etc.)

It's only 63 minutes long and really worth a look for those of you who like the cars from this era.  Plenty of heavier trucks too, in the second half.

 

639188193_gloriawallace.jpg.d0c830a17c81d09d69f6bb8880736814.jpg

 

 

Money Means Nothing (1934) - YouTube

 

Totally agree ! 

 

Imagine if the quality of footage was as good as todays? 

 

 

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54 minutes ago, GregLaR said:

 

packrdster.thumb.jpg.6dc538a33abae08e25eb3bc937a259c1.jpg

 

 

639188193_gloriawallace.jpg.d0c830a17c81d09d69f6bb8880736814.jpg

By the 1960s this would have been called "product placement" and the manufacturers would have had to pay for it.

 

But in the 1930s it was simply "location" and "set dressing". So US Tires (pre-Royal), Willard batteries and Champion plugs probably got some free advertising from this movie as did Packard. You have to wonder if it did any good in the Depression years.

 

But I try to read a story or movie in context of its times instead of trying to hold them to modern standards and ethics.☺️

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Another great one:

The Great Race » The “Leslie Special” Returns to the Great Race for 2014

 

image.jpeg.c7a9e27473345482a0534aba63767298.jpeg

 

The Great Race (Part 2) Jack Lemmon Tony Curtis Natalie Wood - video  Dailymotion

 

image.thumb.png.e3452ae8d70897542691834d6bd84033.png

 

The Great Race, A spectacular land race from New York to Paris in the early 20th century is planned, the two main competitors being the handsome, dashing hero in white, The Great Leslie (Tony Curtis), and the dastardly, black-suited Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon). While Fate's sidekick, Max (Peter Falk), attempts to sabotage Leslie and the other racers, Leslie finds an unlikely ally in Maggie DuBois (Natalie Wood), a suffragette and journalist-turned-racer whose car breaks down halfway through the event.

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+great+race+full+movie&rlz=1C1YBKB_enUS506US544&biw=1600&bih=757&sxsrf=ALeKk03tT5MnGsy9wjLnOTcC-rtVgvFWwg%3A1616869963545&ei=S3pfYIzEINuttQaz_5KQCw&oq=the+great+race+full+movie&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAxQAFgAYM9RaABwAngAgAGQAYgBkAGSAQMwLjGYAQCqAQdnd3Mtd2l6wAEB&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwjMlcz-jdHvAhXbVs0KHbO_BLIQ4dUDCA0

 

Fun cars, but

Remarkable Cast, primarily featuring Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Jack Lemmon, and Peter Falk: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059243/fullcredits

Directed by 

Blake Edwards  

Writing Credits  

Arthur A. Ross ... (screenplay) (as Arthur Ross)
 
Blake Edwards ... (original story) &
Arthur A. Ross ... (original story) (as Arthur Ross)

Cast (in credits order) verified as complete  

 
Jack Lemmon Jack Lemmon ... Professor Fate / Crown Prince Frederick Hoepnick
Tony Curtis Tony Curtis ... The Great Leslie
Natalie Wood Natalie Wood ... Maggie Dubois
Peter Falk Peter Falk ... Maximilian Meen
Keenan Wynn Keenan Wynn ... Hezekiah Sturdy
Arthur O'Connell Arthur O'Connell ... Henry Goodbody
Vivian Vance Vivian Vance ... Hester Goodbody
Dorothy Provine Dorothy Provine ... Lily Olay
Larry Storch Larry Storch ... Texas Jack
Ross Martin Ross Martin ... Baron Rolfe Von Stuppe
George Macready George Macready ... General Kuhster
Marvin Kaplan Marvin Kaplan ... Frisbee
Hal Smith Hal Smith ... Mayor of Boracho
Denver Pyle Denver Pyle ... Sheriff of Boracho
William Bryant William Bryant ... Baron's Guard (as Bill Bryant)
Ken Wales Ken Wales ... Baron's Guard
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Victor Adamson Victor Adamson ... Barfly (uncredited)
Richard Alexander Richard Alexander ... Barfly (uncredited)
Leon Alton Leon Alton ... Townsman (uncredited)
Walter Bacon Walter Bacon ... Reporter (uncredited)
Brandon Beach Brandon Beach ... Man in Hallway at Sentinel (uncredited)
Herman Belmonte Herman Belmonte ... Barfly (uncredited)
Bill Borzage Bill Borzage ... Townsman (uncredited)
Paul Bryar Paul Bryar ... Policeman (uncredited)
Robert Carson Robert Carson ... Vice Chairman (uncredited)
Bill Catching Bill Catching ... Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
Noble 'Kid' Chissell Noble 'Kid' Chissell ... Auto Worker (uncredited)
Charles Cirillo Charles Cirillo ... Observer at Start (uncredited)
Joseph Crehan Joseph Crehan ... Observer at Start (uncredited)
Blake Edwards Blake Edwards ... Guy with Moustache (uncredited)
Frank Ellis Frank Ellis ... Barfly (uncredited)
Joe Evans Joe Evans ... Executive Board Member (uncredited)
Joe Ferrante Joe Ferrante ... Barfly (uncredited)
Bob Folkerson Bob Folkerson ... Barfly (uncredited)
Fritz Ford Fritz Ford ... Cowboy (uncredited)
George Ford George Ford ... Man in Hallway at Sentinel (uncredited)
Charles Fredericks Charles Fredericks ... Master of Ceremonies (uncredited)
Jack Gordon Jack Gordon ... Observer at Start (uncredited)
Sol Gorss Sol Gorss ... Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
Duke Green Duke Green ... Barfly (uncredited)
Silver Harr Silver Harr ... Barfly (uncredited)
Sam Harris Sam Harris ... Man in Hallway at Sentinel (uncredited)
Harry Harvey Harry Harvey ... Executive Board Member (uncredited)
Al Haskell Al Haskell ... Barfly (uncredited)
Chester Hayes Chester Hayes ... Man in Bear Suit (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward Chuck Hayward ... Soldier (uncredited)
Jack Henderson Jack Henderson ... Executive Board Member (uncredited)
Lars Hensen Lars Hensen ... Reporter (uncredited)
Bob Herron Bob Herron ... Palace Guard (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks Chuck Hicks ... Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
George Holmes George Holmes ... Reporter (uncredited)
Charles Horvath Charles Horvath ... Texas Jack's Henchman / Baker in Pie Fight (uncredited)
Clegg Hoyt Clegg Hoyt ... Man in Saloon (uncredited)
Roy Jenson Roy Jenson ... Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp Kenner G. Kemp ... Townsman (uncredited)
Patricia King Patricia King ... Woman in West (uncredited)
Frank Kreig Frank Kreig ... Starter (uncredited)
Mike Lally Mike Lally ... Bettor (uncredited)
Carl M. Leviness Carl M. Leviness ... Man in Hallway at Sentinel (uncredited)
King Lockwood King Lockwood ... Executive Board Member (uncredited)
Carey Loftin Carey Loftin ... Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
Mathew McCue Mathew McCue ... Observer at Start (uncredited)
Philo McCullough Philo McCullough ... Townsman (uncredited)
Francis McDonald Francis McDonald ... Russian (uncredited)
Rod McGaughy Rod McGaughy ... Barfly (uncredited)
J. Edward McKinley J. Edward McKinley ... Chairman (uncredited)
King Mojave King Mojave ... Reporter (uncredited)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan Boyd 'Red' Morgan ... Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
Richard Mosier Richard Mosier ... Boy Eating Popcorn (uncredited)
Hal Needham Hal Needham ... Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
Joyce Nizzari Joyce Nizzari ... The Crown Prince's dance partner (uncredited)
Daniel Nunez Daniel Nunez ... Observer at Start (uncredited)
Owen Orr Owen Orr ... Soldier (uncredited)
Joe Palma Joe Palma ... Conductor (uncredited)
Harvey Parry Harvey Parry ... Cowboy Shooting Gun in Saloon (uncredited)
Gil Perkins Gil Perkins ... Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
Jack Perkins Jack Perkins ... Texas Jack Henchman (uncredited)
Charles Perry Charles Perry ... Townsman (uncredited)
Fred Rapport Fred Rapport ... Barfly (uncredited)
Raoul Retzer Raoul Retzer ... Mayor-Domo (uncredited)
John Rice John Rice ... Observer at Start (uncredited)
Hal Riddle Hal Riddle ... Baker (uncredited)
Christopher Riordan Christopher Riordan ... Cowboy / Dancer (uncredited)
Robert Robinson Robert Robinson ... Barfly (uncredited)
Clark Ross Clark Ross ... Reporter (uncredited)
Danny Sands Danny Sands ... Barfly (uncredited)
Maria Schroeder Maria Schroeder ... Woman in Tobelsk (uncredited)
Jerry Schumacher Jerry Schumacher ... Auto Worker (uncredited)
Charles Seel Charles Seel ... Freight Agent (uncredited)
Sarah Selby Sarah Selby ... Townswoman (uncredited)
Alex Sharp Alex Sharp ... Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
Johnny Silver Johnny Silver ... Baker (uncredited)
Leslie Sketchley Leslie Sketchley ... Executive Board Member (uncredited)
Carl Sklover Carl Sklover ... Townsman (uncredited)
Paul Smith Paul Smith ... First Employee (uncredited)
Tom Smith Tom Smith ... Barfly (uncredited)
Cap Somers Cap Somers ... Observer at Start (uncredited)
Tom Steele Tom Steele ... Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
Robert R. Stephenson Robert R. Stephenson ... Bishop at Coronation (uncredited)
Norman Stevans Norman Stevans ... Observer at Start (uncredited)
Bert Stevens Bert Stevens ... Townsman (uncredited)
Art Stewart Art Stewart ... (uncredited)
Frank D. Strong Frank D. Strong ... Trombonist in Marching Band (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan Charles Sullivan ... Townsman (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey Arthur Tovey ... Reporter (uncredited)
George Tracy George Tracy ... Barfly (uncredited)
John Truax John Truax ... Prison Guard (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel Dale Van Sickel ... Driver-Contestant in Green Car, #3 (uncredited)
Max Wagner Max Wagner ... Barfly (uncredited)
Jesse Wayne Jesse Wayne ... Barfly (uncredited)
Harry Wilson Harry Wilson ... Townsman (uncredited)
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An Honorable Mention to one of my favorites, 1964's Good Neighbor Sam, starring Jack Lemmon and Romy Schneider. Jack Lemmon really puts the '64 Thunderbird convertible through its paces through the streets of San Francisco, trying to cover over billboards before daybreak..

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Edited by car crazy (see edit history)
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