Hot Rod Movie Night #8

“Hot Rod Movie Night : Volume 8” is the eighth DVD in our series featuring full length
films from the 40’s to the 70’s. In “Volume 8” we feature three full movies!
We use dual-layer discs in order to get 3 full length movies on one DVD without
 any loss in quality, and like all our discs, they are burned in an NTSC format,
and will play on all DVD players around the world.

The Fast And The Furious (1955) – 73 min – b&w
Frank Webster (John Ireland) has broken out of jail, charged with a murder he did not commit. While on the run, and the
subject of radio news reports, he becomes cornered in a small coffee shop by a zealous citizen. He commits battery to
escape, and kidnaps a young woman named Connie (Dorothy Malone) as he gets away. Frank drives off with Connie in
her Jaguar. But she soon proves a difficult hostage, trying to escape a few times, which leads him to treat her more
roughly than they both would prefer. This mutual struggle soon leads the two to fall in love with each other. Continuing
to elude police, the couple slips into a cross-border sports car race, which Frank plans to take advantage of in order to
escape into Mexico. Out of sympathy for Frank and a desire to be with him, Connie informs the police of the plan so he
might face trial and be acquitted, and at the last moment he, too, decides it is better to turn himself in. Lots of footage of
the Jaguar in this one, and fans of postwar sports will find it entertaining. The movie itself is quite forgettable, but
interesting for the footage of the sports cars. (Condition – Very Good)

Hell On Wheels (1967) – 96 min – color
Playing himself in the movie “Hell on Wheels,” we see Marty Robbins racing his purple and yellow 1962 Plymouth Savoy against
a variety of different Chevy and Fords from the period. The most noticeable Chevy in the film is a great representative
of racing from that period, a white 1955 Chevrolet 210 2-door sedan tagged with the number 7 on the door.
We get flashes of a 1961 Chevy Impala (#0) and a 1962 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe (#12) but the ’55 remains the star
Chevy in the film. Caught up in the background of the racing action is the tow truck that removes the crashed race cars
off of the track. This Chevy C-30 truck almost goes unnoticed except to die hard Chevy truck fans. Off of the track in
the pit area, in a scene that was very quick, we spotted a 1957 Chevrolet 210 Townsman Bel Air series wagon.
This is a simple story about two brothers, one a popular race car driver played by Marty Robbins, and the other a gifted
car mechanic whose skills make the winning possible. This winning duo becomes two enemies when one messes with
the other’s girlfriend. The acting is horrible and the story is really plain, but the movie is worth watching for the array of
classic Chevys that appear throughout the movie. (Condition – Very Good)

Fireball 500 (1966) – 93 min – color
A stock car movie aimed at teenagers, this Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello flick is interesting for the many stock car
racing scenes, as well as seeing the George Barris customized red and white 1965 Barracuda with “Fireball 500”
emblazoned on its sides. Not a comedy, but far from a serious movie, the storyline follows 60’s stock car racer “Fireball”
Dave Owens from California as he goes to race in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he beats the local hero. Combining
a storyline of moonshine smuggling and racing, the drama comes when Frankie Avalon ends up in the big NASCAR race.
Some excellent footage here from the 1965 NASCAR season. Overall, the movie fails due to a poor storyline, but the
cinematography and overall quality of the NASCAR footage is worth watching from a car guy’s point of view.
(Condition – EXCELLENT – Letterbox Format)