Hot Rods to Hell
Encyclopedia
Hot Rods to Hell is a 1967
suspense film, originally intended for television, but released in theaters instead after its producers considered it too intense for TV viewers. It is one of many exploitation-type films from noted producer Sam Katzman
, whose work is generally regarded as of higher quality than most such films. This was director John Brahm
's last film.
s) instead, with a runtime of 92 minutes.
Based originally on a Saturday Evening Post story, the movie project originally had the title 52 Miles to Terror
Eventually, ABC-TV
bought the broadcast rights and exhibited the film on their ABC Sunday Night Movie series in 1968. Unaccountably, they used a print having a runtime of 100 minutes. When Turner Classic Movies
bought the rights to MGM's extensive film library, they acquired the 100-minute print.
Tom Phillips (Dana Andrews
) is driving home to Boston, Massachusetts for Christmas when he encounters a drunken driver on a rain-streaked road. He cannot avoid a collision, and is hospitalized with spinal damage. Since he cannot be a traveling salesman anymore, his brother arranges for Tom to buy a remote motel in the desert
town of Mayville, California
. Tom is reluctant, since he has never been an innkeeper before—but in the end he decides that he must travel in order to get as far away from the site of his accident as possible, as soon as possible.
So Tom sets out for California with his wife, teen-aged daughter, and son. But when they reach the desert they are accosted by a pair of drag racers
and a "party girl" in a modified, high-performance 1958 Chevrolet
Corvette
who jokingly force them to swerve and avoid a collision.
This is only the first of a series of escalating encounters with the local youth. Teenaged children of relatively well-off local farmers, they are apparently given "everything they want" but are still bored and are locked in a never-ending desire for "kicks" in which they will never be satisfied. The adults, including the owner of a local filling station, are fed-up with them. One of these adults, however, turns out to own the very motel that Tom Phillips has bought—and he is selling out after having let the wayward youth use his motel as an illicit trysting place for years.
When Tom tells the filling-station owner that he has "just bought himself a motel," one of the kids, named Ernie (Gene Kirkwood), overhears. Soon after, he tells his friend Duke (Paul Bertoya), who is the driver of the Corvette
. Duke organizes a campaign of harassment against Tom and chases the hapless family all the way to the motel.
Matters come to a dangerous head when Tom's daughter (Laurie Mock), fascinated by Duke, goes to see him in the motel bar and grill, called the "Arena." Duke's current girlfriend Gloria (Mimsy Farmer
), in a jealous rage, informs Tom, who tries to strangle Duke—but his back goes out and he must desist. He then informs the former motel owner (George Ives) that he will not go through with the sale. This causes a confrontation between the former owner and the youths, which ends when the owner tells Duke and Ernie that Tom is going to the next town to "bring the police down on this place."
Duke and Ernie resolve never to let Tom Phillips reach that town—and so, as the family tries to escape, they engage them in a deadly game of "chicken
." This game ends only when Tom outwits the teenagers by parking his car on a narrow bridge, with the headlights on, evacuating him and his family to a safe spot twenty yards off the road. Faced with an unmoving object, Duke turns "chicken
" himself, running his car off the edge of the bridge—after which he and Ernie, bruised, battered, and with scraped knees, swear that they will never give Tom any trouble. Tom agrees not to turn them in to the police—but tells them that he will go back to his motel and run it properly from now on.
desert town Lake Los Angeles and Wilsona Gardens, east of Palmdale, California
. Specific locations include "Charlie's Last Chance" gas station 34°40′15.27"N 117°49′37.88"W; 150th Street E, where a majority of chase scenes were filmed, 34°38′31.45"N 117°51′46.25"W; and the exact location of the narrow bridge crash at the end of the film (the bridge was actually constructed by the film crew) 34°38′43.59"N 117°51′46.58"W.
to a widescreen
format of 16:9 (approximately 1.85:1). This was done by both cropping the top and bottom of the frame, however, more information on the sides is viewable from the original 4:3 television presentation as well.
1967 in film
The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:* December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television....
suspense film, originally intended for television, but released in theaters instead after its producers considered it too intense for TV viewers. It is one of many exploitation-type films from noted producer Sam Katzman
Sam Katzman
Sam Katzman was an American film producer and director. Born into a poor Jewish family, Katzman went to work as a stage laborer at the age of 13 in the fledgling East Coast film industry...
, whose work is generally regarded as of higher quality than most such films. This was director John Brahm
John Brahm
John Brahm was a film and television director possibly best known today for directing a dozen of the original Twilight Zone episodes including the now classic "Time Enough at Last"...
's last film.
Background and production
The film was originally intended for television release, and was in fact shot in the 4:3 "full-screen" aspect ratio that persisted on television for decades even after film had long since gone to wide-screen aspect ratios of 1.65:1, 2:1, or even 2.25:1. When the project was finished, however, the producers deemed it too intense for television and released it to theaters (including drive-in theaterDrive-in theater
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
s) instead, with a runtime of 92 minutes.
Based originally on a Saturday Evening Post story, the movie project originally had the title 52 Miles to Terror
Eventually, ABC-TV
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
bought the broadcast rights and exhibited the film on their ABC Sunday Night Movie series in 1968. Unaccountably, they used a print having a runtime of 100 minutes. When Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
bought the rights to MGM's extensive film library, they acquired the 100-minute print.
Plot
Traveling salesmanVendor (supply chain)
A vendor, or a supplier, is a supply chain management term meaning anyone who provides goods or services to a company. A vendor often manufactures inventoriable items, and sells those items to a customer.- History :...
Tom Phillips (Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews was an American film actor. He was one of Hollywood's major stars of the 1940s, and continued acting, though generally in less prestigious roles, into the 1980s.-Early life:...
) is driving home to Boston, Massachusetts for Christmas when he encounters a drunken driver on a rain-streaked road. He cannot avoid a collision, and is hospitalized with spinal damage. Since he cannot be a traveling salesman anymore, his brother arranges for Tom to buy a remote motel in the desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
town of Mayville, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Tom is reluctant, since he has never been an innkeeper before—but in the end he decides that he must travel in order to get as far away from the site of his accident as possible, as soon as possible.
So Tom sets out for California with his wife, teen-aged daughter, and son. But when they reach the desert they are accosted by a pair of drag racers
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
and a "party girl" in a modified, high-performance 1958 Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
who jokingly force them to swerve and avoid a collision.
This is only the first of a series of escalating encounters with the local youth. Teenaged children of relatively well-off local farmers, they are apparently given "everything they want" but are still bored and are locked in a never-ending desire for "kicks" in which they will never be satisfied. The adults, including the owner of a local filling station, are fed-up with them. One of these adults, however, turns out to own the very motel that Tom Phillips has bought—and he is selling out after having let the wayward youth use his motel as an illicit trysting place for years.
When Tom tells the filling-station owner that he has "just bought himself a motel," one of the kids, named Ernie (Gene Kirkwood), overhears. Soon after, he tells his friend Duke (Paul Bertoya), who is the driver of the Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
. Duke organizes a campaign of harassment against Tom and chases the hapless family all the way to the motel.
Matters come to a dangerous head when Tom's daughter (Laurie Mock), fascinated by Duke, goes to see him in the motel bar and grill, called the "Arena." Duke's current girlfriend Gloria (Mimsy Farmer
Mimsy Farmer
Mimsy Farmer is an American actress. Her nickname came from a line in Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky; "All mimsy were the borogoves".-Career:...
), in a jealous rage, informs Tom, who tries to strangle Duke—but his back goes out and he must desist. He then informs the former motel owner (George Ives) that he will not go through with the sale. This causes a confrontation between the former owner and the youths, which ends when the owner tells Duke and Ernie that Tom is going to the next town to "bring the police down on this place."
Duke and Ernie resolve never to let Tom Phillips reach that town—and so, as the family tries to escape, they engage them in a deadly game of "chicken
Chicken (game)
The game of chicken, also known as the hawk-dove or snowdrift game, is an influential model of conflict for two players in game theory...
." This game ends only when Tom outwits the teenagers by parking his car on a narrow bridge, with the headlights on, evacuating him and his family to a safe spot twenty yards off the road. Faced with an unmoving object, Duke turns "chicken
Chicken (game)
The game of chicken, also known as the hawk-dove or snowdrift game, is an influential model of conflict for two players in game theory...
" himself, running his car off the edge of the bridge—after which he and Ernie, bruised, battered, and with scraped knees, swear that they will never give Tom any trouble. Tom agrees not to turn them in to the police—but tells them that he will go back to his motel and run it properly from now on.
Cast
- Dana AndrewsDana AndrewsDana Andrews was an American film actor. He was one of Hollywood's major stars of the 1940s, and continued acting, though generally in less prestigious roles, into the 1980s.-Early life:...
as Tom Phillips - Jeanne CrainJeanne CrainJeanne Elizabeth Crain was an American actress.-Early life:Crain was born in Barstow, California, to George A. Crain, a school teacher, and Loretta Carr; she was of Irish heritage on her mother's side, and of English and distant French descent on her father's...
as Peg Phillips, his wife - Paul Bertoya as Duke, leader of the wayward youth
- Gene Kirkland as Ernie, Duke's sidekick
- Mimsy FarmerMimsy FarmerMimsy Farmer is an American actress. Her nickname came from a line in Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky; "All mimsy were the borogoves".-Career:...
as Gloria, Duke's girlfriend - Laurie Mock as Tina, Tom Phillips' daughter
- Jeffrey Bryon (credited as Tim Stafford) as Jamie, Tom Phillips' son
- George Ives as Lank Dailey, owner of Dailey's Motel and the Arena roadhouse
- William Mims as another family man who is a careless driver himself; he eventually has a losing encounter on the lonely road with another driver, who might (or might not) be Duke
- Hortense Petra and Peter OliphantPeter OliphantPeter Oliphant is an American actor best known for playing Freddie Helper on The Dick Van Dyke Show. He is currently a computer game designer, programmer and producer. Some computer games he has worked on include Stonekeep and Lexi-Cross....
as his wife and son - Paul GengePaul GengePaul Morgan Genge was an actor from the 1950s through to the late 1970s. Genge is most famous for his role as the shotgun toting gray-haired mob hitman 'Mike' in the 1968 film Bullitt...
as an unnamed California Highway Patrol officer - Charles P. ThompsonCharles P. Thompson-Career:Born in Pennsylvania, Thompson began his career on Broadway in the 1920s. At age 57, he made his feature film debut as a ticket taker in The Naked City ....
as Charley, the elderly filling-station owner - Harry Hickox as Bill, Tom Phillips' brother
Filming locations
Filmed largely near the Southern CaliforniaSouthern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
desert town Lake Los Angeles and Wilsona Gardens, east of Palmdale, California
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...
. Specific locations include "Charlie's Last Chance" gas station 34°40′15.27"N 117°49′37.88"W; 150th Street E, where a majority of chase scenes were filmed, 34°38′31.45"N 117°51′46.25"W; and the exact location of the narrow bridge crash at the end of the film (the bridge was actually constructed by the film crew) 34°38′43.59"N 117°51′46.58"W.
Reception
Hot Rods to Hell received nearly universal scorn from critics but had a profitable run, given its very modest budget, grossing over a million dollars. It received no major award nominations. Over the years, Hot Rods to Hell developed a cult following and has a website devoted to it.DVD release
Hot Rods to Hell was released on Region 1 DVD on June 26, 2007 by Warner Brothers Home Video. The DVD has been modified from the original 4:3 (1.33:1) aspect ratioAspect ratio
The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,...
to a widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
format of 16:9 (approximately 1.85:1). This was done by both cropping the top and bottom of the frame, however, more information on the sides is viewable from the original 4:3 television presentation as well.