AUTOS: Hollywood's Hottest Car Chases; Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974)

Automotive Lifestyle

AUTOS: Hollywood’s Hottest Car Chases; Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974)

Much like Vanishing Point, Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry, is a much-referenced cult classic which premiered in 1974.

David Harris | Posted November 09, 2010 Charlotte, NC

The movie was based off Richard Unekis’ 1963 book titled ‘The Chase’ that featured Peter Fonda (playing Larry) and Susan George (playing Mary).

The movie concept is pretty simple; two short track drivers wanted their shot at NASCAR. But they didn’t have the money to race, so Larry and his crew chief Deke (played by Adam Roarke) conjured up a scheme to extort $150,000 from a supermarket manager. Captain Franklin (played by Vic Morrow) set up a dragnet, which winds up becoming an obsessive chase. Mary (Larry’s one-night stand) convinces them to take her along in exchange for her silence. Along the way, the trio ditches their souped-up Chevrolet Impala in favor of a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T.

There are some amazing scenes in this movie, especially in the final car chase where Captain Franklin implores the helicopter pilot to slow down or disable the Charger. The stunt flying in this scene is quite breathtaking. The ending is pretty spectacular too, as the car abruptly bursts into flames after slamming into a moving train. The ending is a little familiar, however.

What to look for… For any of you Lee Majors’ ‘Fall Guy’ fans, even if you haven’t seen the movie, you’ll be pretty familiar with the final scene. BTW, that Bell JetRanger 206B helicopter, which was flown by pilot James W. Gavin (playing himself in the movie), was also used, while in different livery, for other movies like the original Lethal Weapon and Blue Thunder.

Watch The chase…

Everyone has their favorite car chase scene… and many have multiple ones. On Thanksgiving Night (Nov. 25), SPEED enters the conversation with a two-hour special called, Hollywood’s Hottest Car Chases, premiering at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

New York City’s Pangolin Pictures looks at the last 40 years of cinematic car chases, re-living many great scenes through the eyes of those who created, shot and played out what has become one of Hollywood’s greatest creative contributions. Broken out in themes, this feature presentation is produced to be the most comprehensive look at how this genre has evolved from Steve McQueen’s Bullitt to Matt Damon’s Bourne Identity.

Through Thanksgiving, SPEED will roll out some of our favorites from around the studio here in Charlotte. This not a countdown per se, and we want to hear from you, as we’ll introduce a new car chase scene every Monday through Thursday. Let the Chase Begin…

Here’s What They Are Saying over at Autoblog.com…
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/11/speed-announces-hollywoods-hottest-car-chases-with-mega/