A ’55 Chevy “one-fifty” with a 454 and four on the floor. James Taylor at the wheel and Dennis Wilson riding shotgun; no names and no bullshit. Two-Lane Blacktop came out two years before American Graffiti and two after Easy Rider. The film remains a cult classic. Good old American muscle. [Two-Lane Blacktop]
A slightly more obscure Monte Hellman flick but one well worth your time is Cockfighter, also with Warren Oates and also Harry Dean Stanton and a very young Ed Begley Jr. A warning: animals were certainly harmed in the making of that movie, but it’s not gratuitously graphic.
hot rodder -How bout fify?
the driver –Make it three yards motherfucker, and we’ll have us an automobile race.
such an excellent movie, a slice of Americana.
Great flick. Also see Cockfighter with Oates and Hellman. Another great film. Links to vintage trailers attached.
http://finestqualitytrailers.com/search/two-lane+blacktop
http://finestqualitytrailers.com/search/cockfighter
This is my absolute favorite movie for lots of reasons- the cars, the slow pace, the long, wide shots, the clunky dialog, Dennis Wilson’s white t-shirt and dirty blue jeans… The Criterion Collection DVD version is worth seeking out. Most of us know about Taylor’s music… It always just sort of runs down the middle of the road. Dennis’ work is another story. Check out his heartbreaking solo album “Pacific Ocean Blue” finally re-issued by the killer label Sundazed.
http://www.pacificoceanblue.net/
One of the greatest films of all time. I watch it over and over.
That double-nickel was a game-changer when the movie came out. Turned alot of us into hotrodders and gearheads. Bit o’ trivia: this ’55 was dusted off and used again by Harrison Ford in “American Graffiti” a few years after “Two Lane…”
Great film! Happened to catch it one late night on TCM, well worth your time.
Also stars Warren Oates(AKA, Sgt. Hullka in Stripes) as the driver of an awesome GTO.
Stoner beat me to it.
Rudy Wurlitzer, who wrote the screenplay, has done some great things. He’s also written novels, and his most recent one, The Drop Edge of Yonder, is well worth looking into. (If the plot synopsis sounds something like that of Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man, there’s a reason for that. . . .)
This film is basically p0rn for girls. James Taylor and Dennis Wilson are both SO FIT in it.
@ Caroline.
Well with a car like that it’s almost p0rn for guys as well!