The Fast and the Furious (1955)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Directors:

John Ireland
Edward Sampson

Writers:

Roger Corman (story)
Jean Howell (writer)

Release Date:

15 February 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery

Plot:

A man wrongly imprisoned for murder breaks out of jail. He wants to clear his name, but with the police pursuing him...

Plot Keywords:

Automobile | Public Domain | Beautiful Woman | Drag Racing

Cast

John Ireland	...	Frank Webster
Dorothy Malone	...	Connie Adair
Bruce Carlisle	...	Faber
Iris Adrian	...	Wilma Belding, Waitress
Marshall Bradford	...	Mr. Hillman, Race Marshal
Bruno VeSota	...	Bob Nielson, Truck Driver (as Bruno Ve Sota)
Byrd Holland	...	Doctor
Larry Thor	...	Detective Sergeant
Henry Rowland	...	Motorist in Park
Jean Howell	...	Sally Phillips
Dick Pinner	...	Officer Samuels (as Richard Pinner)
Robin Morse	...	Gas Station Attendant
Lou Place	...	Det. Faraday
'Snub' Pollard	...	Park Caretaker (as Snub Pollard)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) | UK:U (original rating) (1954-2005) | Germany:12 (nf) | Australia:M | USA:Approved (PCA #17117)

Filming Locations:

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, USA

Company:

Palo Alto Productions

Trivia:

Producer Roger Corman doubled as one of the race drivers, and got so caught up in the race that he forgot he wasn't supposed to "win" it; he wound up beating star John Ireland across the finish line, resulting in another take being shot in which Ireland won the race.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the early part of the race, the announcer in the grandstand gives detailed accounts of the racing action long after the cars would have been out of his view.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

Low budget is right!

While I enjoyed the plot, and especially the cars, the film had some glaring continuity errors, two of which I note here. 1) The Jag is seen approaching the starting line with no race number, and in the next shot it is still approaching the start bearing the '55' that had been allocated. 2) From the start of the film, the Jag boasted wire wheels. During the race the car had pressed steel wheels most of the time, yet occasional shots showed wire wheels again. Why change the wheels - or was it a different car?

There were also some technical errors that should have been picked up during the editing, the most obvious being the microphone boom reflected in the car's windscreen at one point. Maybe it was too late to re-shoot.