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Thunder Road (1958) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   1,103 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 9% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Arthur Ripley
Writers:
Robert Mitchum (story)
James Atlee Phillips (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Thunder Road on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 May 1958 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
YOU'LL NEED SHOCK ABSORBERS! (original ad - all caps) more
Plot:
A veteran comes home from the Korean War to the mountains and takes over the family moonshining business... more | full synopsis
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
King, you're one of the best!
 (From Roger Ebert's Blog. 6 June 2009, 5:54 AM, PDT)

'Thunder Road' brings McG to CBS
 (From Hitfix. 16 February 2009, 11:12 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Realistic, touching, movie about delivering moonshine. more
US TV Schedule:
Tue. July 216:00 PMTCM   

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Robert Mitchum ... Lucas Doolin
Gene Barry ... Troy Barrett, Treasury Agent

Jacques Aubuchon ... Carl Kogan
Keely Smith ... Francie Wymore
Trevor Bardette ... Vernon Doolin
Sandra Knight ... Roxanna Ledbetter
James Mitchum ... Robin Doolin
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
92 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #18919) (original rating) | USA:PG (re-rating) (1975) | Norway:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
All of the "moonrunner" cars in the film had actually been used by moonshiners in the Asheville, North Carolina, area, where the film was shot. The moonshiners sold the cars to the film company in order to buy newer and faster cars. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Luke and Francie are sitting on a sofa, he has his right arm around her shoulder. In close-up her right hand is up, caressing his hand; after the cut to mid-shot, her right hand is holding a drink. more
Quotes:
Lucas Doolin: [talking on pay telephone] Hello, Kogan?... Doolin.
Carl Kogan: What's on your mind, Mr. Doolin?
Lucas Doolin: You. You're on my mind. You finally made the big mistake tonight, Kogan. Niles Penland was a mistake... Jethro Moultrie and Williams - that was a mistake, that was a big mistake, a bad mistake, but tonight you made the *big* mistake. You put your dirty, fat hands on my kid brother. I swore I'd *kill* anybody who tried to make him a whisky runner. I'm on my way into Memphis right now, and when I get there you're gonna find out that I meant *exactly* what I said.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Death Proof (2007) more
Soundtrack:
Whipporwill more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
16 out of 21 people found the following comment useful:-
Realistic, touching, movie about delivering moonshine., 26 May 2005
10/10
Author: hannah-twin from United States

This movie has believable action. You can visualize yourself racing high-powered cars down country back roads. It has love--love of a young girl for an older man, and love of a man for a woman unlike anyone he ever knew as a young man. It has hate--hate for people who pretend to care, but don't, and hate for people bereft of any kindness. It has jealousy of someone who is losing the girl he wants to another man. It shows family love of backwoods people, people who are looked down upon by most others but actually have more decency than most people. It has sadness of life when things don't turn out the way they should. Though a relatively short movie, you come away with the feeling that you knew all of these people. Don't miss it. In the movie, Robert Mitchum plays a Korean war vet who has come back home to find he must fight for his way of life. He is a backwoodsman who delivers moonshine in tankers--fast modified automobiles. His people, backwoods people, eke out a living selling it. But the U.S. government wants him stopped because no federal taxes are paid on moonshine. At the same time, organized crime, selling unlicensed liquor themselves, wants his deliveries stopped and will kill to stop him. Mitchum's character sees little difference between the government and organized crime. He must also fight his brother who also wants to become a tanker driver, a profession Mitchum sees as increasingly dangerous, and fight an envious fellow tanker driver. Mitchum had asked Elvis Presley to play his brother in the movie. Presley was interested but followed Col. Parker's advice and Presley turned the role down. Had Presley accepted, he would have been perfect for the role.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Thunder Road (1958)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Did Bob Mitchum do his own driving in this film? southwestern71
Ballad of Thunder Road ncpipingbob
Francis Koon 1911-2006 dandan71
The greatest drive-in movie of all time! jaykaybuck
Editing goofs in Thunder Road jenny-565
Thunder Road locations benman3
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