Moonrunners (1975)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Gy Waldron

Writer:

Gy Waldron (written by)

Release Date:

14 May 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy

Tagline:

You take a load of 200 proof corn liquor through a Georgia roadblock at 100 miles an hour and if you ain't a dead man, you're a moonrunner.

Plot:

Grady and Bobby Lee run moonshine for Uncle Jesse, who prides himself on his old-school moonshining methods, and refuses to buckle in to the 'big business moonshine' of Jake, who controls these parts for New York mobsters. |

Cast

James Mitchum	...	Grady Hagg
Kiel Martin	...	Bobby Lee Hagg
Arthur Hunnicutt	...	Uncle Jesse Hagg
Chris Forbes	...	Beth Ann Eubanks
George Ellis	...	Jake Rainey, Bootlegger
Pete Munro	...	Zeebo, Bootlegger
Joan Blackman	...	Reba Rainey
Waylon Jennings	...	The Balladeer
Ralph Mooney	...	Steel guitar and drums
Don Brooks	...	Harmonica
Fred Newell	...	Himself - Lead guitar / banjo
Larry Whitemore	...	Rhythm guitar
Duke Goff	...	Bass guitar
Richie Albright	...	Percussion
Elaine 'Spanky' McFarlane	...	Precious, Jake Rainey's bartender (as Spanky McFarlan)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Griffin, Georgia, USA

Company:

Moonrunner

Trivia:

Gy Waldron went on to create the TV series, "The Dukes of Hazzard" (1979), using several elements of this film in the TV show, including Waylon Jennings as narrator.

Goofs:

Continuity: The damage on Bobby Lee's fury changes between shots, and at one point it goes from an automatic to a manual and back again.

Quotes:

Grady: I do all of his heavy work. The artiste has to protect his hands.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Collier & Co. (2006)

Soundtrack:

Whiskey Man

Excellent!!

Moon Runners for some reason is almost NEVER mentioned as far as good decent 70's schlock and action movies, despite the "Dukes of Hazzard" connection. It's pretty rare - while it was shown on cable in the late 70's, it almost never shows up on TV at all nowadays. I caught it for the first time in many years early this year on cable (TNT I believe).

Grady and Bobby Lee (later to become Bo and Luke Duke) run moonshine for Uncle Jesse, who prides himself on his old-school moonshining methods, and refuses to buckle in to the 'big business moonshine' of Jake, who controls these parts for New York mobsters. Fast-paced and entertaining, as the boys continue to get their moonshine through. Some excellent car chase action, and while the chase scenes aren't on par with say "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" and also aren't as numerous as I thought I remembered, still decent enough and forgivable since the film is just fun to begin with. Definitely a film to be seen!