Rollercoaster (1977)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

James Goldstone

Writers:

Tommy Cook (story)
Sanford Sheldon (screen story) ...

Release Date:

17 June 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

You are in a race against time...and terror. You are pursuing a nameless, faceless man through America's greatest amusement parks...and, for the first time, you are experiencing the most sensational rides of our time, IN SENSURROUND

Plot:

The plot is about a guile young terrorist who is able to blackmail a series of companies by placing...

Plot Keywords:

Amusement Park | Blackmail | Terrorist | Roller Coaster | Bomb Squad

Cast

George Segal	...	Harry Calder
Richard Widmark	...	Agent Hoyt
Timothy Bottoms	...	Young Man
Henry Fonda	...	Simon Davenport
Harry Guardino	...	Keefer
Susan Strasberg	...	Fran
Helen Hunt	...	Tracy Calder
Dorothy Tristan	...	Helen
Harry Davis	...	Benny
Stephen Pearlman	...	Lyons
G.F. Rowe	...	Wayne Moore (as Gerald Rowe)
Wayne Tippit	...	Police Captain Christie
Michael Bell	...	Demerest
Charlie Tuna	...	Rock Concert MC
Lonny Stevens	...	Federal Agent #1

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Sensurround | Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Kings Dominion - 16000 Theme Park Way, Doswell, Virginia, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Is the third film to be presented in "Sensurround", a special low-frequency bass speaker setup consisting of four huge speakers loaned by distributors to select theaters showing the film. This system was employed only during certain sequences of the film, and was so powerful that it actually cracked plaster at some movie theaters. "Sensurround" was employed in only three other films released by Universal: Earthquake (1974), Midway (1976), and the theatrical release of Battlestar Galactica (1978) (TV).

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Young Man places the remote bomb on the first roller coaster underneath the main guide rail of the track, but allows the ride to run several times before detonating it. In reality, the up-stop wheels or side wheels of the next train to pass through the course would have knocked the bomb out of place or destroyed it.

Quotes:

Young Man: If they pay me and if they do what I say, I'll never bother them again.
Harry Calder: Are you sure? Maybe you enjoy it.
Young Man: Wrong psychological profile, Harry. I'm not in this for kicks
Harry Calder: Oh yeah, right, it's only the money. You're a businessman. And in a corrupt society, you're no worse than anybody else. We all cheat on our taxes, Detroit makes defective cars.
Young Man: I'm not enjoying this conversation, Harry.
Harry Calder: Then get yourself another messenger boy.

Soundtrack:

Big Boy

Overlooked Suspense Gem

Like many others, I agree that this is an underrated suspense movie. I would rank it with other, similar suspense movies of the 70s that have aged pretty well--"The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3" and "Juggernaut" in particular. Of course, the clothes and music (including a performance from SPARKS) smacks of late '70s cheese. But it is gripping and has the perfect amount of humor (George Segal as a movie hero? Who would've guessed that?)

Plus it is the only movie where I can see some favorite places of my youth--Oceanview Park in Norfolk, VA. Not to mention King's Dominion, only 1 year old at the time