Hot Rod Gang | |
---|---|
Directed by | Lew Landers |
Written by | Lou Rusoff |
Based on | story by Rusoff |
Produced by | Lou Rusoff executive Charles Buddy Rogers associate Lou Kimzey |
Starring | John Ashley Jody Fair |
Cinematography | Floyd Crosby |
Music by | Ronald Stein |
Production company | Indigo Productions |
Distributed by | American International Pictures (US) Anglo-Amalgamated (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 72 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $100,000 est. [1] |
Hot Rod Gang is a 1958 drama film directed by Lew Landers and starring John Ashley. The working title was Hot Rod Rock [2] with the film also released under the title Fury Unleashed. American International Pictures released the film as a double feature with High School Hellcats . [3] The production includes performances by rock and roll musician Gene Vincent, [4] and was the final theatrical feature directed by the incredibly prolific Landers, whose career dated to the mid-1930s.
John Abernathy III needs to lead a blameless life to inherit his father's estate, but he also engages in hot rod car racing.
The film was known during production as Hot Rod Rock. [5]
The Los Angeles Times called it "a film of juvenile violence." [6]
The Monthly Film Bulletin said "the comedy misfires woefully, the performances are overstated to the point of caricature and the general level is decidedly moronic." [7]
Diabolique magazine wrote that "Ashley's limitations are exposed a little in this film – I don’t think he was a great comic actor – but it is entertaining and good-hearted." [8]
Vincent Eugene Craddock, known as Gene Vincent, was an American rock and roll musician who pioneered the style of rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-a-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly. His chart career was brief, especially in his home country of the US, where he notched three top 40 hits in 1956 and 1957, and never charted in the top 100 again. In the UK, he was a somewhat bigger star, racking up eight top 40 hits from 1956 to 1961.
The Blue Caps were a pioneering American rock and roll band of the 1950s, the backing band for early rockabilly icon Gene Vincent. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, as part of a class of overlooked backing bands selected by a special committee.
John Stockwell Samuels IV is an American actor and filmmaker. For his work on the television film Cheaters (2000), Stockwell was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special.
Edward Byrne Breitenberger, known professionally as Edd Byrnes, was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the television series 77 Sunset Strip. He also was featured in the 1978 film Grease as television teen-dance show host Vince Fontaine, and was a charting recording artist with "Kookie, Kookie ".
Muscle Beach Party is the second of seven beach party films produced by American International Pictures. It stars Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello and was directed by William Asher, who also directed four other films in this series.
John Ashley was an American actor, producer and singer. He was best known for his work as an actor in films for American International Pictures, producing and acting in horror films shot in the Philippines, and for producing various television series, including The A-Team.
Beast of the Yellow Night is a 1971 Filipino/American horror film, directed by Eddie Romero and starring John Ashley, who co-produced the film with Romero. It was the fourth release for Roger Corman's distribution company New World Pictures. It was released as a double feature with the West German horror film, Creature with the Blue Hand.
Francis Covers the Big Town is a 1953 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International, produced by Leonard Goldstein, directed by Arthur Lubin, that stars Donald O'Connor, Yvette Duguay, and Gene Lockhart. The distinctive voice of Francis is a voice-over by actor Chill Wills.
Suicide Battalion is a 1958 World War II film directed by Edward L. Cahn and starring Mike Connors and John Ashley, who made the film while on leave from the United States Army. In 1968, it was remade for television by Larry Buchanan as Hell Raiders, which was the film's original working title.
Al Capone is a 1959 biographical crime drama film directed by Richard Wilson, written by Malvin Wald and Henry F. Greenberg and released by Allied Artists. It stars Rod Steiger as Al Capone.
The Woman Hunt is a 1972 film directed by Eddie Romero and starring John Ashley, Pat Woodell, and Sid Haig.
Dragstrip Girl is a 1957 film starring John Ashley in his first lead role. American International Pictures released the film as a double feature with Rock All Night and it proved an early success for the studio.
Young Dillinger is a 1965 gangster film directed by Terry O. Morse. It stars Nick Adams as the notorious criminal John Dillinger, and co-stars Robert Conrad, John Ashley and Mary Ann Mobley.
Motorcycle Gang is a 1957 film which is a semi-remake of Dragstrip Girl. It was released by American International Pictures as a double feature with Sorority Girl.
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Hell on Wheels is a 1967 American film about stock-car racing that includes musical performances by several popular country and western singers. It stars Marty Robbins, a popular and successful singer who also dabbled as a NASCAR race driver for a number of years.
Loan Shark is a 1952 American crime film noir directed by Seymour Friedman and starring George Raft, Dorothy Hart and Paul Stewart.
Plunder Road is a 1957 American crime film noir directed by Hubert Cornfield and starring Gene Raymond, Jeanne Cooper and Wayne Morris.
The Black Whip is a 1956 American Civil War Western film directed by Charles Marquis Warren and starring Hugh Marlowe and Coleen Gray.
Gang War is a 1958 American crime film directed by Gene Fowler, Jr. and written by Louis Vittes. The film stars Charles Bronson, Kent Taylor, Jennifer Holden, John Doucette, Gloria Henry and Gloria Grey. The film was released in July 1958, by 20th Century Fox.