The Screengrab : the cannonball run

Summer of '78: "Hooper"

Scott Von Doviak — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Each Thursday this summer we’ll hop in the Screengrab time machine and jump back thirty years to see what was new and exciting at the neighborhood moviehouse this week in…The Summer of ’78! I’ve been on vacation, so this week we’re catching up on the past few Thursdays.

Hooper

Release Date: July 28, 1978

Cast: Burt Reynolds, Jan-Michael Vincent, Sally Field, Brian Keith, Robert Klein, Adam West

The Buzz: “It just ain’t summer without Burt!” (That is, assuming Jimmy Carter is still the president.)

Keywords: Stuntman, Driving Backwards, Rocket Car, Bar Fight, Person on Fire

The Plot: Sonny Hooper (Burt Reynolds) is the greatest stuntman alive, but some fear he’s getting a little long in the tooth. His latest gig is doubling for Adam West, star of The Spy Who Laughed at Danger. (The notion that West would be headlining a big action movie as late as 1978 is one of Hooper’s more implausible elements.) During a barroom brawl at the Palomino, Hooper bonds with up-and-coming golden boy Ski (Jan-Michael Vincent), who is also working on the film. They develop a friendly rivalry on the set, with each trying to top the other with ever more outrageous stunts. This does nothing to help Hooper with his escalating dependence on painkillers, nor his deteriorating relationship with long-suffering girlfriend Gwen (Sally Field). Hooper’s doctor informs him that one more big jolt could paralyze him for life, but that doesn’t stop Hooper from taking on a risky rocket-car gag that could end his career. Take a wild guess if it does.

The Test of Time: Who knew what a cornucopia of embarrassing admissions this Summer of ’78 feature would turn out to be for me? I’ve already copped to owning novelizations of all the Omen movies as well as the Heaven Can Wait Fotonovel, but I can probably top all of that with the admission that I also had the Hooper soundtrack album. At least Smokey and the Bandit featured songs by Jerry Reed; the title track from Hooper is performed by someone named Bent Myggen and is perhaps the only song in recorded history to feature the line “Set him on fire, it will amuse him.” Of course, this latest revelation of mine comes as no surprise to the bazillions of you who keep copies of my book Hick Flicks within reach of your toilet seats. (And if you aren’t one of them, why not buy a copy today? Come on, people, I’m currently ranked # 1,090,823 on Amazon. Help me out here.) As far as the Burt Reynolds/Hal Needham southern fried ouvre goes, Hooper falls short of Smokey but finishes far ahead of Stroker Ace and the Cannonball Run collection. Allow me to quote myself from my magnum opus: “What sets Hooper apart is its insider’s view of a working class subculture within the motion picture industry. The stuntmen are a tight-knight group, clowning around on the set and playing bumper cars on the freeway en route to their favorite watering hole. They know they’re the workhorses of the picture, but even though they’re basically blue collar guys, they’ve got show biz hearts. They do impressions of stars like Jimmy Stewart and Gregory Peck to crack each other up, and get together to drink beer and watch their stunt reels for the thousandth time. There’s an improvisational spontaneity to such scenes; a “morning after” sequence in which Reynolds and Brian Keith slowly roust themselves from hangover oblivion is particularly well-observed.”

Quotable Quote: “I'm gonna find the guy who invented Zylocaine and kiss his ass on Hollywood and Vine!”

2008 Equivalent: This is a tough one, but I’ll give it to Hancock. Like Burt in the '70s, Will Smith is our current Mr. Summer, with a similar “It’s me, your buddy!” persona winking through every role. Plus Hancock is a two-syllable character name title starting with H – just like Hooper!

Previously on Summer of '78: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Don’t Tug on Superman's Cape – Buy It Instead!

Scott Von Doviak — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:30:00 GMT

Here's your chance to show up at your next fancy social engagement wearing Odd Job's bowler hat from Goldfinger, a genuine Liberace mink coat and John Candy's pants from Canadian Bacon. (You may need a belt with those.) Or if you really want to make a lasting impression, how about attending your sister's wedding clad in the jacket Brandon Lee was wearing when he was killed on the set of The Crow, topped off with a genuine Mr. Freeze helmet from the '60s Batman series? You'll be the talk of the reception for sure, although you may have trouble getting someone to dance with you.

All of these items will be available when the Pugliese Pop Culture Collection goes up for auction on March 15th. It's billed as "the finest collection focusing on 20th Century pop culture ever privately assembled," featuring some "850 of the most extraordinary objects imaginable from the worlds of motion pictures, popular music, magic, television and politics."

Even if you have no use for Wilma Flintstone's dress or a genuine Gangs of New York battle axe, the auction may have some items of interest. According to Toronto's CityNews, the gun Jack Ruby used to kill Lee Harvey Oswald will also be up for bids. "The biggest prize is what the hypesters are calling 'the most famous gun in the world.' The Colt Cobra Ruby used to work his way into history by killing the suspected U.S. presidential assassin has the initials of all the detectives who handled it carved into the weapon."

"The whole world saw that unfold live and here's the very gun and the hat that Jack Ruby was wearing," notes Arlan Ettinger of auction house Guernsey's, adding that Oswald's toe tag is also available. That's nice, but here at the Screengrab we're pooling our money for Dom DeLuise's Captain Chaos costume from The Cannonball Run. Outbid us if you dare!

Bullitt: The Greatest Car Chase Ever Google Mapped

Scott Von Doviak — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:00:00 GMT

The high-speed automotive pursuit from 1968’s Steve McQueen vehicle Bullitt has long been regarded one of the three greatest car chases in movie history, along with The French Connection and, of course, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. But you’ve probably never heard anyone describe it as the most accurate car chase ever filmed. Mention the scene to anyone from San Francisco and they’ll jump at the chance to explain in excruciating detail how the chase defies the laws of space and time.

Now you can see it for yourself. Some enterprising soul, using intel gathered from Ray Smith’s comprehensive account of the chase, has detailed every impossible twist and turn on Google Maps. If you were already impressed with McQueen’s driving skills, wait until you get a load of this. Impressive as it is, though, what we’d really like to see is the Google Maps version of The Cannonball Run.

While we’re waiting for that, here’s the scene from Bullitt. See if your newfound knowledge of the inaccuracies detracts from your enjoyment.